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...
Grow with
AL Circle
First Bauxite Corporation (FBX) has provided an update on its bauxite project at Bonasika in Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven), Guyana. The project with an investment of approximately US$50M is due to begin next year, according to the Ministry of the Presidency press release. Guyana’s Minister of State Mr. Joseph Harmon received a courtesy call on August 24 from Executive members of the First Bauxite Corporation (FBX) at the Ministry of the Presidency. The company updated him on their bauxite project. Mr. Alan Roughead, President and Chief Executive Officer of FBX, said that the construction of the bauxite project will begin next year and production twelve months thereafter. The company spend US$20M on developing the bauxite resource, and has completed three feasibility studies. The company...
India’s navratna PSU and leading aluminium manufacturer National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) jointly unveiled state-of-the-art heavy earth moving machineries at the latter’s Kolar Gold Field Complex on August 28. The HEMM BD475-1 Ripper Dozer is built using indigenous equipment and is aimed at enhancing productivity of NALCO’s bauxite mining operations while further boosting the ‘Make in India’ campaign. NALCO has undertaken modernization initiatives to raise productivity at its bauxite mines. During last financial year, the integrated aluminium producer succeeded in achieving 100 per cent of its capacity utilization at Damanjodi bauxite mines. The company is now aiming to eliminate detonating and blasting for bauxite mining; hence, the...
China, being a net importer of alumina, witnessed an increase in alumina import in July 2017, according to the latest import-export data published by China General Customs. China’s import of alumina totalled 284,504 tonnes in July 2017, up 29.36 per cent year-on year. January-July imports were down at 1.67 million tonnes. Australia exported maximum volume of alumina to China. The country imported 127,158 tonnes of alumina in July and 724,162 tonnes during January-July, down 39.73 per cent year-on-year, showed China Customs data. Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Germany and France were the other top countries which supplied alumina to China. China’s alumina exports were down in July 2017. China exported 2,979 tonnes of alumina in July 2017, down 33.76 per cent YoY. In January-July period, the...
Exton Cubic Group that has been directed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt mining operations at Nyinahini bauxite franchise in Ashanti district, has accused the EPA of not giving it a fair hearing over the bauxite prospecting deal in the Tano-Offin Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region. EPA had accused the company of entering the forest illegally and asked Exton to halt operations and take steps to obtain the right permits. But speaking in a news analysis programme on Saturday, the Public Relations Officer of the mining firm, Exton Cubic Group, Sammy Gyamfi said that they had been treated unfairly. They claimed that they had all the relevant permits from the appropriate bodies to process the bauxite but complained that they did not get any response from EPA despite writing a...
New York based supplier of wires and cables Nassau Electricals announced Sunday, August 27, that their latest offerings underground aluminium URD quadruplex and triplex cable brands are now available for sale. Manufactured from high-performing concentric stranded and compressed aluminium conductor, these cables are perfectly suited for heavy-duty underground power transmission applications like large irrigation projects. The cables are multi-conductors; hence, can be effectively used to connect numerous circuits thereby eliminating the need to use too many cables for a single installation. The aluminium conductors in both the URD cables are made from aluminium alloy with 99.9 per cent aluminium content. The other metals used include iron, copper and silicon. The conductors have high...
On last Friday’s night trading, all base metals on SHFE including aluminium fell back and registered obvious declines, except copper. Prices are expected to fluctuate at highs after fallback. SHFE aluminium is expected to hover within a range of RMB16,150-16,450/t on Monday, August 28. In another update, SMM observes that aluminium stocks in China’s seven major markets have added another 57,000 tonnes week-on-week to 1.53 million tonnes this week. The growth in stock is mostly driven by slow consumption Due to off-season slow demand and higher aluminium prices, downstream producers are buying cautiously and working with stocks in hand. Some downstream producers have halted production as a result of environmental inspection which has further affected aluminium demand. Aluminium producers...
