Reflecting the lightweighting trend of the auto industry and the rise in the level of seat frame strength for stability, the importance of lightweighting and strong seat frame material and technology is becoming increasingly apparent.  

POSCO Newsroom covers the scene where future cars are created— with DSC’s unceasing efforts in innovating lighter and stronger cars and POSCO, the manufacturer of “Giga Steel”, also referred to as “Dream Steel” that materializes these efforts.

Fuel Efficiency vs. Resistance to Impact

Which is a better pick? A light car for fuel efficiency? Or a car highly resistant to impact? The answer is both. Beyond the economic advantage of the consumer, reinforced environmental regulations along with raised awareness of environmental impact has caused the automotive industry and its consumers to regard lightweighting as a priority. Yet, it is also inevitable to seek out a strong car for passenger safety.

DSC has prioritized developing ultra-lightweight, high-strength seat frame, what all drivers and finished auto manufacturers yearn for. The first-generation through currently commercialized third-generation frame has seen through quite an innovation. DCS’s third-generation seat frame has decreased in weight by 21% compared to the first while the strength improved highly with the application of POSCO’s Giga Steel.

“Automotive lightweighting and structural stability are essential requirements that shouldn’t be overlooked. DSC is constantly innovating the seat frame’s rate of stability through lightweighting while maintaining the highest level of strength.” (Chan-gi Jo, the head of R&D Center at DSC)

DSC’s Unstoppable Drive for Innovation: Giga Steel and Low-Temperature Welding

To figure out how ultra-light and high-strength seat frames are originated, POSCO Newsroom paid a visit to DSC’s Head Office located in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. State-of-the-art equipment galore at the Pilot building where skilled engineers run elaborate tests and benchmarking while labs are running varied simulations based on blueprints.

Dong-su Kim, the head of of Global Support Office at at DSC referred to POSCO’s Giga Steel (resisting pressure of one gigapascal) as one of core solutions to DSC’s ultra-light, high-strength seat frame. By applying POSCO’s ultra-strength Giga Steel, less amount of steel performs the same amount of intensity. Thus, a lighter, stronger, and safer seat frame can be produced in comparison to what regular steel can offer.

DSC’s exclusive low-temperature welding technology that enables its unique high-strength seat frame was observed with the naked eye. Its low-temperature welding drastically improved regular laser beam welding that is less cost-efficient and difficult to modify. Through establishing its own seat frame technology, exclusive to the domestic market, DSC increases both the quality and stability while being adaptive to the changes in automotive manufacturing technology.

“DSC has achieved excellence through Giga Steel and low-temperature welding. It’s already a brand that is trusted by international automotive companies such as Hyundai motors, Ford, and Subaru. We are aiming to promptly accommodate the needs of future sustainable car industry through even more lighter and stronger seat frames by focusing on developing next-generation lightweight, high-strength seats.” (Dong-su Kim, the head of Global Support Office at DSC)

The Perfect Pairing: POSCO’s Giga Steel in DSC’s Seat Frame

POSCO’s Giga Steel is an ultra-high-strength steel plate that can withstand 1,500 units of 1-ton-worth compact cars on the size of a palm. Stronger products can be crafted with lesser weight, making it especially popular as a lightweight automotive material. DSC is also actively adopting POSCO’s Giga Steel as the ultimate lightweight and high-strength material for seat frames.

Recently, DSC and POSCO have taken their technological cooperation to the next level—next-generation ultra-lightweight seats making maximum use of Giga Steel. Already captivating the auto industry, this new seat frame evolution prides in using both companies’ cutting-edge technologies.

“DSC is currently supplying its high-strength seat frames to global car manufacturers with its production base in 20 locations around the world, including United States, China and Europe. POSCO will continue to build on its Solution Marketing activities with DSC, further expanding Giga Steel’s market share for seat frames.” (Jong-gyu Kim, POSCO Automotive Materials Marketing Office)

POSCO Newsroom has observed endless innovations in the making of light and strong cars, and heard stories of people who make dreams come true right at the scene. With DSC seeking perfection even in unseen areas, along with POSCO, the dream material, “Giga Steel” creator grasping the hidden needs of the manufacturer and the end consumer, the future of their bonded efforts is highly anticipated.

As major automakers around the globe are investing in and developing electric vehicles (EV), there was much anticipation and attention focused on the EV category and its top winners the Tuning X team of Soeyeong University. A major factor in the team’s achievement was the application of POSCO’s magnesium plates for the car body instead of aluminum, something the team had never done before.

