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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Bonnell has announced that its parent company, Tredegar Corporation has agreed to acquire 100% ownership of Futura Industries. Upon the closing of the transaction, which is expected by mid-February, Futura will become an operating division of Bonnell Aluminum. Futura, headquartered in Clearfield, Utah, with a national sales presence and particular strength in the western U.S., designs and manufactures a wide range of extruded aluminium products for a number of industries and end markets, including branded flooring trims and TSLOTS, as well as OEM components for truck grills, solar panels, fitness equipment and other applications. Futura has approximately 350 employees. Commenting on the acquisition, Brook Hamilton, President of Bonnell Aluminum, stated, “Following our successful...
Aluminium beverage cans are the most sustainable package because of the higher recycling rate and more recycled content than competing package types. Beverage can market has been growing at a fast pace due to its easy portability and recyclability and more and more beverage makers are packaging their products in slim aluminium cans that can easily be carried and cooled faster. DRY Soda Co., that produces lightly sweet, culinary-inspired sodas, has just unveiled its bold and spicy Ginger DRY Sparkling flavour in convenient 12 oz. aluminium cans at the 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show from January 22-24. Sharelle Klaus, CEO and founder of DRY Soda Co. said, “We are proud to offer refreshing Ginger DRY Sparkling in this new convenient format. We saw such success with our 750 mL holiday bottles of...
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has begun fixing anew designed signage at its stations for the suitability of its travellers. As a pilot project, the Barakhamba and Pragati Maidan metro stations have already been provided with new signage. The new signage is made of aluminium extrusion with vinyl. The signage is tough and fit to withstand rough handling. The aluminium extrusion signage will have LED backlight to lighten up symbols and words. The panels are designed for assisting commuters to station platforms and towards entry and exit will have a deep blue background with white lettering, instead of deep blue lettering on a white background. A metro official said, “These are better equipped to handle issues such as vandalism, tearing, writing on the body of the signage etc as...
Indian government has raised excise duty on bauxite to 30 per cent in yesterday’s Union Budget 2017-2018. Prior to this, there was no duty on the aluminium ore produced for sale (inland). Now, aluminium producers have to pay a duty of 30 per cent for selling the mineral ore in the domestic market. India’s bauxite consumption in FY2014-2015 stood at 15.2 million tonnes. Production of the ore was estimated at 20.2 MT, of which a significant percentage was used for domestic consumption while the rest was exported (6.8 MT). Bauxite imports amounting to 1.8 MT account for 11.2 per cent of India’s total aluminium ore consumption. Source: India Minerals Yearbook 2014 The import of bauxite by India has been decreasing year-on-year since 2013. In 2013-14, India imported 4.21 MT of bauxite which...
Aluminium demand in the European market is on the rise. Fuelled by carmarkers that are increasingly using aluminium, consumption of the lightmetal has been rising in the U.S. and Europe. There is no gainsaying the fact that aluminium glut is worsening globally- China singlehandedly driving the supplying surplus; yet, Norsk Hydro, one of Europe’s largest producers, insists that a surplus of up to 1.5m tonnes of aluminium in China this year will be offset by a deficit elsewhere in the world and steady demand. The Netherlands with a developed domestic downstream aluminium industry remains a key consumer of primary aluminium in Europe. It is home to some of the biggest manufacturers of aluminium extruders such as Hydro-Sapa. To cater to the domestic demand, it imports a substantial volume of...
Tajik Minister of Economic Development and Trade Negmatullo Hikmatullozoda announced at a news conference on 31 January that Tajikistan is planning to increase primary aluminium production to 179 thousand tons in 2017. Tajikistan produced 129.3 thousand tons of primary aluminium last year. In 2015, the company produced 139.1 thousand tons of primary aluminium. The minister said that the production of aluminium in 2017 will depend on the prices and demand for aluminium in the world market. He further stated that the demand for aluminium in Ukraine, Armenia, and Kazakhstan declined last year. The LME price of one ton of aluminium fell from US$ 1,654 per ton in 2015 to US$ 1,605 per ton in 2016. However, it started 2017 positively and hit the highest at US$ 1,870 per ton in January. In...
