Tailored blank

Tailor welded blank behind a lightweight door inner panel

Tailored blanks are sheets, which are typically made from differnt alloys or thicknesses. After joining these will be subjected to deep drawing (stamping).

Tailored blanks were developed by ThyssenKrupp, to make sheets that were wider than those made on available rolling mills of the time. These days they are made from different alloys or thicknesses, e.g. to make door panels which are thick near the hinges and thin near the lock to withstand different types of loads or corrosion attacks. They are lighter and often cheaper than conventional sheets. Tailored Blanks are typically made from steel. Aluminium and dissimilar material tailored blanks are also available but less common.

Types

• Tailored Welded Blanks (TWB) are welded from differnt sheets in the butt joint configuration. This is normally achieved by laser welding, electron beam welding or friction stir welding.
• Tailored Strips are continuously welded strips.
• Tailored Coils are continuously welded coils.
• Tailor Rolled Blanks (TRB) are made on a cold rolling mill.
• Patchwork is local reinforcement by attaching small sheets in the lap configuration by laser welding or adhesives.
• Tailored Tubes (TT) are tubular components with variations in thickness or strength, e.g. to be used in hydroforming.
• Tailored Orbitals (TO) are doughnut shaped tubes of which the ends are welded face to face for automotive and industrial applications.