Editor’s Note: According to various analytical studies of the global market for aluminum sheet and strip (<1 mm, 1-6 mm, and >6 mm), there is good news for this year and the coming decade. Global demand for aluminum sheet products by the B&C, transportation, packaging, and consumer products segments is already set to achieve a new high in 2024 and is estimated to expand at a CAGR of more than 6% through 2032–2034. The regional market trend will remain as it stands presently, with the Asia-Pacific region as the largest market for aluminum sheet and strip, followed by North America and Europe.1-6
The popularity of aluminum sheets and strips is obviously due to their superior physical and mechanical properties imparted by aluminum in its pure or alloyed form. These properties include the metal’s high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, thermal and electrical conductivity, and aesthetics in bare or coated form—in addition to it being eminently recyclable.
This review of patents, granted within the past two years or so, focuses on both the processing and applications of aluminum sheet and strip in the variety of markets served. In each market segment, aluminum sheet and strip are in competition with other materials, thus requiring inventive means of achieving property tradeoffs, product performance, and cost reductions at the mill. Various stages of mill processing, from alloy composition to hot and cold rolling practices, heat treatment, forming, and final product configuration are covered in these patents. These developments are aimed at meeting the customer and user requirements for aluminum products serving any given market segment. The global perspective is apparent in the range of patents granted to foreign companies.
As is LMA’s practice for this column, abstracts of these recently granted patents are presented in descending order of date of issue. U.S. patents are available on-line at www.uspto.gov/patents/search.
References
- “Aluminum Sheet Market Outlook (2024 to 2034),” FactMR, www.factmr.com/report/1441/aluminum-sheet-market.
- “Aluminum Sheet Metal Market Report 2024 (Global Edition),” Cognitive Market Research, www.cognitivemarketresearch.com/aluminum-sheet-metal-market-report.
- “Aluminum Sheets Market Report Research Report 2024 and Industry Analysis,” FutureFocus Analytics PS, July 11, 2024, www.linkedin.com/pulse/aluminum-sheets-market-report-research-2024-industry-47n8c.
- “2024 U.S. Industry Statistics & Market Forecast – Aluminum Sheet, Plate, and Foil Manufacturing,” Anything Research, October 2024, www.anythingresearch.com/industry/Aluminum-Sheet-Plate-Foil-Manufacturing.htm.
- “Aluminum Sheet & Strip Market Size, Share: Industry Statistics,” NewsNet, August 8, 2024, www.newsnetmedia.com/story/51167607/aluminum-sheet-strip-market-size-share-industry-statistics-124-pages.
- “Aluminum Sheet and Plate – Global Market Share and Ranking, Overall Sales and Demand Forecast 2024-2030,” Valuates Reports, September 2024, reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-15Y7973/global-aluminum-sheet-and-plate.
— Joseph C. Benedyk, Editor
US12089342 — INSULATED CIRCUIT BOARD — Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (Japan) — High temperature semiconductor devices have been provided in which the semiconductor elements are formed of SiC or the like and operate in severe environments subjected to harsh thermal cycles. There is a demand to suppress cracking of the ceramic substrate and deformation of the circuit layer. Thus, in an insulating circuit substrate, heat dissipating aluminum sheets formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy are laminated and bonded to a surface of a ceramic substrate and, in the aluminum sheets, Cu is solid-solubilized at a bonding interface with the ceramic substrate and a ratio B/A between a Cu concentration A mass % at the bonding interface and a Cu concentration B mass % at a position of 100 μm in a thickness direction from the bonding interface to the aluminum sheets side is 0.30 or more and 0.85 or less.
US12077329 — CARTRIDGE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A CARTRIDGE SYSTEM — Freezio AG (Switzerland) — A method for producing a cartridge system for producing a beverage, where the cartridge system is insertable into a beverage preparation machine and has a cartridge with a reservoir filled with a beverage substance and a cartridge receptacle connected to the cartridge. The cartridge receptacle has a mixing chamber and a fluid feed opening into the mixing chamber. An aluminum sheet is provided in a first step. A main body is generated at least partially from the aluminum sheet by punching and either deep-drawing or impact extrusion in a second step. A sealing element is attached to the main body in a third step. The main body is connected to the cartridge receptacle in a fourth step. The cartridge system according to the invention has the advantage that the cartridge is not made of plastic but of aluminum. The cartridge is therefore much more stable and can withstand a higher internal pressure.
