Application
Automotive Components
Tier-1 and Tier-2 automotive parts, where documentation is part of the product.
The requirement
What this application actually demands
Supplying into an automotive chain means meeting two sets of requirements at once. The first is metallurgical — the right grade, the right properties, the right consistency. The second is documentary, and it is the one that catches suppliers out.
Under IATF 16949 your customer must be able to trace a finished component back through your process to the incoming material and its original heat. If your steel supplier cannot give you that link, you cannot give it to your customer — and a PPAP submission or a field concern investigation stalls.
Kalika runs on an ERP system built around this. Every incoming coil and black bar is booked in against its heat number and mill test certificate. Every drawing operation records line, shift, operator, die and date. Every finished bundle carries a QR tag, and the heat number prints on the delivery challan and the test certificate.
Consistency is the other half. For carburised parts running a fixed furnace cycle, 16MnCr5H with a certified hardenability band keeps case depth inside drawing tolerance without re-proving the cycle for each new lot.
Grade selection
Recommended grades, and why
16MnCr5H
First choice16MnCr5H Hardenability Controlled Alloy Bright Bar
Machinability 58 · Weld Limited
Certified hardenability for carburised transmission and driveline parts on a fixed production cycle.
20MnCr5
20MnCr5 Case Hardening Alloy Bright Bar
Machinability 52 · Weld Limited
Higher core strength for heavily loaded driveline components and larger carburised sections.
EN8D
EN8D Bright Bar
Machinability 60 · Weld Fair
Controlled chemistry medium carbon for linkages, pins and fatigue loaded machined components.
EN1A PB
EN1A PB Leaded Free Cutting Bright Bar
Machinability 145 · Weld Not recommended
High-speed automatic turning of small precision parts and connector pins where volume and cycle time dominate.
Heat number carried through to your gate
Case study
Read the full case study“Consistent hardenability across every batch — with full traceability for our IATF audit.”
Other applications
Also making something else?
Fasteners
High-volume turned and cold formed fasteners, where cycle time decides the cost per piece.
Gears & Transmission
Carburised gears and pinions, where case depth consistency and traceability decide whether the batch is accepted.
Shafts & Axles
Torque carrying and fatigue loaded components, where through-section strength and straightness matter.
Hydraulic & Pneumatic
Sealing surfaces and pressure-carrying parts, where surface finish and tolerance are the specification.
General Engineering
The broad base of engineering work — machined parts, fabricated assemblies and everything in between.
Supplying into auto components?
Send us the grade, size and quantity — or tell us the component and we will recommend the grade.