Alcoa producing components for Corvette Z06

Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is providing some lightweight aluminum components and the power and signal distribution system for the General Motors 2006 Corvette Z06. Components include main structural elements of the car's aluminum space frame, which entails two full-length frame rails and roof-bow. According to Dave Dobson, president of Alcoa Engineered Products, the frame rails for the Corvette Z06 are some of the largest ever used. The extrusions Alcoa is supplying also fit into GM's existing hydroforming process. "By working closely with our customer on their specifications, GM did not need to retrofit its tube bending or hydroforming equipment to accommodate aluminum,” says Dobson. Alcoa's AFL Automotive unit designed and manufactured the Z06's power and signal-distribution system, which is an enhanced version of the system it designed for the 2005 Corvette. The aluminum producer reports that thanks to weight saving materials, the Z06 broke the four-second barrier from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds. Visit alcoa.com for more information.