US12054810 — AL—MG—SI-BASED ALUMINUM ALLOY SHEET EXCELLENT IN FORMABILITY — Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Japan) — To provide an Al—Mg—Si-based aluminum alloy sheet for automotive body panels excellent in formability with excellent breaking elongation and work hardenability. An Al—Mg—Si-based aluminum alloy sheet excellent in formability contains Mg: 0.3 mass % or more and 0.45 mass % or less and Si: 0.6 mass % or more and 1.75 mass % or less with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities, in which, when content of the Mg is expressed [Mg] in terms of mass % and content of the Si is expressed [Si] in terms of mass %, [Si]/[Mg] is more than 2.5, a height of a first exothermic peak appearing in a temperature range of 210°C or above and below 260°C in a differential scanning thermal analysis curve is 20 μW/mg or more, and a height of a second exothermic peak appearing in a temperature range of 260°C or above and 370°C or below in a differential scanning thermal analysis curve is 18 μW/mg or more.
US12053810 — METHODS OF SHEET METAL PRODUCTION AND SHEET METAL PRODUCTS PRODUCED THEREBY — Purdue Research Foundation (USA) — Processes for producing sheet metal products by machining a solid metal body with a cutting tool in a single step to continuously produce a continuous bulk form from material obtained from the solid metal body, and without performing a hot rolling operation thereon, cold rolling the continuous bulk form to produce a sheet metal product. The machining step is a large-strain machining process capable of being directly performed on an as-cast ingot or other solid body to produce a continuous intermediate product that can be directly cold rolled without any intervening hot rolling operation, and optionally without homogenization or annealing. Experimental examples are given for production of 6013 aluminum alloy sheet.
US12013149 — THERMALLY ANISOTROPIC COMPOSITES FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT IN BUILDING ENVIRONMENTS — UT-Battelle, LLC (USA) — An improved system for thermal management is provided. The system includes thermally anisotropic composites coupled with a thermal loop to re-direct, reduce, and shape heat flows through a building envelope, having the potential to (1) significantly reduce envelope-generated heating and cooling loads and (2) provide grid services such as decreasing peak loads and shaping energy use. In one embodiment, the thermal management system includes an anisotropic composite that consists of alternating layers of thermal insulation and thermally conductive materials that are immediately adjacent to each other, including polyisocyanurate foam boards and aluminum sheets. The thermal management system also includes a thermal loop along the long edge or the entire the perimeter of the anisotropic composite, the thermal loop having dynamically controlled or floating temperature that is maintained at lower than an outdoor ambient temperature (for cooling). An interior wall structure is inwardly adjacent to the anisotropic composite.
US12000026 — ALUMINUM ALLOY SHEET FOR AUTOMOTIVE STRUCTURAL MEMBER, AUTOMOTIVE STRUCTURAL MEMBER, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING ALUMINUM ALLOY SHEET FOR AUTOMOTIVE STRUCTURAL MEMBER — Kobe Steel, Ltd. (Japan) — Provided are an aluminum alloy sheet for automotive structural member which is excellent and well-balanced in strength, formability, and crushability, an automotive structural member, and a method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy sheet for automotive structural member. An aluminum alloy sheet for automotive structural member is an Al—Mg—Si-based aluminum alloy sheet containing, in mass %, Mg: 0.4% or more and 1.0% or less, Si: 0.6% or more and 1.2% or less, and Cu: 0.6% or more and 1.3% or less with the remainder being Al and inevitable impurities and having an earing ratio of -13.0% or less.
US11939655 — ALUMINUM ALLOY BLANKS WITH LOCAL FLASH ANNEALING — Constellium Neuf-Brisach (France) — The invention concerns a method for improving aluminum alloy blank tensile yield stress and formability comprising the successive steps of: providing a 6xxx series aluminum alloy slab; optionally homogenizing the slab; hot rolling and optionally cold rolling the slab to obtain a sheet; solution heat treating and quenching the sheet; cold rolling the sheet with at least 20% cold work reduction; cutting the sheet into blanks; flash annealing a portion of the flange of the blanks at a temperature between 360°C and 480°C for a time sufficient to obtain recrystallization of the portion of the flange and cool to a temperature of less than 100°C. The improved blanks and the stamped product and painted stamped products obtained by the method of the invention are particularly useful for automotive applications because of their high strength.
