Answering the Big Questions Servo Press Technology Helps Automakers Tame Unruly Super Steels

"Advanced high-strength steels need more tonnage, lower speeds and higher energy to properly form parts. If you run a mechanical press at lower speeds, it can't generate enough energy to form the part and will subsequently stall."

To steel or not to steel? That is the question on the minds of automakers facing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. They mandate vehicles achieve 54.5 miles per gallon and reduce carbon intensity by 40 percent for model years 2012 to 2025. To reach that goal OEMs are turning to advanced materials for help in building lighter-weight, crash-resistant cars that appeal to the tastes and wallets of customers yet make for a healthy bottom line.