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ArcelorMittal TB Zaragoza to Deliver Tailored Blanks for Opel Meriva
Feb. 17, 2010 ArcelorMittal TB Zaragoza will deliver yearly around 1.2 million laser welded parts, or tailored blanks, representing around 18,000 tonnes per year of galvanized high-quality steel, for the new Opel Meriva produced in the General Motors plant in Zaragoza, Spain.
Tailored blanks (TB) entail welding laser blanks of different thicknesses and qualities to obtain welded parts for use in the body-in-white of cars. The technology is said to result in advantages such as weight reduction, a higher level of passive safety for passengers, and reduction of costs and stocks because one TB substitutes for several non-welded parts.
ArcelorMittal says that the new Meriva is a good example of the increasing usage of TB technology in new cars. The current model does not use laser welded parts, while the second generation will have 10 tailored blanks, according to the company.
The investments at Zaragoza to produce these welded parts amount to EUR 2 million to improve the leveling capacity for the high-strength steels and to acquire new dies and toolings.