Automotive
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Aluminium inner panels for automotive: built to last
Aluminium components are at the heart of modern vehicle architecture. While they often go unseen in the finished car, they play a critical role in ensuring the stability, safety, and functionality of the body structure. Inner aluminium panels are an ideal choice for automotive applications thanks to the material’s excellent formability, low weight, and high corrosion resistance. These properties make aluminium perfectly suited to meet the demands of today’s car body designs. The Speira SOUL portfolio delivers customised raw material for these applications.
What are aluminium inner panels in automotive?
Inner applications refer to the interior body panels and functional components integrated within a vehicle’s body structure. These include inner door panels, hood inner panels, as well as a range of reinforcements and structural elements. These parts form the functional backbone of the body-in-white. They ensure dimensional stability, channel forces in a controlled manner, and help meet critical safety requirements.
Achieving the right balance between weight, strength, and manufacturability is essential for these components. Aluminium is an ideal material in this regard as it is lightweight, easy to process, and delivers long-term performance under the demands of daily vehicle use.
Planning a new application? We’re here to support your component design
With decades of experience in aluminium for the automotive industry, Speira supports OEMs and suppliers with proven raw material for series production. Get in touch with our team to discuss your project. The more details you can share about alloy, dimensions, or projected volumes, the faster and more precisely we can respond to your requirements.
SOUL – our solutions for aluminium inner body sheets
SOUL is Speira’s dedicated product line for aluminium solutions engineered specifically for inner body components. Designed for parts such as inner door structures, hood reinforcements, and other internal elements, the SOUL family focuses on functionality, structural integrity, and process reliability.
The SOUL portfolio is built around the core requirements of modern body design. Depending on the application, key priorities may include high formability, defined energy absorption, or enhanced strength. All SOUL solutions are based on robust, process-stable alloys and are designed to integrate seamlessly and reliably into existing manufacturing processes.
This overview gives you the facts about our interior and exterior parts at a glance:
- Excellent formability for complex geometries and stable, high-volume production
- Balanced strength properties that enable reduced material thickness and improved component weight
- Reliable energy absorption for safety-critical body structure applications
- Strong corrosion resistance for long-lasting performance
- Compatible with standard joining techniques like bonding and welding, ensuring smooth integration into existing production lines
- Consistent material properties that ensure reproducible quality throughout the entire series production process
SOUL: aluminium structural components for inner body applications
SOUL Base is the proven entry-level solution for a wide range of interior body components. It offers a well-balanced combination of formability, strength, and corrosion resistance, and is widely qualified for use in automotive production.
- Versatile base solution for various component types
- Typically supplied as a 5xxx alloy such as EN AW 5182 or a 6xxx alloy such as EN AW 6016
SOUL Form has been specifically developed for complex component geometries that place high demands on forming performance, such as aluminium inner door panels and aluminium tailgates. These variants offer strong elongation properties combined with process-stable manufacturability.
- High formability, even for intricate shapes
- Reliable forming performance in large-scale production
- Typically supplied as a 5xxx alloy such as EN AW 5182 or a 6xxx alloy such as EN AW 6016
SOUL Safe is designed for safety-relevant components such as aluminium hood inner panels and cross-body reinforcements, where controlled energy absorption in the event of a crash is essential.
- Engineered for defined energy absorption in crash scenarios
- Supports OEM requirements for occupant protection
- Crash-specific variants feature high ductility
- Typically supplied as EN AW 6005, depending on the component design
- Variants developed for pedestrian impact protection offer high energy absorption and are usually based on 5xxx alloys like 5251 or 6xxx alloys like 6005
- Special corrosion-resistant solutions (also suitable for unpainted parts) are typically based on 5xxx alloys such as 5754
SOUL Strong delivers elevated strength levels that allow for reduced material thickness, contributing to both weight and cost savings.
- High strength with minimal material usage
- Ideal for strength-critical parts such as reinforcements
SOUL Conduct is developed for components that need to meet both mechanical and electrical performance requirements.
- Combines mechanical functionality with electrical conductivity
- Designed for specialised applications in the vehicle interior or battery housing
- Available based on specific 1xxx series alloys
Surfaces for aluminium body reinforcements
Speira offers a range of surface topographies to meet the varied demands of series production. Our advanced embossing system enables us to deliver high-quality standard finishes, such as mill finish or EDT textures, with exceptional consistency.
We also offer a selection of chemical surface passivations, including TiZr treatments, as well as additional options upon request. To support bonding processes, we provide conversion treatments that enhance adhesive performance. Additionally, we supply a variety of industry-standard lubricants (including oil and hotmelt) to protect the surface and support formability.
All surface variants are engineered for high reproducibility and process stability, ensuring they meet the demands of modern body-in-white manufacturing.
Recycling-friendly alloys for more sustainable vehicle production
At Speira, we’re committed to working with our customers to enable more sustainable solutions in vehicle manufacturing. This ambition is reflected in our purpose, “Building a circular world that works.”
We bring proven expertise in aluminium recycling and develop recycling-friendly alloys specifically designed for series production. These materials are designed to accommodate higher scrap content without compromising key properties such as mechanical performance, joining capability, or process stability.
These alloys deliver consistent quality and processing results while cutting down on CO2 emissions.
Download the whitepaper “Recycling-friendly Alloys”
Case example: KIRCHHOFF Automotive
Our collaboration with KIRCHHOFF Automotive demonstrates how the transition to a recycling-friendly alloy can be implemented successfully in series production. By switching to SOUL Base 5E140 — a recycling-friendly variant of the proven 5182 alloy — the CO2 footprint was reduced significantly.
Speira: your partner for aluminium inner panels in automotive
Speira has been a trusted partner for aluminium in automotive manufacturing for many years, delivering aluminium raw material backed by deep process knowledge, extensive material expertise, and a clear focus on the requirements of series production. Today, more than 4 million vehicles are equipped with Speira raw material.
Our solutions are developed in close collaboration with automotive customers and are qualified through real-world production processes. At the same time, we are continuously working to reduce the CO2 footprint of our products. By focusing on recyclability, innovative alloys, and CO2 reduction, we support our partners in their transition toward cleaner and more sustainable mobility.
From concept to series production we support you at every stage
Whether you're developing a new application, looking to switch materials, or aiming to improve the CO₂ footprint of your components: We’re here to support you from alloy selection through to integration into your production process. By providing just a few details about the component, its requirements, and expected volumes, we can assess your needs quickly and start the conversation without delay.
