Sington Technology

Sington Technology first in China to use AP&T's pioneering high-strength aluminum forming equipment technology 

AP&T's advanced equipment technology for hot forming high-strength aluminum is now being introduced on the ever-important Chinese market. The first production line of its kind in the country went into operation at the end of 2022 at Sington Technology's Shanghai facility, where it is used to manufacture lightweight components for Lotus luxury electric cars. 

“We are pioneers in our industry. In order to meet our demand of new material and a new process we cooperated with AP&T. With the new line from AP&T we are taking a big, important step, both technologically and production-wise, that gives us completely new opportunities to meet vehicle manufacturers' needs for lightweight components,” says Mr. Ma Zhijun, CTO of Sington Technology.

Sington Technology is a "Material Genome" platform based company that integrates material design, research and development, and production. Its main focus is on the research and production of high-performance alloy materials, aluminum alloy integrated hot stamping, integrated die-casting without heat treatment materials, vehicle lightweight design, micro-nano metal 3D printing, smart material sensor research and production, and more products and technologies are widely used in the fields of new energy vehicles, aerospace, semiconductors, shipbuilding, and high-end industrial manufacturing.

The company, headquartered in China's most dynamic city, Shenzhen, started its business in 2018 focusing on automotive lightweight material and product equipment development for new energy vehicles. The year before, AP&T presented its new technology for hot forming high-strength aluminum, which together with the customer’s process offers completely new possibilities for the design and rational manufacture of large, complexly shaped lightweight parts. There was thus a mutual interest in deepening the collaboration between the two companies. 

“We were looking for an experienced, knowledgeable and technologically world-leading partner, and after meeting and discussing our needs a number of times, we gained great confidence in AP&T. Together we developed a ground-breaking line solution for aluminum alloy integrated hot stamping that gives us the opportunity to deliver even more competitive products to our customers. The combination of good formability and low weight is very important for manufacturers of electric vehicles.” says Mr. Zhang Tiantian, Founder of Sington Technology.

In October 2021, Sington Technology ordered a complete production line with AP&T's hydraulic press, automation and a Multi-Layer Furnace for its production facility in Shanghai which became operational at the end of 2022. Until now, it has been used for small-scale production of lightweight parts for Lotus luxury cars, but the idea is that production should be scaled up gradually. The full line will have the capacity for 1-1.2 million strokes per year. 

“Throughout the process, AP&T has been responsive, professional and efficient in a way that we really appreciate and that lives up to their ambition of being One Responsible Partner^®. The equipment works very well, and productivity is even higher than we expected. The plan is to expand the line and increase production in the near future,” says the project manager from Sington Technology.

That AP&T's equipment technology for hot forming high-strength aluminum is now being used in China is also an important milestone for AP&T globally.

“The fact that Sington Technology has chosen to invest in our equipment technology for hot forming high-strength aluminum, our first customer in China to do so, is of great importance and paves the way for more business both in China and globally. And our Chinese team completing the entire project on site during an ongoing pandemic shows our regional strength, competence and long-term perspective,” says Kimi He, General Manager of AP&T China.

April 2024