Novelis Inc., a developer of aluminum rolling and recycling technologies, has unveiled its strongest automotive aluminum product to date, Novelis AdvanzTM 7UHS-s701. The technologically advanced, ultra-high-strength material is now available commercially to the global automotive industry.

The product offers lightweighting potential of up to 40% over existing ultra-high strength, hot-formed steel solutions and is designed for safety-critical structural applications in passenger vehicles that require high in-service strengths such as A and B pillar reinforcements and side impact door beams. Commercial vehicles and electric vehicles will also benefit from using this material, as it offers mass reduction to enable increased payload and longer battery range, while still meeting all crash, loading and overall design requirements.

Advanz 7UHS-s701 allows down gauging in applications already using aluminum and offers further lightweighting possibilities. The material's targeted use in age-hardened tempers means it does not age, giving it an indefinite shelf life and providing automakers significant supply chain flexibility.

Critically important to automotive designers and engineers, the alloy is compatible with hot stamping processes. In fact, Novelis is actively working with hot stampers and technology partners, such as TELOS Global, to further facilitate rapid aluminum adoption. TELOS Global specializes in conception, design, training and manufacturing associated with high-quality press hardened steel and aluminum stampings, tooling and related thermal and production equipment.

The Advanz 7UHS-s701 material allows scrap collected from the manufacturing process to be fed into a closed loop recycling system for reforming into the same products from which it was derived. As a result, Novelis and its customers maximize product value while minimizing environmental impact through reduced carbon dioxide emissions and transportation costs.