A Court of International Trade judge on Tuesday, January 31 declared that Swedish home furnishings retailer Ikea Supply AG cannot be exempted from paying tariffs for its imported aluminium towel racks and cabinet handles. In the month of July 2016, a Court of International Trade gave a verdict that Ikea couldn’t escape tariffs on the above mentioned products from China. The retailer filed a motion requesting a reconsideration of a July decision. However, the Court of International Trade Senior Judge Richard W. Goldberg denied Ikea's motion because they were lawfully deemed to fall within the scope of duty orders on aluminium extrusions imported from China. The court added that “Ikea provides no adequate basis for reconsideration”. In December, 2016, Ikea announced 20% rise in fiscal 2016...
GALM - The largest automotive lightweighting conference series in the world is returning to Europe - bringing brand new insights into the latest breakthroughs in lightweight materials for conventional and electric vehicle ranges The 6th Global Automotive Lightweight Materials Europe Summit (April 25th-27th, 2017, UK) will focus specifically on the latest advancements in materials, including metals, composites and thermoplastics, reliable joining methods & new solutions for lightweighting of structural parts and components, as well as lightweighting that is specific to conventional and electric vehicle ranges. The programme line-up for this year’s GALM edition will focus on improving material selection strategies, optimising multi material architectures and introducing new design solutions...
Arconic Inc. reported fourth quarter and full-year 2016 results on January 31, the Company’s first quarter reporting earnings after the separation of Alcoa Inc. on November 1, 2016, into two standalone companies- Arconic Inc. (the new name for Alcoa Inc.) and Alcoa Corporation. Arconic is a global leader in multi-materials innovation, precision engineering and advanced manufacturing, mainly in aerospace and transportation. The numbers include one month of Alcoa Corporation for fourth quarter 2016 and ten months of Alcoa Corporation for full-year 2016. 4Q and Full Year 2016 Highlights Revenue roughly stayed flat YOY. The fourth quarter total revenue stands at $3.0 billion (versus $3.0 billion in fourth quarter 2015). For the full year 2016 revenue stands at $12.4 billion (versus $12.4...
Oriental Edison Lighting Technology Limited, a professional manufacturer of lighting products, excels in producing and exporting lighting products based on LED technology. The company is specialized in manufacturing LED light and bulb with aluminium housing. As the government worldwide is urging to their citizens to use energy-efficient lights, Oriental Edison offers wide range of LED lights, lamps, and bulbs including g8.5 bulb lights. The g8.5 lights like 35w LED bulb light, 25w LED bulb light, 17w LED bulb light, 10w LED cob LED par light, and 10w 360° LED light comes with aluminium housing. The aluminium housing functioning as a heat radiator ensures that it doesn't get too hot while remaining lighted for long hours. Oriental Edison manufactures LED lamps, bulbs, and tube-lights in...
The U.S. dollar index failed to make a reversal after the much uninspiring Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting. After hitting its worst in 30 years, the currency could recover only a little ground on Wednesday, and that got reflected in LME aluminium price trend. The contract dipped marginally by 0.16 per cent to close at US$1,818 per tonne after Wednesday's night trading. With uncertainty looming over Donald Trump's presidency, it is unlikely that the dollar index will recover soon. This will keep supporting commodity prices at their recent levels. The U.S. gasoline supplies, on the other side, are piling up, and while that might not help drivers much, it could be a negative for the price of oil, says CNBC. Based on the macroeconomic trends, LME aluminium is expected to hover in the...
Arconic Inc. announced on February 1 that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld will present at Cowen and Company’s 38th Annual Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 in New York. Mr. Kleinfeld’s presentation will begin at 2:50 PM EST. The presentation will be available through a live audio webcast on Arconic’s website. Presentation materials will be available for viewing starting at 2:40 PM on February 8 on the “Investors/Events and Presentations” section on Arconic’s website.
