Automotive Applications Interactive Guide
AEC has developed an new interactive guide illustrating how aluminum extrusions are used in today’s vehicles. It provides an overview of various applications along with technical details and numerous application case examples. Click the buttons on the image below to learn more.
All images courtesy of Mayflower Consulting unless otherwise noted.
Mouse over the interactive display below to explore the extrusion applications in today's vehicles, and come back soon to see more applications as they become available.
Extrusions Crash Management Battery Box Cross Car Beam Sub Frame Trim & Accessories
Trim & Accessories
Most extrusions are hidden away from the vehicle owner's touch and sight. Not these parts.
Rockers
Play a critical structural role in the body stiffness, and in side impact protection.
Cross-Members
The frame is the backbone of these versatile vehicles used for carrying payload, off-roading and years of driving.
More!
There are a host of other extrusion applications which we have yet to fully detail.
Automotive Applications Resources
The Power of the Hollow: An Introduction to Contemporary Aluminum Extrusion Technology (PDF) - Presented at the 2023 Aluminum USA show in Nashville, TN, in October 2023, this presentation by AEC's Automotive Industry Promotion Team Leader, Mark Butterfield, President of Manufacturing at Metal Exchange/Pennex Aluminum, outlines the attributes that make aluminum and aluminum extrusions, particularly multi-void hollow shapes, an ideal solution for automakers in finding ways to incorporate aluminum extrusions into their multi-material designs. Mark emphasized some of the more interesting uses of multi-void hollows in today's vehicle, especially BEVs, and discussed the alloy, design and processing considerations necessary to ensure success.
White Paper: 8 Questions You Should be Asking Your Aluminum Extruder to Ensure a Successful Automotive Project
AEC's Automotive Industry Promotion Team is made up of Council members who are dedicated to supporting and advancing the use of extrusions in automotive applications. Visit the Automotive Technical Resources page to learn more and contact an AEC Automotive Industry Team Member.
In the News
Read more about aluminum extrusions in the automotive market by downloading the articles below that appeared in Light Metal Age magazine, written by the AEC Automotive Team Leader, Mark Butterfield of Metal Exchange Corporation/Pennex Aluminum. Visit www.lightmetalage.com for more aluminum industry news.
The Automotive Extrusion Market: Where We Are Today and Where We Need to Be
Aluminum Supply Chain for the Automotive Extrusion Market: Responding to Consumer Demand
Understanding the Extrusion Press Line for Meeting Automotive Market Demand
Rising Demand for Completed Components and Assemblies in the Automotive Extrusion Market
While there are a host of current vehicles benefiting from the use of extrusions, below we've listed a few of the most important of the past 10 years.
2022
Swedish EV builder Polestar (of Volvo – Geely parentage) announces an epoxy-bonded all-aluminum architecture for its Polestar 5, a 4-door GT slated for 2024 production. The platform makes extensive use of extrusions and aluminum sheets and the bonded platform leads to both lightweight and exceptional torsional rigidity.
Mercedes announces their latest performance EV, the AMG EQE with extensive aluminum sheet and extrusions. Planned for 2023 availability, the EQE uses extrusions in the battery frame (with coolant circulating through hollow sections), and in side-impact protection, among other applications.
2020
Iconic British sports car producer Morgan, renowned for its timeless design and its ash wood construction introduced its new Plus Four, with a bonded aluminum chassis replacing the steel ladder frame that had been in use for 84 years! For details go here.
2019
The big extrusion story for 2019 was the launch of the long-awaited mid-engine C8 Corvette. While the engine location was a first for Corvette, the aluminum-intensive frame was evolutionary, building on experience gained with special-edition C6 Corvettes and the aluminum structure used in total for the seventh generation.
Forty percent of the Corvette structure is extrusion – mostly 6xxx series alloy.
2017
Ford extended the aluminum architecture that debuted in the F-150 to its Super Duty F-250, 350 and 450 trucks, as well as to the next generation Expedition SUV. Extending the F-150's aluminum architecture to the Expedition yielded a 300 pound weight reduction, along with increased interior space and towing capacity.
2014
Ford launched the aluminum-intensive F150, the highest volume North American vehicle and the highest volume aluminum-intensive application. Roughly 50 pounds of automotive aluminum extrusions are used in the front end and roof structure.
2013
Tesla launched their award-winning Model S. The aluminum-intensive design features extensive use of aluminum sheets along with multiple castings and extrusions (like the roof bow shown at right) to yield a body-in-white weighing 25% less than a key segment competitor. Aluminum extrusions also found application in the battery box, rear suspension, and side impact system.
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