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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A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission confirms that Century Aluminum has completed the sale of its Ravenswood smelter to Applied Partners Inc. for about $15 million. Both the companies signed a sale agreement on Dec. 2 and all the official formalities were completed on Friday. Applied Partners, a firm based in Delaware, would house one of its own subsidiaries on the site and make rest of the lots available for other companies. Allied Partners is a leading development company that specializes in buying idle commodity assets and preparing them for physical reuse and economic renewal in future. Earlier, applied Partners President Mark Cenit praised property and the surrounding locality of West Virginia and appreciated the cooperation his company has received from local...
LME aluminium after scaling a nine-month high on Tuesday, last week, January 24, has been easing out due to a light trading sentiment. The contract has fallen by 2.29 per cent from the mid-week high of US$1,870 per tonne. On Friday, January 27, LME aluminium closed at US$1,827 per tonne after night trading, down 0.59 per cent from the previous day's closing of US$1,838 per tonne. The monthly chart of US dollar index has been throwing up some bullish indications. In the coming days too, the index is expected to move up. If that happens, LME aluminium will dip further moving in the range of US$1,810-US$1,830 per tonne. Another indicator, the crude oil finished lower on Friday, last week. The futures logged a modest weekly loss, as investors turned their attention to rising production in the...
During the release of 4 th Quarter and Full Year results, Alcoa’s Chief Executive Officer Roy Harvey says the company wants to “dramatically” ramp up its WA bauxite exports after last month’s first shipment of ore from its Huntly Mine in WA. Alcoa made its first commercialbauxite shipment from the Huntly mine to China in late December, after the signing a 400,000 tonne bauxite supply agreement with a Chinese refiner. Alcoa has been authorised to export up to 2.5 million tonnes of bauxite annually for five years, and the Alcoa CEO told analysts during the quarterly earnings call that the company hoped to quickly expand its bauxite operations to leverage on the agreement. Alcoa is now selling about six million tonnes of product a year to third-party refiners, though the company has not...
2017 has unveiled itself with positive expectations for the aluminium industry when LME aluminium prices hit 20-month peak in January at US$1870 per ton in anticipation of capacity cut in China, supported by retreating dollar. The second month of the year unfolds a number of significant events from the recycling, end user and aluminium processing sector. Aluminium metal processing is getting much advanced with the application of latest technologies. Events that cover aluminium metal processing and the end user application are going to draw a good amount of visitors and industry participants in 2017. We are giving a list of the top aluminium events from the month of February, so that you can block your dates for the events. 1. The Packaging Conference (TPC) Date: 6 th –8 th February, 2017...
Industrial automation has changed the face of global aluminium industry. From optimizing power conversion systems and re-tuning engineered power utility interfaces to equipping plants with cutting-edge statistical quality control systems, leading automation providers have helped the otherwise energy-intensive industry address its power consumption issues more effectively while ensuring enhanced precision in product manufacturing. With the increased use of mechanized equipment and logical programming commands human error in decision making and manual command-response activities has been reduced to the lowest. Be it in primary aluminium production or in extrusions manufacturing or 3D printing with aluminium, automation has added a whole new dimension to the lightmetal engineering. Following...
Eagle, British sports car-maker that restores and modifies Jaguar E-Types, has launched its latest model called Spyder GT. The Spyder GT is based on the original Jaguar E-Type but with extreme modification as it comes with a folding roof-top and aluminium body panel. The newest Spyder GT gets an aluminium monocoque, an aluminium gearbox and aluminium block engines. The model features a twin-cam 4.7-liter Jaguar XK inline-six producing 330 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque. Eagle claimed that the newest Spyder GT gets a 0-60 mph time of less than five seconds and a top speed of at least 170 mph. The aluminium body features 16 inch wheels with a weight of 2,269 pounds. Eagle’s new model is made out of lightweight aluminium in order to reduce its body weight. All the car parts that can be restored...
PT Aneka Tambang (ANTM), a mining company, announced on Wednesday that the company was finalizing its next downstream projects using bauxite reserves and nickel ores. For Bauxites, ANTAM is currently developing Smelter Grade Alumina Refinery (SGAR) plant with PT Inalum. The company is also preparing Line 2 and Line 3 ferronickel plant development projects in order to add value to its reserves through downstream projects. These downstream projects can be accomplished through internal funding or collaborating with strategic partners. ANTAM’s President Director Tedy Badrujaman said," We are currently preparing our next downstream projects to enhance the Company’s sustainability. We will also benefit from the momentum of mineral export policy to continue downstream initiatives to expand our...
Boyne Smelter Limited is in the process of determining the number of job cuts and production reduction at its facility in Australia. The aluminium company, unable to cope with the surging electricity costs, is mulling downsizing, reported sources aware of the matter. This comes at a time when aluminium has made a comeback from its yearlong downturn in 2015-2016. The metal, on London Metal Exchange, surged to touch a nine-month high at US$1,870 per tonne on Tuesday, January 24. Yet, Boyne Smelter seems to see little hope in the development. Joe Rea, general manager of the Australian aluminium company said the dwindling market condition of aluminium has already made it difficult for the smelter to perform well on the global market- hence, the decision to cut production as well as jobs. Last...
Alcoa Corporation reported its fourth quarter 2016 results on January 24 and despite net loss, the results reflect profit growth at the combined segment level. Alcoa reported 9% sequential growth in its Q4 revenue of $2.5 billion. The revenue growth was driven by higher alumina pricing to a considerable extent and it could close the quarter with a decent cash balance of $853 million supported by that. Alcoa continued to successfully build its third-party bauxite business and to further streamline its alumina and aluminium portfolio over the fourth quarter. AofA secured its first major bauxite export contract out of Western Australia (WA), and was granted approval to export up to 2.5 million metric tons per annum of bauxite for five years to third-party customers. As a strategic move,...
Uniprom Metali, a Montenegro based mining group in Europe, has devised a plan of US$3.2 million (3 million euro) investment in Rudnici Boksita bauxite mining complex to scale up production in the first half of 2017. The funding will be mobilized for upgrading the belt conveyors of the mine. Post upgrade, monthly bauxite production will increase to 45,000-50,000 tonnes per month, said Uniprom managing director Veselin Pejovic on Wednesday. The total production at Rudnici Boksita bauxite mine is expected to reach 200,000 tonnes, valued at US$55 million during the next six months of the current financial year. The Montenegrin miner exports bauxite produced in Rudnici Boksita operations to China and Poland, said Pejovic. In 2015, the owners of the mine had filed for bankruptcy proceedings...
Aluminium scrap supply in major Japanese markets remains tight which seem to be supporting the bullish market conditions over the short term, reports the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) in its latest edition of Non-Ferrous Metals World Mirror. The country's total aluminium scrap exports surged 14 per cent year-on-year reaching 157,200 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2016. Exports of UBC scrap to South Korea, in the meantime, jumped 56 per cent from that in 2015 to total at 54,500 tonnes during the period under review. The figures are in stark contrast with those of imports. Aluminium scrap inflow in Japan from other countries has shrunk considerably over the last two years. {newsStudioGallery} In 2015, Japan purchased 67,092.23 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the global...
Reynaers Aluminium, a European developer of aluminium products for the building sector, has supplied multiple aluminium glazing systems to the largest single office development in the Channel Islands. Jersey Esplanade, extending to over 200,000 sq ft, contains large, open plan office spaces across six storeys which surround a central atrium and circulation core. It gives panoramic view of the St Aubins Bay. The BREEAM- rated building has combined modulated stone cladding with expansive areas of Reynaers aluminium curtain walling, and the building is occupied by blue-chip brands such as Royal Bank of Canada, Deloitte and C5 Alliance. The Reynaers systems comprises CW 86 and CW 50 curtain walling, as well as CS 68 and CS 77 aluminium windows and doors. Reynaers’ Marketing Manager, Rebecca...
