Automation – Page 279
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ArticleRenault to spend €162m at Curitiba
Brazil – The new investment cycle, worth 500m reais or US$224m, will run between 2014 and 2019 and will centre on the development of two new vehicles at the plant in the state of Paraná.Describing Brazil as a “priority” in the Group’s global growth strategy, as its second largest market ...
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ArticleSURCAR awards for paintshop manufacturer
China/Italy – Geico came away from this year’s SURCAR international automotive body finishing conference with three awards. The company won the award in the Technology category for its paintshop project with Chinese OEM Qoros. A second place was awarded in the Innovation category. The final award, decided by a jury ...
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ArticleNissan opens Resende complex
Brazil – The new site, which has been established at a cost of $1.5 billion, will produce Platform V vehicles and engines, beginning with the Nissan March and 1.6 16V flexfuel engine. The annual production capacity will be 200,000 vehicles and the same volume of engines.The 220,000 sq. m complex, ...
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ArticleDürheimer to lead Bentley and Bugatti
Germany – Wolfgang Dürheimer, the general representative of the Volkswagen Group with responsibility for motorsport, will become chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors and president of Bugatti Automobiles with effect from June 1, 2014. He will succeed Wolfgang Schreiber, who takes up a new position within the Group.Dürheimer started his ...
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ArticleSolda a laser: Preenchendo as lacunas
Agora bem estabelecido na indústria automotiva, solda a laser continua a se desenvolver e se tornar mais amplamente aplicadaO aumento do uso de aços de alta resistência (HSS) e alumínio adicionou mais complicações para o processo de soldagem. "Os maiores desafios que enfrentamos são o design, as mudanças materiais impulsionadas ...
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ArticleEntrevista com o Vice-Presidente Executivo de Fabricação e Cadeia de Fornecimento da Renault
Jose-Vicente De Los Mozos Obispo, chefe de Produção em todo o mundo para a Renault, Dacia e RSM, discute planos para fábricas de produção na Europa e fora dela, incluindo na China Glenn Brooks (GB): Você poderia dar uma visão geral das operações de produção europeias do Grupo Renault? ...
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ArticleEntrevista al vicepresidente ejecutivo de Renault en producción y suministros
José-Vicente De Los Mozos Obispo, director internacional de fabricación en Renault, RSM & Dacia, comenta los planes para plantas de producción en Europa y más allá, incluida China Glenn Brooks (GB): ¿Nos podría hacer un resumen de las operaciones de producción del grupo Renault en Europa? José-Vicente De Los Mozos ...
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ArticleSoldadura láser, tapando huecos
La soldadura láser ya se ha establecido en la industria del automóvil y continua desarrollándose para llegar a más aplicaciones El aumento del uso de aceros de alta resistencia (HSS) y el aluminio ha añadido retos adicionales al proceso de soldadura. “Los mayores desafíos a los que nos enfrentamos ...
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ArticleFaurecia unveils plant in Brussels
Belgium – The just-in-time (JIT) facility, which opened in January, covers 9,000 sq.m within the Audi production park and delivers front and rear bumpers plus front-end modules for the Audi S1 and S1 Sportback.A Faurecia site in Germany handles the injection and painting of the bumpers and front-end module injection, ...
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ArticleAllies in automotive
The longstanding and complex partnership between Renault and Nissan grows stronger than ever beforeFounded back in 1999, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is the most enduring cross-shareholding partnership of the modern automotive era. The rather complex arrangement also involves Daimler; Renault and Nissan both hold a 50% stake in the Alliance’s legal ...
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ArticleRenault’s renewal
Under a new “Change” strategy, Renault is reorganising its manufacturing footprint and model allocationSince 1999, Renault has worked closely with Nissan in the Renault-Nissan Alliance. This co-operation has been immensely beneficial to Renault, giving the company access to a wide range of suppliers and platform technologies and, in recent times, ...
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ArticleMazda hits million-mark with SKYACTIV
Japan – Total production for the three full SKYACTIV models, the Mazda CX-5, Mazda6 and Mazda3, reached 1,040,000 units at the end of March. The milestone was achieved two years and four months after manufacture of the CX-5 began in 2011.Mazda produces SKYACTIV vehicles in Japan, Mexico, Thailand and China ...
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ArticleTravel blog: Back to the future
Leipzig twice in as many weeks. What has lured me to this spot of Saxony so soon after my trip to see BMW’s revolutionary production of the all-electric, carbon fibre i3? While many who know me may disagree, it wasn’t the Leipziger lerchen, tempting though they may be.From speciality cuisine ...
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ArticleBASF expands production at Demarchi
Brazil – The chemicals company is investing €2.5m ($3.5m) at its site in the state of São Paulo to expand its capacity for waterborne automotive products, with the aim of meeting the requirements of carmakers which are now establishing themselves in the country.According to BASF, the move also fits with ...
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ArticleCMA and FAW begin Mazda3/6 production
China – Changan Mazda Automobile (CMA) is now making the new Mazda3 Axela in Nanjing, while FAW Car Co (FCC) is manufacturing the new Mazda6 Atenza in Changchun. The Chinese market launch for both models will take place in May this year.The beginning of production in China follows the recent ...
