Aluminium alloy powder production for additive manufacturing is set to expand through a new technical cooperation agreement between CNPC Powder China Ltd and Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies Co Ltd (BLT). The agreement covers the production and international distribution of BLT-AlAM400, an aluminium alloy powder developed for applications in humanoid robotics, new energy vehicles (NEVs), aerospace and other industrial sectors. Under the agreement, BLT has authorised Shanghai-based CNPC Powder to manufacture BLT-AlAM400 on a contract basis in China and sell the powder internationally. CNPC Powder has also secured exclusive overseas agency rights, excluding BLT’s direct sales network and existing regional agents. With an annual powder production capacity of almost 10,000 tonnes, CNPC Powder...
BorgWarner has won its first commercial order for an electric motor developed with aluminium-wire hairpin winding technology. The US automotive supplier will provide the new eMotor to a major Chinese automaker for use in hybrid vehicles, bringing the technology into its first production application. The motor uses aluminium-wire hairpin winding technology and is designed for hybrid vehicles. Its applications include generator motors and traction motors for auxiliary drive systems, with production scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Explore AL Circle’s report ALuminium Wires & Cables - Insights & Forecast to 2030 for insights into aluminium applications, industry developments and opportunities across the electrical sector . Compared with conventional copper-wire motors with...
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According to a government statement in March citing Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Indian government would take measures to ensure that by 2030 almost all vehicles in the country are powered by electricity in order to cut oil imports and pollution. India’s fast growing economy and rapid urbanization has become a key driver of global energy growth in the coming years and this has given rise to the need to reconsider the energy sources in the country. The idea is to stop selling of all gasoline or diesel cars by 2030. According to the International Energy Agency, India's plan to sell only electric cars by the end of next decade would require nearly eight times the global stock of electric vehicles. According to the 2015 data, there are 1.3 million electric cars on the road worldwide. India...
Crown Holdings Inc., a leading supplier of beverage packaging, food packaging, aerosol packaging, metal closures, and specialty packaging product, opened a new beverage can manufacturing plant in Nichols, New York. The facility will produce two-piece aluminium cans in a range of sizes. The second manufacturing line at the plant was completed in April 2017. The company said that the facility marks the industry's first greenfield facility in the United States. The plant would support the growing demand for specialty beverage cans in the US. Crown president and CEO Timothy Donahue said, "Beverage cans remain a valued, trusted format with consumers around the world due to their portability, durability and sustainability. In the United States, demand for specialty can sizes is flourishing as...
India has a great potential of producing downstream aluminium products due to aluminium companies with their downstream operations. The top producer of aluminium downstream products in India includes Hindalco Industries, Jindal Aluminium and many more. {newsStudioGallery} Currently, Indian government is considering taking measures on imposing anti-dumping duties or minimum import price to combat rising imports of downstream aluminium products in India. The measure is to protect the interests of domestic aluminium industry. India imported 157622 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets and strips in 2015. In 2016, the country imported 128135 tonnes. The country is estimated to import 133142 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets and strips in 2017. Value-wise, India's total aluminium plates, sheets...
China alumina production slowdown became market focus in the past week and trading almost stagnated as buyers and sellers of the commodity were seen split over their opinions on the market. The environmental protection inspections which had begun on April 24 were initially thought to have significant impact on the demand-supply scenario of the region, but the influence was found to be limited. Currently, only middlemen were found to be active in generating enquires for alumina. Spot alumina fared differently in different regions last week. As on Tuesday, May 16, alumina prices stand at the following bands (RMB per tonne): Source: Shanghai Metals Market Alumina production slowdown prompted middlemen to raise idea alumina prices. However, the stagnation is expected to come to an end soon,...
The earlier-than-usual arrival of traditional off-season has taken a heavy toll on prices and capacity utilization rate in China’s secondary aluminium alloy industry, SMM learned. Poor automobile consumption caused capacity utilization rate to fall 4.33 percentage points month-on-month and 7.54 percentage points year-on-year to 57.5% in secondary aluminium alloy industry, SMM survey found. Prices for ADC12 secondary aluminium alloy dropped nationwide, especially in Chongqing and Guangdong. Sluggish market forced some secondary aluminium alloy producers to conduct maintenance in April and May. Secondary aluminium alloy consumption is unlikely to improve until after September and its prices will not rise unless aluminium prices record big gains, SMM expects.