Colorado has one of the largest concentrations of beer lovers in the world. Interestingly, the state leader or the governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper himself was into beer production before beginning his political career. Colorado produces some of the tastiest and biggest names in beer, including Coors. What is more interesting is the fact that Colorado produced the first ever aluminium beer can. On January 22, 1959, the Coors Company, based out of Golden, Colorado started packaging their beers in aluminium cans for consumers. Tin cans had been in use since as early as the 1930s. Coors figured out that aluminium was better as the cans chill faster efficiently because of their thin and light construction. Aluminium beer cans also changed the way beer was transported for consumption....
LME aluminium has eased out after rising to record highs on Tuesday, January 24. The contract closed at US$1,838 per tonne, down 0.59 per cent from the previous day's closing of US$1,849 per tonne. As per Shanghai Metals Market's earlier prediction, the contract is likely to hover in the range of US$1,810-1,840 per tonne in the short term. As on January 26, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,837 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,837.5 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,838 per tonne, 3M seller price is US$1,840 per tonne, Dec1 buyer price is US$1,870 per tonne, and Dec1 seller price is US$1,875 per tonne. The current LME official Opening Stock of aluminium is estimated at 2290075 tonnes, total Live Warrants is 1634200 tonnes, and Cancelled Warrant is...
State-owned aluminium maker National Aluminium Company (Nalco) and Indian Defence Ministry’s Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI) are in talks to produce auto-grade aluminium and high-end value added products. Under the Government of India’s mission for Make in India, Nalco is planning to take up the projects through joint venture with MIDHANI to manufacture auto-grade aluminium and other products which are not manufactured in India. Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand, CMD Nalco said, “51% of the India’s aluminium requirements are presently met through imports from China, Middle East and other countries. Of this, a major portion is value added products, that are not produced in India, and are used by the auto and aero sectors.” He further added, “Discussions with MIDHANI are in an advanced stage, for...
Following the completion of the FIACE project, which highlighted the significant contribution flexible packaging makes to a circular economy and identified opportunities to optimize end of life solutions, it has been announced that the project will continue with a wider scope under the new name of CEFLEX (a Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging). Flexible packaging supports efficient use of resources and waste minimization throughout the lifecycle of the packed product. Not only does flexible packaging help to prevent food waste by offering optimised fit-for-purpose solutions, but it makes a much more efficient use of packaging material than alternative packaging formats with higher recycling rates. This is one of the key findings of the FIACE project, a European initiative, whose aim...
LME aluminium fell after Wednesday's night trading to US$1,849 per tonne, down 1.12 per cent from the previous day's price of US$1,870 per tonne. Analysts opine a faltering crude oil is responsible for the marginal decline in the metal price. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, the contract will move at US$1,810-1,840 per tonne on Thursday, January 26. As on January 25, LME official cash buyer price of aluminium stands at US$1,848.5 per tonne, cash seller & settlement price is US$1,849 per tonne, 3M buyer price is US$1,844 per tonne, 3M seller price is US$1,844.5 per tonne, Dec1 buyer price is US$1,873 per tonne, and Dec1 seller price is US$1,878 per tonne. The current LME official Opening Stock of aluminium is estimated at 2284725 tonnes, total Live Warrants is 1635675 tonnes,...
As reported by Bloomberg, China’s proposal to curtail metal production in winter in order to control air pollution may cause shortages of alumina but will have little impact on aluminium supply, as explained by one the top industry bodies in China. The proposal will cause production suspension in alumina refineries in three provinces which would curtail about one fifth of China’s total alumina capacity. The halts to aluminium production will be less because of its high demand in a number of end user applications. According to the plan, about one tenth of the country’s total aluminium capacity would be targeted by this halt, across Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Shanxi provinces. As confirmed by sources, a draft was circulated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in the beginning of...
