Phinergy and electrical contractor Rosendin Electric have published a second white paper examining how aluminium-air generators (AAGs) could support data centre power needs beyond conventional backup systems. The paper outlines three potential uses, including providing power for AI and cloud facilities, increasing available grid capacity and supporting renewable microgrids. Titled “From Backup Power to Grid Enabler: Use Cases for Aluminum-Air Generator (AAG) in AI-Era Data Centers,” the paper compares aluminium-air generators with diesel generators and lithium-ion battery systems. The report comes amid growing pressure on electricity infrastructure from data centre expansion. In Northern Virginia, more than 9,000 backup diesel generators serve data centres, according to Virginia Mercury....
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have developed an aluminium-based catalyst that could help make sodium–sulphur batteries last longer. The catalyst addresses a problem that has limited the technology: Sodium polysulphides can dissolve and move away from the cathode, reducing battery life. The research team, led by Professors Wang Hui and Zheng Fangcai at CAS's High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Hefei, changed the atomic structure of aluminium by replacing one oxygen atom with nitrogen. The team wrote in the press release, “This created an asymmetric structure with three oxygen atoms and one nitrogen atom around each Al atom.” It is an Al–O3N structure (three oxygen atoms and one nitrogen atom surrounding each aluminium atom). Explore AL Circle’s report ALuminium Wires &...
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Nasdaq listed Encore Wire Corporation announced the earnings results for Second Quarter and Fiscal Year 2016. The results came in during After-hours on Jul 27, 2016. The company reported revenue of $238.83 million. Analysts estimated revenue of $241.88 million. Earnings per share were $0.38. Analysts had estimated an EPS of $0.57. Encore Wire Corporation is a manufacturer of electrical building wire and cable. The Company is a supplier of building wire for interior electrical wiring in commercial and industrial buildings homes apartments and manufactured housing. The Company offers an electrical building wire product line that consists primarily of NM-B cable UF-B cable THHN/THWN-2 and other types of wire products including metal clad and armoured cable. All of these products are...
Some thirty years ago, Ford pioneered the use of aluminium replacing steel in its star seller F-150 pickup truck. Though the automaker still continues to build its F-150s from aluminium, not many auto makers have followed suit. Instead, the trend of using a combination of ultra-high-strength steel, aluminium sheet, magnesium and other materials has picked up among body-in-white makers all over the world. However, the trend doesn't seem to be deterring Novelis much from investing in new lines. One of the two major automotive aluminium suppliers to the auto industry, Novelis is upbeat about prospects of aluminium being used increasingly in the automotive industry faced by emission reduction challenges. Marco Pal- mieri, president of Novelis North America, in a recent interview said, "I...
The Global Aluminium Foil Roller Initiative (GLAFRI) has announced the launch of a Chinese version of the well-established and highly respected Alufoil Trophy competition at ALUMINIUM CHINA. The new event will recognise excellence in aluminium foil in five different categories. Alufoil Trophy China will be open to Chinese packaging designers, brand owners, foil rollers, foil converters, foil container manufacturers, closure manufacturers, household foil manufacturers, retailers, and industrial solution providers; including combined entries from any of these disciplines. Packs or applications entered must be designed, produced, filled or sold in China. Speaking about the launch GLAFRI’s director general Stefan Glimm said, “We are delighted to be taking the Alufoil Trophy concept to China....
Panasonic India has unveiled its ELUGA Arc2 smartphone model featuring dual 2.5D curved Asahi DragonTrail glass and aluminium body at a disruptive price point of INR 12,290. The device comes with 7.6mm thin metal design with aircraft grade aluminium alloy using CNC technology. The use of aluminium has helped Panasonic to keep the weight of the smartphone restricted to 147 grams. "The metallic body also allows the smartphone to withstand the everyday wear and tear. For Panasonic India, it is a step forward to make our consumer's life smarter, easier and more stylish,” Pankaj Rana, Business Head, Mobility Division, Panasonic, told reporters at the launch event in New Delhi on Monday. The 4G VoLTE-enabled, aluminium-body smartphone is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor and houses a 2450...
America has experienced a huge craft beer boom over the past decade. Currently, craft beer represents 10% of the American beer market with a rapidly increasing trend. The Brewers Association, of America has set a target of 20% market share for craft beer by 2020. But, the growth is also inducing another worry among the microbrewers- that of an aluminium can shortage and a consequent aluminium war. A microbrewery can make considerable profits only by packaging its beer in cans and selling it for outside consumption. Otherwise, only selling inside the brewery limits their business prospects. Beer packaging market is predominantly determined by cans. In 2006 only, cans accounted for 48.3% of the beer packaging market and bottles accounted for 41.9%. The craft beer boom would definitely...
Luxury automotive brand Mercedes-Benz is known to be contemplating a further shift to aluminium in a bid to shed more weight in its next-generation of Merc-Benz C Class models. With more aluminium in body and frames and advanced new joining processes installed into its U.S. manufacturing plant, the car maker intends to make its new offering much lighter, faster and fuel-efficient while reducing carbon dioxide emissions significantly. In a presentation at the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City in Michigan on Monday, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International CEO Jason Hoff said that the next C class will use advanced joining technologies, including steel welded to aluminium. The car could also get increased use of laser welding, riveting and bonding. Hoff...
British carmaker Bristol has recently unveiled its new sports car, the Bristol Bullet. Powered by a 370bhp 4.8-litre V8, this swanky sports car will mark the 70thanniversary of Bristol. The sales are expected to begin by the end of 2016. Each speedster is hand-made over two weeks at the company’s factory in Chichester, Hampshire, and will only be sold through Bristol’s iconic dealer in Kensington. The main chassis of the Bullet is made of bonded aluminium to maintain its superlight structure and the retro bodywork of the car is crafted from carbon-fibre. Despite the heavy-duty 370bhp V8 engine under the bonnet, the kerbweight of the car is just 1,100kg, as claimed by Bristol. The car claims a pickup of 0-62mph at 3.8 seconds and the top speed is limited to 155mph. BMW manufactures the...
