Development of Integral Aluminum Cross Member by Squeeze Casting

By changing the method of manufacturing cross members (overall length : 1300 mm) for passenger vehicles from a welded steel plate structure to an integrated cast aluminum structure, the number of components required has been cut from 16 to 3, and the weight has been cut by half, from 20 to 10 kg. The casting method used is squeeze casting, which imparts excellent mechanical properties and permits casting of large-size products with thicknesses generally as low as 4.5 mm.