LME aluminium corrected down from the highs of US$2,105 per tonne on Thursday, August 24, to US$2,096.50 per tonne on Friday, August 25. Though the correction, analysts say, is reasonable following the huge price gains, it is likely to give in to a wide-range trading in the short term. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium will fluctuate widely around its 5-day moving average in the range of US$2,050-2,085 per tonne on Monday, August 28. As on August 25, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,095.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,096.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,097 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,099 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,137 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,142 per...
Yunnan Aluminium Co Ltd., one of China's major aluminium producing companies, has announced its production target for aluminium and other products for the second half of this year, according to Shanghai Metals Market. Yunnan Aluminum Co. sets a goal to produce 260,000 tonnes of carbon, 650,000 tonnes of alumina, 600,000 tonnes of primary aluminium, and 310,000 tonnes of aluminium processed products in the second half of 2017. The company’s large alumina project in Laos will come up in H2 2017. The company’s revenue increased 42.22 per cent year-on-year to 10.11 billion yuan in the first half of 2017. Yunnan Aluminium posted net profit of 147 million yuan in H1 2017, up 187.70 per cent year-on-year. For the full year ended March 31, 2017, it reported 111 million yuan in net profit, up...
The Aluminum Association’s Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG) announced today the addition of two new member companies—Alcoa Corporation and Tri-Arrows. These additions bring total membership in the ATG to 11 companies. Both companies are leaders in producing aluminum alloys for automotive applications. “The addition of Alcoa and Tri-Arrows reflects the impact of the growing automotive market and demonstrates the industry’s continued commitment to its customers in the automotive space,” said Heidi Brock, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association. “These new members come at an exciting time for automotive aluminum as we enter a time of unprecedented growth. By 2028, forecasts project total aluminum content will reach 565 pounds per vehicle. As automotive aluminum’s market share rises,...
GF Automotive, a division of GF, announced on Friday, August 25, that it will acquire Eucasting Ro SRL, a high pressure aluminium die casting specialist with two productions sites in Romania. The companies have agreed not to disclose any financial details. Federica Mapelli, owner of Eucasting Ro SLR, said: “We are excited to become a part of GF Automotive and to plan together the next steps in our development. The strong know-how and the lightweight competences of GF Automotive will increase our options to better serve our existing and new customers.” Eucasting was founded in 1960 in Italy. The company started the expansion to Romania with a die casting foundry in Pitesti in 2006. Eucasting opened its second plant in 2010 based on a strong customer demand for aluminium castings. Yves...
After Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ghana’s Minerals Commission has now directed Exton Cubic Group Limited to halt mining operations at Nyinahini bauxite concession overlooking Tano Offin Forest reserve in Ashanti district. Exton Cubic shall obtain the “necessary approvals and permits as may be required by law from the Forest Commission on Water Resources Commission and the Environment Agency or any other regulatory body” before “undertaking an activity or operation under the mining lease,” the Minerals Commission directive said. Exton Cubic Mineral exploration company Exton Cubic had applied for a permit to start prospecting of bauxite in Tano Offin Forest reserve area, but failed to comply with EPA regulations. As a result, its permit was rendered null and void. The Minister...
The U.S., being the world’s largest aluminium scrap exporter, generates substantial amount of aluminium scrap. It is understandable from the fact that the country has a long history of aluminium production and consumption. The country exported 42,315 tonnes of aluminium scrap in July 2017 and 330,510 tonnes during January- July 2017 to China, the world’s leading consumer of aluminium scrap. The top five destinations of the USA aluminium scrap exports are China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Mexico and India in January-May 2017. A source from China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association Recycling Metal Branch (CMRA) confirmed that China will ban imports of “category 7” scrap metals from the end of 2018. The ban announcement however created a concern in the U.S. The Institute of Scrap Recycling...
