DEVELOPMENT OF AN ALL-ALUMINUM AUTOMOTIVE BODY

To develop Honda's all-aluminum automotive body, many technical proble ms have had to be overcome, amongst which, the establishing of a press -forming technology was one of the most difficult. The aim was to give aluminum plate the same level of formed quality as that of steel plat e, even though aluminum plate has a poorer formability than that of st eel plate. For this purpose, it was required to develop and advance su itable technologies concerning the material, the die and the forming p lan, with each of these items being closely related. This paper descri bes the detailed development and the various technical problems overco me, both up to the start of mass production of the all-aluminum body, and in the development concept.