Aleris officially opened its aluminum automotive body sheet production facility in Lewisport, Kentucky. The $400 million project positions the company to meet significant growth in North American automotive demand as the industry pursues broader aluminum use for the production of lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The facility has the capacity to produce 480 million lbs of aluminum auto body sheet […]
Sonaca Montreal started up operation of a new high speed, technologically-advanced 5-axis gantry mill at its fully integrated manufacturing operation in Mirabel, Quebec. The 240,000 sq ft facility provides machining, forming, surface treatment and assembly capabilities for the production of large aluminum aerostuctures up to 60 ft (18 m) in length. Its core products include wing and empennage skins, stringers, spars, […]
BECKER CAD-CAM-CAST, a tier one supplier of engineered aluminum automotive components, ordered a Mk1 liquid 3D printer from Vader Systems. This is the first order for the printer, which uses MagnetoJet technology to 3D print components from molten aluminum. “VADER’S printing technology is a game changer for cost-effective, low-volume production of aluminum components,” said Michael Becker, CEO of […]
China Railway Corporation debuted its “Fuxing Hao” (Renaissance), a new electric multiple unit (EMU) bullet train, on its Beijing to Shanghai route, running at 350 km/h (as of September 23, 2017). The Renaissance EMU is the first bullet train designed and manufactured entirely in China. The use of lightweight aluminum components was key in providing the enhanced speed, safety, […]
For a number of years, the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) has conducted the annual Key Indicator Survey, which provided information on the press performance (pounds per press hour, scrap percentage, etc.) of participating AEC members. In early 2017, the AEC initiated a new survey program, the Press Productivity Survey, which replaces the prior version and […]
The Aluminum Association released the 2017 version of Aluminum in Green Buildings – A Guide to Environmental Declarations. The updated guidelines detail how life cycle assessments (LCAs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) are awarded for green building credits in major rating systems, and what architects and designers can do to meet the requirements. The guidelines, […]
ALLIANCE has launched the Open Innovation Lightweight Challenge. The challenge aims to reduce carbon emissions by finding innovative and affordable solutions for lightweighting cars. Innovators will be able participate in this competition by presenting lightweighting solutions in two categories: Materials and Manufacturing. Participants will have unique access to high level technical support throughout the competition […]
Nevada Clean Magnesium, Inc. achieved preliminary production of magnesium metal from its bench-scale pilot furnace located in Northern British Columbia, Canada. The magnesium metal is a result from a partial test charge the company is conducting in order to identify any operational deficiencies prior to a full charge of dolime material. The charge contains dolomite […]
