For decades, aluminium windows and doors were largely viewed as functional elements of construction. Today, advances in extrusion technology, precision engineering and architectural design have transformed their possibilities. What once required bulky frames and conventional openings can now be achieved through remarkably slender profiles, expansive glass surfaces and sophisticated systems that bring together structural strength, durability and understated luxury. As Indian architecture becomes increasingly ambitious, aluminium is no longer simply framing spaces; it is helping redefine how they are designed, experienced and connected. Market data According to ALUMEX India 2025: Extruding the Future, India is the world’s second-largest primary aluminium producer and third-largest consumer,...
Two recent Tesla stories sit at opposite ends of the range. Tesla Model 3 is set to benefit from cost-focused Cybercab inverter technology, announced on November 1 2026. The flying car, Tesla Roadster, uses aluminum in its battery cells and underbody protection, reinforcing power delivery, thermal management and lightweight construction. The two models reveal how aluminum can serve very different engineering priorities, from making electric vehicles (EVs) more affordable to helping them deliver extraordinary performance. Tesla Model 3: the everyday car gets Cybercab hardware Nick Verzini, Tesla’s Head of Drive Unit Engineering, mentioned on a Munro Live factory tour that a new printed circuit board assembly and power stage from the Cybercab’s inverter will enter Model 3 production in...
Grow with
AL Circle
While cell phones, laptops and cars become more energy efficient, the development of one important ingredient common in all these devices, and many more, has lagged: the batteries used to power them. “In any given battery, something is either very rare or it’s toxic or it’s expensive. Those are the things that have been plaguing the battery industry,” said Apparao Rao, the R. A. Bowen Professor of Physics at Clemson University and director of the Clemson Nanomaterials Institute. Here's an excerpt from the Media Release by Clemson University Relations: Image Credit: Graphic by Anthony Childress / Clemson Nanomaterials Institute Today’s lithium ion batteries have high power density (they recharge fast) and high energy density (they stay charged a long time). But lithium is rare, expensive...
According to the latest market research report by Absolute Reports, the global aluminium welding wires market is projected to grow at a significant CAGR of 6.25 per cent during the years 2017-2021. Largescale increase in demand for welding wires for repair and maintenance in developing economies of Asia and south-east Asia is anticipated to drive the growth over the forecast period. The aluminium welding wires market has suffered significant impact due to slowdown in the global economic growth, but still continued to make positive progress. Over the past four years, the market size has also managed to maintain the average annual growth rate. Among the key trends that have swept the market is the inclusion of titanium and strontium in ER4043 aluminium alloy welding wire, the report noted....
McMullen Facades, a part of the Lakesmere Group, has won a £11m contract for The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust’s new specialist hospital in Liverpool. The company will undertake the design, manufacture and installation of the fenestration package, including both unitised and stick curtain wall systems, bolted glass systems, aluminium doors, windows and rooflights. McMullen Facades, a leading facade contractor, designs, fabricates, and installs aluminium curtain wall and window systems for medium and large scale building projects. McMullen Facades will start work on site in April 2018. Both the unitised and stick curtain walling will be manufactured at UK manufacturing facility. The company will also supply the rainscreen and cladding package that comprises a striking...
Iconic design and architecture brand Snøhetta’s recently completed project- the National Academy of the Art, which opened its doors in Bergen, is cladded in a unique prefabricated façade made of raw aluminium elements. The new structure built to endure the rainy climate of Norway west coast encloses a massive studio where KMD’s 350 art and design students can learn, collaborate, and share ideas under one roof. The National Academy of the Art, Bergen, replaces the former Academy of Art & Design (KHiB) and combines the earlier faculty buildings into one edifice. It has two main axes–one internal, and one external. It is the raw aluminium façade that has added the unique touch to the new complex. Prefab raw aluminium elements clad the building’s exterior, with 900 varied sized...
Bombardier Transportation and Malaysian partner HARTASUMA SDN BHD have completed delivery of 14 new driverless BOMBARDIER INNOVIA Metro 300 trains for Kuala Lumpur. The lightweight aluminium four-car trains have been delivered to Prasarana Malaysia Berhad. Jayaram Naidu, Head of South East Asia, Bombardier Transportation, said: “We are very proud that our latest, additional INNOVIA trains are contributing to increasing urban connectivity across the greater Kuala Lumpur area, estimated to grow to ten million residents by 2020.” “This is also a further milestone in this important market for Bombardier, in which 374 cars have been ordered making it one of the largest INNOVIA fleets in the in the world.” The lightweight aluminium INNOVIA Metro 300 trains are capable of moving up to 30,000...
