A method of forming a hot stamped, die quenched, and die trimmed part is provided. The method includes hot stamping and die quenching a blank with a quench die and forming a die quenched panel. The quench die includes at least one slow-cooling channel. The die quenched panel is die trimmed along the at least one localized soft zone that is adjacent a hard zone. The blank may be formed from a press hardenable steel (PHS), and the at least one soft zone may have a ferritic microstructure and the at least one hard zone may have a martensitic microstructure. The at least one localized soft zone may have a microhardness between about 200 HV and about 250 HV and the hard zone may have a microhardness between about 400 HV and about 500 HV.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a steel member through hot press forming using a steel sheet that contains a comparatively large amount of Si. The steel sheet includes, in mass ratio, C: 0.15% to 0.35%, Si: 1.0% to 3.0%, Mn: 1.0% to 3.0%, Al: more than 0% up to 0.10%, Ti: ([N]×48/14)% to 0.10% (where [N] denotes the amount of N in the steel sheet), B: 5 ppm to 50 ppm, P: more than 0% to less than 0.015%, S: more than 0% up to 0.010%, and N: more than 0% up to 0.010%, the balance being iron and unavoidable impurities. The average oxygen concentration from an outermost surface of the steel sheet down to a depth of 10 μm in a sheet thickness direction is 0.70 mass % or higher.

To solve the problem about the difference in temperature increasing rate between an overlapped part and a one-sheet part so as to further improve the corrosion resistance of plating after hot stamping. An overlapped blank for hot stamping includes: a first steel sheet; and at least one second steel sheet connected to a surface of the first steel sheet via a welding point and smaller in area than the first steel sheet, wherein: the first steel sheet is a plated steel sheet having an aluminum-based plated layer on both faces of the first steel sheet, and the second steel sheet is a plated steel sheet having an aluminum-based plated layer on both faces of the second steel sheet; a coating weight of the aluminum-based plated layer on the first steel sheet is W1 (g/m.sup.2) in terms of an average coating weight on both the faces; a coating weight of the aluminum-based plated layer on a surface on a side not in contact with the first steel sheet in the second steel sheet is W2 (g/m.sup.2); and each of the W1 and the W2 is within a range of 20 g/m.sup.2 or more and 120 g/m.sup.2 or less, and satisfies relationships of Expression (1) and Expression (2).

In a method for obtaining a hot-press-formed steel member, a steel sheet containing 0.10-0.30 mass % of C, 1.0-2.5 mass % of Si, 1.0-3.0 mass % of Si and Al in total, and 1.5-3.0 mass % of Mn is heated at a heating temperature of not less than the Ac.sub.3 transformation point. The steel sheet is hot-press formed for one or more times. The starting temperature of the hot pressing is not more than the heating temperature but not less than the Ms point. The average cooling rate from (Ms point−150)° C. to 40° C. is 5° C./s or less. The hot-press-formed steel member has high strength, high tensile elongation, high bendability, excellent deformation characteristics at the time of collision crush, and excellent delayed fracture resistance.

A method of manufacturing a complex-shaped metal part, including the steps of applying a metallic sheath around a sheet metal workpiece and applying an electric current through the workpiece in the metallic sheath to heat the workpiece. The method also includes shaping the workpiece in the metallic sheath into a complex-shaped metal part while it is being heated. The shaping can be performed between two ceramic dies or using other techniques for forming complex shapes and curvatures into the workpiece. The method then may include cooling the complex-shaped metal part and removing the metallic sheath from the complex-shaped metal part. This method can allow reactive and refractory material to be safely heated without oxidation when heating/forming in air when the workpiece is sealed within a sacrificial stainless steel or nickel alloy envelope to protect the enclosed workpiece.

A method for producing a steel component from a flat steel sheet is provided. The produced steel component includes a substrate and a coating. The method ensures that the steel component has an H.sub.diff content below a certain level. The low H.sub.diff content minimizes the risk of hydrogen-induced cracking of the steel component after hot forming, including during subsequent use of the steel component. The H.sub.diff content in the hot-formed steel component is ensured to be below a certain level by selecting furnace parameters depending on the rolling degree and the sheet thickness of the flat steel sheet.

A workpiece transport unit including a pair of arms, an opening/closing mechanism configured to open and close the pair of arms in a horizontal direction, a pair of first placement surfaces provided at the pair of arms and configured for a first workpiece to be placed thereon, and a pair of second placement surfaces provided at the pair of arms and configured for a second workpiece to be placed thereon.

A method for producing a motor vehicle component with at least two regions of different strengths and a protective layer, consisting of the following process steps: —providing precoated blanks made of a steel alloy, which can be hardened, —homogeneously heating to a heating temperature, which is at least greater than or equal to the AC1 temperature, preferably greater than or equal to the AC3 temperature, —holding the heating temperature, so that the precoating alloys with the blank, —homogeneously intercooling the alloyed blank to an intercooling temperature between 450 deg. C. and 700 deg. C., partially heating the blank from the intercooling temperature to at least the AC3 temperature in regions of the first type and holding regions of the second type at substantially intercooling temperature, —hot forming and press hardening the partially tempered blank so as to form the motor vehicle component, wherein a tensile strength of greater than 1400 MPa is produced in regions of the first type, a tensile strength of less than 1050 MPa is produced in regions of the second type, and a transition region is produced between said regions.

The present invention generally relates to the modification of a deep-drawing sheet blank (P) for electric resistance heating. Generally, the modified sheet blank comprises slits (Z) being made in the edges of the blank (P) transversely to the electric current flow and oriented towards the perimeter of the forming zone (T). The distances between the ends of the slits (Z) and the forming zone (T) perimeter may be equal. The ends of the slits (Z) oriented towards the forming zone perimeter (T) may also be rounded.

Disclosed is a forming system having a first die assembly and a second die assembly with dies having die surfaces that are configured to cooperate with each other to form a die cavity therebetween so as to receive a workpiece therein. One or both of the dies includes a heater insert member that has a serpentine groove therein for receiving a flexible heater member. The flexible heater member is configured to conform with the shape of the serpentine groove. The heater insert member is position adjacent to the die surface and provides more uniform heating of the surface to form complex 3D surfaces with tailored properties.