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 Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) is frustrated that the proposed options within the consultation on new packaging recycling business targets do not reflect the ambition of the aluminium sector to maximise recovery and recycling of this valuable material. Although the trajectory proposed should lead to the UK achieving the targets in line with the EU Circular Economy package, Alupro is concerned that the momentum that has been achieved over recent years, and which has seen significant improvements in recycling performance for the material, could be undermined. Prior to the publication of the consultation Alupro had proposed to DEFRA that the 2017 target for aluminium packaging be increased, and urged that future targets be ‘front end loaded’ to ensure the producer...
After launching Ninebot mini, a two-wheeled self-balancing scooter and Qicycle Electric Folding Bike in 2016, Xiaomi has recently ventured into the electric vehicle category and has launched Mi Electric Scooter on Monday December 12. The company released a teaser of the bike last week, and now it is launched on the company’s MIJIA crowdfunding platform in its base country, China. Xiaomi builds Mi Electric Scooter with a sleek aircraft grade aluminium alloy body and a foldable design. Available at a price of CNY 1,999, the electric scooter will be commercially launched in the China market from Dec 15. As far as the scooter’s technical details are concerned, it comes with a top speed of 25 kmph and sports a LG 1,850 EV-lithium ion battery with battery capacity of 280 Wh. The Mi Electric...
This year marks 40 years since 42 striking bauxite workers were tear-gassed in a cell at the Linden Police Station. Only a handful of people about six are around in Linden; the rest are scattered or deceased. It was a most traumatic and ugly experience that left a bitter taste in the minds of the victims. It was an era of some turbulence and anxiety, with radical trade union activism and agitation. There were workers’ protests, demonstrations and strikes, and in many instances jobs were lost, although the fear of being victimized kept others in line. After the Guyana Mine Workers Union was invited to the Guyana Agriculture Workers Union Congress to be part of the agenda ? which was a customary thing then between unions ? they gave a splendid and dramatic presentation by way of a skit....
China government sent environmental protection teams to seven regions from November 24 to 30 to supervise environmental protection work, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Hubei, Chongqing, Shaanxi and Gansu. SMM conducted a survey to find out the impact of the inspections on smelter owners. Since the beginning of 2016, Chinese government has taken a tough stance in environmental protection inspections. Domestic aluminium and alumina producers are mostly large-size producers equipped with environmental protection facilities, and so they have suffered little impact from the inspections, except one aluminium producer in central China. The producer was requested to shut down its captive power plant and to source electricity from power plant directly in the previous round of inspections....
CBIX remained flat over the week, closing at US$50.7/dmt with higher Value-in-Use (ViU)-priced material from Australia and Brazil balanced by some lower ViU-priced ore from Malaysia and India making a re-appearance. Malaysian material trickled into China at US$27.5/dmt FOB un-washed and US$39.5/dmt FOB for washed material. Chinese domestic alumina prices have continued their stellar run, with the north index up 4.3% (RMB123/t or US$17.8/t) to RMB2,976/t (US$430/t) and the south up 4.8% (RMB135/t or US$19.5/t) to RMB2,975/t (US$430/t). Tight supply, strong demand and some transportation bottlenecks continue to create tailwinds for alumina prices, as does the need to build higher levels of stocks heading into the depths of the northern winter period. Input costs have also moved higher, on...
Instead of throwing used beverage cans in the garbage or taking them to recyclers, Jacob Therrien, a teen from Victoria Harbour decides to create art out of them. The 14-year-old high school student creates sculptures by remelting scrap aluminium. He has made small makeshift workspaces in his backyard and garage in order to give shape to his creative work. A YouTube video sparked his his interest in this unusual craft two years back. He saw an artist melting down aluminium and then pouring it on another substance to give it interesting shapes. In order to create his sculptures Jacob uses Orbeez, gel beads that expand when wet. “I thought at first that my mom wouldn’t let me do it,” he said. “So I secretly ... took some bricks from out back, went out and bought charcoal for the heat, and a...
Award-winning Australian architects, Bates Smart used Fairview Vitrabond FR aluminium composite panels to develop a standing seam cladding on the facade of Sydney's Monarch project in Mosman suburb. Bates Smart chose Vitrabond FR aluminium composite panels instead aluminium sheets or other metal to deliver the desired look, feel and sturdiness of the facade. Aluminium composite panels brought along with them several additional benefits, which rendered the project higher value-addition. Simple installation happens to be one of the primary advantages of Vitrabond FR panels. In The Monarch project, the long vertical ribs that form the classic standing seam system were made separately and then installed between each panel using the installer-friendly standard cassette fix system. Since the...
Aluminium scrap recycling and recovery have become an integral part of the aluminium industry in every country in order to yield reasonably high-purity molten metal at a much lower cost and using fifty per cent less energy than primary aluminium. Indian recyclers import considerable amount of aluminium scrap in order to make remelt aluminium and supply to the domestic downstream sector, mostly utensil makers, die casters and extruders. However, India displays lack of structure for aluminium scrap handling and secondary metal recovery. India’s metal recycling rate is just about 25%. There are hardly any laws governing the scrap sector except for the e-waste which came into existence in 2011. In the year 2014, India imported 8, 40,540 tons of aluminium scrap . The value of import was USD...
Aluminium is a ubiquitous part of our modern age, but it’s hard to produce alloys for it without putting up with significant waste from bad mixtures. Over the past three years, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) assistant professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore and his student Samuel R. Wagstaff have been studying how aluminium alloys harden and have come up with a ways to use jets to produce more even distributions of copper and manganese in castings. Industrial aluminium slabs are typically produced by blending small amounts of copper or manganese in a reservoir of molten aluminium that is rapidly cooled, a process known as direct-chill casting. It is very effective process, though it may have some patches often aren’t visible on the surface of the ingot, resulting weaker...
