Composites – Page 2
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ArticleGrid reference
Mike Farish visits Williams Advanced Engineering to see how the company delivers a distinctive F1 take on an innovative electric vehicle platformOne of the implications of the growth of the market for electric vehicles is the opportunity it provides for newcomers possibly to become major players in the automotive industry ...
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ArticleMaking metal add up
Additively manufactured metal parts present a challenge for high-volume production but at the other end of the scale, engineers are successfully developing the process for specialist, low volume parts. Mike Farish reportsAll over the automotive industry companies are exploring the potential of additive techniques to make parts in polymers and ...
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ArticleWaste not…
Karen McCandless reports on vehicle-maker recycling projects ranging from plastic bottles to electric vehicle batteries As vehicle production numbers continue to increase, up from 11.9m in 2013 to 17m in 2017, so do the automotive industry’s waste management efforts continue to improve. The waste generated per unit produced in the ...
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ArticleExpanding and restructuring
As the move to electrified and autonomous vehicles accelerates, Toyota is expanding in both technology areas and restructuring its operations. Ian Henry reports Toyota is making a number of key organisational changes to simplify and rationalise its operations in response to the fast-changing automotive market. As of the end of ...
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ArticleThe problem with plastic
With automotive manufacturers looking at ever increasing levels of plastic-based materials content, Steed Webzell examines the challenges for machine shops Recent research suggests that by 2020 the average car will incorporate 350kg of plastic-based materials. As a result, the need for efficient and economic machining methods for plastics has ...
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ArticleSteel makes a strong case
With the push for powertrain electrification gaining strength producers of high-strength steel are preparing themselves to capitalise reports James Bakewell In 2017, global sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) reached 1.3m units, according to Frédéric Painchault, head of Global Automotive Marketing at steelmaker ...
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ArticleThermosetting adhesive tapes
tesa’s claims its reactive HAF thermosetting adhesive tapes have been designed for use in creating compact lightweight designs that reduce emissions and fuel consumption. The company says these tapes feature an adhesive layer that contains nitrile rubber and a phenolic resin, and when heated a chemical reaction is started that ...
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ArticleA global future
Now Chinese-owned Volvo enters its tenth decade looking stronger than ever. Ian Henry reportsFord had owned Swedish carmaker since 1999, but had never been able to integrate it into the rest of its operations. Nonetheless, when Geely bought Volvo it found a company full of new ideas and plans which ...
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ArticleThe wonder material
A number of composite automotive parts enhanced with graphene were on show at JEC World in March this year. James Bakewell investigates if this material has a real place in the automotive industryFew of us would imagine that you can win a Nobel Prize for Physics by playing with sticky ...
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ArticleCloser to commercialisation
Fuel-cell electric vehicles have lagged behind other EVs, but upcoming models could help that to changeEveryone involved in hydrogen fuel cell development is probably tired of hearing the same old joke: large-scale adoption is a decade away, and always will be. David Hart, a director at sustainable energy consultancy E4Tech ...
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ArticleSmarter EV production
As it launches ‘electric intelligence’ models, Mercedes-Benz is also adapting its factories for flexible productionAt first there was some confusion over what Mercedes-Benz meant when it announced that it was creating an ‘EQ’ division. Was it to be a line-up of cars which would directly challenge BMW’s i models, as ...
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ArticleIntegrating i vehicles
Separate production lines are used to build conventionally powered vehicles and the electrified i models at BMW Leipzig, but this could soon changeA gulf remains between electric vehicles (EVs)and those that are powered solely by internal combustion engines (ICEs). This is evident in consumer demand, in range, in cost and ...
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ArticleZoltek expands carbon fibre plant
Hungary - The company has announced that it is increasing carbon fibre production by 50% at its facility in Nyergesújfalu. As a result, the plant will have an annual capacity of 15,000 tons.The expansion will cost around US$130m, and will generate 350 additional jobs. According to Yoshihiro Takeuchi, CEO, COO ...
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ArticleWeighing up the options
Disruptive technology was high on the agenda at JEC World, the composites industry’s flagship event held every March in Paris, France.A sizable proportion of the 42,445 people who attended the show flocked to see Dirk Ahlborn, Chief Executive Officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), lay out his vision for the ...
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ArticleMagna opens new composites facility
Germany - The new Composites Center of Excellence will act as a base for the development of various vehicle structural components such as subframes, as well as exterior body parts like door panels and hoods. The idea is to identify production-ready lightweight solutions that will help vehicle manufacturers meet increasingly ...
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Articlei8 Roadster enters production at Leipzig
Germany - BMW has started the production of its i8 Roadster two months ahead of market launch. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is being made at the company's Leipzig plant in Germany, which also produces the BMW 1 and 2 Series as well as the i3. The updated i8 ...
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ArticleCounting on the data
The implementation of digital tools is transforming the quality control processes in manufacturing operationsPhysical jigs are now being rendered as digital models and Audi says it is well on the way to representing a concept that resides in the digital, ‘virtual’ world. The company is now exploiting the concept of ...
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ArticleBMW divests stake in carbon-fibre supplier
Germany – SGL Carbon SE will acquire the OEM’s 49% share in SGL ACF, comprising SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (Germany) and SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (US), according to an agreement signed in late November. BMW said the company would remain a key supplier, with procurement for the i3 and i8 ...
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Article
Gordon Murray joins seats project
UK – During its participation in the Manufacturability of Advanced Passenger Seats (MAPS) programme alongside Formaplex, the company will focus on reducing structural weight by using composite panels made from recycled carbon fibre, while maintaining high volume and controlling costs. The goal is to develop a seat frame which is ...
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ArticleAdded value
Although additive manufacturing is not new, the latest techniques are offering OEMs more options for its useThe use of additively manufactured parts in vehicles is now unexceptional, if not yet pervasive, at least at the high end of the market characterised by low volume and high purchase price. But there ...