The Tuning X Team take home the Excellence Award for the electric vehicle category

The Steel Wire talked to Professor Yoon Jae-Gon, who led 10 members of the Tuning X to victory, to get an in-depth look into the winning electric vehicle.

The Secret to Tuning X’s Success

Like all other major automakers in the world, the biggest obstacle for the Tuning X team was lightweighting their electric vehicle, without compromising the performance of its battery.

Yoon said, “Electric cars are the future of the auto industry, but batteries have a short driving distance, so manufacturers are making batteries bigger and heavier (about 200 ~ 500kg). Despite these efforts, current electric vehicles weigh hundreds of kilograms and cannot go over several hundred kilometers on one charge.”

The motor engine is central to any electric vehicle. For the Tuning X team, they used an AC electric motor which requires a controller, adding more weight to the car. Thus, weight reduction from other sources was absolutely necessary.

How did the team make up for the extra weight?

“We applied magnesium plates for weight reduction to the floor, side, and rear panel of the EV cabin. POSCO’s technical seminars and the production skill training played a vital role. Through this preliminary training, we were able to reduce the number of trials and errors, produce the car in time and end up with the best results possible,” explained Yoon.

POSCO’s magnesium plate applied to the internal, driver side of the vehicle

The team had previously used aluminum, another popular lightweight material, but with the new magnesium plates, they achieved a 5 kilogram weight reduction, from 177 kilograms to 172 kilograms. Yoon added, “Magnesium also showed the same processability as aluminum, and did not require professional processing methods.”

Even as the champions, the team will work on improvements for next year, as defending champions. Their plans include increasing the use of magnesium. Yoon remarked, “If we have a chance, I would like to increase the use of magnesium by using the plates as a base and applying it to the mainframe, knuckle and road wheel in the future.”

The Significance of Magnesium Applications In the Auto Industry

According to Professor Yoon, lightweighting is a trend that is here to stay, especially with the rise of electric vehicles as the next-generation cars. The automotive industry accounts for nearly 25 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector and will face increasing emission reduction policies as countries try to battle climate change.

Lightweighting has numerous benefits in this regard, including increased fuel efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, improved braking performance, increased acceleration, road protection, increased comfort, increased mileage and environmental sustainability.

Companies started off working to improve internal combustion engines, and the goal was to improve fuel efficiency through downsizing and the use of high-strength steels. Now, they are going further and pairing lightweight materials with electric batteries-the next-generation power source.

An electric vehicle charges at a newly-opened charging station in downtown Michigan (Source: Michigan Live)

“The weight of the vehicle has the most direct effect on fuel consumption. The way to reduce the weight of the vehicle is to reduce the thickness of each part and to modularize the parts, but the most effective way is to lighten the parts through innovative materials. Aluminum, magnesium, and composites are important lightweight materials, and double magnesium alloys and composite materials can be positioned as future lightweight technology materials by improving the reliability of collapse characteristics, achieving economic manufacturing and assembly costs.”

“In addition, the magnesium alloy has been widely used in various fields such as transportation, aerospace, medical care and leisure with its wide marketability. With its light weight, it is possible to install additional safety devices that protect the safety of the driver and will be able to reduce social costs at the same time.” Added Yoon.

“I think that the most important advantage among the various advantages is the environmental contribution. This is because it is possible to reduce gas emissions during the manufacturing process of magnesium alloys and through improved fuel efficiency by lightweighting vehicles.”

Professor Yoon and the Tuning X Team have high expectations for magnesium as a lightweight material of the future. The team will incorporate more magnesium into their upcoming model, and Yoon believes magnesium has the potential to provide effective lightweighting solutions to more and more automakers in the near future.

POSCO will continue to support future automakers as well. Since 2016, POSCO has been supplying magnesium plates and extruded materials free of charge to the winners of the Formula and EV categories. Besides materials, POSCO provides training to make it easier for students to work with and magnesium materials to their cars. POSCO will continue to support student teams to build industry-academia collaborations and provide even more opportunities for students who are the car makers of tomorrow.

Cover photo courtesy of FS Total.

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Why Should People Care About Autonomous Transportation?

