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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The aluminium futures contract traded on India's Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) lost ground after scaling a high of INR 125.7 on Monday April 10. The increase was basically a bounce back from last week's decline when the contract tested support at INR 124 on Friday, April 8. MCX aluminium is facing a strong resistance around INR 128 per kilogram and is projected to hover around INR 124 in the near-term. This is 3.1 per cent down from last Tuesday's trading price when MCX aluminium touched a high of INR 128 per kg. Market analysis suggests the broader range of INR 122-130 that has been defining MCX aluminium since January remains intact. There is a possibility that the contract might decline to INR 122 within this range; a breakout from this range, on either side, will decide the next...
Hagley Building Products has made an investment of $20 million in a new factory for two of its businesses- Hagley Windows and Doors and Thermaseal Double Glazing in Christchurch, New Zealand. Hagley Windows and Doors manufacture aluminium windows and doors to suit residential and commercial needs in the South Island. The new facility will manufacture bespoke, windows and doors and other specialized glass products domestically rather than importing these products. Geoff Ball, the founder of Hagley Windows and Doors and Thermaseal said, “With home designs now incorporating more indoor-outdoor flow with larger windows and doors and newer features such as flush sills on doors, we are fortunate to manufacture the Vantage range of aluminium windows and doors.” “They are continually refining and...
Vedanta Resources releases production report for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year ended 31 March 2017 and registers record annual production for the aluminium segment. Commenting on the results, the present Chief Executive Officer, Tom Albanese said: "In line with our strategic priority to ramp up production at our Zinc, Aluminium, Power and Iron Ore businesses, I am happy to say that we have achieved strong results on this front during the year." Vedanta reports a record aluminium production of 353,000 tonnes in Q4 FY 2017, registering a growth of 11% QoQ and 56% higher YoY. This was attributed to production ramp ups at the Jharsuguda-II and BALCO-II smelters which are taking place on schedule, following the pot outages during 2016. The complete potline is expected to stabilize in the...
The slide in LME aluminium price continues. The lightmetal which closed at US$1,929 per tonne on Monday, April 10, dipped by 1.11 per cent to close at US$1,907.50 per tonne after night trading on Tuesday, April 11. The price fall is in line with Reuters' analysis which said that LME aluminium may slide to US$1,914 per tonne on Tuesday, as it is evident from its wave pattern and Fibonacci projection. According to Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) forecast, LME aluminium will escalate during Asian trading hours moving in the range of US$1,913-1,950 per tonne on Wednesday, April 12. As on April 10, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1907 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,907.50 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,918.50 per tonne, 3M seller price is US$1,919 per...
The giant Tomago aluminium smelter has put itself forward as a foundation customer for any low emissions coal-fired electricity generator to be built in the Hunter Valley as it warns continued power supply instability and rising prices threatens its future. With the plant accounting for 12 per cent of NSW’s electricity consumption, a commitment from Tomago would help underwrite any new power plant. Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and Resources Minister Matt Canavan have both floated ultra-supercritical coal-fired power stations as potential solutions to stabilise the energy grid and drive down emissions. A question about the role for low-emissions coal technologies was also included in the national energy market security review being conducted by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel....
Rusal, one of the world's largest aluminium producers, inked a Joint Venture (JV) agreement with Runaya Metsource on equal terms to produce high technology aluminium paste and powders in India. Runaya Metsource is a Mumbai-based company promoted by the shareholders of Vedanta. Alexey Arnautov, RUSAL's director for new projects said, "RUSAL s strategic priority includes the increase in production and sales of high value added products, including the creation of joint ventures”. Furthermore, he also added: "A combination of RUSAL s long lasting experience in production of aluminium powders and pastes as well as Runaya Metsource s strong position as a local player create solid competitive advantages for the JV and is an excellent foundation to penetrate the market." The project is likely to...
