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Cutting-Edge Lightweight Structures: LÄPPLE Automotive Drives Forward Innovative Pulse Welding in Body-in-White Construction

LÄPPLE AUTOMOTIVE

In modern vehicles, components must perform at their best in the event of a crash. While cross members absorb enormous forces, crash boxes dissipate impact energy through controlled deformation. To optimally meet these diverse requirements, the automotive industry is increasingly turning to hybrid structures that combine the material properties of steel and aluminum. In series production, however, conventional joining methods often reach their limits when working with high-strength materials. This is precisely where the funded research project “Design2Collide” comes in.

As a forward-looking expert in body-in-white construction, LÄPPLE Automotive is actively involved in this consortium. The goal of the project is to significantly advance the development of electromagnetic pulse welding (EMPW) for load-bearing lightweight structures in hybrid construction. What makes this high-tech process unique is that it allows dissimilar materials - such as steel and aluminum - to be joined together without the need for filler materials. The components are joined extremely quickly and without any melting. As a result, the material at the joint is not altered by heat, which minimizes the risk of embrittlement.

Focus on Mass-Production Readiness: The Role of LÄPPLE Automotive

While EMPW is already well-established in other sectors, the reliable process expertise needed for widespread use in industrial automotive body manufacturing is still lacking. LÄPPLE Automotive is playing a key role in the project to close this gap. Our main task is to demonstrate the process’s suitability for large-scale production. To this end, we will implement a fully automated EMPW process in our training factory by the end of 2026.

An interdisciplinary team of experts at LÄPPLE Automotive is working hand in hand on this ambitious project. Specialists from Business Development, Body-in-White Planning, Maintenance, and LÄPPLE Expert are contributing their many years of experience to put new, unconventional approaches directly into practice.

Together, We Shape the Future

The targeted and efficient use of different metals significantly reduces component weight and material consumption. Using modern technologies and smart manufacturing concepts, we transform today’s ideas into tomorrow’s solutions, thereby making an important contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions in manufacturing and vehicle use.

The project is characterized by strong, collaborative partnerships. Together with five other industry partners and two research institutions, we are driving this technological innovation forward. In addition, renowned partners are supporting the transfer of these innovations into practical application. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

With this commitment, LÄPPLE Automotive is solidifying its market position as the premier partner in body-in-white manufacturing that boldly breaks new ground. We are securing a valuable competitive edge in expertise to continue offering our customers in the OEM and Tier 1 sectors highly flexible and reliable manufacturing concepts in the future. True to our brand promise: Forming parts. Shaping solutions.

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