Autonomous transportation is emerging across the world, from personal vehicles to Tesla’s proposed semi trucks that drive in convoy with a lead vehicle handling autonomous follow trucks. Intel is also planning to test a fleet of one hundred autonomous cars and Hyundai’s planning to showcase its self-driving technology at the biggest winter sports event of 2018.

While many have heard of self-driving cars and other road-based vehicles, it may come as a surprise to learn just how far technology has advanced in autonomous transportation. The Swiss bank UBS, suggests that autonomous airplanes could be in place by 2025, a feat that would save airlines $35 billion a year. Clearly, the benefits are drastic and it is becoming essential for companies to invest in making autonomous travel work.

Even further into the future, companies like Next Future Transportation are envisioning pod travel, through which individual vehicles will autonomously transport people from point A to point B.

Next Future Transportation’s autonomous pod (Source: Next Future Transportation)

No matter the type, the economic impact of autonomous transportation technology is unavoidable. Boston Consulting Group expects that the driverless car market will be worth $42 billion by 2025 and $77 billion by 2035, and IHS suggests driverless car ubiquity will hit around 2050.

In terms of what these automated vehicles offer to the public, the Eno Centre for Transportation reports that if 90 percent of American roads were autonomous, accidents would drop from 6 million a year to 1.3 million; deaths would fall from 33,000 to 11,300. Add in better traffic conditions, higher fuel efficiency and extra time gained from not driving, and it’s easy to see why companies are taking notice of this tech sector.

Who is Investing in Autonomous Transportation?
Autonomous transportation entails investment from various industries from materials to technology, and major players are making early moves. Tesla is a good example of a specialty vehicle company determined to see autonomous transportation become a worldwide reality.

Big names in traditional transportation are also jumping aboard. General Motors purchased Cruise Automation, and Ford has invested in an AI startup, Argo AI. Audi has created a subsidiary, the SDS Company, focused on self-driving technology, and BMW has formed an alliance with Intel and Mobileye.

There are also auto suppliers getting into this market, such as Magna, a supplier that is manufacturing vehicles as well as providing the parts to help more traditional companies jump into automated vehicles.

Tech giants like Microsoft are getting involved, too, collaborating with automakers to include their own technology in self-driving vehicles, as well as to research and develop automated transportation technology.

Whether companies are involved in creating the actual vehicles that will be automated, providing security and safety features, pursuing further research, or providing the materials needed to create these vehicles of the future, it is safe to say that this industry is growing rapidly.

Autonomous Transportation and the Steel Industry
A shift toward autonomous transportation is good news for the steel industry. At first glance, it seems steel consumption will decrease as fewer car accidents will lead to less demand for repair parts and more room to use other materials for aesthetic purposes. However, demand for high-strength, premium steels that are highly sought after in traditional cars will continue to increase.

Materials like POSCO GIGA STEEL provide greater strength and safety for automated vehicles, an important consideration when one considers a road full of cars driving themselves. While people may no longer be behind the wheel, they will want to know that their cars, and the cars around them, are made to the highest safety standards. Safety regulations for traditional cars are only getting tougher, and that won’t change with autonomous vehicles.

POSCO’s PBC-EV made with POSCO GIGA STEEL

High-strength steel allows car makers to lightweight their vehicles without compromising safety. POSCO GIGA STEEL’s lightweight properties make it a sustainable solution for automated vehicles that aim to leave a minimal carbon footprint and maximize fuel efficiency. Even better, it is affordable; an important factor considering the overall cost of the technology and hardware that goes into automated vehicles.

The steel industry will also see a boost in the need for accompanying facilities for automated transportation, including manufacturing plants, parking structures, charging stations, smart roads and so on. While automated transportation may be high tech, there will be plenty of opportunities for those in the steel industry to provide material solutions to a rapidly growing market.

Cover photo courtesy of Auto Evolution.

POSCO’s innovations in steel technology have long supplied material solutions for the automotive industry. Last year, POSCO sold approximately 9 million tons of automotive steel sheets, accounting for 10% of the global automotive steel sheet market. In 2017, POSCO’s focus on providing customers with the most advanced, high-quality steel continues with POSCO GIGA STEEL.

POSCO GIGA STEEL, the Beginning of a New Era

POSCO GIGA STEEL represents the apex of steel technology as it is lightweight, strong, and highly formable – exactly what automakers are looking for. Innovations in POSCO’s manufacturing processes reduce both its production emissions and price, making it a more sustainable and affordable option for car makers compared to other lightweight materials. See how POSCO GIGA STEEL is opening a new era for automotive steel in the video below.

