Getting a clean, smooth finish while removing material quickly is not always easy when machining high-strength aluminium alloys. A new study on AA7075-T6 aluminium alloy has explored this challenge, identifying two different sets of drilling conditions to improve surface quality and maximise machining productivity. The research examined how cutting speed, feed rate and drill depth influence conventional drilling performance. Using response surface methodology and a central composite design, the researchers developed predictive models to determine how changes in these parameters affect the machining process. The models showed a strong level of accuracy, with coefficients of determination (R²) reaching 0.9731 for surface roughness and 0.9359 for material removal rate. Further confirmation...
Cleaner aluminium depends on three things going right at once: scrap collection, melting it in a furnace without much carbon, and the electricity behind the whole chain not being coal-powered. Developments across North America, the UK, the European Union (EU), Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia and India depict how unevenly those pieces are falling into place. While some markets are losing recoverable metal at the sorting line, others are redirecting cargoes or writing scrap into industrial policy, and a few are lining up green projects to hold primary aluminium production together. Aluminium scrap trade: North America leads, Thailand bans, EU retains The international aluminium scrap market is facing a combination of changing trade flows and growing pressure to secure cleaner, more consistent...
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A00 ingot prices in China are constantly falling after the winter cut started in November. Experiencing few significant drops since the last week of November, average A00 ingot price today stands at RMB 13,920/t. As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, the primary ingot price registered a drop of about RMB 400/t in the first week of December. The price is expected to range within RMB 13,900 – 13,940 per tonne. The drop in aluminium A00 Aluminum prices have continued in all other individual markets in China. The below table shows the price drop in various markets: Liu Xiaolei, chief aluminium analyst of SMM discussed these downward trends in the domestic aluminium market during the Die-casting Industry Chain Supply-demand Communication Summit organized by SMM on Dec.8. The existing surplus...
It is quite apparent now that the global aluminium market ex-China is moving toward a surplus. The expectations of tighter supply because of smelter capacity cutbacks in China seem to have started fading now as the cuts have been less than expected. In China, on the other hand, primary aluminium output kept rising. All these factors have led LME aluminium prices to correct over the last weeks falling below US$2,000 per tonne mark. The light metal which closed at US$2,028.0 per tonne on Wednesday, December 6, dropped to US$1,994 per tonne on Thursday, December 7. The price is expected to fluctuate in the US$1,900-2,000 per tonne range in the short term. Source:www.lme.com As on December 7, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$1,993.50 per tonne, cash seller &...
Ardagh Group, a global leader in glass and metal packaging solutions for the world's biggest consumer brand, announced that they will produce 25cl shaped aluminium bottle for Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has teamed up with Ardagh to manufacture the most eye-catching packaging presentation for limited edition Star Wars: The Last Jedi Coca-Cola Zero Sugar bottles. The aluminium bottles will be available from selected retailers in the UK, France and Benelux. Marc Bettinger, Ardagh’s Sales Director for Aluminium Packaging, commented: “It is an honour for us to be associated with one of the most iconic film franchises over the past half century, and to produce another striking limited edition shaped aluminium bottle for Coca-Cola.” “Each 25cl shaped aluminium bottle uses the award winning high...
According to the latest report from the Aluminum Association, the U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 331 thousand tonnes of aluminium scrap during September 2017, slightly less than the revised amount in August 2017 and slightly more than that in September 2016. The report is based on the aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior. USGS estimates that recovery of aluminium and aluminium alloys in September 2017 totalled 303 thousand tonnes, an increase of 1.3% year-over-year. Of the total aluminium recovered from scrap in September 2017, 170 thousand tonnes of aluminium were recovered from new scrap and 133 thousand tonnes were recovered from old scrap. For the first three quarters of 2017, preliminary data indicate that...
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today received His Excellency Masud Husain, Ambassador of Canada to the United Arab Emirates, to celebrate a safety milestone by a Canadian company working to build EGA’s Al Taweelah alumina refinery. Hatch, a global engineering company based in Ontario, Canada, has reached 2.6 million manhours without a lost time incident as it builds the power and steam section of the project. This is equivalent to one person working more than 1,000 years without an incident. Hatch has more than 1,600 people working on its portion of the project, which involves installing a new gas turbine and two heat recovery steam generators at EGA’s Al Taweelah power plant and connecting them to the new alumina...