Sarawak Cable Bhd (SCB) expects its manufacturing division to see improved margins this year, as the company targets higher sales of newly launched products. In H1 2017, the contribution of the group’s cable manufacturing business increased to 84% of total revenue from 52% in the same period of 2016. “The cables segment will continue its good contribution to group turnover and profits in the second half of the year,” group managing director and chief executive officer Aaron Toh Chee Ching told the local media. He attributed this revenue increase to new products with higher profit margins and also to optimised production capacity, reduced wastages and lower production costs. SCB group acquired two power cable manufacturing facilities- Leader Cable Industry Bhd and Universal Cable (M) Bhd...
The Trump administration seeks to include steel, aluminium and other basic materials under North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rules. The U.S. wishes to use NAFTA to boost these industries. The government wants to propose strict use of North American-made steel, aluminium, copper and plastic resins in the automotive sector. Sources said that the U.S. rules of origin proposal would put these materials in the NAFTA auto parts tracing list for the first time. The list is a reference to verify the regional content level of vehicles and parts in order to qualify for tariff-free shipment within all three NAFTA countries. U.S.negotiators has already submitted the proposal rules to Mexican and Canadian counterparts on Friday. Other sources added that the proposal includes raising the...
The member of the International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers (AEROBAL) produced 2.9 billion aluminium aerosol cans world-wide in the first half of 2017.AEROBAL Secretary General Gregor Spengler is pleased with the performance of aluminium aerosol cans on international packaging markets. General Gregor Spengler said, “The trend for deodorants was especially favourable. Growth there reached a good five percent in the first half of 2017. Unfortunately, we did not expand at quite the same rate with haircare products and shaving cream. Both segments were down from their mid-year level last year.” Body care and beauty products accounted for about 80 per cent of all aluminium aerosol cans produced in H1 2017.The pharmaceutical sector, the food industry and the...
France shipped $485 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2016, making it the 6th largest exporter in the world. In 2017, data suggests a slight fall in exports of aluminium can in France. Spain is the top importer of aluminium cans from France. The largest part of aluminium can is exported to Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, the USA, Germany and Denmark. According to the recent estimate, in 2015, France exported 27036 tonnes of aluminium cans globally. The total revenue from can export amounts to about US$ 185 million. Compared to 2015, in 2016, the country exported an estimated 32861 tonnes of aluminium cans. The total revenue from the export stood at US$ 205 million. In 2017, the aluminium can export by France is estimated to reach 27704 tonnes and the revenue from export is estimated...
Kobe Steel parts used in Japan's iconic bullet trains failed industry standards, officials said on Thursday (Oct 12), bringing to light fresh evidence of wrongdoing by the steelmaker as investors speculated that the crisis could trigger a breakup of the 100-year-old company. Central Japan Railway, which operates the high-speed trains between Tokyo and Osaka, said two types of aluminium parts used to connect cars to wheels fell short in quality tests, though they do not pose any safety concerns. West Japan Railway, which runs services from Osaka to Fukuoka, also found sub-standard parts made by Kobe Steel, company spokesman Yudai Ochi told Bloomberg by phone. The latest scandal to hit Japan's storied manufacturing industry erupted on Sunday after the country's third-largest steel producer...
Kalsun Aluminium, a leading fabricator, supplier and installer of aluminium products, has secured £1 million contract for the supply of specialist windows for the renovation of Sunbeam factory. The company’s product range includes doors, windows, patios, bi-folds, conservatories and orangeries. Kuldeep Burmi, Managing Director of Kalsun Aluminium, said, "This is one of our biggest contracts and the help we have had from the council’s business support team has helped us progress.” "They have helped us recruit more staff and put in place the right policies and procedures to enable us to win further contracts – I’m very pleased with the help we have received." Kalsun Aluminium has already supplied 493 windows and 13 doors for this project. The company will supply 150 windows and 40 doors...
