All articles by aladmin – Page 48
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ArticleFord and DowAksa to advance carbon fibre production
US – The two companies are accelerating joint research to develop high-volume manufacturing techniques for automotive-grade carbon fibre, with the aim of reducing vehicle weight and boosting fuel efficiency and performance. They will join the government’s new Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation.The aim of the venture, and the mission ...
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ArticleJLR ups Solihull team for new model
UK – The Jaguar vehicle, which follows the XE into new production facilities at the West Midlands plant, will require an additional 1,300 personnel. The expansion at Solihull is part of JLR’s plan to develop its capabilities in aluminium and other lightweight technologies.The company has already invested £1.5 billion ($2.3 ...
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ArticleBayliss for Britain, says Infiniti
UK – As country manager, Carl Bayliss will be responsible for all business activities, including sales, marketing and network development. He will be based at the regional office in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.Bayliss was previously senior manager, network development and premium customer experience at Infiniti Global Headquarters in Hong Kong. Before joining ...
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ArticleBlanking press with ServoDirect technology
Schuler Beutler says its newly developed MSC-2000 automatic blanking press with ServoDirect Technology offers longer die service life, greater precision and use 50% less energy. The new machine features two electrically coupled, freely programmable pressure points without gear transmission. By linking the pressure points in the press uprights, the machine’s ...
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Article3D laser for automotive applications
Prima Power says its new Laser Next machine is a fast, compact and efficient 3D laser for high volume automotive production applications. The company claims that productivity on a typical benchmark component (B-pillar) has been raised by 25%. The footprint for the Laser Next is also smaller and the layout ...
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ArticleVW joins new composites institute
US – Led by the University of Tennessee, the 122-member Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) will seek to develop improved composite materials and technologies for rapid roll-out across the automotive, wind turbine and compressed gas storage industries. IACMI was given national institute status by the US Department of ...
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ArticleEU helps Luxus to commercialise sustainable polymers
UK – A £600,000 ($907,000) grant will enable the Lincolnshire-based technical compounder and recycler to commercialise its Hycolene range of lightweight polypropylene (PP) compounds with up to 60% recycled content. The resulting products will be aimed at the interior trim market of the European automotive industry, which must now comply ...
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ArticleBMW Shenyang makes 1 millionth vehicle
China – Produced at the newest plant at the OEM’s joint venture Shenyang site, Tiexi, the milestone unit was a long version of the 3-Series Sedan, a model which has been manufactured exclusively for the Chinese market since 2012. The total was reached 12 years after the start of operations.Harald ...
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ArticleControl system software
Rockwell Automation claims its Studio 5000 Logix Designer v24 software offers engineers new design capabilities that can increase automation productivity, improve start-up time and reduce costs throughout a project’s life cycle. The new additions include an application-centric view of code, enhanced work flows for more efficient re-use of content and ...
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ArticleRapid clamping systems
New products from Roemheld include flexible variants of rapid-clamping systems with push chain, a force sensor for improved monitoring in magnetic clamping technology, a tool change cart, oil-free electro-mechanical wedge clamps and a new app that was introduced this spring by Hilma workholding and tool changing technology. The company claims ...
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ArticleModular solutions for product identification
The Scanner Unit SCU-439 and Fail Separation Unit FMM-440 are designed for automated test lines, says JOT Automation, and can be used with any process equipment that needs product identification data, or if there is a need to mark/separate faulty products after the process. The company claims these units provide ...
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ArticleLightweight tooling for automation lines
DE-STA-CO says it has added more than 150 parts to its Accelerate collection of lightweight tooling. The collection was expanded with additional options to increase automated press room stamping line speed. New elements include: Crossbar and tri-axis transfer press components Clamp blocks, T-clamps and parallel clamp Sheet metal gripper ...
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ArticleHonda plants gain EPA Energy Star certification
US – For the ninth consecutive year, two of the OEM’s Ohio plants – Marysville and East Liberty – have been recognised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Meanwhile, in Indiana, Honda Greensburg achieved the designation for the third year in a row.Energy Star signifes that the plants are in ...
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ArticleNissan expands engine line-up at Resende
Brazil – The new engine will share the assembly line with the 1.6-litre unit which has been made at the Rio de Janeiro industrial complex since the start of operations in April 2014. The addition of the three-cylinder, 1.0-litre engine will require a 100m reais ($36m) investment.Delivering 76hp and 98Nm ...
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ArticleNilsson to direct Aston Martin in Asia-Pacific
Indonesia – Patrik Nilsson, who has previously worked for Porsche and Koenigsegg, moves to the company from McLaren Automotive, where he was operations manager for Europe. As regional director, he will be based at the new Aston Martin offices in Singapore after a familiarisation period in the UK.Nilsson has experience ...
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Hyundai to build fourth and fifth Chinese plants
China –The completion of the new factories in Cangzhou and Chongqing by 2018 will raise to 1.65m the total annual capacity of Beijing Hyundai Motor Company (BHMC), the 50:50 joint venture between Hyundai and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding. Construction work will begin next year.The fourth plant, in Cangzhou, is due ...
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ArticleFallboehmer moves to BMW Hams Hall
UK – The new director of the engine plant in north Warwickshire will oversee the launch of volume production for next generation engines later this year, as well as continued manufacture of current products such as the three-cylinder power units for the BMW i8.Markus Fallboehmer joins Hams Hall from BMW’s ...
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ArticleMMVO reaches 100,000 units
Mexico – Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation (MMVO) hit the total 11 months after production began. The 100,000th unit was a Mazda2 (Mazda Demio in Japan) for export to Europe.“We see this achievement as a milestone on our road towards achieving our mission of making MMVO one of the most ...
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Mazda production down at home, up abroad
Japan – Total domestic output dropped by 26.6% in November compared to the same period the year before, due to lower production of both passenger cars and commercial vehicles (CVs). Overseas output jumped by 40.7% year-on-year due to greater production of passenger vehicles.Domestic production comprised: 19,647 CX-5 units (down 24.2% ...
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ArticleFCA spends $266m on TorqueFlight at Kokomo
US – The investment will increase capacity for the eight-speed, fuel-efficient transmission, of which the plant made nearly 700,000 in the first 11 months of 2014 – up from 300,000 the year before.Capacity will be increased within the existing assembly floorspace at Kokomo Transmission Plant (KTP); the investment will go ...