POSCO GIGA STEEL Provides Strength & Safety

Automotive steel is categorized according to its tensile strength. POSCO GIGA STEELS fall into the highest category, which includes steels with a tensile strength rated at more than 1 GPa (Gigapascal), meaning it can withstand more than 100 kilograms-force per square millimeter. In the past, steels with tensile strength ratings this high have been problematic for automakers as they had low ductility and elongation properties.

What makes POSCO GIGA STEEL the ideal material for automakers is its ability to both bend and withstand an immense amount of weight and pressure. POSCO’s ultra high strength giga steel has up to three times more formability than other types of comparable steel on the market, making it ideal for manufacturers.

A car’s safety can also be enhanced significantly when POSCO GIGA STEEL is applied to a vehicle’s BIW (body in white) or front and back bumpers. POSCO GIGA STEEL is not only strong but has exceptional shock absorption during impact.

The strength and safety of POSCO GIGA STEEL have been tested and proven to meet the industry’s strictest safety standards. The POSCO Body Concept-Electric Vehicle (PBC-EV) is a lightweight and safe car body for electric vehicles made with POSCO GIGA STEEL. In safety tests, it received “five stars” from the Europe New Car Assessment Program and a “good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) – the highest ratings one can receive from both organizations.

POSCO’s PBC-EV made with POSCO GIGA STEEL is both safe and lightweight.

POSCO GIGA STEEL Helps Deliver Lightweight & Sustainable Cars

Strict regulations on fuel efficiency and carbon emissions continue to push automakers to look for lighter materials to reduce the overall weight of vehicles. However, because stricter safety regulations typically require using heavier body parts, automakers are looking for both strong and light materials to build their cars. Lightweight solutions can be found in some alternative materials, such as aluminum and carbon fiber composites, but there are some drawbacks. For example, although POSCO GIGA STEEL is heavier than aluminum (when measuring equal parts area and thickness), it is more than three times stronger. Therefore, less of it is needed to manufacture products that are as light or lighter than those made with aluminum.

Car bodies manufactured with POSCO GIGA STEEL and other advanced high strength steels could see a 26% reduction in total weight when compared to cars of the same size with internal combustion engines. Considering that the average body weight of medium-sized cars in the early 2000’s was 280-300 kg, this is a remarkable achievement for automakers today.

Also, based on its life cycle assessment measuring carbon dioxide emissions from production to recycling, POSCO GIGA STEEL performs remarkably well as an eco-friendly material. According to the World Steel Association, steel emits 2.0 to 2.5 kg of carbon emissions when producing 1 kg of material while aluminum emits 11 to 12.6 kg when producing the same amount. Even after production, cumulative greenhouse gas emissions of vehicles made with steel is 10% lower when looking at the full life cycle.

POSCO GIGA STEEL Offers an Affordable Option

In automotive lightweighting, a reverse correlation often exists between price and weight. Lighter materials are typically more expensive and heavier materials usually have a lower price. POSCO GIGA STEEL helps bridge this gap by producing automotive steel that is both lightweight and cost-effective.  

Body parts made of POSCO GIGA STEEL can see significant cost savings. Alternative materials like aluminum can cost anywhere from 2.1 to 3.5 times more than POSCO GIGA STEEL. Additionally, current market prices of alternative materials are not expected to decrease over the next ten years.

Facing increasingly strict regulations, POSCO GIGA STEEL offers an ideal choice for automakers to build stronger, lighter, and more sustainable cars. According to POSCO Research Institute (POSRI), advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) like POSCO GIGA STEEL should see increased demand, accounting for 69% of total steel plates by 2023.

Throughout April & May, The Steel Wire will explore how POSCO is leading the automotive steel market with its innovative steel products like POSCO GIGA STEEL. Don’t miss any of the exciting stories from The Steel Wire – subscribe via email today. 

Magnesium was first purified in the 19th century, but wasn’t widely utilized until much later due to the metal’s flammability and corrosive nature, and its difficult refinement process. In its early days, scientists took advantage of its bright white combustibility to make military star shells for illuminating battlefields and flash effects for photography.

