High-end vehicle aesthetics for attractive design features and excellent surface finish
The trend in high-end vehicle aesthetics is very much towards sharp lines, concave or convex forms, and exceptionally smooth paint finishes. At the same time, components also have to be lightweight and easy to process in order to keep overall costs as low as possible for the manufacturer. Fulfilling all of these requirements calls for exposed body panels that are easy to form and present a premium appearance after painting.
Products that enable you to create that vital look for your brand
We recognise that looks are vital for your brand image. Achieving high-end vehicle aesthetics means that appealing design features in combination with an excellent surface finish are a must. This is where we come in, with our special product offering for exposed car panels. It provides you with:
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More design freedom for dynamic car styling
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Enhanced paint appearance through optimised steel surface finish
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Smooth, problem-free processing of hot-dip galvanised steels for outer panels.
Looking for the most formable galvanised products?
Our forming steels are among the most formable products currently available in the market. Our top product is DX58D+Z. It:
offers a guaranteed formability level in all directions, unique for a hot-dip galvanised product
allows robust processing of stylish outer panels with complex shapes such as sharp feature lines and extra deep sections.
Our MagiZinc® Auto products are also available in outer panel surface quality, allowing you to benefit from the significant advantages in processing and product performance compared with GI coatings.
Realised through optimised steel surface finish
The final paint appearance of a car body panel is determined not only by the quality of the painting process but, to a large extent, by the surface finish of the material substrate. We have optimised our steel production processes for outer panel material to ensure:
specific surface roughness properties
stability of these properties during deformation.
The result is a formed car panel with a tightly-controlled steel surface finish providing the perfect basis for an excellent paint result.
All outer panel materials are available in our special Serica® premium surface finish. Its predictable and finely balanced surface typography delivers excellent conditions for a consistent paint appearance and a higher paint shop yield even for modern paint processes with fewer or thinner layers.
Prime Lubrication Treatment facilitates the manufacturing of stamped components by minimising known issues in stamping and joining
Prime Lubrication Treatment (PLT) is a mill-applied surface treatment that reduces tool pollution and galling during stamping and improves the quality of the adhesive bonds, while leaving other processes like spot welding and cleaning unaffected.
PLT enables an easy switch from electro-galvanised steel to cost-effective hot-dip galvanised steel, especially for the outer panels.
We support users of PLT with a suite of dedicated (tribology) services such as the TCO Scan, which quantifies the benefits of advanced surface treatments in your press shop and subsequent processes.
Steel for outer panels – at the heart of our business
Tata Steel offers a wide choice of metallic coated steels for outer panels, ranging from super formable DX58D+Z forming grades to high-strength alternatives.
All steels for outer panels are available with corrosion-resistant coatings, including the advanced MagiZinc® Auto coating. Also, these grades for exposed body panels are available in various surface quality levels, including the premium surface finish Serica®.
Our material experts are here to support the deployment of our products in your specific application area. For more information, contact our outer panels experts.
A wide range of grades, coatings and finishes
Our outer panel grades are supplied globally. Our forming steels are available in a wide range of grades, corrosion resistant coatings and exposed surface finishes. Extensive dimensional choice, including 2020mm wide coated products, provides opportunities for cutting waste and maximising yield.
MagiZinc® Auto is available across our entire automotive forming and HSS portfolio and in coating thicknesses ranging from 70 to 140 g/m2.
Striking the balance with our advanced engineering services
Over the past 20 years, Tata Steel has built a vast amount of knowledge about the influence of steel properties on deep-drawability and paint appearance. Achieving the best paint result in combination with high production yields and low costs in the press shop requires fit-for-purpose steel properties and optimised deep drawing parameters.
Our advanced engineering services can support you to find the right balance, resulting in:
- increased quality levels
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reduced costs.
For more information, contact our outer panels experts.
Our materials database Aurora® Online, gives you fast and easy access to reliable material data. The cutting edge database contains comprehensive, up to date material files, data sheets and ready to run input decks, enabling you to set up accurate, reliable simulations.
DX58D+Z is our most formable grade, especially developed for complex shapes like deepdrawn bodysides with critical door cut-outs.
To underlign the fit for such applications, this full-finish product comes with a guaranteed r-value in 45° to the rolling direction; the direction where bodyside formability really matters.
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Supporting you from concept to series production. Increased energy absorption in BIW parts, reducing weight and costs in electric vehicles.
For automotive downloads such as brochures, case studies and data sheets, please click below: