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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Primary aluminium is the most significant power-consuming industries in Iceland. There are currently three aluminium smelters in operation with a total capacity of over 800,000 mtpy, which puts Iceland at the 11th position among aluminium-producing countries worldwide. The three aluminium smelters in Iceland are in Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland, owned by Alcoa, on Grundartangi near Akranes, West Iceland, owned by Norðurál , a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S.-based Century Aluminum and in Straumsvík near Hafnarfjörður, Southwest Iceland, owned by Rio Tinto Iceland. Iceland’s three smelters contributed 38%of the $15.6 billion economy’s total exports in 2015. The smelters tap cheap power from the north Atlantic island’s vast stores of geothermal and hydro-power. They have secure power supply...
Altech Chemicals has just released December 2016 Quarterly Activities Report and cash flow update. The highlights of the report show steady growth of its HPA project. Altech opens Malaysian subsidiary office at Johor HPA site, which is close to site of proposed HPA plant. Applications for various permits and approvals have also commenced for future operations. The company has started soil survey at Johor HPA site. The soil survey drilling plays an important part in the detailed civil design and engineering of the project. Altech confirms that HPA project is making regular progress and is nearing completion. The detailed design is progressing as planned without any major flaw. Permission for the plant construction has been commenced. Altech has also submitted mining proposal for Meckering...
According to the monthly aluminium highlights published by Aluminum Association, U.S. and Canadian producers shipped estimated 23.8 million pounds of aluminium Forgings and Impacts during December 2016, registering a slight drop YOY. On a month on month comparison, shipments dropped 5.5% from the November 2016 total shipment. Preliminary shipments for the full year 2016 stood at 316.2 million pounds, down 5.3% from the 2015 total of 334.0 million pounds. According to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. real GDP increased at an annual rate of 1.9% in the fourth quarter of 2016. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.5%. The deceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter (as compared to the third) reflected a downturn in exports, an acceleration in...
Aluminium prices were up by 0.12 per cent to INR 122.35 per kg in futures trading today on India's prime commodity exchange as speculators built up fresh positions amid uptick in demand in the spot market. At Mumbai's Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in current month rose by 15 paise, or 0.12 per cent to INR 122.35 per kg in business turnover of 88 lots. Image Courtesy: www.moneycontrol.com The metal for delivery in February contracts, however, held steady at INR 122.40 per kg in 94 lots. Analysts said that fresh positions created by participants due to pick up in demand from consuming industries in the physical market, mainly helped aluminium prices to trade higher at futures trade.
Century Aluminum has filed an antitrust lawsuit in federal court against Santee Cooper, its power provider. The company accuses the power provider of breaching state and federal antitrust laws to which Santee Cooper assures "vigorous defense." Michael Bless, Century Aluminum Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer said that they had to proceed with the lawsuit because all other attempts including a recent final face-to-face attempt to reach resolution with Santee Cooper had failed. “We have filed this antitrust lawsuit against Santee Cooper as a last resort to save 600 jobs and the nearly $1 billion in economic contributions to the state of South Carolina made by the Mt. Holly plant.” he said. As said by Century Aluminum, Santee Cooper unlawfully pushed the Mt. Holly smelter to...
Aluminium prices softened by 0.28 per cent to INR 123.75 per kg in futures trade today as speculators reduced exposure in view of ending monthly expiry amid easing demand in the spot market. At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in January declined by 35 paise, or 0.28 per cent to INR 123.75 per kg in business turnover of 112 lots. Image Courtesy: www.moneycontrol.com Likewise, the metal for delivery in February contracts was trading lower by a similar margin to INR 123.60 per kg in 20 lots. Analysts said offloading of positions by participants ahead of monthly expiry coupled with slackened demand from consuming industries in the physical market led to decline in aluminium prices at futures trade.
Albania, the mineral resource rich country in South-eastern Europe's Balkan Peninsula has opened up to the global investors only very recently. The free trade zone of Albania's city of Koplik was declared open for manufacturing, industrial and agro-processing activities as well as trading and storing goods, in July 2016. To remain operational till 2025 for a symbolical price of 1 euro, the region now throws open opportunities for a number of industries to grow and expand. Downstream aluminium manufacturing remains one of the key industries in Albania. Alumil Albania, Everest, Vibtis Ltd, Endress hauser are some of the noted aluminium product manufacturers and automation companies of the country. {newsStudioGallery} Alumil Albania, the biggest manufacturer of aluminium profiles in Albania,...
According to aluminium recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, the U.S. aluminium industry purchased an estimated 792 million pounds of aluminium scrap during November 2016, this records a healthy increase of 14.4% over the November 2015 total of 693 million. USGS estimates that the total recovery of aluminium and aluminium alloys stood at 672 million pounds in November, an increase of 14.8% YOY. The US aluminium industry is concentrating more on secondary recovery to supply to domestic industries after the downturn of the primary aluminium sector. According to the preliminary data, for the period from January to November 2016, the recovery of aluminium from scrap stood at an estimated 7,337 million pounds. This also registers a 6.9% increase...
Bulk commodity producers have been continuing to struggle during the last few years with low commodity prices and in efforts to cut costs. A number of facilities have closed down over last few years. However, with the LME prices showing signs of improvement and demand from China continuing to stay strong, there may be a number of distressed assets coming onto the market throughout 2017, many with the potential for closure and many with potential for re-investment. Now Volkmar Guido Hable of Switzerland is planning to shake up the industry with an acquisition of the former BHP Billiton asset “Boffa” in West-Africa, whose total investment is valued in the multi-billion dollar range. Early October 2016 Volkmar Guido Hable and Samarium Tennessine announced an 8 billion USD investment plan for...
Donald Trump's isolationism seems to have hurt optimism over pro-business initiatives in the US rather badly. The S&P/ASX200 headed lower at the opening, adding to Monday's falls. The benchmark index was down 0.54 per cent to 5,632.30 at 1038 AEST (1038 GMT, on Monday), reported Bloomberg. Effect on base metals was mixed. LME aluminium ended further lower at US$1,807 per tonne after Monday's night trading, down 1.09 per cent from the previous day's closing of US$1,827 per tonne. Major markets in China remains closed for the Lunar New Year Holiday. Trading will resume on February 3. As on January 30, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,806 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,807 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,810 per tonne, 3M seller price is...
London Taxi Company (LTC), an automotive engineering company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese automaker Geely, has opened its new car plant in Coventry, United Kingdom. The company will manufacture new hybrid-electric TX5 taxis in March, with the vehicles rolling off the production line in the third quarter. The company’s Coventry plant has the capacity to produce 36,000 of the cabs annually. Initially, the company will produce about 1,000 cars but soon it will ramp up its production. LTC has invested £300m for this new car plant. The company is targeting a 70-mile range for electric-only propulsion. Chris Gubbey, LTC’s chief executive, said “New demands on pollution controls in cities mean that people were very interested”. He explained, “Taxi drivers have been holding off buying...
Indian foundry industry acts as an ancillary industry to the manufacturing sector as it supports auto, auto components, railways, electric, cement etc. It also acts as a downstream industry for the metal industries like steel, iron and aluminium. The Indian foundry industry is third largest globally with revenue at $ 18 billion & exports of approximately $ 2.7 billion and it is also the second largest producer of castings globally. Anil Vaswani, president, Institute of Indian Foundrymen, in an interview to Foundry Planet has reiterated the need for the development of the foundry sector in order to support Make in India campaign. He feels, to support Make in India, the foundry sector will need to grow at least 3 folds in next 10 years. The auto sector has been forecasted to grow to $ 300...
The new model of an aluminium Airship has lot to offer for the 21st century. An aluminium Airship called Aeroscraft has the potential to change the future of travel in military applications, air freight, air cruise tourism, and more. The aluminium airship is claimed to be lighter than air in the sky. The giant aluminium airship is 81 meters long and 30 meters wide, with the full ship at 122 meters and can lift at least 66 tons of cargo. The Aeroscraft is made of aluminium and carbon fibre. It is helium-powered, and can lift vertically without depending on any wind beneath its wings. The United States has spent $50 million on this project for the military operational purpose and for its support in disaster relief. NASA has also extended help for this project. In 2013, a memorandum of...
Australian Bauxite Limited (ABx) posted strong growth in fertilizer-grade and cement-grade bauxite sales in the fourth quarter of 2016. The metallurgical grade bauxite business showed little improvement. ABx, in its quarterly report and activity statement, said their bauxite features chemistry that is uniquely suited to the manufacture of cement due to its ability to increase concrete’s late strength. ABx registered five sales to two repeat customers and negotiations are underway with six more customers for long-term contracts. Possibilities are strong that these negotiations on being finalized would help the miner open a second bauxite mine. The bauxite deliveries though took time to complete until summer, picked momentum during the last quarter, and ABx was successful in shipping modest...
The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) an association for aluminium packaging producers, reprocessors and fillers in the UK, is sponsoring the Drops Cycling Team during 2017 in order to promote recycling of aluminium packaging that people use at work, at home and on the go. The sponsorship will focus on the Every Can Counts programme aimed at helping people to recycle aluminium drinks cans. The Every Can Counts initiative will be promoted by the Drops Cycling Team during 2017 season at races around the UK, including the Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour Series. Drops Director, Tom Varney says: “We’re delighted to welcome Alupro on board. The Every Can Counts initiative, and recycling in general has many synergies with cycling and we’re excited to explore opportunities of how...
Saudi Arabia, which is home to the GCC's only integrated aluminium complex- Ma'aden Aluminium (a joint venture between the Saudi Arabian Mining Company and Alcoa), is inching towards becoming fully self-reliant in alumina procurement for metal production within the country. Construction at Ma'aden's Al Ba’itha bauxite mine, the first one in the Middle East is progressing at a steady pace. On completion, the mine is estimated to produce over 4 million metric tonnes of bauxite ore per year (mtpy) which will be refined in the GCC's first alumina refinery to produce 1.8 million mtpy of alumina. Much of this alumina will be processed in MA's smelter to produce 740,000 mtpy of aluminium. For now, Saudi has to depend on alumina imports for domestic metal production, but the volume of imports has...
The last week has been marked by a quick gain in all the major indices (SENSEX & NIFTY) and Nifty Metal index outperforming the major indices by a good margin, recording gains of 6%. The current week stock market activities are expected to be driven mostly by the details provided by the Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley from Wednesday morning which is the budget day for the next Financial Year. The Finance Minister’s budget will set the tone for the metal market as there is no major trigger working at present and the market participants are ignoring poor earning considering positive budget expectations. The Indian Metal industry is expecting few announcements which will cheer up the industry. As for the aluminium industry is concerned; the expected announcement of Minimum Import Price (MIP)...
The Aluminium Secondary Manufacturers Association (ASMA) has requested the Finance Minister and Commerce Minister to “stop Injustice against 3500 Aluminium MSME” over government’s decision for imposing a minimum import price (MIP) on aluminium through an open letter in the newspapers. ASMA said, “It has been reported in the media that Ministry of Mines has eventually recommended to fix Minimum Import Price (MIP) for import of aluminium metal in the country.” The association said downstream players all over the world including India buy aluminium at a price based on London Metal Exchange (LME) price to which quarterly premium is added to arrive at the CIF value for import of aluminium metal in any country. This shows that MIP is already added and there is no need of fixing extra MIP for...
