Replacement by aluminum for the closure panels is one of the common methods for lightening automobile body. However the application used to be limited into shallow drawing parts like hood because of its low stamping formability. As a solution to cover the low stamping formability of aluminum, Blow forming technology of aluminum which is one of the superplastic forming technologies has been researched and developed in Honda for closure panel application. The application of the superplastic forming for medium-scale mass production automobiles has been achieved, as a result of the research and development for 19 years. These aluminum superplastic forming parts contribute to the automotive lightening and attractive styling. The optimization technology development of the fine grain material tailored to each products needs is indispensable for the development of this superplastic forming technology. And this material technology and the forming technology have been developed through friendly competition. This report will outline the application cases of the superplastic forming technology that Honda has ever developed.
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