The U.S. dollar fell against the euro and other major global currencies on Tuesday, January 31, extending its year-to-date decline after Peter Navarro, the newly elected head economic policy advisor to President Donald Trump called Europe’s currency "grossly undervalued." The dollar nosedived to its lows buoying up LME aluminium prices which have been sliding downward over the last one week. The contract finally gained some strength and closed at US$1,821 per tonne after Tuesday's night trading, logging a marginal rise of 0.77 per cent from the previous day's closing of US$1,807 per tonne. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY +0.15 per cent, which had traded as high as 100.43 prior to Navarro's comments, fell 0.8 per cent to 99.62. LME aluminium is expected to find support at its current level...
When Arun Jaitley, India’s Finance Minister rises to present the Budget for 2017-2018 today, February 1, he faces almost the same challenge for the third time: to convince the country that the Budget would propel the economy towards the much awaited “better days” his government had promised for three years ago before coming to power. This year, the task happens to be even more uphill given the setback India received due to the Union government’s recent demonetization drive. However, fiscal consolidation is not the only theme that is going to be the focus area of this year’s Budget, it has to revive investments and at the same time, boost sectors like manufacturing to push job creation on an immediate basis. This is where aluminium industry can expect to get some extra support from the...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has announced that Aluminium Federation of South Africa (AFSA) has joined the organization as an Associations member. The Aluminium Federation of South Africa (AFSA) is an active aluminium industry association and has, since 1981, been involved in increasing the awareness and use of aluminium in Southern Africa. It offers its members a wide variety of services, the most notable of which are technical information and advice, education, training and skills upgrading, a range of publications and market industry and business development support, including engagement with the authorities on trade and environmental issues. The Aluminium Federation of South Africa (AFSA) is the voice of and the gateway to, the South African Aluminium Industry. “AFSA has...
RM Rail Company from Russia, a leading producer of more than 50 models of freight wagons as well as wagons casting has released their strategy for 2017. The top priorities for 2017 include development of innovative wagon designs, an increase in exports and expansion of the range of castings offered. This has been confirmed by CEO Pavel Ovchinnikov. The company significantly developed its export operations over 2016. The company supplied wagons and components to Iran, Cuba, the Baltic States and Kazakhstan. The company successfully completed the testing of its first aluminium-bodied hopper wagon design in Russia which looked sleeker and had the capacity to carry more weight due to its light weight structure. The company also obtained certification for a high-capacity ammonia tank wagon....
ABB has received two contracts from Aluminium Norf GmbH (Alunorf) for the modernisation of the KW5 cold-rolling mill with a total contract value of around €2 million. Both contracts represent the first part of a complete four-phase modernisation of the automation and technical equipment at KW5. In doing so, ABB is continuing its almost 20-year cooperation in the lifecycle support of the installation. The first step includes an upgrade of the existing ABB 800xA process control system to version 5.1, as well as the implementation of an AC800 PEC controller as a master encoder and for drive control in an existing ABB system based on MP200 controllers from the mid-1990s. The AC800 PEC controller is specifically used for the demanding drive oriented control and regulation tasks in all types of...
The scientists at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Energy (JAXA) have built a revolutionary space junk vacuum cleaner that aims to clean up space debris accumulating in the outer world since the beginning of the space age. The unique space junk cleaner is an experimental vehicle made of thin strands of aluminium and stainless steel wire. With a tether measuring 700 meters, the vehicle is capable of generating electricity as it swings through the earth's magnetic field. It goes without saying that clearing up space junk is in itself a mammoth task. Though NASA ensures the fact that the risk of debris impact both in space and on Earth, is kept at minimal, on an average one piece of space junk has fallen back every day for the past 50 years. According to the NASA Orbital Debris Program...
