NLMK Lipetsk, the flagship site of NLMK Group, has delivered a pilot batch of galvanized bake hardening (BH) steel to the Uzbekistan-Korean joint venture UzSungwoo.
The pilot batch of steel was custom-made to meet the customer’s individual requirements. It was used to make General Motors internal car body parts, which contributed to vehicle safety. Tests have confirmed compliance of the metal’s ductility and yield strength with the GM standard.
Cold stamping makes BH steel, which has an inherently high degree of ductility, into a high strength body component. By offering ductility and high strength at the same time, BH steel can be used to make reduced weight body components of any complexity. A stronger and lighter material contributes to better safety and weight properties, improves fuel economy and the car’s environmental performance.
Ilya Guschin, NLMK Group Vice President, Sales, said: “Together with UzSungwoo, we continue adding new, more complex products to our mix. Our clients have confirmed the high quality of our steel and delivery performance. We are prepared to offer new steel grades to our customers and are planning to increase our presence in the automotive steel segment.”
NLMK Group supplies UzSungwoo with galvanized and cold-rolled steel made in line with the GM standard, including “soft steels” with superior stamping performance, and new grades of high strength steel. NLMK is currently testing dual phase steel, commissioned by UzSungwoo. DP steel offers unique mechanical properties, which contribute to lower vehicle weight, better fuel economy, and higher safety performance. (NLMK/Ukrainian metal)