With the LME cash official aluminium price rising 11.4 per cent year-to-date and 16.7 per cent year-on-year to US$1,909 per tonne at the end of June 2017, Rusal’s profit more than doubled reaching US$283 million during the second quarter of the current financial year. The world’s second largest aluminium producer by annual output improved revenue by 24 per cent year-on-year to US$2.47 tonnes. Net debt at the end of the quarter stood largely unchanged at US$8.34 billion. The company said it would pay an interim dividend of US$0.0197 per share totalling up to US$300 million (estimated). Rusal’s revenue for the three months ended June 30 was US$2,467 million, compared to US$1,982 million in the same period previous year. For the six months ended June30, the company’s revenue rose to US$4,764...
Ford Motor Co. is looking to forming a joint venture with Anhui Zotye Automobile, a manufacturer of zero-emission all-electric vehicle, for producing electric vehicles in China under a new brand. Both the firms will hold a 50-50 stake in the JV. US Ford announced on Tuesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Anhui Zotye Automobile Company. Chinese automaker sold over 16,000 electric vehicles in the first seven months of the year, an increase of 56 per cent year-on-year. Ford said that it would release the additional details including about the brand, products and production volumes at a later date, pending a final definitive agreement and regulatory approvals. Ford projects the electric vehicles market in China to grow to four million units annually by 2025.
Bauxite supplies from Malaysia to China grew at the highest rate in July 2017 though it dropped during the period from January to July. Other top bauxite exporting countries to China struggled to catch up with Malaysia’s export growth rate, revealed export-import data released by General Customs of China on August 23. Malaysia’s total bauxite export to China grew by 329.8 per cent year-on-year to reach 651,435 tonnes in July this year. Guinea exported 2.72 million tonnes of bauxite (213.4 per cent YoY) and Australia exported 1.96 million tonnes of bauxite (-7.4 per cent YoY) to China last month. Another leading bauxite producing country, Brazil, supplied only 269,044 tonnes of bauxite to China in July this year, down 31.4 per cent from the same period previous year. January-July 2017...
China’s Work Safety Commission of the State Council has confirmed that domestic aluminium smelter capacity will be under “rigorous control,” a news that drove aluminium contracts at the Shanghai Futures Exchange up to US42,500 per tonne. The Shanghai Metals Market weekly average aluminium price also continued to rise sharply in the week ending August 25. The weekly average aluminium price gained by US$50.12 per tonne to stand at US$2,422.53 per tonne as on Friday, August 25. China State Council has been supervising production safety checks across the country since August 7-18. The inspection teams have come up with suggestions for rectification for the polluting factories which will be the focus area for further inspection works to be conducted in September. SMM observed that there was a...
Fairview Architectural has officially launched Vitradual, a BCA compliant non-combustible aluminium cassette cladding system as an alternative to ACM panels. A 3mm non-combustible aluminium cladding system has been developed by Fairview in consultation with industry experts. Fairview Architectural, a manufacturer and supplier of façade solutions throughout Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The company recently announced the acquisition of STRYUM business, an intelligent non-combustible aluminium cladding system, from Vitekk Industries. Andrew Gillies, CEO of Fairview Architectural commented: “We have spent time developing a product that is solid aluminium but has the ease of use, flexible installation and wide range of finishes that has made our aluminium composite products...
BHP Billion spin-off South32 Limited announced Thursday, August 24, that it has ended its last financial year in profit. The company’s revenue improved significantly, thanks to its high operating leverage and higher commodity prices. South32 has a product portfolio that encompasses bauxite, alumina and aluminium. Notably, BHP Billiton announced its annual results much in the same line as South32 last Tuesday, August 22. The natural resource giant returned to profit last financial year following heavy losses a year ago. South32’s revenue rose 20 per cent year-over-year from US$5.81 billion to US$6.95 billion as on June 30, 2017. Expenses were reduced from US$7.24 billion to US$5.74 billion as well, which led to a profit (from operations) of US$1.79 billion. On an underlying basis,...
