;)
The
C70 is a stylish convertible featuring a retractable hardtop and a wide array of safety
features in the tradition of the Swedish car maker.
Challenge: Help Volvo develop a convertible that meets the company's high safety standards. The key component in the safety system is a high-technology, one-piece A-pillar, a component other suppliers were unable to provide. The structure of the A-pillar, the connection between the car's roof and floor, is especially demanding in a convertible.
Solution: Conventional A-pillars typically consist of several stampings with a reinforcement tube welded to a complex assembly. Tower drew on its global experience and expertise to develop an A-pillar consisting of a single hydroformed tube. This technology provides extraordinary stability and strength because it does not have any weld points or seams that could fail.
Products: The sophisticated design of the C70 A-pillar requires complex production processes. The thickness of the A-pillar's tube varies between 3.5 and 5 mm, and the size of the cross-section varies by up to 70%, exceeding the normal formability of steel. Tower's production process combines incremental forming, bending, pre-forming and hydroforming to create a safe and strong component.