18.09.2008

Volkswagen orders Schuler laser cutting lines

Major order for Schuler Automation: for its new Laserpark II, VW’s facility in Kassel, Germany, has ordered MOBILAS laser cutting lines for the processing of hot stamped car body parts.

One of the hottest topics for car manufacturers at present is the reduction of CO2 emissions. Lightweight car body construction plays a key role in reducing both fuel consumption and CO2. With the aid of new materials and production processes, vehicles can reduce gas consumption by a quarter of a liter for every 100 kilograms in weight reduction. Consequently, car manufacturers are increasingly turning to hot stamped body parts, which offer both reduced weight and greater rigidity than conventional steels. In addition, these high-strength parts also improve safety for the vehicle occupants.
At Volkswagen’s plant in Kassel, Germany, around 120 metric tons of hot stamped steel are processed daily to make car bodies for the models Passat, Tiguan, Eos, C-Coupé and Scirocco, as well as for the Audi A4 and A5. For the cost-efficient cutting of these high-strength parts, Schuler Automation has received an order from VW to supply laser cutting lines for its new Laserpark II, one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Wear-free laser processing

The mechanical processing of hot stamped blanks is a major challenge: when hardened steel impacts high-strength parts, the result is extremely high die wear. By contrast, laser cutting allows completely wear-free processing – irrespective of the material’s strength. Schuler Automation develops laser cutting lines for economic and flexible processing of high-strength body parts which are tailored to the individual needs of car manufacturers.
The lines are based on the modular MOBILAS system and equipped with the best-suited laser source available on the market. 3D processing ensures highly precise and efficient manufacturing – even of complex formed parts such as tubular bridges. “Our laser lines are specially designed for 3D processing, as they can reach very high cutting accuracies even in extremely dynamic machines,” explains Klaus Meier, who amongst other things is responsible for sales of laser technology at Schuler Automation. “In addition to high-precision, wear-free cuts, Schuler’s laser cutting lines also ensure maximum flexibility: their modular design enables us to tailor the lines precisely to the hall’s layout and logistics in the planning phase. During production, the client can easily correct cuts, or add and remove holes – even for parts with complex geometries.”

Laser lines easily integrated into existing production processes

Apart from its high degree of expertise in the field of hot stamping, Schuler also has many years of experience in the construction of specialist machines for laser processing. “Our spectrum ranges from design to process optimizing to globally available services,” adds Klaus Meier. He continues: “After careful analysis of the customer’s individual manufacturing needs, we begin designing the required laser line. We remain in contact with the client throughout the process in order to ensure optimum functioning of the laser cells. In this way, we can guarantee that laser cells can be integrated seamlessly into existing production processes.”