US11851736 — HARDENABLE ALUMINUM ALLOY — AMAG Rolling GmbH (Austria) — The stated object of the invention is to provide an aluminum alloy, which nor only has a high plastic deformability during forming, but also has a high hot thermal aging reaction, in particular a paint bake response or PBR. A precipitation hardenable aluminum alloy, an aluminum sheet or strip made of such an aluminum alloy, a molded part, and a method for producing such a molded part have been disclosed. In order to enable achievement of the required yield strengths, a precipitation hardenable aluminum alloy is proposed, containing zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), tin (Sn) and/or indium (In) and/or cadmium (Cd), and optionally copper (Cu), from silver (Ag), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), titanium (Ti), and residual aluminum as well as inevitable production-related impurities, wherein the content of magnesium (Mg) and silicon (Si) fulfills the order relation 0.4/wt.% Si-0.15<wt.% Mg<0.7wt.%/Si-0.2.
US11851578 — METHOD FOR PREPARING TRANSPARENT FLUORINE-FREE, SUPER-LUBRICATING AND OIL-PROOF COATING — Fuzhou University (China) — The present disclosure belongs to the field of novel polymer functional materials and polymer coatings, and specifically relates to a method for preparing a transparent fluorine-free, super-lubricating and oil-proof coating. A method for preparing a transparent fluorine-free, super-lubricating and oil-proof coating: dissolving a sulfhydryl compound, a styrene copolymer, a low surface energy component, and a photo-initiator in an organic solvent, conducting a uniform stirring to obtain a mixture, coating the mixture onto a substrate, and conducting a curing under an ultraviolet lamp to obtain the transparent fluorine-free, super-lubricating and oil-proof coating. The coating has excellent adhesion resistance to various organic solvents with low surface tension and even liquids with high viscosity and has excellent chemical stability and mechanical durability. The coating can be applied to various substrates such as glass, an aluminum sheet, a steel sheet, and a polymer without limitations of a use environment, maintains excellent adhesion resistance in the environment of air, oil, and water, and has wide applicability. Moreover, according to the method, various ways such as spraying, dip-coating and spin-coating can be used.
US11827402 — FILLING ALUMINUM CANS ASEPTICALLY — ColdSnap, Corp. (USA) — This specification describes systems and methods for aseptically filling aluminum cans. These systems and methods can be used to fill thin wall aluminum cans with, for example, low acidity foods or beverages. Methods of manufacturing shelf stable pods containing food or drink to be rapidly cooled, include inserting a mixing paddle into an aluminum can through an open end of a body of the can and sterilizing the can and mixing paddle at temperatures below a stress relief temperature of the can in a first aseptic chamber. The method also includes filling the can with a sterilized food or drink in the aseptic chamber, sealing a sterilized base of the can to the open end of the body of the can with a food-safe adhesive to create a hermetic seal, removing the can from the first aseptic chamber while maintaining the hermetic seal outside the first aseptic chamber, and mechanically seaming the base to the can.
US11814713 — RAPIDLY AGED, HIGH STRENGTH, HEAT TREATABLE ALUMINUM ALLOY PRODUCTS AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME — Novelis Inc. (USA) — Described herein are methods of processing heat treatable aluminum alloys using an accelerated aging step, along with aluminum alloy products prepared according to the methods. The methods of processing the heat treatable alloys described herein provide a more efficient method for producing aluminum alloy products having the desired strength and formability properties. For example, conventional methods of processing alloys can require 24 hours of aging. The methods described herein, however, substantially reduce the aging time, often requiring eight hours or less of aging time. Suitable rolled aluminum alloy products for use in the methods described herein include heat treatable aluminum alloy products, for example, 2xxx series aluminum alloy products, 6xxx series aluminum alloy products, and/or 7xxx series aluminum alloy products.
