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 U.S. judge on Wednesday threw out the last vestiges of private litigation over alleged aluminum price-fixing, dismissing lawsuits by Eastman Kodak Co, Fujifilm Holdings Corp, Reynolds Consumer Products and three other plaintiffs. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan on Oct. 5 dismissed nationwide litigation in which purchasers accused Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co, mining company Glencore Plc and others of conspiring from 2009 to 2012 to boost prices by reducing supply. Forrest later agreed that the other six plaintiffs were entitled to have their claims considered separately because they had filed their own lawsuits. But she said those claims must also fail because there was no proof that the defendants engaged in anticompetitive conduct outside the...
The aluminium company Hydro has signed a cooperation with Austin AI Inc. (AAI), Texas, on joint development of advanced technology to sort automotive aluminium alloys. New developments can bring a step change to efficient, robust recycling of manufacturing scraps and later on used cars. The cooperation with Hydro is rooted in first R&D trials back in August 2015 and now structured by a comprehensive work plan. The automotive industry boosts the use of aluminium to build lighter cars that emit less CO2. Their press shops are stamping different sheet components mostly made of 5xxx or 6xxx aluminium alloys. This requires separation of production scrap and makes recycling complex already for production remains, as well as at the end of life phase. The persistent gap in clean fractioning of...
National Aluminium Company (Nalco), the world's second lowest cost producer of alumina, will benefit from the rising alumina price. Global alumina benchmark price has risen around 14% over the past month and 30% in three months. This should boost the company's December quarter results. Alumina is used in the production of aluminium. The sharp rise in alumina price can be attributed to low inventories, especially in China. Restarting of aluminium smelters, which have been shut due to low demand, along with rising aluminium prices has increased demand for alumina. According to commodity trackers, alumina price may rise by another 17-23% in 2017 as more Chinese aluminium smelters become operational. The deficit in alumina is expected to increase to 4.8 million tonnes (MT) in FY17 and over 6...
Rolled aluminium and recycling giant Novelis has bagged the prestigious European award for its closed loop car production project - the REALCAR (REcycled ALuminium CAR) at ALUMINIUM 2016, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The project with Jaguar and Land Rover won the award in the automotive and transportation category. JLR launched the closed loop programme in 2008 and in 2015 it recovered over 45,000 tonnes of press-shop aluminium scrap. As a partner in the project, Novelis also came up with a new aluminium alloy with up to 75% recycled aluminium content. The alloy retains the strength, formability, and durability required for automotive engineering. It was first used in the Jaguar XE vehicles, and is now used in all legacy models going out of the JLR stable. President of Novelis Europe, Emilio...
India is a net exporter of aluminium. At the same time, the country imports a large volume of aluminium to use in different downstream applications in the automotive, construction and defence sector. Imports now account for 56 per cent of domestic demand. The import is mostly driven by lower cost as imported aluminium is cheaper than domestically produced aluminium. {newsStudioGallery} Imports of aluminium alloys stood at 189317 tons in 2014. The volume increased slightly to 207375 tons in 2015. In 2016, the aluminium alloy import is estimated to increase to 243393 tons. The data shows a constant rise in import of aluminium alloys. The imports are mainly driven by UAE and China. In the year 2014, India imported 30588 tons of aluminium alloys from UAE. The import from UAE had an upward...
UC RUSAL, one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, and ELKA-Cable, a cable product company, signed a shareholders’ agreement to create Bogoslovsk Cable Plant, a jointly owned facility producing cables and wires. The partners will have an equal number of shares in the joint venture and the total investments are estimated at around USD 19 mln. The new facility will be set up within the site currently occupied by RUSAL’s Bogoslovsk aluminium smelter (BAZ). Once the new plant reaches its full capacity, it will be making 4.3 thousand tonnes of aluminium products per year in terms of the metal used, including oil-submersible cables, flexible cables and displaceable wires and self-supporting insulated wires - all these for Russia and the CIS market. In the future, the product range may be...
