ANTEC, S.A. and Tecnalia take part in Forma0 project for developing lighter and safer vehicles

The Forma0 Consortium, led by SEAT S.A. and managed by CTM Centre Tecnològic Foundation, has been in operation for four years and has recently terminated. It focused on new materials and processes of manufacturing that enable forming steel components with high mechanical resistance (AHSS), mainly for the automobile industry.

The aim of research into high-resistance steels is to achieve lighter and safer vehicles and, moreover, enable a reduction in fuel consumption, gas emissions and the weight of such vehicles, as well as improving resistance to impacts.

ANTEC, S.A. (specialised in the construction of electromagnetic applications) and Tecnalia have participated, together with the CTM Centre Tecnològic Foundation, in the area of work involving electromagnetic forming. The principal results were as follows:

It was possible to deform HSS steel by means of electromagnetic forming. This was because of the use of new materials which have enabled increasing energy in the expansion coilers to 30 kJ, meaning an improvement of 300 % with respect to what had been achieved prior to the project.

As regards holding and clamping processes, the design of the coilers has been optimised both from a mechanical perspective and as regards giving repetitive results.

In the application of tube union, mechanically resistant unions have been obtained.

The development of the coils has meant a qualitative leap with respect to the start of the project: the electromechanical actuators developed are longer lasting and capable of withstanding greater energy.

The participants

The Forma0 Consortium was made up of 13 companies and led by SEAT S.A., the others being Gestamp Automoción, Rovalma, Grup TTC, Mol-Matric, Grupo Antolin-PGA, Sandvik Española, Batz, Industrias Laneko, Antec, CTES, Troe and Industrias Puigjaner. Common to all these was the high specialisation in the different areas of the project. Also part of this project were 6 research centres led by the CTM Centre Tecnològic Foundation, the others being AIMEN, AIN, Ascamm, Tecnalia and UPC, thus guaranteeing wide-ranging technical coverage and contributing specialised, first-rate technological knowledge and infrastructure for helping in undertaking R+D.