Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Brett D Irick

Stephen Kernosky

S George Luckey, Jr

Andrey M Ilinich

Christopher John May

Kiran Kumar Mallela

Laurent Bernard Chappuis

James Engle

Jerome A Berendt

Richard J Hare

A method is disclosed for forming an aluminum alloy vehicle body component. An aluminum alloy billet is extruded into an aluminum tube that includes longitudinal weld seams formed in a sidewall of the tube during extrusion. A weld seam locating pip is also formed on a sidewall of the tube during extrusion. The pip is used to locate the weld seams during manufacturing of the body component.

Method of forming extruded tubing for vehicle body component

An extruded aluminum alloy tube for hydroforming into an automotive body component includes a wall defining a closed perimeter. The wall includes weld seams disposed in the wall and running longitudinally along the tube. An extruded pip is disposed on the wall and runs longitudinally along the tube. The pip is parallel to the seams and is configured to identify a location of the seams for alignment of the tube during manufacturing.

Aluminum porthole extruded tubing with locating feature

A manufacturing process including a quality control procedure for verifying the completion of forming processes, heat treating and chemically treating parts. Sheet formed blanks, tubular blanks, extrusions and casting are traced through a manufacturing process from the time the parts are received. Metallurgical data relating to parts as received is recorded and marked on the parts. Forming data, heat treating data and chemical treating data may also be recorded by scanning and marking parts throughout the manufacturing process.

Process control for post-form heat treating parts for an assembly operation

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Brett D Irick