All BIW/Materials articles
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Article
Watch Cadillac joining a CT6 body
GM has announced a new combination of joining technologies for the Cadillac CT6. The methods are in use at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, Michigan.
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Article
Making the grade with steel CHECK INTRO - SAME AS OTHER STORY
Steel makers are developing new grades and coatings that can help the automotive industry reduce weight without compromising safetyThere is a significant need within the automotive industry to find ways of increasing safety in a crash situation, using lightweight designs,” explains Anke Meyer, marketing manager at SSAB. One of the ...
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Article
Steel crazy after all these years CHECK INTRO - DUPLICATE WITH OTHER STORY
Steelmakers are developing innovative new processes and coatings to meet changing demandsThere is a significant need within the automotive industry to find ways of increasing safety in a crash situation, using lightweight designs,” explains Anke Meyer, marketing manager at SSAB. One of the solutions is electro-galvanised steels such as SSAB’s ...
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Article
Laser welding primer
Fit for purpose Decision process Joining techniques AMS taks to Trumpf Laser and System Technology on the underlying power of lasers used for body-in-white production, the benefits of these systems – and potential drawbacks There are four basic techniques that can be used to achieve a weld in the automotive ...
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ArticleJoining options in BIW
Focus on adhesive bonding Laser makes gains in BIW Weapon of choice Advanced laser techniques A wide range of recently-launched vehicles claim to have set new standards in joining innovation and efficiency, the improvements largely gained by using a combination of resistance spot welding and adhesive bonding techniques. While few ...
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ArticleGreen materials from start to finish
Lightweighting by JSPEnvironmental swings and roundaboutsMaterial reuse at FordRecycling carbon fibreThe bigger pictureFlexible polymerThe quest for higher quality at the same price point or retained quality at a lower cost has driven the automotive industry forward for a century. Yet in recent times, the game has dramatically changed. Through a ...
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ArticleMonitored cooling for spot-welding robots
Conventional large-size system Compact, integrated tailor-made solutions Cooling systems with pneumatic drive elements No leakage with relief cylinder Cooling systems with electric drive elements Customised sensory equipment and valve tech Summary To meet the stringent quality requirements for welding while ensuring 100% availability, optimised cooling of the welding head is ...
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ArticleClear opportunity for Guardian Automotive
Designers and engineers in automotive production view glass as a rather tiresome necessity; fragile and brittle, it is not an ideal material to install in a machine subject to torsional stresses, severe jolts and almost constant vibration. In the early days of motoring, glass windscreens replaced goggles as a method ...
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ArticleHelmet of choice
AMS speaks to producers and end users of Sperian Welding to find out which features and innovations have made these some of the most popular helmets available on the market. Advances in plant safety are often most apparent in automation control, robot, conveyor and transport systems. Yet one of the ...
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ArticlePiercing plate with plasma
The piercing process Physics of limitation Addressing the limitations of plasma piercing Plasma can offer faster piercing times, faster cut speeds and a cleaner finished product, translating to higher productivity and profitability, but there are factors liable to leave operators with unsatsifactory results. New techniques developed by Hypertherm avoid these ...
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ArticleABB robots keep Magna in trim
ABB IRB 6600 details ABB’s IRB 6600 robots are available with a choice of fi ve handling/ reach capacities: 175kg/2.55m, 225kg/2.55 m, 175kg/2.8m, 125kg/3.2m, and 200kg/2.75m. The IRB 6600 is suitable for various process applications, including spotwelding, material handling and machine tending. In addition, a range of software products - ...
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ArticleLightweighting the perfect body
Stiffness benefitsMulti-metal motorsBreaking the weight spiralAudi accelerates its aluminium expertiseCentre of excellenceDownmarket gainsAluminium may be the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, but it still has a long way to go if it is to replace steel as the default material for car body construction. However, some applications engineers ...
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ArticlePerformance and a greener world
Lightweight MercedesMaster of lightweightingLeightweight construction experienceAudi cuts the fatThe SuperLIGHT-CAR project lighter and leanerIn the past, aluminium chassis and bodyframing has tended to be the preserve of supercars and advanced prototypes. Increasingly, with the pressure of high fuel prices and demands for cleaner-running vehicles, OEMs are looking to the ...
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ArticleAluminium clean up for Alcoa and BMW
Supercar weight saving An environmentally-friendly solution Aluminium in powertrain applications has not always followed a logical evolution. The 1961 F-85 Oldsmobile all-aluminium V8 was quickly replaced by a cast-iron V8 in 1965 as the company perfected thin-wall iron casting techniques, while the BMW S54B32 engine used in the company’s performance-orientated ...
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ArticleWelding wonderland
‘Olympics of Welding Technology’Trumpf, Hall 3.0, Stand 154Carl Cloos, Hall 3.0, Stand 547Fronius, Hall 3.0, Stand 302/3043M, Hall 1.0, Stand 217Sperian Welding Protection, Hall 3.0, Stand 318Schweissen & Schneiden, which translates to ‘welding and cutting’, is one of the most important shows for automotive technicians looking to peruse the latest ...
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ArticleFronius technology saves GM time and money
The best Astra quality in Europe Main joining technology Bridging wide gaps Successful technology with multiple uses Bottleneck at door Recognition for Fronius General Motors’ Ellesmere Port facility manufactures the Astra model for a variety of markets, badged Vauxhall, Opel, Holden and Chevrolet. One of the defining features of the ...
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ArticleMaterial of choice
Plastics offer a clear alternativeFuture battery powerFIM cuts production timeGood times for Chinese plastics Injection Moulding innovationsNatural composites or high-gloss plastics‘Ecological’ plasticAlmost a year since the financial crisis began, Tier suppliers continue to face major challenges in key markets. Against that backdrop, a temptation to drastically cut R&D investment is ...
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ArticleAMS 10th Anniversary: Welding
Sharing numbers Remote welding Dominating the market In the first issue of AMS, it was predicted that a welding revolution was on the horizon. Important news, as there are up to 3,000 individual resistance spot welds on every passenger vehicle. The revolution, it was reported, was to be brought about ...
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ArticleAMS 10th Anniversary: Materials
Money isn’t the whole story The solution is compromise Plastic is on form Exotic metals such as titanium and magnesium offer carmakers lightweight alternatives to standard materials. But drawbacks such as the strength (or lack of it) and cost of the basic commodity have served to kept these choices very ...
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ArticleComposites in carmaking
As fuel prices continue to rise and awareness of climate change grows, one might expect carbon fibre and other lightweight composites to be at the top of every carmaker’s R&D shopping list, but things are not so simpleFrom the supercar to the super low-cost carRound and black – and a ...