Despite its highly flammable nature, though, magnesium has turned out to be very useful for making alloys with other metals. These compounds are able to retain magnesium’s light weight but also offer greater strength and resistance to corrosion. These days, the biggest uses of magnesium are in aluminum alloys (which accounts for nearly one-third of all magnesium demand), die castings, titanium refining and steel desulphurization.

Magnesium in Electronics

When it comes to IT gadgets that require portability and durability, magnesium alloys can help minimize mass while maintaining sturdiness. Increasingly more plastic parts in electronic devices are being replaced by magnesium alloys that essentially weigh the same, but are much stronger and durable. This is especially useful for appliances that benefit from weight reduction, such as cameras, cell phones, laptops and other small electronics.

For example, POSCO’s carbon and magnesium alloy was used throughout the body of the LG Gram 15 laptop, successfully contributing to making it the lightest 15-inch laptop in the market. It was widely recognized for its high level of durability, despite its light weight.

Magnesium in the Automobile Industry

Magnesium wasn’t a very widely used element in the automobile industry in the past, avoided by engineers and designers because of its combustibility. But modern advancements have made magnesium safer than ever, allowing manufacturers to embrace it for its potential to increase fuel efficiency by reducing the vehicle weight. In fact, lightweight car body materials that use magnesium are often preferred over their heavier steel and aluminum counterparts.

Magnesium alloys are most commonly used for the chassis, in the interior (like for the seat base, console bracket and instrument panel), for the exterior (roof and frame, outside mirror armature and wheel frame) and for the powertrain. Magnesium alloys can also help reduce noise and vibrations compared to typical metals.

When the new hybrid car Renault EOLAB made its debut in 2014, its fuel efficiency was rated one of the best in the industry, able to run 100 kilometers on a liter of gas. The vehicle’s roof was made out of POSCO’s magnesium alloy, which decreased the total roof weight by more than half of the original. The magnesium alloy has also been used in the roof of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, contributing to its light weight and better fuel efficiency.

POSCO continues to look for various ways to improve fuel efficiency in cars by developing technologies that can safely utilize magnesium alloys for the automobile industry.

POSCO and Magnesium

With the rise in demand for sustainable, recyclable and lightweight products, magnesium is proving to be the ideal material to utilize in more ways than one. POSCO has been at the forefront of developing magnesium sheet technologies, continually conducting research and looking to make advancements. Since last year, POSCO has emphasized minimizing costs and further developing magnesium materials. Currently, the company is involved in many solution marketing activities such as creating magnesium car parts.

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Steel Everywhere! Steel in Our Daily Lives

It is hard not to use recycled steel every day. Can you imagine cutting steak with a plastic knife? We unconsciously use recycled steel, which is often revived in watches, canned food, cars, containers, rollercoasters and more. We use steel in different forms every day and we’re sometimes not even aware we’re using it. Wherever you go, you will find steel! Steel’s recycling qualities are not only unlimited, but the material has a variety of ways it can be reused.

<Click here to find out why steel is called “The ‘Real’ Man of Steel”>

What Can We Do With Recycled Steel?

Steel’s wide range of recyclability allows us to have effective and efficient lives. In some cases, it can also help protect the environment. The story the infographic by worldsteel describes tells us about how recycled steel helps both us and the Earth.

<Click here to download Infographic>

Cars made with recycled steel can be reborn as nine different useful products. Steel recycling does not stop there, as it continues to transform into various products via endless re-recycling. What’s interesting about recycled steel is that it saves our time, lives, and even our planet. Cars made with recycled steel are lighter, cleaner and more efficient. They emit less emissions and save us money at the pump.

Less is More – And For the Better

Steel and automobiles are best friends. It is hard to make cars without steel. Compared to the past, customers now prefer lighter cars because they are lighter, have lower fuel consumption, and are simply more efficient. Even more interesting is that lighter cars are more environmental friendly. Also – and most importantly – as cars become lighter, they reduce fuel consumption and use less steel to reach fuel efficiency standards.

The less steel in cars, the better! As illustrated by the 2014 Paris Motor Show, manufacturers are moving toward economical and practical vehicles with low fuel consumption and close to zero emissions. Part of the new concepts of the cars of tomorrow take account lighter steel plates and the economic cycle of steel.

<Click here to read about “POSCO’s Advanced High Strength Steels In Renault ‘EOLAB’ Concept Car”>

It is rather interesting to see how various ways steel can be used as technology grows and industries develop. It will be even more interesting to see how steel will be incorporated into our lives in the future and even today.