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ArticleMachining solutions for commercial vehicle components
EMAG says it has developed its VL 8 vertical pick-up turning machine specially for the handling of large components, where a number of different turning and milling operations are carried out within the framework of a single close-loop production process. The VL 8 allows for a variety of production technologies ...
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ArticleStuds for thin metal assemblies
PEM self-clinching threaded studs offer a practical alternative to weld studs or other joining methods claims the company. The product line-up includes types of flush-head studs for use in aluminium or steel sheets down to .040”/1mm thickness and stainless versions offering corrosion resistance in even thinner stainless steel assemblies. ...
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ArticleRenault makes 1millionth Duster
France – The total is a combination of Dacia and Renault-branded vehicles produced worldwide and has been achieved four years after launch. The milestone vehicle was made at the Renault plant in Curitiba, Brazil, for the local market.The Duster is assembled at five locations: Curitiba, Brazil; Envigado, Colombia; Pitesti, Romania; ...
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ArticleLaser welding: Filling the gaps
Now well-established in automotive, laser welding continues to develop and become more widely applied The increased use of high-strength steels (HSS) and aluminium has added further complications to the welding process. “The biggest challenges we face are the design and material changes driven by the CAFE requirements that are driving ...
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Article激光焊接：填补空白
激光焊接在汽车领域扎根，并向更广泛领域拓展随着高强钢(HSS)和铝的使用率的提高，焊接过程变得愈加复杂。林肯电气公司工程与激光应用专家Paul Denney说：“我们面临的最大问题是：燃料使用效率标准(CAFE)对燃料效率的提高，带来的对设计和材料的变更。” “在主要焊接中等强度的碳钢方面，现在比过去更具挑战性。不仅如此，不同材料通常会被涂上锌、热浸或者电镀，使焊接变得更有趣。”受许多供货商热捧的一种方法就是复合激光焊。林肯电气汽车全球业务部主管David Park补充说，“激光焊接已经存在有一阵了，复合激光焊只是激光焊接的一个变体。” 展望激光复合焊的未来那么激光复合焊的前景会如何？Denney解释说，“激光焊接术在汽车部门的各领域已经被使用过一段时间了，OEM制造商和供应商们广泛用于激光切割和激光焊接。我们也把激光复合焊用于综合气体保护焊、激光、还有带电电线。大多数情况，这种尝试都会高速和高效。但是当我们应对难焊材料时，这仍是焊接方面的难题。“这里有许多障碍，比如设计和规格的变更。汽车标准零件往往具有很大缝隙。当你把液体金属通过焊接注入焊缝时，有时接头配置很不尽人意。你可以使用激光复合焊，要比电弧焊的速度快一倍。但是你得掂量激光复合焊接系统的成本，经济上很难持平。” 激光复合焊的实例目标就是开发更好更强大的焊接工艺。Fronius国际，大功率焊接队组长Herbert Staufer解释说，“在技术方面，高速和间隙桥接能力都是重要因素。然而，传统激光焊接工艺无法同时成全这两种要求。所以，一种混合工艺应运而生，即激光复合焊，或叫‘激光铜焊’”。“毫无疑问，激光束和气体保护电弧焊都已经成型，广泛用于焊接技术。然而，新的发展和协同增效需要结合这两种工艺。