All articles by Nick Holt – Page 17
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ArticleAlabama: A sweet home for Honda
The OEM's Lincoln plant has upgraded its powertrain and stamping capabilities with greater automation Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) was selected to make the Acura MDX, which is the most technical product built at the plant. Classed as a light-truck facility, HMA builds three models: Odyssey, Pilot and MDX.The plant ...
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ArticleCan steel keep its edge?
The ArcelorMittal finishing plant at Calvert, Alabama, is claimed to be one of the most advanced in the world – supplying the automotive industry in North America with the latest high-strength steelsArcelorMittal's Calvert plant is relatively new, built in 2009 and originally owned by ThyssenKrupp. ArcelorMittal and joint venture partner ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Rising to the challenge
Working through the November-December issue of AMS brought home just how challenging it is to build cars in high volumes, cost-effectively. To anyone working in a car plant this won’t be a revelation; every day is a series of challenges that need to be addressed and overcome. The smallest details ...
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ArticleFabrics of the future
Multiaxial reinforcement manufacturer Formax is tailoring lightweight materials to automotive needs If you think of carbon fibre you more than likely envision the familiar woven sheet, but there is more to this high-tech, lightweight material – as a visit to multiaxial reinforcement manufacturer Formax reveals. Based in Leicestershire, UK, the ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Going global
I can’t claim authoritative knowledge of the economic theories of globalisation, but I would think automotive manufacturing is a good example of their practical application. Vehicle platforms, production processes and technologies that are transferable on a worldwide scale have long been a major driver in the development of new models ...
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ArticleTravel blog: In the Bombay mix
Travelling on the roads in India is a mixture of joy and terror. Firstly, the joy part: the roads here are filled (quite literally) with a wide variety of vehicle types, representing different decades and varying degrees of road-worthiness.From seemingly ancient trucks inching their way up the slightest incline, to ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Ranging far and wide
Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to be a curiosity. Not from the point of view of the vehicle-makers, who between them have invested considerable amounts in developing cars that capture the interest of their environmentally conscious customers; or not, as the case may be. Put simply, there is a lack of ...
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ArticleMecanizado: torneado de piezas de acero
La necesidad de mejoras en los procesos de mecanizado en los talleres de automoción han llevado a varios desarrollos en herramientas para el torneado de piezas de acero Se ha hablado mucho sobre técnicas de torneado en duro durante los últimos años, pero el torneado del acero no endurecido ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Taking a chance
Since the financial implosion in 2008 we have become used to reading about astronomical sums of money being spent and lost. So much so that I think we have become blasé about these figures. Millions of euros or dollars now seem like pocket change and it takes hundreds of millions ...
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Tactile feedback robots for assembly & machining applications
ABB Robotics has introduced Integrated Force Control, a consolidation of software features that were available separately in either the machining or assembly Force Control offerings into a single base module. The company says robots with Integrated Force Control react to their surroundings and deviate from their programmed path or speed ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Winds of change
Big changes are underway – highlighted by the formation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. I discussed collaborations and partnerships in my last note, and commented that there were still many questions surrounding this tie-up. Glenn Brooks’ article highlights the current level of platform/production line sharing but it’s safe to assume that ...
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Audi plans investment programme of over €20 billion
Germany – The company says its extensive investment programme (between 2014 – 2018), will be directed at new models, innovations and the expansion of its worldwide production network. German sites will benefit with more than half of the planned investment going to the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites. At the same ...
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ArticleEnhanced machining software
SolidCAM says it has made enhancements to the latest versions of its iMachining 3D, HSM and Simultaneous 5-Axis modules, which, it claims, are particularly beneficial for mold and insert machining.iMachining 3D automatically produces a complete, ready to run CNC program, with optimal cutting conditions to rough, rest rough and semi-finish ...
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ArticlePrecision power scope
Yokogawa says its PX8000 combines power-analyser and oscilloscope technologies. It has 12-bit resolution with 100MS/s sampling and 20MHz bandwidth. This means that the PX8000 can be used for accurate measurement of inverter pulse shapes. A choice of input modules covers voltage, current and sensor measurements at voltages up to ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Sucessful collaboration
The partnering of brands and big companies is nothing new in the automotive industry. In fact the proliferation of joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions makes it hard to keep track of exactly who owns what share of whom. It’s often the failed partnerships that stick in the memory but ...
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Article
Part perfect BAD FORMATTING
sold to a private firm was its RideDynamics and Brakes unit, whichbecame BWI Group. Julian Buckleyfinds out what BWI has to offercarmakers by way of new parttechnology, while also examining thecompany’s production set up.Under GM, Delphi was of the world’s largestautomotive part manufacturers. After beingmade a fully-independent company in 1999,the ...
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ArticleNew integrated marking solution
[sam_ad id=17 codes='true'] Pryor Marking Technology has introduced the latest edition of its Marktronic Integrator range. The new model, the i130-25, offers a greater marking area with a faster marking speed and can be integrated by a robotic arm which will allow marking to be incorporated into existing manufacturing and ...
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Boosting efficiency at Cummins
Virtual operationCustomer specificationsEnhanced test methodsComponent improvementHeavy-duty diesel automotive engines, “are not overly efficient,” states Mark Firth, executive director of product line management and marketing at Cummins Turbo Technologies. “They convert only about 45% of the energy created when burning the fuel and creating usable power, the rest is lost in ...
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ArticleIntellilube aims to reduce downtime
A single-point lubricant which can be dispensed by the activation of a key by the user, at a constant rate and in a pre-measured quantity, has been introduced by Dearborn Mid-West Company (DMW). According to its maker, the product avoids the costly repairs and downtime associated with manual over- and ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Getting serious about lightweighting
I’m happy to admit the subject of lightweighting fascinates me, which is a good job since it crops up in almost every item that covers the future of vehicle manufacturing. Being something of a factory ‘geek’ I’m really looking forward to some plant visits to see how this challenge is ...