Ternium Mexico is currently developing FB-540 steel grade, with a ferrite-bainite structure, used to manufacture rims for the automotive industry, thus, becoming the first company to produce this grade of steel in Mexico.
FB-540 is a very high strength steel, thus, the thickness gage of the steel used for the vehicle is lower and reduces the total weight of the unit, as the automotive industry demands. It is for use on the vehicle wheel rims. Having a ferrite-bainite structure, it allows for better performance on the HSLA steel stress tests.
This new development began in 2013, and currently, this Project is at the validation stage.
Jerónimo E. García de Brahi, who is responsible for Terniums Automotive Area in México, indicated that this development will be part of the project portfolio that has successfully been completed by Ternium in Mexico, together with our clients growth thanks to high spec products we have readily available locally, which allow performance improvement and to follow the market trends, regarding environmental standards; achieving all of these benefits with Mexican steel.
Elitza Guerra, responsible for the South Region of the Automotive Area, underscored that with this development, clients who currently buy this product mainly from Asia, will now be able to acquire it in México.
This new product is one of the most comprehensive, requiring high speeds at the Mill cooling table, in order to achieve a ferrite-bainite structure, and therefore, and this new investment will, therefore, make it possible to manufacture it in all ranges of thickness. The stress test on the rims must be met: Meeting the mechanical properties and the structure demanded by clients does not suffice, explained Lucía Nares Candia, Product Engineer at the Guerrero and Churubusco plants.
