Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to materials processing methods using femtosecond duration laser pulses, and to the altered materials obtained by such methods. The resulting nanostructured (with or without macro- and micro-structuring) materials have a variety of applications, including, for example, aesthetic applications for jewelry or ornamentation; biomedical applications related to biocompatibility; catalysis applications; and modification of, for example, the optical and hydrophilic properties of materials including selective coloring.

Disclosed is a tempering station for the partial heat treatment of a metal component, the station including a processing plane arranged in the tempering station, at least one nozzle, aligned to the processing plane, for discharging of a fluid flow for the cooling of at least a first sub-area of the component, and at least one nozzle box, arranged above the processing plane. The at least one nozzle box forms at least one nozzle area in which the at least one nozzle is at least partially arrangeable and/or which at least partially delimits a propagation of the fluid flow, with the at least one nozzle box being at least partially formed with a ceramic material. The tempering station permits a sufficiently reliable thermal delimitation of heat treatment measures partially acting on the component and/or a sufficiently reliable thermal separation of different heat treatment procedures partially acting on the component.

A process of producing a partially hardened metallic formed part comprises: heating a semi-finished product of hardenable hot-formable steel sheet to a hardening temperature; hot-forming the heated semi-finished product in a combined hot-forming cutting device into a three-dimensional formed part; cutting the formed part in the combined hot-forming cutting device; pressure-hardening the formed part in the hot-forming cutting device into a hardened formed part such that a first partial region is hardened by rapid cooling and that a second partial region of the formed part is heat-treated so as to comprise a greater ductility and a lower strength than the first partial region, wherein the operation of cutting the formed part takes place at least in one of the first and second partial region. A combined hot-forming cutting device can be used to produce a metallic formed part.

A vehicle underbody assembly including a pair of rockers, a pair of rear rails, a first cross member, and a second cross member is provided. Each of the pair or rear rails extends from one of the rockers and each includes a rear portion, a first mid-portion, a second mid-portion, and a forward portion. Each of the forward portions is secured to one of the rockers at one of a first joint and a second joint. The first cross member extends between the rear rails at a transition region between the second mid-portion and the forward portion. The second cross member extends between the rear rails at locations adjacent the first and second joints. Each of the rear rails is thermally treated so that the second mid-portions form a hard strength zone. The hard strength zone may further be defined as a zone having a fully martensitic microstructure.

A process of producing a partially hardened metallic formed part comprises: heating a semi-finished product of hardenable hot-formable steel sheet to a hardening temperature; hot-forming the heated semi-finished product in a combined hot-forming cutting device into a three-dimensional formed part; cutting the formed part in the combined hot-forming cutting device; pressure-hardening the formed part in the hot-forming cutting device into a hardened formed part such that a first partial region is hardened by rapid cooling and that a second partial region of the formed part is heat-treated so as to comprise a greater ductility and a lower strength than the first partial region, wherein the operation of cutting the formed part takes place at least in one of the first and second partial region. A combined hot-forming cutting device can be used to produce a metallic formed part.

A vehicle underbody assembly including a pair of rockers, a pair of side rails, a first cross member, a second cross member, and a fuel tank is provided. Each of the pair of side rails is secured to a rearward portion of one of the rockers. The first cross member extends between the side rails and is thermally treated to form a first central hard strength zone between two first soft strength zones. The second cross member is arranged with the pair of side rails and the first cross member to form a rectilinear frame and is thermally treated to form a second central hard strength zone between two second soft strength zones. The fuel tank is secured between the pair of side rails so that the fuel tank is located within a rectilinear frame formed by the pair of side rails and the cross members.

The invention relates to a method for the optimized production of a component, in particular from steel, with at least one secondary formed element, comprising the steps of a) providing a blank which has been cut to size at room temperature from a strip or a sheet and in which cut-outs and/or holes have optionally been created by stamping or cutting operations; b) thermal treatment of selected edge regions of the blank that have been cold-hardened by the stamping or cutting operations, in which the edge regions are heated to a temperature of at least 600 C. for a maximum 10 seconds; c) forming the thermally treated edge regions of the blank at ambient temperature to obtain a component with an unfinished secondary formed element; characterized by an additional step d), a calibrating step for obtaining the component with the secondary formed element, wherein the unfinished secondary formed element is formed at ambient temperature into a secondary formed element that has an increased and/or more uniform wall thickness in comparison with the unfinished secondary formed element.

A method for producing a component from a blank made of a medium manganese steel having 4 to 12 wt. % Mn and a TRIP effect at room temperature, in which method the blank is mechanically cut to make a prepared blank having the desired dimensions, cut edges are produced on the prepared blank by means of mechanical cutting, and the prepared blank with the cut edges is cold-formed to obtain the component at room temperature or at a temperature above room temperature but below 60 C. The method is distinguished by cost-effective production, improved formability with reduced cracking at the formed cut edges, while simultaneously reducing the forming forces. The mechanical cutting is performed at a pre-heating temperature in the range of 60 C. to less than 250 C.

A system configured for deformation compensation in real time during a heat treatment performed on a component. The system comprises a supporting structure; two or more clamping devices arranged with the supporting structure, one or more clamping devices including a clamp, a load cell and a motor; and a processing and control system configured to collect signals from a load cell and to send signals based on the detected loads to a motor to compensate for deformation due to the heat treatment.

According to one aspect of the present invention, provided are a high-strength hot-dipped galvanized steel sheet having excellent surface quality and spot weldability, and a manufacturing method therefor.