Ducati has unveiled the Desmo450 SM, a new production supermoto developed from its Desmo450 MX platform, featuring an aluminium twin-spar frame. This is designed to combine low weight, rigidity and strength. The motorcycle made its debut during World Ducati Week and is aimed at competition use. The Desmo450 SM uses the same aluminium frame architecture as the motocross model. Ducati says the frame has also been designed to allow a straighter intake route while maintaining the strength and rigidity needed for high-performance riding. The bike has a fuel capacity of 7.2 litres. The company has also focused on reducing weight in other areas. Its Bartubeless wheel system, for example, removes inner tubes and cuts rotating and unsprung mass by 1.2kg. The motorcycle also features a cast...
China’s aluminum door and window manufacturing sector includes a range of suppliers offering thermal-break systems, customized solutions, OEM/ODM production, and products for international building projects. A recent industry guide highlights Guangdong Dejiyoupin, Guangdong EEHE, Foshan CIVO, Sichuan Yazhixuan, and Sichuan Mingrenju, citing their production capabilities, product portfolios, project experience, customization services, and testing or certification coverage. The companies differ in their areas of focus. Dejiyoupin is highlighted for its production capacity and international certifications, while EEHE is noted for patents and a broad range of project solutions. CIVO focuses on factory-direct customization and climate-oriented systems, while Yazhixuan provides OEM/ODM...
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Hazlemere Commercial, manufacturer of aluminium windows, doors, and curtain walling for the commercial sector, announced that it has received a contract to manufacture and install aluminium windows and doors for one of the new mixed use blocks next to the Eden Centre in High Wycombe. “Local developers, specialising in substantial mixed use new build projects have awarded Hazlemere Commercial a prestigious contract to survey, manufacture and install all the new aluminium windows and doors for one of the new mixed use blocks next to the Eden Centre in High Wycombe, Hazlemere Commercial said. “The substantial development is on the old gasworks site smack bang in High Wycombe town centre, comprising primarily of high rise residential apartments, but also shops and offices at ground level.”...
China’s new light-vehicle sales again dropped in February 2019 registering a drop of 17% YoY to fewer than 1.22 million cars and light trucks, mostly driven by the sluggish growth in the economy. However, driven by the carbon credit program started by China government during the beginning of the year, automakers in the country continued to ramp up electrical vehicle output in February. As a result, sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids registered a rise. Automakers delivered about 53,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids in February, a jump of 54 per cent YoY. Demand for EVs advanced 69 per cent to around 40,000 while plug-in hybrid sales rose 19 per cent to about 13,000. Total sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids for January and February nearly doubled to 148,000, with EV sales soaring 128 per cent to some...
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said sales of passenger cars in China fell 17.4 per cent in February from the same month a year earlier. Sales of passenger cars stood at 1.22 million units. This followed after a YoY drop of 17.71% in passenger vehicle sales in January. China’s automobiles sales declined 14.9 per cent year-on-year in February and came in at 1.48 million automobiles, CAAM data showed on Monday March 11. This compared with January’s decline of 15.8% on a yearly basis. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) increased 53.6 per cent year-on-year in February. CAAM data showed that China's sales of NEVs in January-February increased 98.9% from the same period in 2018.
According to a recent report, Italian yard Perini Navi launched its first 42-metre hybrid sailing yacht from E-volution series last weekend. Here ‘E’ stands for electric. The yacht’s concept was first presented at the Monaco Yacht Show 2017 and then was sold to an Italian owner in July 2018. The expected delivery year of the yacht is 2020. The yacht features aluminium hull and lifting keel, along with a hybrid propulsion engine system that combines a diesel engine with eco-friendly electric motor contributing to the yard’s course on environmental sustainability. Thanks to its diesel-electric system because of which cruisers can experience silent cruising with a range of 3,200 nautical miles at 10 knots speed. The yacht’s naval architecture is designed by US-based Reichel-Pugh studio while...
Deity has launched a comprehensive series of 35mm oversized Carbon and Aluminum Handlebars to compliment its already established 31.8mm models. Featuring a range of flex and deflection matching the 31.8mm counterparts, creating the new line of 35mm models was not an easy task for the brand, with today’s product reveal years in the making. Notoriously known for being overly stiff and unforgiving, the 35mm “standard” has taken over the handlebar industry in past years and some may wonder why the brand was so late to the party in offering a deep range of 35mm options. To Deity, it is all about the feel of a handlebar; having stiffness in the correct points to aid in front wheel tracking, but allowing the bar to have enough flex and range of deflection to keep you on the bike for the entire...
