Composites – Page 5

  • LX
    Article

    UK joins global composites competition

    2015-11-16T09:58:21Z

    If the number of exhibitors and visitors involved in the production of vehicles at this month’s Advanced Engineering 2015 (AE2015) show in Birmingham was anything to go by, the UK’s automotive industry is in rude health.This impression is supported by the statistics. According to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and ...

  • BMW 7-Series
    Article

    Sticking together

    2015-11-12T09:20:12Z

    Engineers are developing processes for composites to be incorporated into high-volume vehicle productionIncorporating composite components into automotive structures – joining them to other composite parts and, perhaps more importantly, to parts made from metals – presents a new set of challenges. Resistance spot welding has been used by carmakers to ...

  • Dreistern
    Article

    Ready to roll

    2015-11-02T13:02:44Z

    Rollforming innovations are supporting the crucial development targets of cost saving and weight reduction, writes Heinrich Weber, director of sales and marketing at Dreistern Rollforming has demonstrated its capability to process ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) with a tensile strength up to 1,600MPa. Such steels already contribute significantly toward reducing the ...

  • iStream Carbon, Gordon Murray
    Article

    Gordon Murray debuts iStream Carbon

    2015-10-28T10:24:37Z

    Japan – The carbon-fibre chassis, billed as the first such affordable structure for mass production, is being shown at the Tokyo Motor Show as part of the Yamaha Sports Ride Concept. UK-based Gordon Murray says the chassis brings Formula One materials and technology “within reach of the everyday motorist”.The innovative ...

  • Higueras-2530-031.jpg
    Article

    Showing real steel

    2015-10-28T10:03:59Z

    ArcelorMittal has invested heavily to produce AHSS for the automotive industry. Chris Wright visits the company’s Sagunto plant, Spain, which is ramping up to produce 150,000 tons of Usibor per year from 2016ArcelorMittal has collaborated with OEMs to develop steel solutions that meet critical requirements in terms of weight reduction ...

  • Dreistern
    Article

    Ready to roll

    2015-10-23T11:56:31Z

    Rollforming innovations are supporting the crucial development targets of cost saving and weight reduction, writes Heinrich Weber, director of sales and marketing at Dreistern UHSS bumper with variable radiusRollforming has demonstrated its capability to process ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) with a tensile strength up to 1,600MPa. Such steels already contribute ...

  • 7-Series
    Article

    Added fibre

    2015-10-16T15:25:11Z

    OEMs are now using composites in wider applications and higher volumes to assist vehicle light weightingEarlier this year, BMW announced that it would make extensive use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) in the chassis of the next generation of its 7 Series luxury sedan. The new models will be up ...

  • P90145709_highRes.jpg
    Article

    Spartanburg: SUV superstar

    2015-09-03T16:39:21Z

    As the BMW factory in South Carolina prepares to introduce its fifth and largest SUV, the X7, AMS looks at what makes this operation so important for the German brand within its worldwide production networkOne of BMW’s biggest success stories is not a car but a plant. Spartanburg in South ...

  • National Composites Centre
    Article

    Form and substance

    2015-08-21T12:47:14Z

    The latest solutions are aimed at delivering cost-effective composite forming for the automotive industryAt the end of last year, Toray Industries of Japan announced that its carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) was to be used in an automotive structural application. Claimed to be a world first, the CFRTP material is used ...

  • AU150059_large
    Article

    Taking care

    2015-07-20T11:32:25Z

    OEMs are adopting a more proactive approach to employee wellbeing, including improved ergonomicsAs the baby-boom generation grows older and the average age of employees rises, automotive manufacturers are responding to the need for more ergonomic workplaces. In addition, the younger generation coming through is bringing with it a different set ...

  • FCA Toledo
    Article

    Travel blog: A tornado in Toledo

    2015-07-03T21:39:08Z

    What do Toledo and Leipzig have in common? No, it’s not that they both have an ‘e’ (or an 'l') in their name. Nor is it that they’re both European; I’m talking about Toledo in tornado-riven Ohio, not the Spanish city famed for its steel-making since before the birth of ...

