Latest News & Features – Page 98
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ArticleMercedes invests in battery production
Mercedes-Benz Citaro batteryThailand - The German OEM has announced that it will spend €100m (US$123.74m) with its partner Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant (TAAP) to expand its existing car plant in Bangkok and to construct a new battery assembly facility at the same site. The latter will start operating at ...
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ArticleVW Group to spread BEV production
Germany - The Volkswagen Group has revealed that it will build battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in 16 different locations around the world by the end of 2022. The company currently makes BEVs at just three of its plants - in Wolfsburg, Dresden and Bratislava - but wishes to expand this ...
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ArticleBack to the future
Designed in 1967, the K67 showcased how plastics could be used to create a stylish performance carThe automotive related headlines are full of forward looking statements; OEMs describing their brand’s vision of future mobility, new concepts of how they envision we will be moved around appearing at motor shows, ...
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ArticleSpotting an opportunity
Steed Webzell talks to major players in joining, automation and materials technologies to get their take on the future of spot welding ABB spot welding technology at Scania's plant in OskarshamnAccording to a Technavio 2017 report, spot welding is the most popular type of robotic welding, generating more than 48% ...
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ArticleVW Poznań plant hits Caddy milestone
Poland - The two millionth Caddy recently rolled off a production line at Volkswagen's plant in Antoninek, Poznań. This marks an important milestone for the facility, which has been making the model since 2003.Around 720 Caddys are produced at the plant every day, and 165,000 units were built in 2017 ...
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ArticleArconic-Köfém to build new wheel plant
Hungary - Arconic-Köfém has broken ground at a site where its new truck wheel factory is being built. Costing €105m (US$130m), the plant is located in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. Operations are scheduled to begin at the end of 2019 and the new factory should create around 200 jobs.“Our truck wheels help ...
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ArticleGroupe PSA to open Namibia plant
Namibia - The Grandland X and 3008 will be the first Opel and Peugeot models to be assembled at a new plant in Walvis Bay, Namibia. It will start operating during the second quarter of 2018 as part of a joint venture between the OEM and the Namibia Development Cooperation ...
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ArticleCo-bots to help produce electric Golf
Germany - Volkswagen has recently established a new joint venture (JV) with a start-up called Wandelbots in a bid to establish test stations for collaborative robots at its Transparent Factory in Dresden. The idea is to use the co-bots during the final stages of electric Golf assembly, the production of ...
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ArticleEV trend boosts aluminium demand
Constellium has opened a new facility in Mexico to serve the automotive industry, and predicts strong growth on the horizon. Michael Nash reports Aluminium supplier Constellium has opened up a new plant in San Luis Potosi, MexicoThe rise of electrification is having a huge impact on vehicle manufacturers and their ...
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ArticleMazda Toyota establish production JV
US - The two companies have announced that they are establishing a new joint venture (JV) company called Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, USA (MTMUS). The news comes less than a year after they signed an agreement to enter a business and capital alliance, and follows on from a decision to build ...
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ArticleBorgWarner opens turbocharger facility
Thailand - BorgWarner has inaugurated a new turbocharger production plant in Rayong, Thailand. Covering an area of 6,500 sq. m, the site has been established to meet growing demand for turbochargers in the Southeast Asian automotive market."Thailand is a very important production base for Asian automakers and offers an excellent ...
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ArticleTraining 5-axis machining centre
Heller Machine Tools says it has introduced a training machine designed to raise the skill level of horizontal machining centre operators away from the shop floor. The company clams the CNC ProfiTrainer builds on the capabilities of an existing 4-axis version with rotary table by offering the option of an ...
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ArticleIAC opens plant in Czech Republic
Czech Republic - International Automotive Components (IAC) has officially opened a new plant in Prestice, which will be used to house the production of door panels. Costing over US$40m and covering an area of 32,560 sq.m, the facility is the company's third in the region."Our new Prestice operation reflects our ...
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ArticleNew fibre laser models
With the addition of the FF500i-A and FF1000i-A models, Fanuc says it now offers a range of laser cutting solutions covering 500W through to 6000W. The company notes that specific Laser functions and interfaces allow for the integration of robot systems into the laser machine process for both material handling ...
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ArticleLessons to learn
As the automotive industry changes, OEMs and Tier suppliers need to train and retain skilled work forces. Audi takes on approximately 800 apprentices at its two sites in Germany in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm each yearOptimising production processes is a never-ending task for vehicle makers and while automation offers some ...
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ArticleClamping force verification
To assist with verifying the holding force of a component during machining operations OK-VISE says it has integrated two clamping force measurement systems directly into its modular Multi-Rail RM fixturing system.The Digiforce device provide the operator with an on-screen readout of the clamping pressure. In addition the company says that ...
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ArticleMagna opens new composites facility
Germany - The new Composites Center of Excellence will act as a base for the development of various vehicle structural components such as subframes, as well as exterior body parts like door panels and hoods. The idea is to identify production-ready lightweight solutions that will help vehicle manufacturers meet increasingly ...
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ArticleGM to increase Bolt EV production
US - General Motors CEO Mary Barra has announced that the company will soon ramp up production of the Bolt EV at its Orion Assembly plant, which is located north of Detroit. She cited "increasing global demand" as the reason behind the decision."In December 2012, the Chevrolet Volt was GM’s ...
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ArticleHigh speed CMM system
CyberOptics has launched its new SQ3000 3D CMM system, powered by Multi-Reflection Suppression (MRS) technology and CyberCMM, a new software suite for coordinate measurement. The company claims that in a lab or production environment, the SQ3000 system offers fast, accurate, repeatable and reproducible measurements for metrology applications in manufacturing of ...