ŠKODA, at the Geneva Motor Show, reportedly unveiled its latest electric bike called the KLEMENT. Made from an aluminium frame, the KLEMENT boasts a sleek and stylish look. It has no visible levers or cables, nor the rider’s feet rest on fixed pedals where e-bikes usually have a bottom bracket. It has bi-cycle-like wheels on one hand and car-like accelerator and brake pedals on the other. But both the components are not found on the handlebar. The pedals do not work in a conventional way either. They have to be tilted forward to accelerate and backward for braking. The KLEMENT, featuring a 4-kW rear hub motor, has a top speed of 45 Km/h. It also has two lithium-ion batteries, with 52 cells each, that have a total capacity of 1,250 Wh – providing a range of up to 62 km. With a target...
According to a recent report, four designers from London’s Royal College of Art have made a series of terracotta-hued cups, bowls, and teapots with toxic red mud residue from aluminium production. This project, called ‘From Wasteland to Living Room’, displays an exalted transformation of red mud into different functional ceramic tableware pieces. Red mud is a by-product of refining bauxite ore into alumina to make aluminium. The material mainly consists of iron oxide, which grants it a vibrant, rusty colour. The four designers named Guillermo Whittembury, Joris Olde-Rikkert, Kevin Rouff, and Luis Paco Bockelmann dove into this project mainly because they want to realign the perception of common people towards waste. "Having a cup of tea from industrial waste may seem odd to some," said...
Fusion Windows and Doors has announced the appointment of Stuart Judge as a new Managing Director. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the construction products market. A Birmingham-based manufacturer of aluminium windows and doors Fusion was recently acquired in a deal by Key Land Capital’s investments division which could see turnover increase by more than 100 per cent in the next two years. Stuart Judge said: "Key Land has aspirations to take the business and use it as a catalyst to create something bigger and brighter. That is a wonderful opportunity and something I am excited to be involved in.” "The company is in a strong position to take advantage of a buoyant commercial and residential property market with its wide range of aluminium door and window products. We’re going to...
Ducab, a global leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper and aluminium wire and cable products, is celebrating 40 years of growth and business expansion as one of the UAE’s leading manufacturers. Founded in 1979, Ducab serves customers in the field of energy, general construction, oil & gas, renewables, industrial, defence, rail transport, marine, mining and other specialty industry verticals. Andrew Shaw, Managing Director at Ducab said: "During our 40th year of operations, we are reflecting on the continual investments in facilities and people that has brought value to Ducab’s customers and to the national economy of the UAE. The needs of the energy sector have evolved a great deal during this time.” Decab has achieved significant...
Incat Crowther has reportedly bagged a contract to design an aluminium-made high speed passenger ro-pax ferry that will operate between Pingtan Island in mainland China and Taiwanese cities of Taichung, Taipei, and Kaohsiung by Fujian Strait Shipping Co (CSF). The construction of the vessel will be done by AFAI Southern Shipyard with the use of marine grade aluminium. AFAI Southern Shipyard, located at Guangzhou, is the largest-scale and advanced manufacturer of jumbo aluminium alloy ships at present in China or even Southeast Asia. The ferry will have two vehicle decks capable of carrying 230 cars and 42 containers. The resiliently mounted passenger cabin that will include both the economy and business class will have a seating area for 1000, and will come with amenities like a duty-free...
An all-aluminium K50 electric sports car will reportedly make a debut in North America during the 2019 New York Auto Show in April. The news came after California-based Mullen Technologies and its Chinese partners confirmed. The companies also said the vehicle would be sold in the United States from 2020. The K50 is a well-proportioned, two-door sports car featured with an all-aluminium body frame and carbon fibre body panels. The total weight of the car is 281 kilograms, of which aluminium construction accounts for 234 kilograms. The power of the car comes from a duo of electric motors, one for each axle. This layout ensures all-wheel drive capability with multiple driving modes. The creators said the combined peak output of the system “could be as high as 375 bhp, with a torque of 428...
