Arconic Signs Long-Term Agreements for Forged Aluminum Wheels
Arconic signed more than $450 million in long-term agreements over the past year with customers in North America, South America, Europe and Asia for its forged aluminum wheels. The largest is a long-term agreement with PACCAR, a global leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high-quality light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Arconic will supply forged aluminum Alcoa wheels for PACCAR trucks under the Kenworth and Peterbilt nameplates.To get more news about
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As part of the agreement, PACCAR customers will have access to Arconic’s entire portfolio of Alcoa wheels. This includes newly launched Ultra ONE wheels made with the proprietary MagnaForce alloy, the lightest heavy-duty truck wheel on the market with 17% more strength than standard aluminum wheels. By converting from steel to Alcoa wheels, a tractor trailer can shed up to 1,400 pounds.
The wheels are being supplied by Arconic Wheel and Transportation Products facilities in Cleveland, Ohio; Monterrey, Mexico; Kofem, Hungary; and Suzhou, China.
As we mentioned above, cast wheels are inherently porous; forged wheels aren’t thanks to the heat and pressure they undergo. That strength allows for less material to be used to achieve the desired structural integrity, resulting in a significantly lighter wheel. Often time forged wheels use a “Monoblock” design, but they can also use a two-piece or three-piece design which allows for greater fitment flexibility.
If you’re a wheel nerd like we are, then you probably know there is a middle ground between cast and forged: flow form/flow forged. This starts with a cast wheel that is purposely made narrower than desired. They then stick the wheel on a machine that spins the wheel while pressing steel roller against the rim area, which compresses and stretches the barrel of the wheel, resulting in forged-like barrel strength and weight. As you may imagine, wheels built using this process fall between the cost of a cast and forged wheel.
This is a great middle ground for anyone who wants something stronger than a cast wheel without paying the price of a forged wheel. Companies like Vorsteiner are very well known for their flow-forged wheels. If you want something as strong as possible, then you should look at a forged wheel, but for most enthusiasts, a flow-forged wheel is the perfect balance between cost and strength.
