All articles by aladmin – Page 45
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BMW Rosslyn hits 1m mark for 3-Series
South Africa – The milestone vehicle rolled off the production line earlier today. Last year, the 2,900-strong workforce at the plant in Pretoria built 68,771 of the sedan for local and export sales. The latter increased by 17% in 2014.“Established in 1973, plant Rosslyn was BMW Group’s first foreign plant ...
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VIDEOS: Watch Toyota make the Mirai
Japan – Toyota has held a production ceremony at Motomachi Plant in Toyota City to celebrate what it is calling "the milestone of a new age of vehicles". The OEM has launched its hydrogen fuel cell sedan, the Mirai, which will roll off the factory's production line at the rate ...
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BASF Toda Battery Materials now established
Japan – Closing an agreement that was announced in October 2014, the new joint venture will provide cathode active materials (CAM) for lithium-ion batteries, as used in the automotive and other industries.In Japan, BASF Toda will conduct R&D, production, marketing and sales for a wide range of cathode materials, particularly ...
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Ford workers trained up for F-150
US – The OEM says that since May 2013 over 8,000 skilled trades and production workers at Dearborn Truck Plant, Michigan, and Kansas City Assembly Plant, Missouri, have undergone an “intensive” training programme to support manufacture of the new pick-up truck.Comprising more than 400 hours of in-class and hands-on learning, ...
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VW starts Chattanooga expansion
US – The first phase began in January and will continue for the next two years, in preparation for the manufacture of a new mid-size SUV. The assembly, body and paint facilities will all be expanded, adding a total of 512,886 sq.ft.The bodyshop will add space on the north and ...
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Spiral-fluted PCD step drills
MAPAL claims its new range of spiral-fluted PCD step drills allow machining time reductions of up to 75% to be achieved by combining multiple machining operations in a one-shot solution. The company says these new drills are suitable for applications in automotive manufacturing and feature a unique chip transport system ...
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Laser scanning speeds prototype
The Nikon Metrology XC65Dx digital cross scanner features three laser lines projected at different angles to measure complex shapes with a minimal number of motorised probe head rotations. According to the company this setup improved the efficiency of evaluating prototype parts at vehicle locking systems producer Kiekert AG. Nikon says ...
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Automated handling of green & cured tyres
Beumer Group says its Tire Tray System offers high-speed, high-capacity transportation, sortation and storage of green tyres, from tyre building to the curing presses, combined with careful and accurate manipulation which, the company claims, is achieved without ever gripping the tyre. For cured tires, all quality inspection, warehousing and outbound ...
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Blue laser profile scanner for shiny surfaces
Micro-Epsilon UK has launched a range of 2D/3D laser profile sensors (laser line scanners) that operate using blue (violet) laser technology rather than red. The company says the special characteristics of the blue wavelength laser light make the scanners suitable for a wide range of high precision profile and dimensional ...
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Multi-tasking machining system
NSH Group says the N40MC has 5-axis, rigid, machining capability suitable for producing work pieces made of Inconel, titanium, hardened steel, tungsten, and other exotic materials in a continuous process. The machining system features incremental turning lengths up to 6,000mm with up to two separate machining modules. The company says ...
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Heavy-duty scanning probe
Hexagon Metrology has launched the HP-S-X5 HD scanning sensor, a heavy-duty analogue probe. The company says it is designed to give very high and repeatable accuracy even with heavier and longer probe extensions, accepting styli of lengths up to 800mm and weights to 650g. HP-S-X5 range sensors also feature true ...
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New high performance compounds for automotive gear wheels
Lehvoss North America claims it has developed new thermoplastic compounds that make it possible to produce gear wheels that are more resilient compared to acetal, nylon, and PBT even at elevated temperatures. LUVOCOM 1-8181 and 1-8520 compounds polyamide 66 fortified with carbon fibres and impact modifiers, have been developed for ...
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Webinar
WEBINAR: Smartphone simplicity
26 February | 7:00 PST | 15:00 GMT | 10:00 EST | 23:00 CSTThe application of smartphones and tablets as tools now offers great opportunities for the automotive industry.Since the 1970s, industrial robots have come with a handheld operating device called a teach-pendant; these units are now obsolete in the ...
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Casesa to lead Ford’s global strategy
US – An auto analyst and investment banker, John Casesa has been hired to help accelerate the One Ford plan, deliver product excellence and drive innovation across the business. As group vice-president, Global Strategy, he will report to Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO.The role will involve steering the vehicle-maker’s ...
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Parker to lead Infiniti in Americas
US – Succeeding Michael Bartsch, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests, Randy Parker will take the role of vice-president, Infiniti Americas, with immediate effect. He will be based at the Infiniti Americas headquarters in Franklin, Texas.Parker was most recently vice-president, Nissan West Region, Nissan North America, and ...
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High-quality laser marking
Specifically designed for basic marking applications, SCANLAB says its new basiCube 10 scan head is around 15% smaller than the SCANcube 10. The company says it offers users a very-high-speed scan system, with a 10mm aperture and laser-marking-optimised tuning. The new scan head is available with silicon mirrors for three ...
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Advanced wastegate technology
Cummins Turbo Technologies says it is working with a large OEM customer to field test its new Electric Wastegate turbocharger. This new technology has been engineered to provide fast response and precise control at all areas of the engine performance envelope, and helps to improve performance and reduce emissions, claims ...
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A new compact robot
Comau’s newest robot, Racer 999, is a six-axis articulated unit that inherits all the key features of the Racer 7-1.4 model. The company says this new robot is suited to applications including assembly, handling, machine tooling, packaging and more, and particularly where space is limitedWith a reach of 999mm ...
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Hybrid design for trunnion table
TrunnionTable.com claims its new Stallion Hybrid trunnions allow faceplates and chucks to be installed without removal of the trunnion table for faster part setups. Two models are available, the Stallion Hybrid 9/20 (9 in. x 20 in.) designed to hold a 6-in. vise and the 9/23 (9 in. x 23 ...
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Miniature family of photoelectric sensors
Rockwell Automation says its new Allen-Bradley Bulletin 42KD miniature family of photoelectric sensors offer high-performance and reliability, and are easy to install in confined spaces. The Bulletin 42KD sensor features a visible red LED light source. It is available in polarized retroreflective and fixed or adjustable background suppression-sensing modes. With ...