Aluminium is opening up more avenues for the architects to experiment with design and utility performance. SHoP Architects completed the first tower of the Essex Crossing mega-development located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, clad in anodized aluminium curtainwall modules. An architectural marvel, the tower has used aluminium intelligently for lighting and aesthetics. Essex Crossing is a sprawling 6- development project master planned by SHoP. In total, the project will cover about two million square feet of development. The podium of 242 Broome is primarily reserved for retail use, with large curtain wall modules and window widths to allow optimum daylight. Just over 500 aluminium-and-glass curtainwall modules are distributed across the building’s elevations for design and convenience....
According to a recent report, Pershing has launched its first aluminium superyacht, the flagship Pershing 140. It is 42.53 metre in size, and hit the water in the Ferretti Group’s Super Yacht Yard in Ancona, a facility specialising in building steel and aluminium superyachts above 40 metres, said a press release from Pershing Yacht, a Ferretti Group unit. The press release further said, "Born from a collaboration between architect Fulvio De Simoni, the Ferretti Group Product Strategy Committee led by engineer Piero Ferrari, and the Group's Engineering Department, the new 140-footer (LOA 43,3m) is the first Pershing to be produced at the Ancona Superyacht Yard, a Ferretti Group facility specialized in building super and mega yachts above 40 metres, in both steel or aluminium." "Even before...
Aluminium is the second most widely specified metal in building after steel, and is used in all sectors from commercial building to domestic dwelling. 25 per cent of all aluminium produced worldwide is used in construction. Window frames, panels, domed roofs and other wide-span constructions and ornaments are increasingly made with aluminium these days. The minimum design service life of aluminium structures is 80 years. Following the trend, even the United Kingdom uses 40 per cent of its annual aluminium production in the construction industry, which equates to roughly 150,000 tonnes of aluminium per annum, of which approximately 65,000 tonnes is extruded products, and 25,000 tonnes sheet materials. Besides, the country secures a significant amount of aluminium structures from all around...
Hungary’s aluminium stranded wire export grew in 2018. The figures showed a significant surge in volume and value last year. Aluminium stranded wires and cables are used in overhead power transmission and distribution applications in modern residential and industrial constructions. {newsStudioGallery} Germany, the top importer of aluminium stranded wire from Hungary, imported 9745 tonnes in 2018. Other top importers who have been buying aluminium stranded wire from Hungary manufacturers and sellers include Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, and Romania among others (2018 data). International trade data shows that Hungary’s estimated exports of aluminium stranded wire was up 105 per cent year on year or 6969 tonnes to 13628 tonnes in 2018. Exported aluminium stranded wire from Hungary were at...
DECO, the Australian manufacturer of aluminium building products, has reportedly launched a new decorative aluminium finish DecoCrete. The new finish offers an effortless concrete look, but without the weight, inflexibility and onsite logistics of real concrete. This natural aesthetic look is what makes the new finish ideal for diverse applications. Owing to high durability and natural concrete look in a textured and gloss finish, DecoCrete is fit for the use in any aluminium extrusion, flat sheet and architectural building product featured in the DECO range. It is currently available in three colours that lends an urban industrial look to any project. Similar to DECO’s DecoWood and DecoRoccia finishes, DecoCrete utilises the same advanced photo imaging sublimation technology. DecoCrete’s...
A Dutch shipbuilding company Heesen Yachts reportedly announced that it began the construction of a new 50-metre yacht named Aquamarine (YN 18950), a new addition to its Aluminium Class of yachts. According to the shipyard, the yacht is expected to be ready for delivery by January 2021. For this new model, Heesen has developed a new hull together with the hydrodynamic gurus at Van Oossanen Naval Architects. A raised transom shape and propeller tunnels have been incorporated into the design to optimise performance while reducing the vessel’s draft to a mere 2.15 metres; ideal for island hopping in the Bahamas and exploring uncharted bays in the Mediterranean. Aquamarine is an all-aluminium motor yacht that not only features a fresh design style by Omega Architects and Heesen’s...
In a significant push to the Central government’s ambitious plan to switch to electro-mobility by 2030, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has initiated a process to set up and open electric vehicle charging stations for the public in various places in Delhi. The civic agency has already installed 25 charging stations at multiple locations across Lutyens’ Delhi. The charging stations are set up at CP, Gole Market, Jor Bagh, Sarojini Nagar Market and Yashwant Place. These charging stations will be open to the public by the first week of March. These 25 stations will cater to the electric cars manufactured in India. This is for the first time that a civic agency has established e-vehicle charging stations for the public use in an Indian city. NDMC had signed an MoU with Energy...