Some Japanese aluminum buyers have agreed to pay some global producers a premium of $103 per tonne for shipments in January to March, reflecting higher spot premiums, two sources directly involved in the pricing talks said on Thursday. The new figure is higher than the $94-$95 per tonne premium in the current quarter, and the increase is the first in three quarters. Japan is Asia’s biggest importer of aluminum and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange cash price set the benchmark for the region. One of the major buyers reached the deal with two producers while another buyer struck an agreement with a single seller, according to the sources. “We’ve done the deal at $103 a tonne with one of the sellers as we believed the figure...
The Aluminum Association has released the latest edition of its Aluminum Statistical Review, which shows that aluminium demand in the U.S. and Canada increased 2.6% YoY to stand at 26.4 billion pounds in 2016, registering the seventh straight year of consecutive demand growth. Aluminum demand is up 41% since 2009, almost reaching the record levels of mid-2000s. The continued demand increases was driven by faster automotive growth in the region. Aluminum shipments for use in passenger vehicles totalled 5.9 billion pounds in 2016, which is the second year of record shipments since 1967. While demand growth was a positive development, the report also showed an unprecedented growth of imports by nearly 33% in 2016 to a record 7.3 billion pounds. “We are pleased to see demand growth continue...
Sierra Leone exported $465 million of goods around the globe in 2016. The country’s primary mineral resources are diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold and others. Bauxite exports by Sierra Leone have been rising over the last three years. Sierra Minerals, part of the international industrial and investment group Vimetco N.V., is the only bauxite mine in Sierra Leone and the second largest mining employer in the country. The mine has a resource base of approximately 31 million tonnes and currently produces around 1.2 million tonnes of bauxite per annum for export. According to the international export-import statistics, in 2015, Sierra Leone exported 1333337 tonnes of bauxite globally. The total revenue from the export stood at US$ 62 million. Compared to 2015, in 2016, the country exported an...
Constellium N.V. announced today that it has strengthened its long-term partnership with Audi to supply aluminium Automotive Body Sheet as well as structural components for the new Audi A7 Sportback. Produced at the Audi Neckarsulm, Germany, plant, the new Audi A7 embodies Audi’s new design language with particularly dynamic lines and a sporty character. Constellium will be the primary supplier of aluminium Automotive Body Sheet for this new Audi A7 providing the coils to be used for the outer design applications such as the doors, hood, fenders and deck lids which incorporate large surfaces, sharp edges and taut lines. Design and forms are achieved with Constellium’s Surfalex with high surface quality and specific hemming and roping properties, which allow three-dimensional shapes and is...
China’s spot alumina prices are dropping steadily due to slow demand from smelters and falling domestic aluminium prices. This was also reflected in the fact that China’s domestic bauxite consumption dropped 2.51% month on month to 8.15 million tons in November. As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, average spot alumina price in China has dropped from RMB 3348 per tonne on December 6 to RMB 3272 per tonne on December 7. Current monthly average for the period from November 7 to December 7 has also dropped to RMB 3547/t from RMB 3694/t in October. Domestic spot alumina prices have also dropped to RMB 3260/t today from RMB 3330/t on December 6. Domestic prices are expected range within RMB 3200 – 3320 per tonne today. Chalco alumina prices have also dropped to RMB 3360 per tonne from RMB...
China’s domestic bauxite consumption declined 2.51 per cent in the month of November. According to news published by Shanghai Metals Market, domestic bauxite consumption stood at 8.15 million tonnes in November. In the first eleven months of 2017, total bauxite consumption increased 11.2 per cent on yearly basis to 88.9 million tonnes. Alumina plants in Henan Province decreased production by 10 per cent in November. Some alumina plants in Shanxi Province also declined production because of environmental protection policy. Hence, domestic bauxite consumption dropped in November. Bauxite inventory increased on alumina plants due to weakened demand and rising supply in the end of November, SMM reported.
