Ford, Alcoa collaborate on formable aluminum alloys

Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., and Alcoa Inc., New York, are collaborating to produce next-generation automotive aluminum alloys designed to be formable and design-friendly. Ford will use Alcoa’s Micromill® automotive aluminum material in multiple components on the 2016 F-150®.

The aluminum alloy is 40 percent more formable than today’s automotive aluminum, according to the company, while maintaining strength and weight. Its formability allows it to be shaped into intricate forms, such as the inside panels of automobile doors and external fenders. The increased material strength allows for the use of thinner aluminum sheet while maintaining dent resistance. The Micromill aluminum casting and rolling system turns molten metal into coil in 20 minutes, as opposed to 20 days on a traditional rolling mill.

Ford’s use of the material on its vehicles is expected to more than double from 2016 to 2017.