Alcoa, the world's fifth largest producer of aluminium, which split into two separate businesses, revitalized itself from the separations, CEO Roy C. Harvey told the shareholders at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. The company split into upstream Alcoa and downstream Arconic in November 2016. Mr. Harvey said, “It gave us an opportunity to rethink everything. We’re a start-up. We’re a brand new business.” The company is planning to consolidate its worldwide administrative locations, a strategy he believes would save money and aid employees work more closely. The company’s shareholders agreed the election of 12 directors to one-year terms and company’s executive pay policies. They have voted to hold the nonbinding shareholder vote on executive pay yearly. Mr. Harvey was...
Prices of major aluminium scrap commodities in India market stayed flat on the Scrap Register Price Index on Friday, May 12, while aluminium futures traded at Mumbai’s Multi Commodity Exchange got some breather. The contract that seemed to have formed a reasonably solid base above INR 120 per kg the past week surged on Monday, May 15, breaking above the resistance band of INR 121.5-122 per kg. Trend analysis suggests the downward pressure on the light metal prices will ease if MCX aluminium manages to sustain above INR 122 per kg in the foreseeable future. Prices of major aluminium scrap commodities like aluminium accessories scrap, aluminium cable scrap, aluminium ingots, aluminium rod company, aluminium rod local, aluminium scrap 6063 and aluminium scrap taint/tabor remained unchanged...
Vedanta Limited announced its audited consolidated results for the fourth quarter (Q4) and full year ended 31 March 2017 (FY 2017) on Monday May 16. The results report record annual production at Aluminium, Power, Zinc India (Zinc and Silver) and at Copper-India and improved revenue and EBITDA QoQ and YoY. Commenting on the results, Navin Agarwal, Chairman Vedanta Limited, said, "The completion of the Cairn India merger transforms Vedanta Ltd. into a diversified natural resources powerhouse, anchored in India. The combined entity truly reflects our strong, diversified, low-cost portfolio with industry-leading volume growth from our well-invested assets. " Tom Albanese, Chief Executive Officer, Vedanta Ltd, said: "I am happy to report that Vedanta has posted strong financial and...
LME aluminium finally broke above the resistance zone of US$1,890-1,892 per tonne and closed higher at US$1,899.50 per tonne after night trading on Monday, May 15. Shanghai Metals Market forecasts that the light metal traded globally will keep moving in the range of US$1,890-1,914 per tonne on Tuesday, May 16. Reuters’ technical analyses show that there is a support below at US$1,880, a break below which could cause a loss in the range of US$1,862.50-1,871 per tonne; but macroeconomic indicators suggest the fall in that range is unlikely in the immediate short-term. As on May 15, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,899 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,899.50 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,904 per tonne, 3M seller price is US$1,905 per tonne, Dec1...
The 15 megawatt (MW) Sunshine Coast Solar Farm project in Valdora, Australia, powered by Trina Solar panels is going to be fully operational by mid-2017. The Sunshine Coast Solar Farm enables the local Sunshine Coast Council to become Australia's first local government to offset 100% of its electricity consumption across all its facilities and operations from renewable energy. The farm, which is solely owned by the Council, is expected to save the organisation up to $22 million, after costs, over a 30-year period based on today's cost of electricity. Downer , who was awarded the contract to Design, Construct, Operate and Maintain the Sunshine Coast Solar Farm, appointed Trina Solar to supply 57,000 pieces of Duomax PEG14 315 W photovoltaic (PV) solar panel modules. The farm is the...
India has imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty of $22.89 on the imports of Aluminium Radiators, Aluminium Radiator Sub-Assemblies and Aluminium Radiator Core, including in complete knocked down (CKD) or semi-knocked-down (SKD) conditions, for use in used/on road vehicles and generator sets, from China. A notification NO.20/2017-CUSTOMS (ADD) to this effect was released by the DGAD on May 12, 2017. Citing material injury to the domestic industry as a result of the dumping of the goods below the normal value, the DGAD has imposed an anti-dumping duty of $22.89 on Aluminium Radiators, Aluminium Radiator Sub-Assemblies and Aluminium Radiator Core goods for a period of five years. The products specified in the description of the notification are generally used in cars, tractor trucks and...
