Gestamp's 'Multistep' technology has been awarded the ‘Estrella Luike’ prize for innovation, granted annually by the Spanish motor magazine publishing group Luike, which releases magazines such as Autofácil, EVO and Todoterreno. This award recognizes the company for its commitment to innovation in the automotive industry.
The ‘Multistep' technology represents the fourth generation of hot stamping, a technology for manufacturing structural body components in which Gestamp is one of the world leaders. ‘Multistep’ brings together the best of hot stamping and cold stamping.
One of the main advantages of 'Multistep' is that, with this technology, the ultra-high-strength hot-stamped steels take advantage of rapid and controlled cooling after their forming process to provide high rigidity.
During the process, parts stamped with Multistep pass through several pressing stations in quick succession and undergo a rapid but gradual cooling. This way, Gestamp manages to obtain a sophisticated geometry for its parts, along with mechanical properties similar to those of conventional hot stamping, at a more competitive cost.
Ignacio Martín, Body-in-White R&D General Director at Gestamp, was the person in charge of collecting the award. "This recognition is, without a doubt, an encouragement for us at Gestamp to continue working towards what is our raison d’être: for the cars that we drive to be increasingly safer and lighter, since we also manage to lighten the weight of the parts and, therefore, reduce the CO2 emissions that are emitted into the atmosphere", he pointed out.
The 'Estrella Luike del motor' awards honor the best projects developed in the Spanish automotive sector throughout the year. They recognize the work carried out in the industry to improve standards and promote innovation as a motor for progress.