More than 100 participants gathered in Holland, MI, for the 5th annual Hot Stamping Experience and Tech Tour on November 29-30, 2023. Attendees enjoyed technical presentations on the ever-expanding world of hot stamping, networking events with their peers and a plant tour of the GNS North America’s Holland facility.
Day One
The event kicked off with MetalForming magazine authors, Eren Billur and Danny Schaeffler, talking about new press-hardened steels and process enhancements.
After Eren and Danny, Mike Austin from Diversified Tooling Group, discussed how to control the heating and cooling cycles during hot stamping. Following Mike was Thomas Ausmann from Telsa Motors, who gave a history of hot stamping and how automotive companies are adapting this technology for future vehicle designs.
We concluded the day with a networking reception that included all attendees, speakers and sponsors.
Day Two
Day two started with Kidambi Kannan, AutoForm Engineering, explaining the recent advances in engineering and simulation technology related to hot stamping. He was followed by a case study on hot forming high-strength aluminum at the fischer Group from Marc Schweizer and Thorsten Junge. The morning presentations concluded with George Coates, WorldAutoSteel, diving into the hot stamping applications that contributed to Steel E-Motive’s autonomous electric-vehicle structure.
The event concluded with a tour of GNS North America’s Holland facility. Michael Alcala and Jason Blust gave attendees an overview of the company and prepped on what they would see once on the floor. It was the perfect way to cap off a great event!
Information about the 2024 event will be sent out in the summer.