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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AMAG signed a multi-year contract with flexible packaging manufacturer, Constantia Flexibles on April 28 2017. The contract is for a delivery of minimum of 35,000 tonnes of aluminium coils per annum to Constantia’s Teich facility in Weinburg, Lower Austria. Teich is Constantia’s production site for packaging foils for food, pet food and pharmaceuticals. This contract is a part of expansion of AMAG’s product range, made possible by the plant investments in Ranshofen. Packaging products form roughly 16% of the overall sales of the AMAG rolling mill. "AMAG has a long-term history of a successful cooperation with our largest individual client, Constantia Flexibles. We are delighted to be able to continue on this growth trajectory together," stated Helmut Wieser, CEO of AMAG Austria Metall AG....
Vietnam, the emerging alumina producing hub on the shores of the South China Sea, has increased its offshore alumina sales over the last three years. As suggested by the available international trade data, alumina export from the country has more than doubled since 2015. The increase has been made possible due to enhanced overseas sales activities of Vinacomin, Vietnam’s largest mining company. {newsStudioGallery} As per data, Vietnam exported 887061 tonnes of alumina in 2016. The quantity is 82 per cent higher than the volume exported in 2015. Vietnam’s total alumina export in 2015 stood at 485190 tonnes. In 2017, the country is estimated to export 1099023 tonnes of alumina. Vietnam being an export driven economy depends significantly on the revenues generated from its mineral exports....
Arconic announced today that Eric Roegner, Chief Operating Officer of Investment Castings, Arconic Titanium and Engineered Products and President of Arconic Defense, has been named President of Arconic Global Rolled Products (GRP), effective immediately. Roegner continues as President of Arconic Defense. He succeeds Kay Meggers who is leaving Arconic effective June 2 to become a faculty member at the Gordon Ford College of Business at Western Kentucky University. “Eric is the ideal leader to deliver on our strategic plan for the Global Rolled Products segment,” said David Hess, Interim Arconic Chief Executive Officer. “He is a highly qualified internal candidate with a solid operational track record, including the successful integration of RTI International Metals (RTI), which is now the...
According to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey and Department of Interior, the U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 763 million pounds of aluminum scrap during February 2017. This registers about 1.4% increase over the February 2016 total of 753 million pounds and January 2017 total of 754 million pounds. According to USGS estimate recovery of aluminium and aluminium alloys totalled 662 million pounds in February, an increase of 2% from February 2016 and also from the January 2017 total of 649 million pounds. Preliminary data indicates that the recovery of aluminium from scrap totaled an estimated 1,321 million pounds for January and February 2017, up 2.1% over the 2016 YTD total of 1,294 million pounds. U.S. exports of scrap, not included in...
Bombardier Transportation’s Chinese joint venture Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd. (BST) has been given another contract from China Railway Corp. (CRC) for the supply of CRH1A-A new generation high speed train cars to the Nanning Railway Bureau. The new contract is valued at a US$79 million for delivering 40 high speed train cars. The new generation CRH1A-A train features an aluminium car body that are designed to reduce weight, track wear and aerodynamic drag while improving performance. Jianwei Zhang, President of Bombardier China, said, “Our cutting edge rail technology is one of the driving forces behind the rapid development of China’s advanced high speed train network.” “We have already provided over 3,000 high speed train cars to the Chinese market and this latest...
Sydney based leading bauxite producer Australian Bauxite Limited is getting a steady flow of buying leads from customers intending to enter into long-term purchase agreements. In its latest quarterly activities report, the bauxite miner said it currently boasts a sale-ready stockpile of 121,300 metric tonnes of bauxite. Till the end of first quarter of 2017, six customers from four different countries worldwide have expressed interest to purchase ABx’s bauxite. In 2016, ABx sold 42,005 metric tonnes of cement-grade bauxite in four sales. Prior to that, it had sold 3,584 metric tonnes of the non-metallurgical grade bauxite in four separate sales since November, 2015. Demonstration mining and processing of bauxite has been started at Fingal Rail site- ABx’s second mine, as a proof of the...