US11814701 — HIGH-PERFORMANCE 5000-SERIES ALUMINUM ALLOYS — NanoAL LLC (USA) — This application relates to a family of 5000-series aluminum alloys with high strength, good ductility, high creep resistance, high thermal stability and durability. The embodiments described herein relate to heat-treatable aluminum-magnesium-based (5000-series) alloys, containing an Al3 Zr nanoscale precipitate, wherein the nanoscale precipitate has an average diameter of about 20 nm or less and has an L12 structure in an α-Al face centered cubic matrix, wherein the average number density of the nanoscale precipitate is about 2021m-3 or more. They exhibit high strength, good ductility, high creep resistance, high thermal stability and durability, while being essentially free of costly scandium (i.e., no scandium is added intentionally). Disclosed alloys are especially advantageous for, but not limited to, improving performance of beverage can lids and tabs. Additionally, the disclosed alloys are, for example, advantageous for improving performance of roofing and siding materials, chemical and food equipment, storage tanks, home appliances, sheet-metal work, marine parts, transportation parts, heavy duty cooking utensils, hydraulic tubes, fuel tanks, pressure vessels, heavy-duty truck and trailer bodies and assemblies, drilling rigs, missile components, and railroad cars.
US11814015 — TRUCK SERVICE BODY — The Shyft Group, Inc. (USA) — A truck service body that may be manufactured more quickly and has improved water sealing with an enclosure assembly that has a plurality of storage compartments with doors each movable between an open position that provides access to respective storage compartments and a closed position that prevents access to that storage compartment. The enclosure assembly includes an enclosure body comprising a left wall, a front wall, and a right wall formed from a single sheet of aluminum. The enclosure assembly includes at least one hidden hinge coupled with at least a portion of the doors to pivot the door between the open/closed positions. There are door flanges surrounding the openings of the storage compartments that, in some embodiments, include: (i) a longitudinally extending channel dimensioned to receive a mounting portion of the at least one hidden hinge; and (ii) a rim configured to receive a seal.
US11807942 — CONTINUOUS COIL PRETREATMENT PROCESS — Novelis Inc. (USA) — Described herein is a continuous coil pretreatment process used to treat the surface of an aluminum alloy sheet or coil for subsequent deposition of an acidic organophosphorus compound. The process can include applying a cleaner to a surface of an aluminum sheet or a coil; etching the surface of the aluminum sheet or the coil with an acidic solution; rinsing the surface of the aluminum sheet or the coil with deionized water; applying to the surface of the aluminum sheet or the coil a solution of an acidic organophosphorus compound; rinsing the surface of the aluminum sheet or the coil with deionized water; and drying the surface of the aluminum sheet or the coil. Aluminum sheets or coils treated with the methods as described herein have a particularly robust and durable surface when exposed, for example, to an accelerated adhesive stress durability test in a corrosive environment. In addition, the methods as described herein provide for a robust and repeatable production process that can be demonstrated by the pretreatment coat weight and stability of the coat weight on the aluminum sheets or coils.
US11788178 — METHODS OF MAKING HIGHLY-FORMABLE ALUMINUM ALLOYS AND ALUMINUM ALLOY PRODUCTS THEREOF — Novelis Inc. (USA) — Provided herein are highly-formable aluminum alloys and methods of making such alloys. The highly-formable aluminum alloys comprise about 0.5 to 2.0 wt. % Si, 0.1 to 0.4 wt. % Fe, up to 0.4 wt. % Cu, up to 0.5 wt. % Mg, 0.02 to 0.1 wt. % Mn, up to 0.02 wt. % Cr, up to 0.15 wt. % Ti, up to 0.1 wt. % Zn, up to 0.15 wt. % impurities, and Al, wherein the aluminum alloy microstructure comprises a volume fraction of beta fibers of at least about 6%. The method of preparing aluminum alloys described herein can include a low final cold reduction step and/or an optional inter-annealing step to produce randomly distributed crystallographic texture components that produce an isotropic aluminum alloy product exhibiting improved formability and deep drawability. The methods described herein result in aluminum alloy microstructures having a balance of alpha fibers and beta fibers that promote improved formability of aluminum alloy sheets. The resulting improvements in quality allow for shaping processes with reduced rates of spoilage.
US11785678 — ROTATING MAGNET HEAT INDUCTION — Novelis Inc. (USA) — A rotating magnet heater for metal products, such as aluminum strip, can include permanent magnet rotors arranged above and below a moving metal strip to induce moving or time varying magnetic fields through the metal strip. The changing magnetic fields can create currents (e.g., eddy currents) within the metal strip, thus heating the metal strip. A magnetic rotor set can include a pair of matched magnetic rotors on opposite sides of a metal strip that rotate at the same speed. Each magnetic rotor of a set can be positioned equidistance from the metal strip to avoid pulling the metal strip away from the pass-line. A downstream magnetic rotor set can be used close to an upstream magnetic rotor set to offset tension induced by the upstream magnetic rotor set.