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and ST Kinetics signed partnership agreement on Monday, Apr 10, to develop driverless buses in Singapore by 2020.The buses will have all-aluminium body in order to keep it light and will be electrically powered. ST Kinetics expects to unveil a prototype by early next year. The buses will get level 4 autonomy initially that will allow the bus to be driven by itself but will still be manned. The company will make two 40-seater electric buses - the first time a Singapore company is building an autonomous bus. It will be tested in locations like the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus and Jurong Island before hitting the public roads. The buses will have satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) and sensors to scan. The driverless buses will...
According to a Platts’ report, Australia is expected to produce 82.7 million tonnes of bauxite in FY 2016-2017 (July-June), up 1.22% YOY, as confirmed by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science on Friday. Upcoming projects in the state of Queensland are expected to raise Australia's bauxite production from fiscal 2017-2018, the report said. Metro Mining's Bauxite Hills project (5 million tpy) and Rio Tinto's Amrun project (23 million tpy) which are expected to start operation in FY 2017-2018 and FY 2018-2019 are two of major upcoming bauxite projects in Queensland. Based on the assumption, Australia's bauxite production is expected to grow at a rate of 6% per year for next three financial years to reach 98 million tonnes in fiscal 2019-2020, the report added. According to DIIS,...
National Aluminium Company (Nalco), a central government-owned entity, is set to join the club of million-tonne producers in the segment by 2020. It has readied about INR 25,000 crore of investment to expand its aluminium, alumina and power capacities. In the country, Hindalco and Vedanta have metal capacities of over one million tonnes (mt) a year. Nalco’s smelter at Angul can now produce up to 0.46 mt annually. “A fifth pot line with capacity to produce 0.6 mt will be added to the existing four. The cost of the project is INR 12,000 crore. Normally, such work would take 3.5-4 years to complete; we are trying to complete it within three years,” said a top official. It has also initiated steps to augment its power generation and alumina production, to support the metal capacity expansion....
New Zealand based boat builder Sealegs is all set to release its newest 7.7m Sport D-Tube model with aluminium hull at Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show (SCIBS) as part of the Sirocco Marine North exhibit. The show will take place from May 25 to 28 2017 where the industry presents its latest boating and marine innovations. The new model has been designed and made in-house by the company and comes under the current 6.1m model in the D-Tube range. The 7.7m Sport D-Tube gets 5mm aluminium hull which has a 21 degree deadrise. The model also features six aluminium chambers for buoyancy. Aluminium hull model is fitted with a 200hp engine and runs at a top speed of 38.5 knots. The new models measure 7.8m in length overall with the wheels up, and has an external beam of 2.26m. Sealegs uses...
According to an SMM report, China Zhongwang posted a 12.1% rise in net profit to 3.14 billion yuan in 2016. The rise in profit was primarily driven by rapid expansion in the automotive aluminium market in Asia, North America and Europe. The result was published in the company’s 2016 earnings report. China Zhongwang is the second largest industrial aluminium extrusion product developer and manufacturer in the world and the largest in Asia. It has more than 90 production lines with a total annual production capacity of about 1.2 million tons. Aluminium processing business is main driver of its performance in 2016, with sales registering an increase of 22.7% YOY to 90,000 tonnes and sales revenue up 25.1% to 2.44 billion yuan. Total sales increased 3.9% YOY to 765,000 tonnes, generating an...
As reported in the Aluminum Association’s “Index of Net New Orders of Aluminum Mill Products” for March increased 13.6% over February 2017. {newsStudioGallery} Month on month, orders for flat roll products (sheet, plate, can stock and foil) were up 14.7%, while orders for extruded products increased 13.0% and orders for redraw rod were off 2.2%. Total orders were up 4% YOY. On average, orders recorded by domestic producers through the first quarter 2017 were up 3.3% over the same period of 2016. Aluminum imports of ingot, scrap and mill products into the U.S. and Canada (excluding cross-border trade) stood at 379500 tonnes in February 2017, up 50.2% over the February 2016 total of 252500 tonnes. Total aluminium exports in February including scrap, which accounted for roughly 53.2 % of it...