The Jamaican government is likely to lose nearly $1.9 billion annually for its decision to exempt on the bauxite levy. The government exempted bauxite levy as part of a tax regime overhaul for extractive industries, as reported. The Financial Gleaner calculated the loss figure based on Global Finance’s 2017 estimate of Jamaica’s US$14.6 billion GDP and sourced from the IMF’s World Economic Outlook 2016. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), “The recent decision to provide discretionary waivers by further widening leftover exemptions on the bauxite levy created a revenue loss of over 0.1 per cent of GDP per year, leaving the bauxite sector undertaxed and potentially undermining the hard-earned gains from the elimination of a range of tax incentives in 2014.” Finance Minister...
Inventor, engineer, investor and business magnate Elon Musk demonstrated his latest super vehicle prototype driving through a subterranean tunnel network at 200 kilometer per hour speed. In the test run, Elon Musk’s car prototype with chassis built out of aluminium, is seen carried by a vessel into the tunnel, where computer controlled sleds on rails catapult it to its destination. Following is the image shared by the CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors on his Instagram page: On the social networking site, Musk puts up a disclaimer saying, “Warning, this may cause motion sickness or seizures. This is a test run of our electric sled that would transport cars at 125 mph (200 km/h) through the tunnels, automatically switching from one tunnel to the next. Would mean Westwood to LAX in 5...
Brazil currently ranks second position as a net exporter of alumina worldwide. The country exported estimated 8.78 million tonnes of alumina in 2016, up from 8.47 million tonnes in 2015. A substantial portion of country’s alumina is shipped to Canada. Albras, the second-largest aluminium metal plant in Brazil also intakes Brazilian alumina. {newsStudioGallery} Hydro Alunorte is the world's largest alumina refinery in Brazil with a total capacity of over six million tons of alumina. ALUMAR is another alumina refinery in one of the largest alumina and primary aluminium production complexes in the world owned by Alcoa, RioTinto, and South 32. The quarterly data suggests that Brazil exported an estimated 2035894 tonnes of alumina in Q1 2016-17. In Q2, the volume increased to 2205176 tonnes....
Alumina prices in China declined below the average national cost price. Aluminium producers and traders have been into active purchasing. Alumina market participants were enthusiastic driven by falling alumina prices. Some aluminium enterprises restocked their inventories. As on May 15 2017, as reported by Shanghai Metals Market; the average spot alumina price in South China market stands at RMB 2,245/t. In the North China Market, the average spot alumina price stands at RMB 2280/t. Market price difference between north China and south China stands at around RMB35/t. The average spot alumina price in East China market stands at RMB 2,300/t. In the Central China Market, the average spot alumina price stands at RMB 2290/t. Market price difference between north China and south China stands...
Novelis Inc, the leading aluminium rolled products manufacturer and aluminium recycler reported significant improvement in its recycled aluminium inputs during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017. The net income rose significantly higher and automotive shipments reached record highs during the reviewed period. According to Novelis, the company succeeded in improving its overall metal mix by increasing inputs of recycled aluminium from 53 per cent in 2016 to 55 per cent in 2017. The numbers saw significant increase from 46 per cent in 2014 and 49 per cent in 2015 fiscal years. Novelis made commendable progress in reducing energy and water intensity at all its facilities worldwide thereby riveting its position as a global sustainable aluminium rolled products manufacturer and recycler. The...
According to a media report from Odisha, National Aluminium Company (Nalco) has feared scarcity of pitch and coke, two essential raw materials of aluminium smelting in last fifteen days may affect production in the coming days. According to reports, the plant’s store doesn’t have enough inventories to compensate the falling supply of these two essential materials and run the unit smoothly. The plant has been operating with two to three tankers of pitch per day during the last fortnight in place of 10 tanker-loads of pitch a day. The supply of coke has also been affected in the last fortnight. According to some Nalco officials, the production has been affected due to use of inferior quality anode. In a smelter, cathodes are replaced after several years, but, anodes need to be replaced...
Brunel University London announced that a research team is working to develop a new generation of ultra-light aluminium die-cast parts for future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. This would result in lower fuel costs and carbon emissions. The project involved a total investment of £7.5 million for duration of three years. Brunel University London formed a partnership with Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), Jaguar Land Rover and others. BCAST Director of Programmes, Eric Nyberg said, “By casting a vehicle that is lighter, you improve fuel efficiency, because they need less energy to propel them along to the road. And better fuel consumption means cleaner air by pumping fewer polluting gases into the environment.” For this project, Liquid metal engineering experts will...
