On February 2, the German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp announced that its subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH has developed a new production process that makes parts by joining together different materials with different thicknesses or coatings by laser welding. This principle of tailoring has also been extended to round parts, so-called tailored orbitals. According to the company statement, stainless steel can also be used in these tubes, particularly for areas of the vehicle subject to corrosive attack, such as pipes in car exhaust systems.
In the production of tailored strips, two or three coils of different thicknesses or coatings are joined together length-wise by laser welding. The ends are then welded together to produce lengths of several hundred meters. Different stainless steels can also be combined in this way. Parts made from this material, with thicknesses and material properties matched precisely to local requirements, are used in the production of auto mufflers.