Global automotive manufacturer Volvo has joined the European Union research project which aims at replacing copper and aluminium cables in heavy commercial vehicles with wireless sensors. The result of the project is expected to be an overwhelming reduction in the volume of metal and plastic used for cabling. While this can prove to be a huge setback for Volvo's copper suppliers, the prospects of sensor performance and lightweighting capabilities can open up new opportunities for the automaker as well as for automotive aluminium body solutions suppliers. Reduction in cabling and vehicle weight has been a major area of focus for global automakers for more than a decade now. Volvo, too, has been exploring the possibilities of using lightweight materials for making their trucks lighter while...
The Aluminum Association announced today the addition of three new member companies – Cerro Wire LLC, Granges Americas Inc. and Reynolds Consumer Products. The companies join the Association as producer members – firms that make or fabricate aluminum products. Additionally, Matt Aboud, President of Hydro Aluminum North America was recently approved as a member of the Executive Committee, a subset of the Board of Directors which provides strategic guidance directing all Aluminum Association programs and activities. “As we continue to chart a sustainable course for the domestic aluminum industry, we’re pleased to bring in these new voices to help us tell the industry’s story,” said Garney Scott, President & CEO of Scepter and Aluminum Association Chairman. “During a time of both opportunity...
LME Aluminium price fall finally took a hiatus with the OPEC members reaching consensus on oil output cut on Thursday. The contract which traded at around US$1,722/mt on Tuesday, closed at US$1,722.50/mt on Wednesday. On Thursday, December 1, LME aluminium price will move in the range of US$1,725-1,745/mt, foresees Shanghai Metals Market. LME official opening stocks of aluminium, as on November 30, stands at 2155050mt, total Live Warrants is estimated at 1388225mt and Cancelled Warrant is recorded at 760925mt. In China, aluminium traded on Shanghai Metal Exchange opened with losses. The contract after closing at US$2,029/mt on Wednesday, opened at US$2,022/mt on Thursday, December 1. On Wednesday, aluminium traded on Shanghai Futures Exchange- SHFE 1702 aluminium started at RMB 13,335/mt...
FATA Aluminum has announced that on November 21, 2016, Mr. Marco Meneguzzo joined the group as Group General Manager. Mr. Meneguzzo will be based in Turin and will be responsible for managing the FATA Aluminum group of companies based in Italy, United States, Mexico, China (Joint Venture) and partnerships in India and Brazil. Mr. Meneguzzo has held various positions during his career in R&D, Engineering, Purchasing and General Management, and has managed large and complex projects for all the global major foundries. Prior to joining Fata Aluminum Mr. Meneguzzo has held positions in Montupet, Reza Progetti, GFG, Fata Aluminium Spa and Alsthom Transportation Systems. Fata Aluminum is a world class leader in the design and manufacturing of automated casting lines for cylinder heads, engine...
Creativity came naturally to Gerald Clarke Jr., an artist who originally belonged to the Cahuilla Band of Indians and grew up on a cattle ranch on the Cahuilla reservation near Anza in Riverside County. “When you grow up dirt poor and you got nothing, you make do with a lot of stuff,” Clarke said. “We used to build our own bike ramps and forts. I see that as my early excursions into sculpture.” Clarke's choice of art was also shaped by his education. The Californian artist, who has a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a master of fine arts degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, is currently an assistant professor of ethnic studies at University of California, Riverside. He also served in the visual arts department of the Idyllwild Arts Academy....
Lindberg/MPH announced the shipment of a gas fired aluminium stack melting and holding furnace to a manufacturer of recreational vehicles. The equipment provides efficient melting and holding of aluminium for a new die casting machine installation as part of a fully automated cell. The melt zone of the consists of a sloped charging stack that helps to minimize impact damage from ingot. The gondola system weighs each ingot load and automatically lifts and dumps material down the stack for melting. The two doors on adjacent sides of the furnace allow for easy access to the melting chamber for cleaning. A laser charge stack level control monitors the material level in the stack for maximum efficiency. The advanced process controller provides temperature control, charging control, data...
