A leading Brazilian automotive components manufacturer placed a significant order for multi-specification aluminum alloy sheets, selecting our 7075 T6 and 5754 H111 aluminum sheets across a precise thickness range from 0.2mm to 3.5mm. The client, a well-established Tier-2 supplier to major South American automotive OEMs, required high-performance aluminum materials for car door panels, precision molds, sealing components, and structural body parts. This consolidated order demonstrates our capability to deliver consistent quality across multiple alloy grades and gauge specifications within a single shipment.
The Brazilian client operates a modern manufacturing facility in the São Paulo industrial corridor, supplying stamped and formed aluminum components to multiple vehicle assembly plants across Brazil and Argentina. Their production portfolio includes inner and outer door panels, trunk lid structures, hood reinforcements, and various sealing and trim components for passenger vehicles and light commercial trucks. With annual aluminum sheet consumption exceeding 500 metric tons, the client requires a reliable partner delivering consistent material quality, precise gauge tolerances, and flexible batch sizes across multiple alloy specifications.
| Alloy Grade | Temper | Thickness (mm) | Width (mm) | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5754 | H111 | 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4 | 1250 | Car door inner panels, sealing components |
| 5754 | H111 | 0.6, 1.0 | 1500 | Door outer skins, structural reinforcements |
| 5754 | H111 | 3.5 | 1500 | Mold base plates, tooling components |
| 7075 | T6 | 3.5 | 1500 | High-strength mold components, stamping dies |
The 5754 aluminum alloy is a quintessential Al-Mg series alloy containing 2.6-3.6% magnesium, delivering an optimal balance of properties for automotive body panel applications. The H111 temper provides the specific combination of formability and strength required for complex stamping operations while minimizing springback in finished parts.
Key properties that drove the client's selection:
- Medium Strength with Excellent Formability: Yield strength of 80-160 MPa in H111 temper provides sufficient structural rigidity while maintaining deep drawing and stretch forming capability essential for complex door geometries.
- Superior Corrosion Resistance: The Al-Mg composition delivers outstanding resistance to atmospheric corrosion, road salt, and humidity—critical for automotive components serving Brazil's diverse climate zones from tropical coastal regions to inland plateaus.
- Exceptional Weldability: 5754 alloy exhibits excellent MIG and TIG welding characteristics with minimal hot cracking susceptibility, enabling efficient robotic assembly of multi-piece door structures.
- Automotive Weight Reduction: At approximately one-third the density of steel, 5754 aluminum door assemblies contribute significantly to vehicle lightweighting targets, supporting improved fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.
The inclusion of 7075 T6 alloy reflects the client's requirement for high-strength material for production stamping tooling. As a zinc-magnesium-copper alloy of the 7000 series, 7075 T6 delivers tensile strength exceeding 500 MPa—approaching structural steels while maintaining aluminum's lightweight advantage and superior thermal conductivity. This enables reduced tool weight for faster die changeover, shorter cycle times, excellent dimensional stability after CNC machining, and cost-effective tooling with shorter lead times versus steel molds.
The entire order was processed under rigorous quality control including optical emission spectrometry verification of chemical composition, mechanical property testing per ASTM E8, precision laser micrometer gauge measurement ensuring tolerance within ±0.02mm for thin gauges, and surface quality inspection under calibrated lighting. The consolidated shipment was containerized at Tianjin Port with professional export packaging including VCI corrosion inhibiting paper, ISPM 15 certified wooden pallets, and full waterproof wrapping. Complete documentation including mill test certificates (EN 10204 3.1), packing list, and certificate of origin accompanied the shipment, clearing Brazilian customs without delay.
The Brazilian client reported full satisfaction with material quality, confirming that the 5754 H111 sheets performed flawlessly in their stamping lines with first-pass yield rates above 98% for door panel and sealing component production. The 7075 T6 mold plates demonstrated excellent CNC machinability with consistent hardness, enabling dimensionally stable stamping dies now in full production service. This successful transaction has established a foundation for expanded cooperation, with the client expressing interest in additional alloy grades (5052, 5083, 6061) for future vehicle platform programs.