Latest News & Features – Page 224
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ArticleTesting times for training
OEMs’ workers must help to deliver higher volume and quality in a globalised industryDemand for improved quality and higher production targets means that the training of workers and the constant refreshment of their skills is a crucial component of any vehicle-maker’s business strategy. It is not just the manufacturing processes ...
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ArticleCloser to the machines
As robotics companies push the boundaries of automation, human operators and robots are working in closer collaboration than ever before."Your new colleague is a robot.” This is a favourite line of Thomas Visti, chief commercial officer for Denmark-based Universal Robots, which is at the forefront of a revolution in automation ...
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ArticleCrafted with care
Mark Venables takes a look at the manufacturing methods in use at motorcycle maker KTM – a company where automation is kept to a minimumIn 1934 Hans Trunkenpolz opened a motorcycle repair shop in Mattighofen, Austria, selling DKW bikes. By 1951 believed he could do better himself and two years ...
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UK car production grows as commercial vehicle decreases
UK: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says UK car manufacturing in August grew by 16.2%. UK car-makers produced 91,282 vehicles during the period, up by 12,705 units on the year before. The third successive monthly gain pushed year-todate volumes up 3.1% to 984,545 units. The increase was ...
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ArticleMaking sure coatings measure up
Duplex coatings designed to prevent corrosion need to be measured with appropriate equipment, says Peter Neumaier, technical sales manager, Helmut Fischer Measuring Class 2 & 3 coatingsHand-held instrumentationGalvinised steel & lightweighting trendsCorrosion-protective duplex coatings are frequently used in the automotive industry for pipes and wires in brake and fuel systems, ...
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ArticleGM plant’s retool for hi-tech engines
USA: As a result of a $400m investment, GM's Tonawanda engine plant will produce four versions of the Gen 5 Small Block – a 4.3L V-6, 5.3L V-8 and two variants of a 6.2L V-8.At full production, the plant will produce more than 1,000 engines a day. The new ...
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GM starts up new stamping press at Arlington
USA – The first of three large presses is now operational at GM’s new $200m stamping facility in Arlington, Texas.GM’s Arlington plant currently receives stampings from as far as 1,000 miles away, but the new facility will produce large metal parts for the next generation of full-size SUVs, such as ...
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GOM conference focus
Germany – This year’s GOM Conference in September attracted 600 participants to the company’s headquarters in Braunschweig, Germany, it says.Focusing on material and component testing, and 3D co-ordinate measurement, representatives from Adidas, Miele, Lamborghini, Audi, Bertrandt, Brembo, Tata Steel Europe and Stryker presented.GOM itself teamed up with VW to discuss ...
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Skoda still top manufacturer in Central Europe
Czech Republic: Skoda is the largest manufacturing company in Central Europe for the third consecutive year, according to the Deloitte CE Top 500 report.Using fi gures from 2012, the study compared the 500 highest-revenue companies across 18 countries, including 84 from the Czech Republic.The company has a 2018 growth ...
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ArticleFord’s plan for near-dry machining
As part of what it describes as its commitment to sustainability, Ford has added near-dry machining capability to six plants globally – a number that will almost double in the next few years.Near-dry machining, also known as Minimum Quantity Lubrication or MQL, is a process that lubricates cutting tools ...
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ArticleSwitching on to electric
BMW’s first production EVs, the electric Mini and the 1 Series ActiveE, were launched five years ago in limited numbers, but each provided invaluable R&D and production experience for what would become the hugely ambitious BMW i-project. The second of two design study proposals for BMW’s first mass production plug-in ...
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ArticlePainting by numbers
Dr. Ing. Qiaoyan Ye and Dr. Oliver Tiedje of Fraunhofer IPA discuss the ability of modelling and numerical simulation to improve painting processes The benefits of numerical simulationNo need to watch paint dryGreen Carbody TechnologiesComputer-aided engineering and numerical simulation based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be a very useful ...
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ArticleMoulding tools for the future
What visitors to EuroMold 2013 can expect at the mould-making and tooling expo in Frankfurt this DecemberThe programme for 2013Exhibitors with automotive interestsAs the world trade fair for mould-making and tooling design and development, EuroMold brings together buyers, suppliers and process experts from all parts of the globe. This year’s ...
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ArticleA South American sunrise?
Brazil leads the way for the automotive industry in a continent beset by economic and political challenges, writes Nick GibbsSouth America as a whole is becoming a hotbed of automotive production thanks to intense activity in Brazil, which is producing the bulk of vehicles and stimulating manufacturing elsewhere on the ...
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Editor's Note: Automotive Paintshop Solutions
There is nothing superficial about automotive paint – at least not when it comes to the crucial matter of making potential customers actually want to buy a car. At that point the ‘look’ of a car can make all the difference to whether they might want to consider purchasing or ...
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ArticleProduction of A3 Cabriolet starts at Györ
Germany/Hungary – Audi has invested more than €900m in buildings and equipment at its plant at Györ for series production of the new A3 Cabriolet. The company also builds the A3 Sedan, next-generation TT Coupe and TT Roadster there.“With this model, Audi is creating a new highlight in the ...
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ArticleFord makes the most of recyclate
With vehicle-makers taking a greater interest in using recycled materials, Ruari McCallion investigates the processes and challenges involvedFord Motor Company’s new F-150 trucks have been the target of some criticism for their size, weight and thirst, but according to the OEM the model will feature unprecedented levels of environmentally-friendly materials.Recycling ...
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ArticlePremium brands warm to Brazil
Increasing local incomes are creating a top-end market in Brazil. Giovanna Riato takes a look at how the OEMs are respondingIn the next few years, Brazil will go down the route of luxury car manufacturing. The local market has traditionally been focused on basic cars with engines up to 1.0 ...
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ArticleA new generation for paint robots
According to automation provider ABB, paintshop robotics have moved on to a bold new eraFaster & furtherA high-flow atomiserOverall ‘footprint’ optimisationThe use of robots to automate the processes of automotive paintshops is now entering a ‘third generation’. That is the verdict of Didier Rouaud, manager paint and sealer process engineering ...
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ArticleGaz starts Sprinter production
GAZ Group, based in Nizhny Novgorod, is a production partner of Daimler for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter models intended for the Russian market. The partnership was announced in the middle of last year and production commenced this summer; the first Sprinter Classics rolled off Nizhny’s production line on July 15.Investing in a ...