US11780034 — BRAZING SHEET AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF — UACJ Corporation and Denso Corporation (Japan) — A brazing sheet (1) includes a core material (11) composed of an Al alloy that contains 0.20-3.0 mass % of Mg; and a filler material (12) layered on the core material and composed of an Al alloy that contains Mg, 6.0-13.0 mass % of Si, and more than 0.050 mass % and 1.0 mass % or less of Bi. The Mg concentration of the filler material becomes continuously lower in a direction from a boundary (122) with the core material to an outermost surface (121). The Mg concentration of the filler material is 0.150 mass % or less at a first depth from the outermost surface that is ⅛ of a thickness (tf) of the filler material and is 5-90% of the amount of Mg in the core material at a second depth from the outermost surface that is ⅞ of the thickness of the filler material.
US11772205 — ALUMINUM-ALLOY BRAZING SHEET AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF — UACJ Corporation (Japan) — A brazing sheet (1) includes a core material (11) composed of an Al alloy containing 0.40-2.50 mass % Mg; and a filler material (12) composed of an Al alloy containing Mg, 6.0-13.0 mass % Si, and 0.010-0.050 mass % Bi. The filler material is layered on a side of the core material and is exposed at an outermost surface (121). The Mg concentration in the filler material continuously decreases in a direction from a boundary (122) with the core material toward the outermost surface. The Mg concentration (c1/8) is 0.080 mass % or less at a depth (position P1/8) from the outermost surface that is ⅛ of the thickness tf of the filler material (12). The Mg concentration (c7/8) is 15-45% of the amount of Mg in the core material at a depth (position P7/8) from the outermost surface that is ⅞ of the thickness tf of the filler material.
US11739406 — ALUMINUM SHEET MATERIAL FOR SEPARATOR OF FUEL CELL AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR — Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation (Korea) — The present disclosure provides an aluminum sheet material for a separator of a fuel cell, which is obtained with modified alloy ingredients and manufacturing conditions and has excellent yield strength and elongation while retaining a thickness of 0.5 mm or less and a manufacturing method therefor. According to an embodiment, the aluminum sheet material for a separator of a fuel cell is used for forming a separator applied to a fuel cell stack and comprises 9-10 wt % of Mg; and the balance of Al and inevitable impurities, wherein the aluminum sheet material has cube texture and an R-cube texture formed therein. An aluminum sheet material for a separator in a fuel cell retains a thickness of 0.5 mm or less and exhibits excellent yield strength and elongation.
US11710827 — METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF AN ELECTRODE COMPRISING AN ALUMINUM SUBSTRATE, ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBES AND AN ELECTROCONDUCTIVE ORGANIC POLYMER, THE ELECTRODE AND USES THEREOF — CY Cergy Paris Université, Universitéde Tours, Nawatechnologies, and Commissariat Àl’énergie Atomique Et Aux Énergies Alternatives (France) — The present invention belongs to the field of devices for storing and restoring electrical energy and more specifically to the field of electrodes notably useful for supercapacitors. A method for the preparation of an electrode comprising a substrate made of an aluminum based material, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and an electrically conductive polymer matrix, the method comprising the following successive steps: (a) synthesizing, on a substrate made of an aluminum based material, a carpet of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes according to the technique of CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) at a temperature less than or equal to 650°C; (b) electrochemically depositing the polymer matrix on the carbon nanotubes from an electrolyte solution including at least one precursor monomer of the matrix, at least one ionic liquid and at least one protic or aprotic solvent. Further disclosed is the prepared electrode and a device for storing and returning electricity such as a supercapacitor comprising the electrode.
