Latest News & Features – Page 174
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ArticleAston Martin opens new engineering facility
UK – The 15,800 sq.ft building at the new MIRA Technology Park in Nuneaton will, in the vehicle-maker’s words, add “vital” engineering capacity as it steps up its model development efforts.Ian Minards, product development director at Aston Martin, commented: “The cutting-edge facilities at MIRA, together with its reputation for quality ...
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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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ArticleNew destacker for rapid production speed
AP&T says its new DST-DH destacker can work twice as quickly compared to a conventional system and is intended for handling blanks for large vehicle parts (A-Class) such as doors, roofs and sides. The new DST-DH is equipped with double Gantry 200 feeders. The centring tables are equipped with brushes ...
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Honda plants earn EPA Energy star certification
~~USA - For the ninth consecutive year, two of Honda’s Ohio vehicle manufacturing plants (Marysville and East Liberty) have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Energy Star certification; while the company’s Greensburg facility (Indiana) achieved the designation for the third year in a row.The Greensburg plant has been focusing ...
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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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ArticleInterview: Dileep Naik, Tata Motors
The head of auto projects and production engineering discusses the manufacture of CVs, passenger cars and powertrains at the company's plant in Maharastra, plus its in-house production engineering capabilityAMS: Which vehicles are you currently producing at Pimpri?Dileep Naik (DN): Here we manufacture both commercial vehicles [CVs] and passenger vehicles. The ...
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ArticleBMW: Global growth
While the OEM remains strong on home territory, its production is expanding significantly outside EuropeIn this article:The US: SpartanburgSouth Africa: RosslynChina: ShenyangBrazil: AraquariMexico: San Luis PotosíRussia: KaliningradThailand: RayongIndia: ChennaiEgypt: CairoIndonesia: JakartaMalaysia: KulimBMW may be a German company, and its core production facilities remain in its home nation, but it is ...
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ArticlePeople power lies in training
Training methods must continue to evolve if workforce skills are to keep pace with technological changeAs developments in the automotive industry continue to move at a rapid pace, it is vital that manufacturers recognise the importance of highly skilled workers; ensuring that employees develop their skills can have a massive ...
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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 ...