Latest News & Features – Page 125
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ArticleAluminium with form
New forming processes will further unlock the potential of aluminium as lightweight material for automotive structuresProduction operations have started with a new technique that promises major increases in the benefits that can be obtained through lightweighting using aluminium in vehicle body structures.Impression Technologies (ITL) was set up a little over ...
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ArticleGM Lordstown and LGR lose third shift
US – The vehicle-maker said the third shift would be suspended at the two assembly plants from January 2017, in line with a shift in demand from cars to crossovers and trucks. At the same time, GM announced an investment of over $900m in its Ohio, Michigan and Indiana facilities ...
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ArticleConfocal chromatic controller
The new confocalDT 2471 chromatic controllers feature an integrated LED light source, and are designed for high-speed distance and thickness measurements of mirrored, transparent, shiny and diffuse surfaces, says Micro-Epsilon.It’s claimed the high light intensity enables reliable measurements on low reflectivity surfaces such as dark, matt objects or for multi-layer ...
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ArticleProfile welding system
Rofin says its system solution for tube and profile welding (PWS) can be combined with either CO2 or fibre lasers. The company says this laser welding system features an integrated process sensor for gap detection and tracking. The weld sensor allows the user to observe the welding process while the ...
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ArticleHonda releases environmental report
US – The 2016 North American Environmental Report (NAER), Honda’s 12th such publication, states that the CO2 emissions intensity of its vehicle production dropped by 10% compared with the previous year despite a record output. In fiscal year 2016, energy per vehicle also decreased by 6.7%, the most energy-efficient level ...
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ArticleHigh-temperature polyamide charge air duct
BASF’s high-temperature polyamide Ultramid Endure D5G3 BM is being used in a charge air duct, now in serial production, being fitted to the BMW 2.0-litre turbo charged, four-cylinder engine. The part is exposed to both high temperature and pressure and BASF says this material is temperature resistant up to 220°C ...
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ArticleEntry level machining centre
Hurco says its new entry-level CAT/BT40 machining centre, the VM5i, offers a compact footprint and axis travels of 457mm, 356mm and 356mm in X, Y and Z. It features linear guideways in all axes and Yaskawa digital drives. The spindle is rated at 7.5kW / 8,000rpm and is supplied with ...
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ArticleFrost to crack Eurasia for Detroit Electric
UK – As chief technical officer, Richie Frost will assume overall responsibility for the technical and engineering aspects of the company, in particular leading its new engineering consultancy division. Detroit Electric aims to continue its growth in Europe and Asia.Frost has built a group of companies which supply engineering services ...
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ArticleKTM steps up the pace
KTM has grown rapidly and is now looking to increase production volumes. Nick Holt visits the firm’s manufacturing facilities at Mattighofen, Austria Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM has ambitious plans to increase output from its current 160,000 units to 200,000 units per year by 2020. As such, the vehicle-maker is adding ...
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ArticleFord Rouge becomes landfill-free
US – The six facilities at Ford’s Dearborn site in Michigan have joined 68 others worldwide which send zero manufacturing waste to landfill. It is the OEM’s largest landfill-free complex and will save 14m pounds of waste per year.“With 16m sq.ft of factory floor space and approximately 7,000 employees it ...
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ArticleGW’s cylinder-block process for JLR
UK – In collaboration with the OEM and the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), casting specialist Grainger & Worrall is working on a type of cylinder block with plasma coatings to reduce the size and weight of engines. The production process involves spraying an aluminum block with a low-friction, plasma metal ...
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ArticleSIA builds first 2017 Subaru Impreza
US – The start of production at Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) marks the first time the Impreza has been made in the country; until now, the model has been produced exclusively in Japan. The plant has spent three years preparing for this launch, after $1.3 billion was earmarked for ...
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ArticleVolvo announces Chinese expansion
China – The vehicle-maker outlined a new strategy which will involve a significant increase in capacity in the country and the development of a global manufacturing and export hub serving growing demand for Volvo’s new range of cars in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.Volvo said it will make ...
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ArticleShifting priorities
OEMs are keeping their options open on transmission supply, with many moving away from established in-house production and looking to source externallyBody panels, engines and transmissions are the fundamental component areas that the major carmakers tend to produce in-house. However, behind this established pattern lies a changing supply network for ...
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Article3D scanning inspection system
The CyberGage360, a metrology-grade, 3D scanning and inspection system, provides a 360°, 3D scan of complex parts and will generate a full 3D inspection report in less than three minutes, claims CyberOptics.Designed for use in general purpose metrology, the company says this system is suitable for automotive applications where high ...
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ArticleFabric exhaust insulation
Federal-Mogul Powertrain says its ThermFlex exhaust insulating sleeves can now be tailored to fit almost any combination of exhaust pipe and tube geometries. The company says it has developed a family of different fabrics, capable of withstanding temperatures up to 1,100°C.The product design can accommodate the flanges and bends common ...
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ArticleReflections on the Paris Motor Show
This year’s show was notable for a number of intriguing launches, corporate reinventions and absences – no Mazda, no Volvo, no Bentley, no Lamborghini and, most interestingly, no Ford. Mazda stated that the strength of PSA and Renault in France made it difficult for it to have much of an ...
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ArticleSpectrophotometers for the automotive industry
Konica Minolta has introduced two new handheld instruments for the automotive industry: A two-in-one spectrophotometer that measures colour and gloss for interior measurements, and a multi-angle spectrophotometer for measuring metallic and pearlescent paints.The CM-25cG model offers 45°c:0° geometry and a 60° gloss sensor for simultaneous colour and gloss measurements, says ...
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ArticleNew Vauxhall plant for emergency units
UK – Claimed to be the largest of its kind in Europe, the factory at Luton in Bedfordshire will convert 2,500 cars and vans per year into vehicles for the police, fire and ambulance services. Production has been transferred from nearby Millbrook.The Vauxhall models to be converted include the Corsa, ...