All Composites articles – Page 9
-
ArticleNew stamping ground with the latest technologies
Revolutionising toolmakingStamping is a process where every second counts. A time lag of 0.1 second may sound tiny, but multiplied over thousands of parts a week, over many years, the cost can be considerable. The range of solutions in this technology area has evolved tremendously and today comprises everything from ...
-
ArticleThe speed of light has brought carbon a long way
Slashing cycle timesAutomatic for the peopleBeyond supercarsCarbon fibre has come a long way in the 30 years since it was first used for a car’s chassis, but cost and production time have restricted more widesepread production. However, both of those issues are being overcome.When John Barnard and Ron Dennis of ...
-
ArticlePlastic in flux as usage stalls
Reduced demand?Innovation in seatingRecyclingNew technologies and processesHow to handle a polymerUnderhood, mechanical and bodyworke-vehicles: challenge and opportunityThe advance of engineering plastics such as PA6 and PA66 polyamides, the improvement in touch and feel, and the development of engineering materials with high heat tolerance, rigidity, impact strength and corrosion resistance, has ...
-
ArticleInstigate, innovate, automate
ABB group vice-president Michael Larsson discusses the technologies currently being delivered to OEMs in order to improve quality, efficiency and product throughput.In his role as group vice-president for ABB, Larsson presides over a number different areas, powertrain automation, body-in-white and paint process automation – commonly referred to as robot systems ...
-
ArticleGetting it together
Ruari McCallion reports that new technologies and techniques in vehicle production are being blended with established methods in the modern assembly line, but new vehicle platforms may require a change in the balanceReduced plastic usage - for nowMixing in adhesivesThe right specificationThe old reliables still do the jobCold comfortDeveloping effective ...
-
ArticleAluminium gets tough
Research into steel substitutionRecycling aluminium for automotive usageStadco predicts increased aluminium usageTesting to continueAMC takes shapeBreakthrough weight savingsThe advantages to be gained from using aluminium to build cars – whether as body panels, chassis solutions or powertrains – are now widely recognised. The material is significantly lighter than sheet steel, ...
-
ArticleHard pressed benefits
Speed is keyWorking with exoticsFlexibility in production and processPress shop productivity is typically controlled by upstream design decisions, from both a product and process perspective. Therefore, close co-operation between car stylists, bodyin-white engineers and press shop engineers is critical. Here, a number of measures dictate success. Designers must minimize the ...
-
ArticleOn the cutting edge at EMO
Bosch RexrothMAG-IASKabelschleppAfter an absence of four years, the EMO exhibition returns to Hanover, Germany, this coming September. The 2007 event attracted more than 166,000 visitors from over 60 countries and 2,120 exhibitors; even the Milan event, at the depth of the recent European recession, attracted 1,204 exhibitors and approximately 124,000 ...
-
ArticleMeasuring success at BMW, Opel and beyond
While BMW and GM have chosen a single optical metrology solution for many of their European plants, other OEMs have stayed with CMMs due to the relative advantages of contact over non-contact systemsDemanding designControlling complex shapesTransparency from all anglesRepeatable and reliableKeeping in contactBody-in-white (BIW) measurement has gone through significant changes ...
-
ArticleHybrid theory from motor sport
Carbon fibre flywheel technology developed by the Williams F1 team could benefit hybrid powertrains, and BMW’s racing expertise is filtering down to the company’s assembly linesWilliams tries new techStalled battery developmentBMWDry textilesMotor sport, and particularly Formula One, is known for its rapid development of existing technologies, or the formation of ...
-
ArticleLight steel in motion
As crash legislation tightens and the drive for lower-mass body structures continues to grow, so steel producers are rising to the challenge Coating for successTailored solutions for better crashabilitySpringback and part geometryUsibor highlightsThe business aspectMarket mattersArcelorMittal’s S-in motion project was first rolled out to customers in November 2010, an ‘intensive’ ...
-
ArticleRapid prototyping in the fast lane
Pushing the envelopeMaterial worldPast mattersFor the purposes of engineering-based manufacture, rapid prototyping (RP) is essentially the automatic construction of physical objects using additive manufacturing technology. Put plain and simple, additive manufacturing is now viewed as the first major challenger to the three traditional ways of making things that have been ...
-
ArticleNew mould forming technique from GKF
Georg Kaufmann Formenbau has debuted its new moulding technology, GK LIPfi bre (Georg Kaufmann Lightweight Integrated Process fi bre). This moulding system, which combines thermoforming and injection mould processes, produces lightweight structural components from glassfi bre reinforced thermoplastic composites. These high-strength parts are 25% lighter than comparable metal components.The dynamic ...
-
ArticleStill the poor relation
Adhesive advantagesDevelopments at Jaguar Land RoverBeyond sealing and reinforcingTogether forever?Sticky choicesCrashability credibilitySeventhEighthThe non-welded, all-bonded car has been mooted for years. So why have adhesives not advanced to fulfil primary joining needs?The use of adhesives in the automotive industry has increased significantly in recent years. Still, the product and procedure is ...
-
ArticleStrength without sparks
Mark White, Chief Technical Specialist, Body Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover Cars, talks about why riveting is the OEM's first-choice joining methodThe body construction history of both Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles makes for a fascinating backdrop to the current trend towards the lightweight BIW. At Jaguar, with its origins ...
-
ArticleWaste not, want not
Meeting internal targetsRecycling tire componentsA cost-neutral initiativePeople powerAcademic analysisHow GM and Michelin are achieving the goal of zero waste-to-landfill, what is required to set up the internal processes, and whether there is any money to be made from programmes such as theseAt the Flint South plant of General Motors in ...
-
ArticleChoosing the perfect plot
Country experience makes the differenceAttracting new interestNew manufacturing modelsVehicle manufacturers must consider a wide variety of factors when choosing new sites. MAN and Ford reveal the criteria each company considered before starting construction, with a wholly-new production modelBy the middle of this year, truck and bus manufacturer MAN will likely ...
-
ArticleInside track
Motorsport technology reduces vehicle weightEVs: Back to the futureConsultant roleWorking with carmakersThe motorsport industry believes that materials and powertrains developed on the track lead to better, more advanced production cars. AMS visits one of the world’s most famous motorsport technology companies to see if such claims are trueProdrive, perhaps most ...
-
ArticleGreen materials from start to finish
Lightweighting by JSPEnvironmental swings and roundaboutsMaterial reuse at FordRecycling carbon fibreThe bigger pictureFlexible polymerThe quest for higher quality at the same price point or retained quality at a lower cost has driven the automotive industry forward for a century. Yet in recent times, the game has dramatically changed. Through a ...
-
ArticleSustainability on show
ArcelorMittal Automotive EuropePepperl+FuchsDassault SystèmesEuchnerPilz AutomationThe 2010 Hanover Fair, themed with the headline ‘Efficiency - Innovation - Sustainability’, runs from 19-23 April, 2010, and, as in previous years, will be showcasing innovations, new developments, technologies and materials from many manufacturing areas. The three main display categories are Factory Automation, Process Automation ...