LME aluminium ended last week in a drop. The light metal contract traded globally registered a drop of 1.25 per cent from its previous close to end at US$1,930 per tonne on Friday, April 28. Yesterday being the Early May Bank Holiday at the London Metal Exchange, trading will resume today. Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) predicts LME aluminium should move at the range of US$1,908-1,935 per tonne on Tuesday, May 2. It is likely to hover around the 40-day moving average. As per Reuters' analysis, LME aluminium may retest a support at US$1,908 per tonne, probably after a further bounce into the range of US$1,931-$1,941. "The metal has briefly pieced above US$1,921. It has a better chance of extending to US$1,931, or to US$1,941, Retuters observes. As on April 28, LME official cash buyer price...
Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products, LLC announced company’s newest expansion project in the South Central Kentucky Industrial Park in Bowling Green. The project involves an investment of $51.3 million for the production of forged aluminium suspension products. This new expansion project will increase production capacity by the addition of two new forging presses, one heat treatment line, one etch and penetrant line, one melting furnace, one casting line and two machining lines. The construction is expected to be commenced next month. Toshihiro Katsura, KAAP President and CEO said, "This is our 12th year producing aluminium automobile suspension parts in Kentucky. Two years ago we decided to make our sixth investment, and due to the increasing necessity of lighter vehicles, we have decided...
Nespresso, a part of Swiss multinational Nestlé is to start a trial scheme for their UK consumers to recycle their used aluminium coffee capsules for the first time. This is counter effort towards the backlash against their popular single-serve pods, which end up in landfill. The six-month pilot project will let Nespresso Club members recycle their used capsules using the special purple recycling bag, through their council household recycling service. Residents from London borough of Kensington and Chelsea will only be able to put out the Nespresso capsules. Nespresso has defended its aluminium coffee capsules due to its ability to keep the coffee fresh and its recycling potential. The trial scheme is part of a project to give customers more convenient in recycling. The collected used...
LME aluminium registered a sharp drop on Friday, April 28, defying a section of analysts’ outlook that indicated at a buoyant ending for the light metal last week. The contract closed at US$1,930 per tonne after Friday night trading, down 1.25 per cent from the previous day’s close of US$1,954.50 per tonne. The decline in LME aluminium prices was registered even though the US dollar index closed lower on Friday- the third weekly drop in a row. Trend analysis suggests that the LME aluminium will continue trading at lows on Monday, May 1, and may regain some strength as the week advances. As on April 28, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,929.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,930 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,937 per tonne, 3M seller price is...
At its Technology Day on April 7th, the fast expanding German FIT Group, a special provider for Additive Manufacturing (“AM”), has inaugurated its new German headquarters and new manufacturing facility – the first such facility worldwide, which was totally conceived for AM. In 2014, FIT had announced its plans to establish a facility solely for additive manufacturing, announcing an investment of 20 M Euro. The result of more than 2 years’ endeavors has now been presented to the public. The whole ground floor of the factory is dedicated to the additive manufacturing of metal parts. FIT is proud to possess the highest capacity for the additive manufacturing of metal parts in the world. One of the most interesting applications here is the volume manufacturing of identical but also customized...
The world’s leading aluminium extrusions product manufacturer China Zhongwang Holdings posted declines in profit and revenues during the first quarter of FY 2017. According to the company’s latest financial report, both the topline and bottomline reflected a drop from the corresponding period previous year. China Zhongwang’s revenues in Q1 2017 stood at 3.1 billion yuan, down from 3.5 billion yuan in 2016. Profit was also down at 513 million yuan in Q1 2017 from 604 million yuan last year. Total industrial aluminium extrusion sales were reported at 143,860 tonnes in the period under review. The sales value rose 5.2 per cent year-on-year to 3.33 billion yuan. China Zhongwang attributed the rise in sales volume and value to the increased production and sales of high value-added aluminium...
A Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation Acer has unveiled its newest Predator gaming laptop, the Triton 700 during the Next@Acer global press event in New York. The Predator Triton 700 features an aluminium chassis and a mechanical keyboard. The device comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS LCD display, 7th Gen Intel Core processing power, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 10 GPU, 32GB of DDR4 2400MHz RAM and dual storage drives. The Triton 700 has port connectivity including Thunderbolt 3, two USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort and Gigabit Ethernet. According to the company, “To complete the package, the Triton 700 includes a mechanical keyboard, PredatorSense software, and Nvidia G-Sync monitor support.” “…industry-leading AeroBlade 3D Fan with metal blades provides...
China's bauxite imports in March 2017 increased marginally. The country purchased 5.06 million tonnes of aluminium ore from the global market, a quantity higher by 0.11 per cent from that purchased in March 2016. Total bauxite imports during the first three months of the current year totalled 13.9 million tonnes. Australia remained the top bauxite supplier to China in March. The island country shipped 1.87 million tonnes of bauxite to China, up 8.24 per cent from the same period previous year. Australia was followed by Guinea. The country shipped 1.85 million tonnes bauxite to China in March 2017. Bauxite exports from Guinea increased at the highest year-on-year rate (98.38 per cent). During the initial three months of 2017, Guinea exported 4.8 million tonnes of bauxite to China. India’s...
The State of Delaware based Braidy Industries has announced a US$1.3 billion investment for a new aluminium rolling mill in Greenup County, Kentucky. The fully integrated facility is expected to be the most technically advanced aluminium rolling mill in the US. Braidy’s aluminium rolling mill measuring 2.5 million square-feet will be constructed on a 300-acre stretch of land near South Shore in Greenup County. The company says it expected the construction at the site to begin in early 2018 and get completed by 2020 end. The facility has a job creation capability of around 1000 people in the region. The new aluminium rolling mill, on completion, will have a capacity of producing nearly 370,000 tonnes of aluminium rolled products per annum and will mainly cater to the automotive and...
Another region in Asia that is growing substantially in primary aluminium production recent times is the Middle East and specifically the countries under Gulf Corporation Council. Middle East producers are mostly focusing on primary aluminium production and they are the net exporters of aluminium globally. The last reported primary aluminium production in GCC stands at 5.2 million tonnes in 2015, accounting for around 10 per cent of total global output of 58 million tonnes. The maximum investment in the downstream application is in the extrusion sector as the building and construction sector has seen exponential growth in the last two decades. The aluminium extrusion products cover extruded profiles, aluminium composite panels, fire-rated (FR) aluminium composite materials and many other...
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The month of May is awaiting the aluminium industry players with a few mega events that open up significant business opportunities between the West and the East. The month’s events mainly focus on the upstream industry covering smelting, primary aluminium and a few events from the semi-finished and finished sector. The chief among the events are CRU World Aluminium Conference and ALUMINIUM MIDDLE EAST, Dubai that bring together the global aluminium industry under one roof. Have a quick look at the top aluminium events in May and plan your visit accordingly. 1. CRU’s World Aluminium Conference 2017 Date: 3 rd –5 th May, 2017 Location: Marriott London Grosvenor Square, London, UK. The CRU World Aluminium Conference focuses on the outlook for markets, prices and premiums. When the 2017...
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, announces the launch of a new digestion train at the Urals Aluminium Smelter (UAZ). The total amount of investment in the project exceeded 1.1 billion rubles. Upon commissioning the new digestion train that consists of 82 units, the refinery will expand alumina production by 130 thousand tonnes per year. Total annual output of UAZ will reach 900 thousand tonnes of alumina. New equipment will increase the safety and energy efficiency of the production process resulting in cost reductions of alumina. The construction of the new digestion train lasted two years and became a major investment project within UAZ‘s refinery 1.5 billion rubles modernization programme. The opening ceremony of the new facility was attended by Vladislav Soloviev, CEO of...