LME aluminium price remained unchanged as it closed at US$1,929 per tonne after night trading on Monday, April 10. The light metal, despite indications of a potential reversal, is taking time to gather momentum. Shanghai Metal Market (SMM) says LME aluminium will regain its lost ground and move at US$1,910-1,950 per tonne range on Tuesday, April 11. As on April 10, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1928.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,929 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,940 per tonne, 3M seller price is US$1,940.50 per tonne, Dec1 buyer price is US$1,977 per tonne, and Dec1 seller price is US$1982 per tonne. The current LME official Opening Stock of aluminium is estimated at 1802800 tonnes, total Live Warrants is 1007875 tonnes, and Cancelled...
A global mining and metals company South32 announced yesterday 10 April, that the company signed a three-year strategic partnership agreement with GE, the world's Digital Industrial Company, in Sydney. The partnership will help in the development of South32’s technology roadmap and activation of the Company’s digital transformation. Graham Kerr, CEO of South32, commented: “Bringing the world of operational technology and information technology together to monitor equipment and systems remotely and predict future behaviour is a game changer. It has the potential to identify and solve a problem before it affects operations.” Through this agreement, the company will use GE’s Predix platform which is designed for industry and connects industrial equipment, data analysis and instant insights....
China's Gansu Province-based steelmaker Jiuquan Iron & Steel Group (JISCO) Co. has announced the commencement of a 14-MegaWatt gas turbine on April 6. The gas turbine project is aimed at restarting Alpart Alumina plant in Jamaica. As per Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) report, JISCO will restart the 2-million tonne per annum alumina capacity shortly. In the last quarter of 2016, Russian aluminium giant Rusal completed the sale of its Alpart alumina refinery in Jamaica to JISCO for US$299 million. The sale was part of Rusal’s efforts to improve its own debt ratio. The two companies also established a consulting and technical services agreement in order to facilitate the hand-off. Alpart’s capacity, prior to its shut down in 2009, was 1.65 million metric tonnes of alumina and 4.9 million...
Rating agency ICRA projected that the long- term demand for base metal would continue to be positive in India. The government’s investment on infrastructure projects for the smart city plan would drive the demand for base metals such as aluminium, copper and zinc. According to the report of ICRA, "In the long-term, demand of base metals in India remain positive, driven by investments in infrastructure projects for the power transmission and distribution sector, urban housing and smart city programmes of the government." In the first nine months of the financial year 2017, the rise in consumption of aluminium remained at 10 per cent because of the demand from the power transmission and distribution and the automobile sectors. ICRA said the growth in consumption of domestic primary...
Turkish aluminium industry is characterized by the presence of a large number of international and regional manufacturers of downstream aluminium products and a single producer of primary aluminium- Eti Aluminium. The only integrated producer of primary aluminium in the country, Eti's production volume (annual capacity: 82,000 tonnes) falls considerably short of the demand that is there in the domestic market. Hence, key consumer sectors namely construction material manufacturers, automotive OEMs, and packaging companies have to rely majorly on imports of primary (non-alloyed) aluminium and alloyed aluminium ingots as raw materials for their production units. {newsStudioGallery} Turkey’s aluminium import in last three years peaked in 2016, when the total volume imported reached 1.05...
The last quarter of 2016 helped mining and metal companies witnessed a reversal of fortune as inventories decreased and metal prices rebounded slowly but steadily. Metal stocks started soaring, as investors participated actively on expectations of better times ahead. National Aluminium Company (Nalco) shares not only more than doubled last year but also hold good prospect in the current year. The company works through the upstream business of the aluminium value chain starting from bauxite mining, alumina refining and selling, and aluminium production. Nalco is in an advantageous position in comparison to its competitors because of its bauxite benefits. Nalco is the biggest bauxite miner in India and produces about 6.3 million tons of bauxite from the Panchpatmali mine. However, the...