The International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers (AEROBAL) presents the World Aluminium Aerosol Can Award 2017. AEROBAL Secretary General Gregor Spengler said that a large number of aluminium aerosol cans were submitted to the competition. In the category “Aluminium cans already on the market”, the two winners were TAG Body Spray from the American producer CCL and the anti-transpirant from Ball Corporation (USA) for the Men Expert Series from L’Oréal tied for first place honours. In the “prototypes” category, the aluminium can “TACTILE” by Ball won maximum votes. “And this can offers a dual sensory experience: wonderful graphics of the highest printing quality and a surprising and unique feel on touching the can,” said the panel of judges. AEROBAL Secretary...
Electrification of all the vehicles in India within financial year 2016-17, would result in an incremental electricity demand of around 50,000 crore units, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) estimated. This is in comparison with the actual electricity output of 1.43 lakh crore units, including captive supply of 19,700 crore units in FY17 as per Central Electricity Authority. Although the EV market in India and its whole ecosystem are at a primitive stage, it is on the verge of an eventful journey, the agency noted pointing out the fact that this electricity demand escalation would put renewable power sector growth on a fast track. Another sector that will benefit from this 360-degree change is Aluminium. Aluminium, the metal, plays a dominant role in bringing the weight of electrical...
Austal Limited, an Australian-based global ship building company, has secured €126 million (A$190 million) contract for two 117 metre high-speed vehicle passenger aluminium trimaran ferries for Fred Olsen S.A. of the Canary Islands, Spain. Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said: "It is truly exciting to announce this major shipbuilding contract with Fred Olsen, who had the courage and foresight to work with Austal’s advanced trimaran technology in developing the Benchijigua Express in 2005." The construction of both the ferries will commence in 2018 and are due for delivery in 29 and 36 months. Austal will design and build the aluminium trimarans. The ferries will be the second and third trimarans for the Fred Olsen S.A. “Austal led the world in designing large aluminium...
The Australian federal government has refused to ban the import, sale and use of aluminium composite panels with a flammable polyethylene (PE) core as recommended by a Senate inquiry commission. During a meeting of the Building Ministers’ Forum on Friday, governments partially agreed to halt the use of aluminium cladding products with PE cores “for class 2, 3, or 9 buildings of two or more storeys, and class 5, 6, 7 or 8 of three or more storeys”, till the time further measures have been developed on product labelling and testing. The decision however refused to impose a full ban on PE-core aluminium cladding as recommended by the Senate committee. The Senate inquiry considered all current legal use of PE-core aluminium cladding like signage and low-rise residential applications as...
The venue for the Frieze art fair in London this week features a sculpted entrance with walls of pleated and folded aluminium which is recycled from waste. Designed by Universal Design Studio, an architecture and interiors firm from London, the venue for this year's Frieze London is designed to spread the message of sustainability to its visitors – through the thoughtful use of recycled and reused materials. The aluminium entrance to the Regent's Park venue was formed using 400 tonnes of aluminium supplied by aluminium extrusion manufacturer SAPA. These sheets were rejected by the company as waste products due to "micro tolerances". The material that would have otherwise gone unused, have been aesthetically utilized in erecting the beautiful structure. The entrance to the tent consists of...
The TMAX Aluminum Series is the latest evolution in mechanic service bodies by Stellar Industries. TMAX 30K aluminium bodied mechanic truck combines the crane-carrying Stellar TorqIsolator torsion box with a strong and lightweight aluminium service body. Stellar shows its unique historical core competencies to successfully bring steel and aluminium together in one mechanics service body. The new aluminium body is designed for a service crane that lifts 5,000 pounds or less. The TMAX 30K Aluminum body weighs 1,300 pounds less than its heavy-duty-steel counterpart, the TMAX 1, and allows more payloads. The TMAX 30K Aluminum is designed to accept up to and including a 30,000 lb.-ft. rated service crane. The body side compartments of the truck are constructed of 1/8-inch high-strength...
HP announced the next generation HP Spectre 13 and HP Spectre x360 13 laptops, featuring 8th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. HP Spectre 13 is built from CNC aluminium and carbon fibre. HP Spectre x360 comes with a CNC machined aluminium body. Both the laptops come with a 13-inch display. "HP is delivering the world's thinnest touch laptops without compromising on performance, and still setting new industry standards for battery life, security, sound, and design." "Our Spectre portfolio is redefining the premium PC segment. We provide unique user experiences that will inspire creativity and unlock limitless opportunities to bring incredible ideas to life," according to HP. The HP Spectre 13 Laptop and the HP Spectre x360 will be available from late-October in Asia-Pacific and...