US11701737 — FRICTION-STIR-WELDED SHEET-AND-POST SIDEWALL — Qingdao CIMC Reefer Trailer Co., Ltd. and CIMC Vehicles (Group) Co., Ltd. (China) — The disclosed wall includes several narrow aluminum sheets and posts that are Friction Stir Welded (FSW) into a cargo container sidewall. The length of the wall is the summation of the narrow sheets’ width, and the walls width is the narrow sheets’ length. Several aluminum posts are spaced along the wall’s length direction to improve the stiffness and strength of the wall. When welding the aluminum sheets and posts together, the sheets are placed under the posts and jointed tightly together through FSW. With the high-speed spinning of the stirring pin, the post and sheet melt and form into a compact solid phase weld seam under the extrusion of the welding head. When welding two aluminum sheets and one post together, the two sheets are placed edge-to-edge or slightly overlapped. The post is then placed over the sheet joint and the stir-welding head melts portions of the post and the two sheets simultaneously. The present invention is especially adapted for the use in the construction of side wall outer panels, side wall inner linings, roof outer panels, roof inner linings, nose outer panels, and nose inner linings (collectively “walls”) connected with aluminum alloy sheets and posts.
US11649536 — METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A STRUCTURE COMPONENT FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE BODY — Constellium Neuf-Brisach (France) — The invention relates to a method for producing a stamped component of motor vehicle bodywork or body structure from aluminum alloy comprising the steps of producing a metal sheet or strip of thickness between 1.0 and 3.5 mm in an alloy of composition (% by weight): Si: 0.60-0.85; Fe: 0.05-0.25; Cu: 0.05-0.30; Mn: 0.05-0.30; Mg: 0.50-1.00; Ti: 0.02-0.10; V: 0.00-0.10 with Ti+V≤0.10, other elements each <0.05, and <0.15 in total, remainder aluminum, with Mg<−2.67×Si+2.87, dissolving and steeping, pre-tempering, maturation for between 72 hours and 6 months, stamping, tempering at a temperature of around 205° C. with a hold time between 30 and 170 minutes or tempering at a time-temperature equivalent, painting and “bake hardening” of the paints at a temperature of 150 to 190° C. for 15 to 30 minutes.
US11639140 — METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING REAL ALUMINUM USING ALUMINUM ALLOY CAPABLE OF BEING APPLIED TO COIL-TO-UNCOIL PROCESS, AND VEHICLE INTERIOR PART — Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation (Korea) — The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a “real aluminum”, an aluminum sheet that is made to obtain a pattern and color on its surface and, particularly, to a vehicle interior part to which the real aluminum is applied. A method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy sheet may include melting aluminum alloy composition containing silicon (Si), iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) in weight % on the basis of remainder of aluminum (Al) to make cast alloy having a constant initial thickness; rolling the cast alloy to allow the initial thickness to be reduced, whereby the cast alloy is elongated to aluminum alloy sheet; and performing heat treatment on the aluminum alloy sheet.
US11590750 — PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING PLATE PRECURSOR, PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING PLATE PRECURSOR LAMINATE, PLATE-MAKING METHOD FOR PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING PLATE, AND PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING METHOD — Fujifilm Corporation (Japan) — Provided are a planographic printing plate precursor including an aluminum support, and an image recording layer and a protective layer which are provided on the aluminum support in this order, in which a thickness of the protective layer is 0.2 μm or greater, and Expression (1) is satisfied in a case where a Bekk smoothness of a surface of an outermost layer on a side opposite to a side where the image recording layer is provided is denoted by b seconds; a planographic printing plate precursor laminate; a plate-making method for a planographic printing plate; and a planographic printing method.
US11548087 — RESISTANCE WELDING OF UNWELDABLE METALS WITH THERMAL SPRAYED INTERLAYERS — Outokumpu Oyj (Finland) — The present invention relates to make unweldable metal combinations like aluminum to (stainless) steel resistance weldable by applying an aluminum thermal-sprayed layer on the surface of the (stainless) steel with a well-defined thickness, surface roughness and transition resistance. Then in a second step the resistance (spot) welding process follows. The used welding parameters must be selected in a way that only the aluminum-to-aluminum contact area melts. A method for joining of at least two materials, non-weldable directly to each other with thermal joining processes in a lap joint configuration includes a two-step sequence including a first step to apply a thermomechanical or mechanical surface protection layer on the surface of a (stainless) steel substrate and a second step where, a thermal joining process is used to weld the sprayed layer with an applied aluminum sheet without having brittle intermetallic phases in the whole material configuration.
