New innovations in manufacturing change how your car is held together

Automotive manufacturers have a lot of priorities to balance. Fuel economy, safety, cost, increased customer expectations and keeping manufacturing efficient are all important, and manufacturers are looking at a stream of new innovations come into play. Many countries are implementing laws that make low emissions and high fuel economy an imperative. At the same time, safety is a top priority, and drivers expect a range of amenities like vented seats, built-in Wi-Fi and infotainment systems. Self-driving features require connectivity and sensors, and electric vehicles carry batteries that weigh upward of 500 pounds.

Many of these new features add weight to the vehicle, which detracts from fuel efficiency. To balance out the added weight, automakers need to find new ways to be efficient, reduce emissions and lighten weight in other areas of the car.

Increased production of electric vehicles can reduce the number of gas-guzzling vehicles on the road to help bring CO2 emissions down, but cars still need to be efficient to make it from one charging station to another. Regardless of the power source, lightweight materials are a key to reducing energy consumption in any mode of transportation. To stay on top of changing demands, car manufacturers are looking at materials, parts and processes in new ways.

The auto industry has worked for decades on perfecting processes for working with different materials. From fabrication to joining parts and painting, manufacturers have built solid expertise in the art and efficiency of creating the perfect machine. The shift to make lighter parts – parts that can also be recycled at the end of the car life – impacts many steps in the manufacturing process.

Jay Baron, of the Center for Automotive Research says that with pressures for both lightweighting and recycling, manufacturing processes and technologies have become much more complex. Automakers may need to go to more suppliers to provide niche materials for every part. Adding more suppliers and steps is the opposite direction of where they want to go – instead of simplifying the process, it complicates it.

“The manufacturers will tell you that this is out of their comfort zone,” Jay says. What does he think is the logical next step? Possibly finding tier one suppliers to build some of the components.

Aluminum is another go-to material – and growing more popular each year. It is light, strong and rust-resistant and is often used in hoods, trunk lids and doors. It can reduce the weight of a component by up to 60 percent, according to energy.gov. It adds significantly to the cost of the vehicle, because it’s a more expensive material and more challenging to work with. It has limits on formability and can be difficult to join to other materials. More expensive cars tend to use more aluminum and lower cost cars tend to use more steel.

Carbon fiber is half the weight of steel and four times stronger, according to energy.gov, and it can potentially reduce the weight of a car by up to 70 percent. The barriers? High cost, low availability and difficulty in joining. It is also more complex to recycle than steel and aluminum.

Carbon fiber is more commonly used in aviation, and is becoming increasingly popular in premium cars for passenger enclosures, hoods and frames.

Magnesium has the lowest density of metals used in cars and is currently used primarily in the powertrain. It was used in the 1970s and, because it’s easier to work with than other lightweight materials, it could see a resurgence in use. However, it is expensive, lacks crashworthiness and is not readily available in large quantities.