Latest News & Features – Page 167
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ArticleFibre laser system
Prima Power has introduced its new Laserdyne 430 Versa 3D fibre laser system featuring its third generation BeamDirector. It is equipped with an air-cooled 3,000W peak power fibre laser and the proprietary BeamDirector. This provides two axes of laser beam motion without part movement.The company says it also features the ...
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ArticleWelding simulation software
Altair has announced that GeonX S.A. has joined the Altair Partner Alliance (APA), bringing access to Virfac, a welding simulation software, to HyperWorks users. Virfac provides quality predictions for manufactured parts with the ability to improve product lifespan and design before any prototype is required, claims the company.The software is ...
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ArticleMazda starts producing refreshed BT-50 at ATT
Thailand – Featuring a newly designed front face, rear combination lamps, aluminium wheels and an upgraded interior, the pick-up truck will be introduced to the Thai and Australian markets from the second half of 2015. The powertrain and body type remain unchanged from the model introduced in 2011.Mazda established the ...
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ArticleGM's $1.4bn for Arlington enhancement
US – The investment will see the plant reconfigured with a new paintshop, bodyshop and general assembly area upgrades. Construction is expected to begin this summer and take around three years to complete; GM says the production of Chevrolet Tahoes and Suburbans, GMC Yukons and Yukon XLs and Cadillac Escalades ...
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ArticleHonda begins African car production
Nigeria – The company has started production of its Accord model with an annual capacity of 1,000 units, having established automobile production facilities at the site of its existing motorcycle plant in the West African country. This is Honda’s first car plant in the continent and follows its commitment to ...
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ArticleTravel blog: Shooting for the stars (and stripes) in Puebla
If NASA, in this era of budget cuts, should need to find alternative premises, I know a little place down in Mexico that might suit. Not that its current occupant would be eager to vacate, having only started operations there last year. I’m talking about VW and its new bodyshop ...
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ArticleTravel blog: What’s GM chancing in Lansing?
“It’s the soccer moms – first they had to have minivans, now it’s SUVs.” So said the driver taking me to and from GM Lansing Delta Township, about an hour-and-a-half west of Detroit. Interestingly, his knowledge of market demand extended to which car models get stolen most often in Michigan, ...
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ArticleFCA's $166m for stamping at Sterling Heights
US – The company says its investment in three new press lines will upgrade the 50-year-old facility to meet increased demand. The new lines are currently being installed and are expected to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2015, supplying seven plants in the US, Canada and Mexico. They ...
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ArticleA cut above the rest
Milling operations face the challenge of high volume and quality requirements in the automotive industrySupplying machined parts to the automotive industry brings a unique set of challenges, due largely to the combination of high volumes and meticulous quality demands. The problem is exacerbated in milling operations by the prismatic nature ...
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ArticleNissan Kyushu to produce Rogue
Japan – Beginning in spring 2016, the crossover SUV (known as X-Trail in its homeland) will be made by the OEM's subsidiary for export to North America. The production of 100,000 units per year will add to that of the current model in Tennessee and Busan, Korea.The company says it ...
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ArticleOlive takes new role at Renault-Nissan
France – The OEM has appointed Jérôme Olive as executive vice-president, Alliance Manufacturing Engineering and Supply Chain Management, effective August 1.Olive, who is currently senior vice-president, Manufacturing and Logistics Europe at Renault, replaces Shohei Kimura, who moves to a new leadership position in manufacturing within the Nissan group. Kimura has ...
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ArticleBMW: Achieving Brilliance in China
Anton Heiss, senior vice-president for Technology and Manufacturing, discusses BMW’s manufacturing success in China, where its Tiexi complex can be considered a production benchmarkAMS: It has been stated that Tiexi is the most sustainable vehicle manufacturing plant in China. Is the plant used as a manufacturing benchmark in the region?Anton ...
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Rolls-Royce and Unipart to form JV
UK – The two companies will work on the development and delivery of manufacturing solutions for advanced fixturing and products applicable across a range of manufacturing industries, including automotive.Based on proven and patented Rolls-Royce technology, the newly formed MetLase will provide engineering solutions to applications where precision and speed of ...
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ArticleTravel blog: Reborn in Dearborn
For some it would be an almost spiritual experience, but for me yesterday’s visit to Ford at the place where it all began (more or less), was about appreciating the enduring human capacity for innovation; from the first moving assembly lines to the robotised manufacturing methods of the 21st century, ...
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ArticlePlastic rear axle component for S-class Mercedes
Germany – ContiTech Vibration Control and BASF say they have developed the world’s first plastic transmission crossbeam for a rear axle subframe. It is being used on the S-class Mercedes-Benz and is made from the engineering plastic Ultramid A3WG10 CR, a special polyamide from BASF which is reinforced and optimised ...
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ArticleGreat Wall Motors invests in press hardening line
China – AP&T has delivered a complete production line for press hardening to the Chinese OEM at its new plant in Xushui Baoding. The line is currently used to produce A-pillars and B-pillars, but it will also produce other components in the future. At present the components are used for ...
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ArticleTravel blog: A tornado in Toledo
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 ...
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ArticleAdvanced epoxy solutions for automotive markets
Sicomin says it has developed Top Clear a two component, translucent coating system with a very rapid drying time that allows users to speed up the production cycle, helping automotive parts manufacturers adapt to increased production volumes. The company claims the range is suitable for use on interior car components ...
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ArticleSpares and service department
DMG MORI says it is now offering its UK customers a hotline response time of one hour or less and service response times for an engineer on site of 1 day for MORI derived products and 1.4 days for DMG derived products.The company says its service engineers carry test equipment, ...
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ArticleFirst Civic Type R off the line at Honda Swindon
UK – The first production models of the Civic Type R have rolled off the line at the Japanese carmaker’s UK plant. Addressing those gathered for the event, Soichiro Takizawa, managing director at HUM, took the opportunity to thank staff for their continued commitment and hard work.The new Honda Civic ...