激光辐射会在焊接深度和接缝宽度上，以高频率造成非常狭窄的热影响区。 “以激光焊接工艺而言，由于小焦点直径，缝隙桥接能力非常低，但是焊接速度非常快。气体保护电弧焊工艺的特点是，可以明显降低能量密度，在材料表面留下更大的焦斑，以及出色的缝隙桥接能力。” 金钱问题一旦证实了质量和可重复型的性能，在汽车行业采用新技术就落到成本问题上了。ESAB生产部经理Ed Hansen说，“有一个汽车业实例，在现有生产里添加新技术产生的成本，我们整整进行了四年的分期偿还。但是，如果公司对产品重新设计，分期偿还期限会降到一年以下。多亏减少材料的使用。” 复合激光焊尤其适用于高产能利用的大规模产品焊接。Hansen补充说，“在实践应用中，复合激光焊比传统的工艺快上3至10倍。而且我们也看到，在重量敏感方面的应用，和循环载荷情况下显著提高疲劳寿命方面大有裨益，如汽车悬架、高压容器，和桥接组件等。” 高功率固体激光器的持续开发，使混合激光焊具有小形状系数、高效、低成本的优点。Hansen继续道，“我们在2001年过渡到固体激光器，能够在工业设置上运用这项技术。新的技术，尤其是光纤传送，使我们把工艺整合到传统的运动系统 - 机器人、台架，和自动化 - 都被广泛接受。“现在，我们还面临高强钢、铝和涂层材料在力量和疲劳寿命方面的不足的问题。”– 林肯电气，David Park“新的效率标准和高燃料价格推动高结构强度发展。复合激光焊在钢铁和铝材质的汽车工程技术上，实现了减少畸变量、降低重量、和高强度合金。在一项最近的项目中，一个汽车商在对产品的重新设计上，使用了复合激光焊。这样不仅提高了构架的耐碰撞性，而且减重40%。通常来讲，汽车制造商的成本在使用高强度材料时会上升，但是当整机重量都降低时，就会物有所值了。” 汽车摇摆瘦身长距离激光焊接被广泛使用，成为汽车业焊接首选。因为激光能迅速连接焊接点和各种几何接缝，既准确有灵活，凸缘小，重量又轻。但是长距离激光焊接还是有一个缺点：它无法焊接对接接缝，因为没有添加焊补材料的方法。但是现在，有一种在汽车界内所接受的新方法。新方法能够克服这种难题，因为激光束并不是沿着接缝直线移动，而是左右摆动。螺旋移动的激光束，可以熔化接缝两端的材料，并且加宽熔化槽。液体金属代替焊丝作为额外的焊补材料，并能桥接更大的缝隙。它使研发者更自如地进行设计，而且减少重量，排除对额外材料的需要，同时也节省了时间。 激光搅拌焊接需要使用3D扫描光学器件，如Trumpf公司第二代PRO 3D。摇摆型长距离焊接工艺可以通过聚焦光学器件来进行编程。内置的两个镜子可以沿着X和Y轴定位激光束。安置一个可移动镜头在准直器和第一个扫描镜之间，沿着Z轴追踪光束，可使移动更自如。这种灵活性能使摇摆的几何体支撑任何部件，甚至是角形截面，而那些小镜头可以按照需要在三维界面进行焦点定位。这种新的长距离焊接方法在汽车业深受欢迎 - 这不奇怪，因为它更快、更准、节省焊补材料、而且需要较少缝合准备。试验表明，是摇摆效果的速度（激光束搅拌熔化槽达到一定进给率的速度）影响缝隙填补能力。在提高每个测试过厚度的片材接缝能力时，摇摆速度越慢，焊缝坍塌的几率就越小，然后再底切。通过改变圈的宽度来改变摆动几何体，结果是一样的。 就大众汽车而言，这项工艺在系列生产中非常适用。在大众公司负责规划与发展、汽车车身修理厂的规划、器械和冲模业务的Thorge Hammer说，“摇摆焊接法意味着我们可以实现比以往更大的缝隙焊接，我们可以处理MIG和MAG的焊接设计，而不需要另作调整。” 在过去，0.2mm是所能焊接的最大缝隙。Hammer补充道，“最近我们可以焊接0.5mm宽缝隙的装配台。”公司利用这项技术进行部件装配，如Golf发动机和动力系统的座位支架和装配台。座位支架是由0.7mm深长的中等强度钢板制成的。为了制作装配台，大众公司把3mm流注型钢板焊到3mm厚的框架上。Hammer说，“这种在三维空间移动的能力，使我们能够进行对组件的底切激光焊接。”汽车制造商已经看到这种技术在制造其他组件方面的潜力。初期的试验还在进行中，会继续关注如何更有效使用摇摆焊接方法来生产这些组件。汽车制造面临的下一个难关就是找到合适的用途。 当感应遇上激光今天许多成功的焊接工艺都使用感应，尤其是在预热过程。当激光深层穿透焊接高碳钢时，极小的激光热度输入会有一个下降趋势。冰冷的工件会冷却对接焊缝，产生硬化和质量缺陷，如热度产生的区域裂纹。照惯例，预热要把整个组件放进火炉进行。但是，有了感应技术，高温会在特定区域内瞬间产生。在Hüttinger Elektronik的Trumpf分公司感应销售代表Georg Schneider说，“咋一看，感应并不是激光工艺的首选。但是，当用户可编程的激光，去除了机械加工的局限时，高温控制的感应系统就会代替传统的加热系统，比如火炉和热工过程。举例来说，在动力系统里，这就直接安装在焊接点上。” 汽车业现在已经发觉，这项技术非常有用，不仅在焊接点上，还在高强度车身部件在撞车事故中的损坏避免上都有积极影响。这些部件需要坚固，当发生撞车是不要断裂。部件损坏变形时，就会浪费能源。因为这个原因，制造商开始软化有断裂风险的部位，以提高限定区的韧性。再一次求助于激光工艺，用于挤压加固组件的打孔和休整上。然后，电感器就会软化在撞车事故中弯曲的部分。 前方的道路Park补充说，“我们还在下一个车辆研发的起步阶段，努力解决效率和成本效益问题。这对我们仍然是难题，而且焊缝不同材质的材料仍然无法攻克。现在，我们还面临高强钢、铝和涂层材料在力量和疲劳寿命方面的不足问题。“困难是双重的。在焊接技术方面，我们关注许多汽车以外的行业。我们的R&D部门总是挑战极限，寻找能把这项技术转移到其他行业的团体。我们非常主动积极地推动这件事。新材料是个好例子，是我们在新技术和焊丝方面的突破口。同时，我们要在寻找新技术。“万一我们明天就把铝焊到钢铁上呢？”既然真的向汽车设计者们打开一扇窗，技术会送来前所未有的机遇。鉴于R&D在焊接领域所做出的成绩，千万不要打赌奇迹不会出现。