Blog

Perforated sheets in cars and commercial vehicles

Perforated sheets are a design and styling element with various functions and shapes in the automotive and commercial vehicle industry, such as a hexagonal honeycomb structure, inspired by nature.

Perforated sheets are sheets with punched out openings. However, in detail, accuracy and solutions adapted to the area of application are required. This brings into play the advantages of perforated sheets in practice, including black perforated sheet

Perforated sheets from Schäfer are particularly used in commercial vehicles, such as construction and agricultural machinery. These must function under corrosive conditions with loads from chemicals, wetness, dirt, and mechanical influences.

A prominent example is the off-road vehicle Grenadier by Ineos Automotive, which is manufactured in the former Mercedes-Benz factory in Hambach. Nine individual protective and ventilation grilles are visibly located on the front of the vehicle. They are optimized for air flow for engine cooling. In addition, they permanently protect the engine from mechanical influences as are common in off-road everyday life. The grilles are produced in Neunkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, and delivered ready for installation.

Each type of hole has specific applications and offers individual advantages. A diamond-shaped perforation allows a free cross-section of almost 75 percent. In other words, one square meter of perforated sheet is then made up of 25 percent metal. 75 percent is open area, which explains the weight reduction. With the hexagonal perforation Hv 6.0 to 6.7, the free cross-section and thus the weight reduction can be increased to over 80 percent, thereby optimizing air passage and increasing stiffness. In addition, Schäfer achieves a protective effect against mechanical influences by objects with a diameter of more than six millimeters.

"Originally, a diamond-shaped perforation was planned for the Ineos Grenadier engine protection. Of course, we could have supplied this. However, in the design-in process, we worked out the advantages of the hexagonal perforation for this application together with the engineers and designers from Ineos," says Torsten Schoew, automotive expert in the field of engine protection and cooling at Schäfer Perforated Plates. "The achieved increase in air throughput of more than eight percent has a measurable effect on engine cooling. The engine operates more efficiently as a result and is just as well protected against stone chipping as with the diamond perforation," explains Schoew.

The challenge in the production of the hole pattern Hv 6.0 to 6.7 is the ratio of hole size (6 millimeters), material thickness (1.0 millimeter), and web width (0.7 millimeters). The 0.7 millimeter fine webs must not tear during production. They must withstand external influences even in harsh environments.

In the production of perforated sheets, metal stamps are mechanically pressed into the smooth sheet metal surface using pressure. This creates the specific hole patterns. At the stamp exit sides on the underside of the sheet, process-related breakout burrs occur. At Schäfer, these are deburred in a further step as standard in production. Only now, according to the manufacturer, further processing using chemical or electrochemical methods is recommended for permanent corrosion or oxidation protection of the perforated sheets.

The prerequisite for long-lasting solutions is high-quality perforated sheets. The starting material comes from within the Schäfer Werke Group from EMW Stahl-Service-Center, one of the largest factory-independent steel service centers in Europe. EMW has an average of over 300,000 tons of thin sheet metal (0.25 to 16 millimeters) ready to call off in almost all marketable grades. The perforated sheet metal business area also benefits from this.

Among many other steel grades, Magnelis flat steels from Arcelor-Mittal are also processed, which are also available via EMW. Magnelis flat steels are characterized by self-regeneration at cutting edges and are therefore supposed to be particularly corrosion-resistant. The perforated sheets can be provided with the common RAL color tones from the factory. There, they were manufactured with different hole patterns. According to the manufacturer, the permanent corrosion resistance was tested and certified by independent third parties using a salt spray fog test.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7/9, 97082 Würzburg, Germany, including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here.

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de . In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.

The company's product range includes over 400 immediately available perforated patterns. These are designed as round, square, diamond, long or hexagonal perforations. For processing

The company has an in-house design department with application specialists responsible for the development of customer-specific patterns and optimization in case of high complexity. According to their own statements, this makes almost all conceivable applications and design wishes feasible.

Fresh air for tractor engines

Nine new products for the food industry

Cookie-Manager Imprint Media Privacy General Terms & Conditions Help AI-Guidelines

Copyright © 2024 Vogel Communications Group

designer perforated metal sheet This portal is a brand of Vogel Communications Group. You will find our complete range of products and services on www.vogel.com