All Lightweighting articles – Page 4
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Article
Welcoming arms for Kirchhoff
Dermot Healy speaks to CMM programmer James Mitchell about working with Faro Technologies at the Kirchhoff Automotive plant in Lansing, MichiganKirchhoff Automotive is one of the leading global suppliers of body structures, sub-assemblies and stamped products to major automotive manufacturers. Working closely with manufacturers from an early design stage the ...
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Article
Oxsilan expectations
Engineers from GM’s Orion plant in Michigan describe a successful conversion to a thin-film pretreatment from Chemetall The Surface Treatment global business unit of the Coatings division of BASF, operating under the Chemetall brand, sets out the story of the highly successful conversion and launch to full production of Oxsilan ...
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Article
Rouge alert
It’s been part of Ford real estate for more than a century but, as Gareth Price discovers, the historic Rouge Center houses a truck plant shaped for modern times
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Article
Stratasys starts shipping 3D printer
Israel - The Fortus 380mc Carbon Fiber Edition was first previewed at the additive manufacturing event called Rapid 2018, and is now available to purchase for US$70,000. It is dubbed by the company as an "affordably priced additive manufacturing system dedicated for carbon-fiber-filled Nylon 12."The printer has already been used ...
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Article
Steel makes a strong case
With the push for powertrain electrification gaining strength producers of high-strength steel are preparing themselves to capitalise reports James Bakewell In 2017, global sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) reached 1.3m units, according to Frédéric Painchault, head of Global Automotive Marketing at steelmaker ...
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Article
Steel going strong
ArcelorMittal provides an insight into how the trend of electrification will impact steel demand in vehicle designLast year marked the first on in which global sales of electrified vehicles exceeded one million units. Although the numbers are still a long way behind sales volumes of conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) ...
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Article
Interview: Pamela Fletcher, GM Global Electric Vehicle Programs
AMS speaks to Pamela Fletcher, VP of General Motors' global EV programmes, about the manufacturer’s bold electrification plans General Motors' Pamela Fletcher stepped into the newly created role of Vice President – Global Electric Vehicle Programs in 2017GM is planning a new EV platform. Can such a platform be more ...
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Article
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GM is planning a new EV platform. Can such a platform be more flexible compared with a standard combustion-engine platform?What’s more important than flexibility is optimisation. When you try to convert an ICE-based vehicle platform into an EV, you run into issues that could only be avoided by having a ...
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Article
GM combines software and 3D printing
US - General Motors has become the first carmaker to use new generative design software technology from Autodesk - a software company headquartered in San Rafael, California. It is using the technology to design parts that are then 3D printed for proof-of-concept."This disruptive technology provides tremendous advancements in how we ...
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Article
Lightweighting with laser-welded blanks
The latest generation of steels brings new opportunities for OEMs Laser-welded blanks (LWB) give automotive engineers the chance to design lightweight parts that ensure the right steel is in the right place for safety and performance. Combining LWBs with new hot-stamping grades, such as Usibor 2000 and Ductibor ...
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Article
Steel going strong
ArcelorMittal provides an insight into how the trend of electrification will impact steel demand in vehicle design Last year marked the first on in which global sales of electrified vehicles exceeded one million units. Although the numbers are still a long way behind sales volumes of conventional internal combustion ...
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Article
What can steel do for chassis?
With high-tensile strength and an optimised microstructure, advanced high-strength steel grades can offer many advantages for chassis components Many factors are dictating the future of OEMs developing chassis components. Consumer trends, regulations and advancements in manufacturing technology are just a few of them. Developments in materials is another. ...
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Article
Lightweighting with laser-welded blanks
The latest generation of steels brings new opportunities for OEMs Laser-welded blanks (LWB) give automotive engineers the chance to design lightweight parts that ensure the right steel is in the right place for safety and performance. Combining LWBs with new hot-stamping grades, such as Usibor 2000 and Ductibor ...
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Article
Automated steering technology
Nexteer Automotive says it has introduced two steering technologies that enable advanced safety and functions for Level 2-5 automated driving. The company claims its high availability Electric Power Steering (EPS) is designed for resilient operational availability and is optimised through additional redundancies in torque and position sensors, electronic control units, ...
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Article
The case for carbon fibre
The launch of the i3 has changed the conversation about the future application of carbon fibre in vehicle structures
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Article
Seating plan
Adient CTO Detlef Juerss talks to AMS about the company’s sure and steady approach to new and complex challengesAmong all the exhibits at the IAA international motor show in Frankfurt, a seat that Adient produces for the BMW 7-Series ably exemplifies a modern automotive manufacturing challenge – to combine precision ...
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Article
Parts of the process
Tenneco CTO Ben Patel talks to AMS about the company’s approach to perfecting process, sharing best practice and mastering materialsSpinning off from a multi-sector conglomerate enterprise in the 1990s, the Tenneco of today takes it manufacturing focus along two distinct component groups. The clean air line features exhaust systems, catalytic ...
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Webinar
Lightweighting with laser welded blanks and the latest generation of steel grades
In this webinar, we illustrate the benefits of combining laser welded blank technology and solutions with the latest advanced high strength steel grades, including the new generation of press hardenable steels – Usibor® 2000 and Ductibor® 1000. This webinar was recorded on ...
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Article
Chemical composition
The greater use of mixed materials in vehicle construction has required changes to the pretreatment processThe initial treatment that a bare metal car body receives is fundamental to achieving the key performance parameters of all subsequent coating and painting operations, most obviously corrosion protection and paint adhesion. For many decades, ...
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Article
Still going strong
As November marks the 40th anniversary of the original press-hardened steel patent, AMS takes a look at how the technology has evolved and where it is heading next in an era of mixed-material vehicle productionThe overriding merit of press-hardened steel (PHS) has always been the unique combination of formability, ultra ...