PROCESSES & FABRICATING
New LIFT Machining Facility
Detroit’s Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) manufacturing institute and Michigan’s Heller Machine Tools revealed a plan to invest $1.5 million in a five-axis Heller FP 6000-based machining facility at LIFT’s Lightweight Innovation Acceleration Center in Detroit. The goal of the new facility is to develop new machining techniques for lightweight materials used in a variety […]
Recycling Plastic Parts
A recent report from the Plastics Industry Association has results from the first phase of the association’s End-of-Life (ELV) Recycling Demonstration Project. The project examines the viability of collecting and reprocessing plastic auto parts so that they can be recycled into other automotive applications. The project, which will continue into two more phases, looked at […]
Novelis Expands Aluminum Capabilities with Kentucky Investment
Novelis Inc., a major player in aluminum rolling and recycling, has announced plans to build an approximately $300 million automotive aluminum sheet manufacturing facility in Guthrie, Kentucky.
Shape Corp Acquiring Aluminum Extruder Magnode
Shape Corp. has come to terms on a purchase agreement to acquire Ohio-based aluminum extruder, Magnode. The deal comes after a successful business relationship between that two companies that included collaboration on engineering projects.
Predicting the Future of Lightweight Vehicle Composites
To accelerate the development of new, economical long carbon fiber composites, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) worked with a team of leading experts to develop a series of engineering tools.
Robots Frame New Car with Automotive Lightweighting
Working with Comau SpA, Alfa Romeo created an innovative manufacturing strategy and assembly line of the future.
New Extrusion Method Could Expand Magnesium in Lightweighting Vehicles
The new process developed at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has the potential to reduce cost by eliminating the need for rare-earth elements, while simultaneously improving the material’s structural properties.
Sabic Introduces New Resins for LED Automotive Lighting
LEXAN™ HF4010SR resin is one of the new offerings. The polycarbonate (PC) material can make it possible for customers to develop complex headlight bezels with enhanced aesthetics.
Applications Focus: Vacuum Impregnation Enables Lightweight Material Use
OEMs are redesigning parts and bringing vacuum impregnation systems in-house to meet the demand for aluminum in large part because the process eliminates the porosity inherent in aluminum castings.
BMW: Arriving Prepared
BMW pushes flexibility and advanced material composites as the automaker redesigns its future.
In addition to designing new assembly systems, the OEM is developing “future proof” platforms that can accept electric powertrains, combustion engines and hybrids.