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LME Aluminium ended the last week amid gains after increasing for three days in a row. The contract broke through the 20-day moving average and closed at US$1,742.50/mt after Friday's night trading. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, with the market firming LME aluminium will increase on Monday market to move in the range of US$1,735-1,760/mt. As on December 9, LME official Cash Seller & Settlement price of aluminium is recorded at US$1742.5/mt, 3M Buyer price is recorded at US$1,737.50/mt, 3M Seller price is US$1,738/mt, DEC1 Buyer price is US$1,750/mt and DEC1 Seller price is US$1,755/mt. The LME Official Opening Stock of aluminium, as on December 9, stands at 2107525 mt, total Live Warrants is estimated at 1383425 mt, and Cancelled Warrant is 718350 mt. In China, aluminium...
Igus, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of plastic, has combined its tribologically optimised lead screw nuts with hard anodised aluminium lead screw. Igus now offers lead screw units with aluminium lead screws which are three times lighter than stainless steel lead screws. The combination of efficient dryspin thread and hard anodised aluminium convinces by its more than 60% low weight and can be operated without lubrication and maintenance. The lead screw have special asymmetrical lead screw geometry, which in continuous operation offers up to five times longer service life than conventional solutions. With lead screw diameters from six to 20 millimetres, quiet operation and low vibration is possible even in confined spaces. Stefan Niermann, head of drylin linear and drive...
The dynamics of the global alumina industry has undergone a sea-change over the last five years. Driven by a humongous demand for aluminium in China, followed by other growth areas such as the Middle East and India, bauxite production and alumina refining capacity has increased immensely across the major alumina producing regions of the world. According to CRU's Bauxite and Alumina Long Term Market Outlook (2016 edition), the Global alumina capacity is forecast to grow by 29.6% over the next ten years, reaching 179.6 million tonnes by 2024. Capacity expansion of metallurgical grade alumina, primarily in China, is projected to be the main driver for this growth. China's net alumina investment requirement is expected to peak in 2025 at 10 million tpy, while the world ex. China is forecast...
Qatar Green Building Council’s (QGBC) Qatar Green Directory was honoured with the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award at the Construction Week Awards 2016. This initiative was outlined to increase awareness and education for advancing sustainable development and environment across globe as well as in domestic market. Aluminium is recognized as one of the most energy efficient and sustainable construction materials. As the world is striving for more environment sustainability, aluminium is a big part of the solution. The estimated recycled content of aluminium building materials used today is between 50 and 85 %. Use of aluminium helps building projects qualify for green building status. CW’s panel appreciated QGBC for its educational ambitions, with one judge commenting on the...
According to a recently published market report, the global high purity alumina market is slated to grow at a CAGR of 27.11% by the period 2016-2020. The growing adoption of LED lighting systems and displays, changing Government regulations encouraging energy-efficient lighting systems across economies, and Increase in demand from APAC have been identified in the report as the key growth drivers of the market. Alumina, commonly known as aluminium oxide, is primarily used as a feedstock for the fabrication of metallic aluminium, known as smelter grade alumina (SGA). Approximately 90% of alumina is used in aluminium fabrication, and the remaining 10% is dedicated to the non-metallurgical market for industrial use. High-purity alumina, which characterizes alumina with a minimum purity of...
Egypt is one of the major markets in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), where aluminium industry in spite of being low-cost due to availability of cheap fuel has been challenged by three interlocking crises since years- pure energy being exported to the international market, minimal existence of downstream applications, and almost zero economic value-addition. However, with the global economy changing the MENA countries too are stepping up their downstream manufacturing pursuits. {newsStudioGallery} Consumer packaging sector which earlier depended largely on plastics is slowly shifting to more sustainable materials such as aluminium, and aluminium foils for which there was hardly any traction in the domestic market is slowly picking up depending mostly on imports. Image...
Chennai based Super Auto Forge, a pioneer in forging of ferrous and non-ferrous materials like aluminium and copper, is hoping to cross INR500 crore with a growth of up to 15% by the end of this financial year. The company has three production facilities in Chennai, with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes of steel and 300 tonnes of aluminium per month. Muralishankar Sambasivam, Joint Managing Director of Super Auto Forge said, ““In the last financial year, our turnover was Rs 440 crore. This year, we are targeting to cross INR500 crore. We are eyeing 15-20% growth for the current fiscal, and looking for similar growth in the next financial year.” He further stated, “From past three years, we are investing INR40-50 crore every year in new equipment, and in modernising our plants. We are a...
LME aluminium strengthened as speculation over positive key macroeconomic data to be released on Friday and in the short term supported commodity prices. The U.S dollar futures index neared a one-week high during afternoon trading on Thursday, after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi announced there will be no talk of tapering stimulus to zero. Oil rebounded from the week's lows to close above US$50 a barrel on Thursday as market watchers focused on an upcoming weekend meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC producers that may result in an agreement to cut crude output further, reported CNBC. LME aluminium closed at US$1,731.50/mt after Thursday's night trading, up 0.20 per cent from the previous losing of US$1,728/mt. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium will...
Aluminium composite sheet is a very popular choice of material for a variety of applications, including creative projects where it can accommodate image and text printing. Image is designed in such an impressive way that gives its final piece a different look altogether. It is finished onto a butler finish Brushed Aluminium Surface. The aluminium look of the surface is very special and impressive. Brushed aluminium surfaces with butler finish look are cut onto sizes according to its requirement. They are extremely rigid yet lightweight and are suitable for printing on both sides of the sheet though glossy on one side and matte on the other. This artwork is printed onto a 3mm thick aluminium panel; there are then two thin aluminium sheets that sandwich a black inner core. The aluminium...