The market's expectations of supply tightness of aluminium due to the capacity cut in China is slowly fading away as the winter production cuts have been less than expected and the Chinese aluminium output kept on increasing over the period. That led LME aluminium prices to correct over November coming down to a level of USD 2,030 to USD 2,060 per tonne currently. Despite the all-time-low LME inventories, the prices continue to move downward. LME prices have also been hit by lower aluminium prices in the domestic Chinese market due to increasing supply. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, Shanxi Province in Northwest China produced 820,000 tonnes of refined aluminium in January-October, up 19.6% year on year. The LME cash contract closed further down from US$2,052 per...
SAF (Southern Aluminum Finishing Co.) announced the rollout of SAF Enterprise, the company’s new, fully integrated ERP system. SAF Enterprise will give SAF a strategic advantage by streamlining the company’s operations for aluminium distribution, anodizing, paint, engineered architectural products, and custom metal fabrication services. “Depending on individual customer requirements, SAF can more rapidly shift production efforts from one product to another and dramatically reduce product concept-to-production timing.” “An important customer portal into SAF Enterprise is the SAF Aluminum Extrusions & Sheet store (https://www.saf.com/aluminum-quote-mgr.php), where aluminium buyers will experience more intimate, detailed interactions with order acknowledgments, packing tickets, invoices, and...
Lamborghini announced the launch of the Urus, a sub-5,000-pound “Super SUV” that was built using steel and aluminium. In contrast to the OEM’s past experience with carbon fiber, Lamborghini’s press release on Monday highlighted a “blend of aluminium and steel” that was used in the body-in-white and exterior or the Urus. “At a curb weight of less than 2,200 kg, Lamborghini’s team of designers and R&D engineers focused on weight reduction throughout the car’s chassis, with an intelligent materials mix to ensure maximum stiffness for the best possible comfort and handling as well as lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions,” the press release of the OEM wrote. The press release confirms that the chassis of the car is a blend of aluminium and steel supported by frameless aluminium doors....
Henan Mingtai Aluminum , one of China’s biggest aluminium sheet manufacturers, on Tuesday said it expected its production and sales to keep growing in 2018 despite the launch of U.S. trade probes into imports of the product from China. Mingtai, with a production capacity of 650,000 tonnes per year of semi-finished aluminium products, is the first Chinese firm to make a public statement about the twin anti-subsidy and anti-dumping probes into Chinese aluminum alloy sheet announced by Washington last month. China’s Ministry of Commerce has already expressed “strong disatisfaction” over the action amid rising trade friction between the Trump administration and Beijing. While pledging to cooperate with the investigations, Mingtai said that any allegations that Chinese aluminium sheet was...
Aluminium beverage cans have now been certified as the world’s most recycled drinks container at the recent Smithers Pira Sustainability in Packaging Europe Conference in Barcelona. Seven out of 10 drinks cans sold in the UK are recycled and 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today. Metal, particularly aluminium, has long been a leader in recycling because it is a permanently available material that can be recycled again and again, without losing any quality of its structural integrity. But it’s not just aluminium - steel for packaging recorded an average European recycling rate of 78% in 2015, a record performance, which included five countries exceeding 85%. With greater focus being placed on packaging, consumers are now more concerned about waste produced and want to be...
Ford has approved Chief’s new Ford Aluminum Truck/SUV Structural Holding Package as tools for repairing collision damage to the all-new Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. It is an expansion of Chief’s current F-150 Holding Kit. Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size SUVs feature high-strength, military-grade aluminium bodies on a high-strength steel frame, which was first popularised by F-150. The Chief repairing package aims at holding the vehicle to the frame rack during collision repair. The package contains more than 50 components that hold the vehicle to the frame rack firmly at a wide range of holding points. A rolling tool board organizes the entire content of the package for easy portability. The new improved package also includes an additional pair of rigid pad...
Mexico’s imports of goods increased 16.3 percent year-on-year to $38.97 billion in October. The country’s imports of commodities decreased at an annualized rate of -2.164%, from $326 billion in 2011 to $380 billion in 2016. The USA is the top supplier of alumina to the country. Mexico imported an estimated 11572 tonnes of alumina from the USA in 2016. Other exporting countries to Mexico are Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, China and France. The total alumina import volume is projected to increase slightly this year. According to latest statistics, Mexico imported about 37776 tonnes of alumina in 2015. The alumina import by the country dropped noticeably in 2016. Mexico imported 22754 tonnes of alumina. The country is estimated to import about 24315 tonnes of alumina in 2017. The cost of...