  • Typical applications C-segment
    Article

    Steel solutions

    2015-06-26T14:12:41Z

    Producers of steel are developing innovative solutions to meet the vehicle lightweighting challengeOEMs have to strike a balance when selecting the right materials for their vehicles. These materials need to be strong enough to protect passengers in the event of a collision, yet light enough to reduce CO2 emissions and ...

  • Porsche 918 Spyder
    Article

    Porsche ends 918 Spyder production

    2015-06-19T10:30:01Z

    Germany – The final vehicle rolled off the assembly line at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen according to schedule, says Porsche, after a production run of 21 months. The hybrid sports car has now reached its limited edition of 918 units.Production development began in 2010, after the go-ahead from Porsche’s supervisory board, and the ...

  • Gyor-4.jpg
    Article

    Audible progress

    2015-06-01T09:12:29Z

    With sales, revenue and production investments all on the increase, Audi is really making some noiseProduction sites in this article:Ingolstadt, GermanyMuenchsmuenster, GermanyNeckarsulm, GermanyMartorell, Spain Brussels, BelgiumGyor, HungaryBratislava, Slovakia Changchun, ChinaFoshan, ChinaSan José Chiapa, MexicoSão José dos Pinhais, Brazil Aurangabad, India Jakarta, IndonesiaKaluga, RussiaStrong financial results will allow Audi to continue ...

  • ScanR Universal CMM green laser scanner
    Article

    Green laser for use with portable & fixed CMMs

    2015-05-28T18:00:23Z

    Perceptron has introduced a green laser-line metrology scanner, the ScanR CMM, that it claims offers an advantage over red and blue laser scanners when scanning highly reflective and carbon fibre parts. The company says it can be easily integrated into its TouchDMIS metrology software and feature extraction from the ...

  • Schuler, NCC
    Article

    Schuler press now operational at composites centre

    2015-05-04T10:50:28Z

    UK – Designed for high-volume production of composites, the upstroke short-stroke press has a press force of 36,000kN and a clamping surface of 3.6 x 2.4 metres. The machinery has been installed at the National Composites Centre (NCC) owned by the University of Bristol.“We have installed the world’s largest openly ...

  • 3-copy-21.jpg
    Article

    Interview: Porsche's Michael Drolshagen talks Spyder manufacture

    2015-04-29T14:30:33Z

    An entirely new production area has been designed and built for Porsche's hybrid supercar. The director of production for the 918 Spyder talks about the creation of the ‘Manufactory’ at Zuffenhausen, GermanyAMS: What were the criteria for the 918 production area?Michael Drolshagen (MD): At the start of the project in ...

  • Article

    Ford and DowAksa formalise carbon-fibre deal

    2015-04-17T10:20:00Z

    US – The two companies have signed a joint development agreement to advance research on the cost-effective, high-volume production of carbon fibre for automotive applications. The partnership will combine Ford’s expertise in design, engineering and high-volume manufacturing with DowAksa’s feedstock capacity, carbon-fibre conversion and downstream intermediates.The collaboration will enable the ...

  • EB_Porsche918-5966
    Article

    Porsche's Manufactory

    2015-04-02T14:10:25Z

    Hand-built but high-tech, the 918 Spyder is made in a specially adapted production area at ZuffenhausenA space that formerly housed a paintshop and presents numerous logistical challenges might not sound like the ideal setting to hand build a hybrid supercar, but Porsche has created just such a production area. The ...

  • FordSolarMichigan2
    Article

    Cleaning up the future

    2015-03-31T16:23:37Z

    Under strong political pressure, the auto industry is sustaining its progress towards greener practicesAutomotive manufacturing is an energy-intensive business which has traditionally relied heavily on fossil fuels; PwC estimates that the industry is responsible for roughly 15% of global carbon emissions each year. While many automotive OEMs have had sustainable ...