All Press and stamping articles – Page 20
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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 ...
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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 ...
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ArticleKabelschlepp introduces new modular conveyor
Smooth transport of parts between processes can be decisive in determining fi nal part quality in production of stamped parts. To assist in this, Kabelschlepp has introduced a new parts conveyor for use with stamping machines, while also adding a modular version of its hinged belt conveyor. The new conveyor ...
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ArticleVariations on a colour theme
Limitless possibilitiesPSA’s Pierre Budar explains how production of the new Citroën DS3 hatchback has been organised to allow for the car’s twotone paint finish.The DS3 is the first model in Citroën’s new line which will ultimately feature three distinctively styled cars; DS3, DS4 and DS5. Key to their appeal is ...
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ArticleAlliance develops common process
Michel Gornet, Executive Vice-President, Manufacturing and Logistics, talks about the Renault-Nissan Alliance´s new plant in Chennai, India and reviews the company’s global manufacturing activities.AMS: Why did you decide to build a factory in India? What are the advantages?MG: India represents an important market for Nissan. India will be Nissan’s global ...
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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 ...