All Press and stamping articles – Page 20
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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 ...
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ArticleSeeing is retreiving
As demand returns to many regions, OEMs require more visibility throughout the supply and manufacturing chainsTimely and accurate delivery of materials and components to production lines is at the heart of any efficient automotive manufacturing facility and is a particularly relevant subject as vehicle output increases in various new markets, ...
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ArticlePride in production
On a visit to Volvo’s Torslanda plant in Gothenberg, Sweden, AMS examines how the split from Ford has affected the carmaker, going on to look at the production processes put in place to handle the complicated model mixVolvo manufacturing ethosRecruitmentCost-cutting solutionsA lighter modelDelivering to the worldSwedish showcaseIn comparison to the ...
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ArticleRe-condition and re-use
As markets in traditional regions of automotive manufacturing contract, new plants being built in low-cost countries are looking to benefit from installing used equipmentConveyors - a feast of flexibilityRelocation, relocation, relocationPaintshop Nano-techCamping out down at NissanCOMAUKUKA RoboterSABBRobot tradingAIDAWhile a lot of smaller manufacturing equipment is too specific in terms of ...
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ArticleSavings by design
Tata Motors at Sanand is behind the Nano and its challenge of producing and marketing the car at the given price pointColour considerationsThe Tata Nano still holds the title of the world’s most inexpensive new car. But the question remains, how do they do it? How does Tata manage to ...
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ArticleBack from the brink
For a relatively small market, Canada punches way above its weight. The country’s annual vehicle sales may total only around one tenth of those of its southern neighbour, but the province of Ontario is home to many car and light truck plants, each of which has an enviable export programme.Detroit ...
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ArticleThe cost of downsizing
How the remediation of former manufacturing facilities belonging to GM, Ford and Chrysler is – and is not – being carried out, where the money comes from, and who is ultimately responsible for doing the workGM and Motors Liquid CorporationMichigan state of mindFord outlines site cleanup criteriaMore trouble for KenoshaThe ...
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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’ ...
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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 ...
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ArticleLeader of the pack
The Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX are the first vehicles to be based on the company’s new C-platform. AMS examines the vehicles’ new features and how these changes have influenced production at the plant in Valencia, SpainSliding doorsSteel and panel pressingDealing with diversityNVHTaking the leadHybrids and application equipmentThe first-generation Ford ...
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ArticleThin white Juke
The new Nissan Juke crossover has replaced the Micra in production at the company’s Sunderland, UK plant. Nick Holt tours the facility to find out more about the overall build processes, taking a closer look at individual changes made for the new model and how manufacturing plans for the Leaf ...
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ArticlePreparing for take-off
AvtoVAZTogliatti: Past, present and futureManufacturing operationsThe Kalina Robot GardenPaintshopEcological protectionPlastics manufacturingThe future: Outsourcing and productionGeneral MotorsHyundai and KiaRenault-Nissan AllianceFordPSA Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi MotorsSollers: Fiat, Chrysler and SsangYongToyotaVolkswagen GroupConclusionLike the Russian economy, the country’s car industry has been on a white-knuckle ride of late. The canceling of consumer lending eighteen ...
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ArticleProud to be ‘green’
FordFeed-in tariffsSolar power installationsHydroelectricLocal generationToyotaKaizen initiativesPaintshopReverse osmosisFord and Toyota have taken different routes to incorporating reduced-emissions production techniques in their respective manufacturing plantsIt’s well over a decade since the first hybrid cars appeared, a move that served to kick-start the idea of a more environmentally-responsible automotive industry in the public ...
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ArticleRenault-Nissan AIMS for automation
As foreign carmakers continue to build new plants in India, the changing balance of low labour cost and automation must be revisited, as evidenced at the new Renault-Nissan plant in ChennaiAMS talked to Marc Nassif and Akira Sakurai about the ‘automation development’ of the Chennai plant and how the carmakers ...
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ArticleGrowth is China's solution
Joint ventures back indigenous brandsDomestic dangersGeneral MotorsGuangzhou AutomobileBYDGeely AutomobileChery AutoGreat Wall MotorHow the key players in China’s automotive industry are planning to increase vehicle production, the role of the Chinese government in the expansion programmes, and the push to promote electric vehicles.Derided for years by critics in the West, China’s ...
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ArticlePremium paintshop principles
Turnkey solutions and specificationsAluminium – low weight – big headache?Sludge control technologiesWet-on-wet – the way forward?Powder clearcoat – good for BMW but not JLRSourcing chemicals – the multi-supplier approachPrimerless paintColour matching challengesMatt finishes – will they ever be volume painted?Dream budgetCombining the finishing of upper-segment saloons, coupes and sports cars ...
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ArticleManufacturing in a fluctuating market
Tofas numbersDedicated tooling productionRobots in the minorityLocal sales and export issuesWorking in TurkeyAMS travels to Turkey to talk with the plant directors of Tofas and Honda Turkiye to uncover what it takes to run a successful automotive production facility in this ever-changing marketIn March this year, the Turkish government introduced ...
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ArticleRamping up quality
Getting back to qualityEfficiency on the lineGood ideasPress shopBodyshopPaintFinal assemblyFinished vehicle quality on the Mercedes- Benz E-Class in StuttgartThe three points of the Mercedes ‘star’ logo celebrate Gottlieb Daimler’s original ambition of seeing his engines used on land, sea and in the air. For a short while at least, he ...
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ArticleEdging success
New solutionsGetting it doneMachine lifeDV Automation is both an equipment supplier and contract manufacturer serving various OEMsDVA is, together with Thompson Friction Welding, a subsidiary of Kuka AG. While the company also carries out contract manufacturing, for example delivering axles to Land Rover and piston cylinders to JCB, DVA’s core ...
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ArticlePressing the advantage
Pressing matters in ChinaPress hardeningThe press shop marks the beginning of the automotive production process. Here, as chassis parts are shaped from precisely cut metal blanks, while corresponding tool sets create body parts such as side frames, doors, bonnets and roofs from sheet metal of various thicknesses.Material details vary between ...