By Melissa Zirps, Magrathea. Elon Musk was sitting in his office, eyeing a Hot Wheels toy car on his desk, when he asked, “Why can’t we make real cars the same way we make toy cars?” This question reflects the attempt by car manufacturers to test the limits of consolidation and lightweight construction in the […]
Extruded Aluminum Corporation (EAC), based in Belding, MI, has achieved two significant milestones over the past year. The company completed the installation and startup of its fifth extrusion press line, enabling it to produce larger sizes and expand to better serve its customer base. In addition, EAC was acquired by Metra S.p.A., a leading global […]
By Kevin Widlic, Contributing Editor. The small Michigan town of Cassopolis — population 1,674 — is now home to a recycling plant that will produce 265 million lbs (120,000 tonnes) of aluminum extrusion ingot per year. Hydro celebrated the opening of the recycling plant on November 16 (Figure 1), just 18 months after breaking ground […]
By Michael Niedzinski, Constellium. Introduction Friction stir welding (FSW) of Airware 2050 was investigated as a method for making custom blanks for spin forming large, single-piece flight articles. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of 2050 parent material in addition to the FSW regions after spin forming and subsequent heat treatment. […]
By Praveen Hewage, Benteler Automotive Norway, and Craig Werner, Werner Extrusion Solutions LLC. The die correction process relies heavily on input parameters of various dimensions. It follows a sophisticated and experience-based approach that requires a high level of technical understanding and manual skill (which was discussed in the two previous articles in this series, published […]
By Steven A. Wilkerson, Logan Aluminum, and Geoff Perdue and Steve Cherico, Wahl Refractory Solutions. The drive for continuous improvement and the emphasis on the team concept are key to the success at Logan Aluminum, a major aluminum can sheet manufacturer based in Kentucky. This motivation propels the company to investigate and implement new technologies […]
By Geoff Scamans, BCAST at Brunel University London and Innoval Technology. Vehicles must become inherently more efficient and lightweight if automotive OEMs are to meet global emissions targets. The implementation of aluminum has helped move OEMs toward this goal, and as a result, there has been significant growth in aluminum intensive vehicles (AIVs) over the […]
By Aaron Palumbo, Big Blue Technologies. Magnesium metal is trending, again. The original boom cycle of the 1930s and ’40s was sparked by the second world war, resulting in the array of foundational production technologies to which today’s processes owe a great deal. The 1980s and ’90s saw more advancement and rapid expansion of end-uses […]
The Aluminum Association in cooperation with Ducker Carlisle published its 2023 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook study in April 2023. This new survey of automakers and Tier 1 suppliers confirms that aluminum use will continue to grow in the automotive market throughout the end of the decade, largely fueled by demand for […]
