Latest News & Features – Page 185
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ArticleBentley in £40m HQ expansion
UK – The OEM is adding a 45,000 sq.m centre to its site at Crewe which will include a dedicated styling studio, R&D offices and a technical workshop. The new development is the latest step in infrastructural preparations for the ultra-premium SUVs that Bentley will launch in 2016. Construction work ...
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ArticleAdditive manufacturing for industrial use
Renishaw is developing a machine specifically for production manufacturing, provisionally named EVO Project. The company says this new machine is designed for single material industrial production. Powder handling is almost entirely hands off, whilst powder recirculation, recycling and recovery are all carried out within the inert atmosphere of the system, ...
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ArticleNew software-based drive functions
Siemens says it is extending the range of applications for its Sinamics S120 drives family with new, software-based advanced technology functions. The specific functions are synchronous operation (1:1 or with gear ratio), camming and positioning of the synchronous axes. The new functions are part of the DCB (Drive Control Block) ...
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ArticleInvesting in India
While its growth has so far failed to match that of China, global automotive OEMs and suppliers are still eager to strengthen their production footprints in the countrySmall cars & SUV/MPVsFordGMFiat ChryslerVWRenaultBMWMercedesJLRHondaToyotaHyundaiSuppliersThe political uncertainty which has affected India in recent times has resulted in an uncertain environment for the automotive ...
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ArticleRenault's taste of Morocco
The OEM’s latest full factory, at Tangier, is now an important ingredient in its European production network Renault’s newest full manufacturing plant, at Tangier, opened in 2012 and now employs nearly 5,500 people. Around 20km from the city and 35km from the port, Renault Tangier is located in a tax ...
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Toyota St Petersburg adds facilities for new Camry
Russia – The Camry has been produced at the plant since 2007, but the new-generation model has seen the introduction of two new production shops costing 2.7 billion roubles (£439m), a resin (plastics) moulding facility and a stamping shop. The investment will boost output and raise local content to 30%.Toyota ...
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ArticleJLR Halewood: Full speed ahead
Invigorated by a £200m investment, the facility has become one of the UK's most productive car plantsOf all the turnaround stories emerging from the recent success of the British car industry, that of Jaguar Land Rover’s plant at Halewood, near Liverpool, is one of most compelling. Started in 1962 by ...
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ArticleMaserati hits 50,000 units in Grugliasco
Italy – The OEM's Avv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant reached the total less than two years after its official inauguration on January 30, 2013. The facility makes the Quattroporte and Ghibli saloon. Maserati says the production ramp-up which enabled it to reach 50,000 units was "designed to maximise the quality of ...
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ArticleDriving Honda
I’m occasionally offered the opportunity to receive advance copies of books, but unfortunately most of the time the subject isn’t relevant to my work. That’s not to say they aren’t automotive related, it’s just that they don’t cover my specific area of interest. Working on an automotive title, it’s often ...
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ArticleThin-walled tube bending
To avoid the issue of cracking thin-walled tubing Schwarze-Robitec says it has optimised the transport boost of its CNC machines and adapted the bending tools. These are equipped with a vertically traveling pressure die assembly, which the comapny says improves the adjustability of the forces the machines achieve, offering precise ...
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ArticleHonda hits 300m milestone for motorcycles
Japan – After 65 years of manufacturing, the OEM produced its 300 millionth motorcycle, a Honda Gold Wing, at its Kumamoto Factory. Honda will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this model next year.Honda began mass production of motorcycles in Japan in 1949, with the Honda 98cc Dream Type-D. The launch ...
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ArticleDeveloping real drive
Complex nine- and ten-speed gearboxes are requiring fresh investment in manufacturing capabilitiies When Mercedes came to develop its innovative 9G-Tronic transmission, it required an entirely new development process. For the first time, an intensive, computer-based systems analysis and synthesis was used to define the gear set concept. From a total ...
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ArticleVW assigns €85.6bn to Automotive over five years
Germany – The funds will be spent on new models, innovative technologies and the OEM’s global presence in its Automotive Division between 2015 and 2019. “We will continue to invest in the future to become the leading automotive group in both ecological and economic terms – with the best and ...
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ArticleGeared up to the maximum
The number of gears in transmissions is increasing, but OEMs may be about to hit an upper limit The four-, five- and even six-speed gearboxes may well have had their day. So says Mark Champine, director transmission and driveline platform at Chrysler. “It may be a little bit different region ...
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ArticleStaying out of touch
Automated, non-contact measurement solutions seem to be the way forward for automotive manufacturingAutomotive plants require a variety of cell configurations for robotic 3D metrology and process control. Typically, such solutions will be based upon key components that include: industrial robots as flexible sensor positioning platforms; non-contact, white-light sensors; a software ...
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ArticleGM to spend $200m on Orion & Pontiac plants
US – The investment at the two facilities is to prepare for a future vehicle programme, and forms part of a $300m expenditure planned by GM for its operations in Michigan. Orion Assembly will receive $160m for tooling and equipment, while Pontiac Metal Center will get $40m for new dies.Cathy ...
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_Hexagon Metrology: Fast, rich and actionable 3D process control
Global automotive manufacturers are aiming to improve mechanical and visual assembly quality and reduce rework while accelerating new vehicle launches. 3D Metrology and In-line process control technologies are important contributors for achieving higher quality products, more stable process and faster ramp up for new vehicle programs. The introduction of fast ...
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ArticleSteel's stiff competition
New developments have made composite materials an increasingly viable option in vehicle manufacturingThe phrase ‘the right material in the right place’ has become something of a mantra for vehicle-makers in recent years in their efforts to reduce the weight of their cars. While the use of aluminium is increasing, many ...
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ArticleVW reports ‘Think Blue.Factory’ success
Germany – The OEM says it has completed over 2,700 projects and made its production processes 17% more “environmentally compatible” over the past three years. The results were presented by more than 250 experts from 27 plants of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and the company’s Components division.The objective ...
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ArticleSuper colour vision
The latest technologies, including 3D dirt detection, can significantly improve the efficacy of colour identification in a range of automotive production applications At first glance, colour appears to be a fairly straightforward concept. However, when it comes to checking and measurement, it rapidly becomes a complex entity that demands attention ...