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is consulting on new business packaging recycling targets for paper, wood, aluminium and steel for 2018-20. The department has published three options with each option indicating different degrees of ambition. According to option 1, no increase in targets from the current 2017 targets through to 2020. Option 2 suggests the greatest rise, considering UK’s ambition to be on track to achieve the CE package recycling targets for 2025 of 65% overall. Aluminium’s targets the maximum for the three years with 57%, 59% and 61% rise. Option 3 proposes lower target increases for all materials, apart from aluminium. Defra says that this option is “optimal” based on its cost-benefit analysis. Defra says: “Together this causes net social...
Norway based Sapa AS has announced signing of an agreement with Sweeden's Chargestorm whereby the downstream aluminium manufacturer and technology leader provides aluminium profiles for wall-mounted chargers (for electric vehicles) made by the latter. The product is meant to capitalize on the now booming electric vehicle market in Europe. According to a recent survey conducted by PwC, the European electric vehicle market is slated to grow at 422% by the year 2021. All kinds of electric vehicles have to depend on charging stations- an emerging need Chargestorm intends to cater to. In an effort to remain relevant yet sustainable, Chargestorm decided to zero in on fully-recyclable aluminium instead of plastic or stainless steel. “As a company focusing on clean energy, it seems only natural...
As reported by Recycling Today, Alcoa Corporation, Cleveland, has unveiled Sustana, its newest aluminium product, at the Aluminium 2016 exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany. The new sustainable product line, which is manufactured with low carbon emissions and more recycled content would cater to customer demand for sustainable aluminium products. The product would help companies to cut carbon footprint along their complete supply chain. As explained by Alcoa, the Sustana series has two prime products: 1. Ecolum – This is a primary aluminium ingot produced with energy from hydro-powered aluminium smelters specified by less than 2.5 metric tons of carbon per metric tons of aluminium. The product is characterised by an estimated 75% better carbon impact, than the industry average. Alcoa says...
At a time when Indonesia is considering a revision of its ore export policy, including deferment of the ban on processed ore exports by three to five years from January 2017, Customs data released by China last week showed that alumina imports from the South-east Asian country surged 191.1% month-on-month to 81,800 tonnes in September. In fact, Indonesia beat Australia to become China’s top alumina supplying country in the month under review. This indicates at the fact that the Indonesia government's strategy to build and develop a domestic processing industry through the of banning mineral ore export is paying off slowly. However, industry experts believe that the processed ore, alumina in this case, should move further down the value chain before getting shipped to the international...
Russian aluminium major UC Rusal completed the sale of Alpart refinery in Jamaica to the Chinese group Jiuquan Iron & Steel (Group) Co. Ltd. (JISCO) on November 22. Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) was officially handed over to JISCO last Thursday November 24 and the production is set to begin within the next six months. The refinery plant is expected to generate between 800 and 1,000 jobs for the citizens. The Chinese owners would need six months to rehabilitate and refurbish the aging plant. They have an expansion plan to boost alumina production to two million tonnes annually from the previous 1.65 million tonnes. Minister of Transport and Mining Mike Henry confirmed on the occasion that the new owners agreed to the 70:30 ratio of employment between Jamaicans and expatriates and...
LME aluminium is continuing its downward trend. After staging a temporary reversal on November 24, when it touched US$1,774/mt, the contract took a sharp south-bound turn and has been declining since then. It closed at US$1,722/mt after Tuesday's night trading, down 2.51% from the previous closing of US$1,766.50/mt on Monday. The contract will test the 40-day moving average on Wednesday and is expected to move between US$1,700-1,725/mt, forecasts Shanghai Metals Market. LME official 3M Buyer price as on November 29, stands at US$1,723.5/mt, 3M Seller price is US$1,724/mt, Dec1 Buyer price is US$1,738/mt and Dec1 Seller Price is US$1,743/mt. LME official opening stocks is estimated at 2158275mt. As on November 26, LME Aluminium US Premium stands at US$170, LME Aluminium West-Europe Premium...