US11535919 — METHOD OF MAKING 6XXX ALUMINUM SHEETS — Constellium Neuf-Brisach (France) and UAJC Corporation (Japan) — The present invention relates to a method of making 6XXX series aluminum sheet, particularly useful for the automotive industry. The invention concerns a method for producing a 6xxx series aluminum sheet comprising the steps of homogenizing an ingot made from a 6xxx series aluminum alloy; cooling the homogenized ingot with a cooling rate in a range of from 150°C/h to 2000°C/h directly to the hot rolling starting temperature; hot rolling the ingot to a hot rolling final thickness and coiling at the hot rolling final thickness with such conditions that at least 50% recrystallization is obtained; cold rolling to obtain a cold rolled sheet. The method of the invention is particularly helpful to make sheets for the automotive industry which combine high tensile yield strength and good formability properties suitable for cold stamping operations, as well as high surface quality and high corrosion resistance with a high productivity.
US11523550 — ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY ENCLOSURE — Lear Corporation (USA) — An electrical assembly is provided with a housing cast from an aluminum material to shield from electromagnetic interference, with a cavity sized to retain electrical components, an opening, and a series of receptacles formed about a perimeter of the opening. A seal is oriented about the perimeter of the opening. A cover is formed from an aluminum sheet material to shield from electromagnetic interference and is sized to enclose the opening. A plurality of mechanical retainers is formed about a perimeter of the cover and sized to align with the series of receptacles, to be mechanically deformed into the series of receptacles to affix the cover to the housing. Various embodiments relate to electrical assembly enclosures such as an electrical assembly for vehicle electronics, such as an on-board vehicle battery charger.
US11472603 — ENCLOSURE FOR SPACEFLIGHT HARDWARE — Genesis Engineering Solutions, Inc. (USA) — An enclosure is disclosed for transporting articles upon a satellite. The enclosure is composed of a plurality of interconnected walls coupled via elongated edge connecting members to define an internal space shaped and dimensioned for receiving an article to be transported upon a satellite. The walls are honeycombed aluminum sheets or solid aluminum panels and the edge connecting members are lightweight high strength members shaped and dimensioned for secure attachment to the walls without the use of mechanical coupling members.
US11462723 — ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS WITH COPPER-FREE ELECTRODES AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME — GM Global Technology Operations LLC (USA) — Presented are electrochemical devices with copper-free electrodes, methods for making/using such devices, and lithium alloy-based electrode tabs and current collectors for rechargeable lithium-class battery cells of electric vehicles. A method of manufacturing copper-free electrodes includes feeding an aluminum workpiece, such as a strip of aluminum sheet metal, into a masking device. The masking device then applies a series of dielectric masks, such as strips of epoxy resin or dielectric tape, onto discrete areas of the workpiece to form a masked aluminum workpiece with masked areas interleaved with unmasked areas. The masked workpiece is then fed into an electrolytic anodizing solution, such as sulfuric acid, to form an anodized aluminum workpiece with anodized surface sections on the unmasked areas interleaved with un-anodized surface sections underneath the dielectric masks of the masked areas. The dielectric masks are removed to reveal the un-anodized surface sections, and the anodized aluminum workpiece is segmented into multiple copper-free electrodes.
US11401091 — COATED ALUMINUM SHEET AND ALUMINUM CAN LID — UACJ Corporation (Japan) — A coated aluminum sheet used for a can that contains beer, low-malt beer, carbonated drink, and the like includes an aluminum alloy sheet including a first surface and a second surface situated opposite to the first surface and first and second coating films formed on the first and second surfaces, respectively. Required performance for such a can is excellent foaming performance and foam disappearance resistance. The excellent foaming performance means excellent performance in respect of foam formation in pouring beer, low-malt beer, carbonated drink or the like. The first and second coating films each have a mass of 0.1 to 20 g/m2 per unit area. The first coating film includes 0.1 to 1.5% by mass of a polyethylene wax and 0.1 to 1.5% by mass of a carnauba wax. The second coating film includes 0.4 to 0.8% by mass of a polyethylene wax and 0.4 to 0.8% by mass of a carnauba wax. Respective contents of another wax in the first and second coating films are 1.5% by mass or less and 0.7% by mass or less respectively. Post-lubrication including a petrolatum wax on the second coating film is 10 mg/m2 or less in amount.
