Industry Solutions · Automotive Parts & Vehicles

Sheet Metal Machines for Automotive Parts Manufacturing

Brackets, chassis parts, battery trays and tube frames — forming, cutting and joining equipment for vehicle suppliers.

Plan Your Line See the Machines
Car body assembly line with welding robots
  1. Step 1Cutting & Blanking
  2. Step 2Bending & Forming
  3. Step 3Welding & Finishing
  4. Step 4Automation & Tooling

Automotive Manufacturing Basics

How Automotive Parts & Vehicles Are Made

Automotive sheet metal parts are made from high-strength steel, galvanized steel and aluminum, mostly 0.8–4 mm thick. Blanks are laser cut, sheared or punched, formed by stamping and deep drawing on hydraulic presses or bent on CNC press brakes, tubes are shaped on tube benders, and parts are laser welded into assemblies.

Tier suppliers balance high volumes with frequent model changes, so they combine dedicated stamping for large runs with flexible laser cutting and press brake bending for prototypes, spare parts, trucks, buses and EV components.

Recommended machinesPanel bender solutions

Typical Parts & Materials

  • Brackets & reinforcementsMulti-bend formed parts with hole patternsHigh-strength steel 1.5–3.0 mm
  • Chassis & frame membersLong profiles, heavy bendsHigh-strength steel 2.0–6.0 mm
  • EV battery trays & coversLarge boxes, sealed seamsAluminum / steel 1.5–4.0 mm
  • Exhaust & fluid linesPrecise 3D tube bendsStainless / steel tube
  • Seat & body-in-white partsDeep-drawn and stamped shapesGalvanized / HSLA steel 0.8–2.0 mm

Manufacturing Process

From Flat Sheet to Finished Part

Select a stage to see what happens and which HARSLE machines do the work.

Step 1Automotive Parts & Vehicles

Cutting & Blanking

Fiber lasers cut prototype and low-volume blanks and trim formed parts; shears and punching presses produce high-volume blanks and holes.

Laser Cutting Machine

60 models in the HARSLE range.

Shearing Machine

43 models in the HARSLE range.

Punching Machine

92 models in the HARSLE range.

Recommended Machines

Machines for Automotive Parts & Vehicles

Live from the HARSLE product range — models suited to automotive manufacturing are listed first.

Challenges & Solutions

What Matters in Automotive Manufacturing

  • High-strength steels

    Higher tonnage and springback compensation on CNC press brakes keep angles accurate on HSLA and AHSS.

  • Repeatability at volume

    CNC back gauges, servo presses and automation reproduce parts identically across shifts.

  • Fast model changes

    Laser cutting and offline-programmed bending avoid hard tooling for low-volume and prototype parts.

  • Lightweighting

    Aluminum forming and laser welding support lighter EV battery trays and body parts.

HARSLE AutoBend panel bender

Automate Bending

Panel Bender for Automotive Manufacturing

A HARSLE panel bender clamps the sheet flat and forms all four sides in one cycle with universal tooling — ideal for the repeat panels, doors and boxes found in automotive parts & vehicles.

  • Bending length 1400–3000 mm (AutoBend)
  • 0–180° bending angle, 0.2 s per bend
  • Minimal operator skill, fast changeovers
Explore panel benders

Global Footprint

Shipments & Customer Stories

Every shipment and customer story HARSLE publishes appears here automatically. Filter by machine or country.

  • 1,209Shipments published
  • 118Destination countries
  • 118Customer stories
  • LiveUpdated as we ship
All 1,209 shipments

Knowledge Center

Automotive Manufacturing Guides

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about machines and processes for automotive parts & vehicles.

Ask our engineers

Which machines are used to make automotive sheet metal parts?

Hydraulic presses for stamping and deep drawing, CNC press brakes for brackets and frame members, fiber laser cutting machines and shears for blanks, tube bending machines for exhaust and seat tubes, and laser welding for assemblies.

Can a press brake bend high-strength automotive steel?

Yes. Choose enough tonnage (high-strength steel can need 1.5–2× the force of mild steel), a wider V-die and a CNC controller with springback compensation.

Stamping or press brake bending for car parts?

Stamping on a hydraulic or mechanical press is fastest for high volumes once dies are made; press brake bending needs no dedicated die and suits prototypes, trucks, buses and smaller batches.

How are EV battery trays made?

Battery trays are typically cut from aluminum or steel sheet, bent or stamped into a tray, and sealed by laser or friction-stir welding before coating and leak testing.

More Applications

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Request a Quote

Tell us about your automotive parts & vehicles — our engineers will recommend the machines and layout.

  • Machine SelectionModel, series and options matched to your parts
  • Technical SupportBend feasibility checked on your drawings
  • Detailed QuotationPrice, lead time, shipping and installation
  • 24-Hour ResponseA real engineer replies within one business day

Tip: mention your material, thickness, largest part size and yearly volume for the most accurate quote.