Cover Casting of aluminum billet at Western Extrusions’ new casthouse in Carrollton, TX. The new automated casting line enables the extruder to control its own billet supply, increase its use of recycled scrap, achieve high sustainability, and ensure the safety of its personnel. See article on page 6. Articles Western Extrusions’ New Highly Automated Casthouse […]
By Andrea Svendsen, Managing Editor. With a growing worldwide focus on sustainability, the automotive industry has been shifting its designs towards more environmentally friendly models. The initial focus was on lightweighting using aluminum, magnesium, higher strength steels, and other materials in order to improve fuel economy. Much of the current attention is now focused on […]
Anchor Harvey, based in Freeport, Illinois, launched a new Electric Vehicle (EV) Workgroup. The in-house group will draw from the company’s century-long experience in forging components for the automobile and motorsports industries in order to set new standards for sustainable transportation. “We believe delivering high-strength, lightweight electric vehicle components are core to growing our business and creating […]
To say that 2020 has been an interesting year would be a massive understatement. Throughout this wild ride of a year, Light Metal Age (LMA) has been proud to be a valuable resource, providing industry news and technological insights to its readers. On the LMA webpage, we regularly share exclusive featured articles from the print magazine, as […]
Fisker Inc. is entering into agreements with Magna International Inc. that provide the framework for strategic platform sharing and manufacturing cooperation for the Fisker Ocean SUV. Using the Fisker-Flexible Platform Adaptive Design (FF-PAD), Fisker’s design, engineering, and software teams will integrate Magna electric vehicle architecture with Ocean’s award-winning exterior design. The new FM29 lightweight aluminum-intensive […]
By Andrea Svendsen, Managing Editor. Demand for aluminum in the automotive industry is continuing its growth trajectory, according to a new report from DuckerFrontier, 2020 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook. The report notes that aluminum content is expected to grow to 514 lbs per vehicle by 2026, up by 12% from 2020 […]
On September 17th, Ford celebrated the production start of its all new aluminum-bodied F-150 trucks at its Ford Rouge Center manufacturing plant in Dearborn, MI. The new F-150 lineup includes multiple powertrain options, including the first ever PowerBoost hybrid and an all electric motor. In addition, the company also confirmed construction of the new Rouge Electric […]
Lotus Cars is partnering with Brunel University London and Sarginsons Industries to develop Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture (LEVA). The aim of the project is to accelerate innovation in the development of lightweight structures for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), acting as a showcase for new, cutting-edge chassis and powertrain concepts. “This is great news for our industry and its […]
Hydro and Northvolt, a leading European battery manufacturer based in Sweden, formed a 50/50 joint venture, called Hydro Volt AS, which will focus on enabling the recycling of battery materials and aluminum from electric vehicles (EVs). A typical EV battery pack may contain more than 25% aluminum, totaling about 70-100 kg aluminum per pack. “We […]