US11400752 — COMPOSITE WHEEL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF — Lacks Wheel Trim Systems, LLC (USA) — A composite wheel assembly and method of construction thereof is provided. The composite wheel assembly includes a lightweight annular aluminum barrel having an inner surface and an outer surface configured to support a tire thereon. A lightweight metal central hub assembly is fixed to the barrel. The metal central hub assembly includes a central hub portion and plurality of support spokes extending outwardly from the central hub portion to free ends, wherein the free ends are fixed to the inner surface of the aluminum barrel. A wheel cladding contrasting in at least one of material type, color, texture and surface finish to an outwardly facing surface the central hub assembly is fixed to the outwardly facing surface of the central hub assembly.
US11351813 — MOTOR VEHICLE WHEEL HAVING AN ALUMINUM RIM AND A STEEL WHEEL DISC JOINED TOGETHER BY WELDED PINS — PSA Automobiles SA and Magnetto Wheels France (France) — A wheel intended for a motor vehicle includes a rim made of a sheet of aluminum alloy that is fastened to the contour of a wheel disc made from a steel sheet by assemblies that connect the aluminum sheet of the rim and the steel sheet of the wheel disc, which overlap one another. The assemblies include connecting pins each of which has a tip that passes through a hole in the aluminum sheet of the rim, the front end of which is welded to the steel sheet of the wheel disc, and a rear head that presses against the aluminum sheet of the rim about said hole.
US11325416 — COMPOSITE WHEEL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF — Lacks Wheel Trim Systems, LLC (USA) — A composite wheel assembly and method of construction thereof is provided. The composite wheel assembly includes a lightweight annular fiber-reinforced barrel having an inner surface and an outer surface configured to support a tire thereon. A lightweight metal central hub assembly is fixed to the barrel. The metal central hub assembly includes a central hub portion and plurality of support spokes extending outwardly from the metal central hub portion. A wheel cladding contrasting in at least one of material type, color, texture and surface finish to an outwardly facing surface of the central hub assembly is fixed to the outwardly facing surface of the central hub assembly. The annular fiber-reinforced barrel is formed of a material including at least one carbon fiber, fiber-glass fiber, a basalt fiber and the metal central hub assembly is formed from one of cast aluminum, forged aluminum, stamped aluminum, cast magnesium, or forged magnesium.
US11198163 — METHOD FOR ENGRAVING ALUMINUM SURFACES — ACR II Aluminum Group Cooperatief, U.A. (Netherlands) — The present invention relates to a method for engraving aluminum surfaces through laminating rollers. The method combines embossing and surface laminating techniques such that, while engraving the surface of an aluminum plate, the thickness of the plate is also reduced. The invention relates to a method including very superficial embossing combined with superficial laminating, which involves a slight reduction in thickness, the method being applied to plates several millimeters thick and to aluminum sheets having a thickness of less than 0.3 mm, supplied, in either case, as independent plates or in a continuous roll.
US11174541 — METHOD FOR LAMINATING ALUMINUM FOR FINE-GRAIN APPLICATIONS — ACR II Aluminum Group Cooperatief, U.A. (Netherlands) — The present invention describes an aluminum rolling method comprising a stage a) of hot rolling at an initial temperature ranging from 450 to 500°C up to a final temperature ranging from 360 to 400°C, obtaining an aluminum sheet with a thickness between 8 and 12 mm; and a stage b) of cold rolling wherein rolling passes at a temperature ranging from 75 to 120°C are intercalated with an intermediate sub-stage of heat treatment at a temperature ranging from 340 to 390° C, until obtaining an aluminum sheet with a final thickness between 0.3 and 1 mm. Another object of the invention is the rolled aluminum obtained from the method explained in the present application and its use in manufacturing containers for the cosmetic and perfume industry.
US11130160 — EMBOSSING FOR ELECTRO DISCHARGE TEXTURED SHEET — Arconic Technologies LLC (USA) — The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for rolling metal into sheets and more particularly, to applying a surface texture to the metal sheet. An apparatus and method for applying an EDT texture to an aluminum sheet has a rolling stand with at least one EDT surfaced roll capable of rolling the sheet at reductions <1%. The rolling is conducted with residual or no lubrication and imparts a texture on the scale of about 1 μm to the surface of the sheet at low roll force.
