Latest News & Features – Page 184
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ArticleEditor's note: Power to the people
For many outside the automotive industry, vehicle manufacturing is viewed as a wholly automated process – and they can be forgiven for thinking this, because the vast majority of images depict lines of robots building cars. Indeed, I receive so much information on automation and control systems that it’s easy ...
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ArticleInterview: Richard Else, JLR Halewood
The plant director has his hands full managing a factory that is running at maximum capacity thanks to demand for the Range Rover Evoque. While its new Chinese sister plant is providing additional capacity, an upcoming model and £200m of recent investment mean Else will soon be busier than ever ...
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ArticleMaking more with less
As the drive for energy efficiency increases, auto manufacturers are scrutinising every shopfloor processThe automotive manufacturing industry is a massive user of energy. The US industry alone consumes 800 trillion Btus per year, according to estimates by the US Department of Energy (DOE). In its ‘Energy Use Benchmarking in the ...
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ArticleCleaning baskets & workpiece holders
Metallform says it designs cleaning baskets with the latest CAD technology, which allows for the optimal positioning of the parts in the workpiece holder. This allows for the selective treatment of bore holes and undercuts without affecting any sensitive areas.The minimised contact area between the part and basket reduces the ...
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ArticleSingle robot coating cell concept
The new J-Hive coating cell enables the complete painting of a car body by a single robot, claims Geico. The octagonal spray booth allows the car body to rotate enabling the painting of the interior and exterior surfaces; with the movement of the body on the conveyor system controlled by ...
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ArticleMachining centre for automotive production
DMG MORI has introduced an ultra-compact, horizontal-spindle machining centre for multiple-shift, mass production of vehicle components such as cylinder blocks and heads. Designated i 50, the machine comes without an automatic pallet changer and occupies 6.6m2 of factory area. The company says the machine width has been minimised to 1,680 ...
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ArticleLightweight leaf spring
A fibre-reinforced composite leaf spring based on the polyurethane matrix resin Loctite MAX 2 from Henkel is being used in the chassis of the new Volvo XC90. In its alliance with Benteler-SGL to develop large-scale production of a composite leaf spring for Volvo Cars, Henkel has contributed its process know-how ...
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ArticlePre-harnessed energy chain system
igus says its readychain speed pre-harnessed energy chain system is ready to fit directly onto a machine without the need for specialist tools. This system is a single unit and as such can be exchanged quickly, reducing machinery downtime, claims the company. It can accommodate different connections for fibre optic, ...
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ArticleBrazil’s new battle
Re-elected President Rousseff must tackle signs of stagnation in the world’s fourth-largest auto marketThe next four years of automotive manufacturing in Brazil will be marked by the second presidential term of Dilma Rousseff, winner of the general election in October. Among the greatest challenges facing her will be a need ...
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ArticleHot off the printer
More automotive companies are discovering the benefits of additive manufacturing for rapid prototypingIn April, the first race of the 2015 World Endurance Championship at the Silverstone racetrack in the UK will see the debut of the Strakka DOME S103, a low-slung coupe designed and developed by two organisations on different ...
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ArticleTaking control of energy use
Monitoring, measuring and managing energy use are key to better production efficiency and sustainability According to the latest figures from the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), global vehicle production increased by 3.6% in 2013 to 88m units. While demand is increasing thanks to the rapid development of the ...
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Article
Mazda announces new ‘bio-based’ engineering plastic
Japan – In collaboration with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, the OEM has developed ‘Mazda Biotechmaterial’ for vehicle exterior design parts. Derived from plants, the new plastic is designed to minimise environmental impact, primarily by reducing the consumption of petroleum resources and cutting CO2 emissions.The material can be dyed, reducing emissions of ...
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ArticleSmart design in the making
The latest simulation software can speed up vehicle modelling and compress development timescalesAt the beginning of 2014, Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg launched a vehicle which, even by its standards, achieved new levels of extreme performance. One:1 takes its name from the ratio of its horsepower to its kerb weight in ...
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ArticleSouth-Eastern success
Turbulent politics aside, tiger economies such as Thailand and Indonesia are seeing further auto growthThe tigerish automotive markets of South-East Asia have not been quite so rampant in 2014 as the turbulent politics of its two leading vehicle-producing countries, Thailand and Indonesia, put a downer on the industry. Thailand’s politics ...
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ArticleVauxhall Ellesmere Port hits 5m mark
UK – The OEM started building compact cars at its Cheshire plant in 1964, bearing responsibility for all Viva models, the Chevette and all six Astra models from 1982. An average of 100,000 units have left the plant in each of the last 50 years.The first Viva HA rolled off ...
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ArticleStaying in the loop
The latest smart software can bridge ‘missing links’ in manufacturing by providing locational context“There are all sorts of digital data sources on a factory shopfloor, but there is often something missing – a location context.” So says Adrian Jennings, CTO at UK-based Ubisense, who has responsibility for real-time location intelligence ...
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ArticleFord Bridgend installs wind turbine
UK – The 77 metre-high turbine, owned by AGR Renewables, will supply energy directly to the engine plant in Wales, providing as much as 1,700MWh per annum and reducing carbon emissions by up to 420 tonnes.Ian Pearson, Bridgend plant manager, said: “The installation of the new wind turbine demonstrates our ...
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ArticleZF Solihull: Taking a new line
Recent investment at the West Midlands factory has resulted in a new assembly area for JLR componentsIn terms of numbers alone, the ZF Lemförder plant in Solihull, UK, would not appear to be a major portion of the German-owned ZF Group; ten years after its establishment, it employs just 113 ...
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ArticleNot so Far-fetched?
New technologies are claimed to make composite vehicle bodies affordable at small volumesThe production of carbon fibre chassis is an expensive business – just ask BMW. The German vehicle-maker and its partners have between them spent upwards of €700m ($870m) on the mass-production of its i3 and i8 models which ...
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ArticleNissan & Tennessee partner for manufacturing training
US – The collaboration between the vehicle-maker and the state will involve the establishment of a 150,000 sq.ft education and training facility next to Nissan’s vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna. Groundbreaking took place today.The training centre, which is scheduled to be completed by late 2016, will operate as an extension ...