According to a recent market report published by Persistence Market Research on global market for packaging cartons, the revenue generated from sales of liquid packaging carton market has been estimated to be valued over US$ 12.0 billion by 2016 end, and is projected to increase at a CAGR of 5.5 per cent during 2016-2024. The consumption of aluminium in this packaging segment is also slated for a significant rise. Liquid Packaging Cartons are primarily made up of uncoated paperboard with a barrier coating. There are two types of barrier coating i.e. LDPE Coated and Aluminium Coated- used mainly for protection against UV light, odour and gas. These liquid packaging cartons are used for storage and safe transportation of liquid products. One of the primary drivers for the growth of liquid...
Announcing good news to the aluminium and the automotive industry, a new study, by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Metal Processing Institute, home of the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling (CR3) in association with Aluminum Association, concludes that the end-of-life recycling rate for automotive aluminium in the US is 91 per cent. The third party review examines the amount of aluminum recovered and recycled from the United States’ light-duty automotive sector at the end of a vehicle’s service life. This new study bolsters the findings from earlier third-party government and auto industry reports that confirm aluminum to be the most sustainable material. “We set out to detail exactly how aluminum is separated and recovered at the end of a vehicle’s service life and findings...
Nexans ended the first half of 2016 on a buoyant note. A pioneer in renewable energies, the group notched up quite a few commercial successes in its key business areas. In the energy infrastructure sector, it won a contract worth around €245m connect the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm to the Scottish grid. It is currently is expanding the international coverage of its umbilical cables with a new project in Australia for OneSubsea. The group was successful in the telecommunications sector during the first half of 2016, securing a contract to supply submarine fibre-optic cables as part of Brazil's Amazônia Conectada programme, which aims to bring internet to four million inhabitants in the Amazon rainforest. Nexans has also launched a new WINDLINK® solution for wind turbines that proposes...
Leading market research firm Technavio has come up with a list of six major aluminium foil manufacturers who are likely to dominate the world market from 2016 through 2020. Presently, there are six vendors including Alcoa, Ess Dee Aluminium, GARMCO, Hindalco Industries, Norsk Hydro, and RUSAL, who are ruling the aluminium foils market. However, with new players entering the industry, the market shares of these top vendors are shrinking and the new players are sharing a slice each of the entire pie. Leading analyst at Technavio, Chandrakumar Badala Jaganathan says, “To stay competitive in the market, aluminium foil producers are adapting new technologies to reduce carbon emission during the production process. For instance, Norsk Hydro uses catalytic exhaust air treatment technology that...
According to Technavio’s recently published market report, the global aluminium market for building and construction sector is slated to grow at a CAGR of 6.31 per cent during the period 2016-2020. Analysts have segmented the worldwide aluminium market for building and construction into four major geographies: Americas, APAC, Europe, and Middle East. Continuous infrastructural development in these regions will likely drive the demand for aluminium structural components in the building and construction sector, they opined. The demand will be further augmented by infrastructure overhaul projects in the emerging economies like India, Malaysia etc. Increase in automation of building systems has been identified as the principle market driver in the report. Fluctuating London Metal Exchange...
Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) releases a new study that tries to define a recyclable packaging. The 2015-16 Centralized Study on Availability of Recycling is a collective work of 13 packaging trade associations and non-profit groups related to recycling. They examined more than 2,000 American recycling programs and picked up 49 types of packaging as acceptable for recycling. SPC agrees with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s philosophy regarding the definition of a recyclable packaging: To avoid greenwashing, there must be a strong likelihood the package will be recycled. This information on acceptance in the recycling bin is the important first step in understanding that likelihood. The study found positive results for a large number of major packaging types including aluminium...
Aluminium products manufacturer Hulamin has just reported their first half results with operating profit up 86 per cent in soft market conditions and a revenue increase of 25 per cent to R4.9 billion. Despite the oversupply situation in the market and local and export shipment being impacted badly, the company fared well in it revenue. Richard Jacob, CEO of Hulamin gives the credit to good demand from their consumers coupled with good manufacturing performance. He said that most of the profits were driven by their rolled products division. As extruded products can’t export and are much more subject to the demand in the local market, they form the smaller part of Hulamin’s business. He said that the increasing demand for aluminium coming from the global automotive markets is one reason for...
Indian tech startup Notion Ink has launched their latest offering the Able 10, a successor to the Cain tablet, with an upgraded keyboard built out of aluminium. The electronic devices segment has been experiencing a continued decline in shipments over the last few quarters, the world over; yet, the 2-in-1 segment has charted growth. Piggybacking this trend, tech firms have been penetrating newer markets with devices in all possible shapes and forms. Notion Ink’s latest offering- the Able 10 tablet with aluminium lightweight key is targeted to a global audience looking for devices that make working on PCs convenient and hassle-free. Able 10 tablet has more local storage and RAM and feels quite sturdy due to its metallic built. Apart from additional inbuilt features and functionality,...
A Winston-Salem aluminum can packaging plant has a new owner, Ardagh Metal Beverage USA Inc., as part of a divestiture required for a multi-billion dollar transaction to gain federal regulatory approval. Ardagh, a subsidiary of Ardagh Group SA of Luxembourg, paid $7.63 million for the former Rexam Beverage Can Co. facility at 4000 Old Milwaukee Lane in Piedmont Triad Industrial Park. The Forsyth County Register of Deeds said the transaction was completed July 19. It is not known how many local employees Ardagh gained through the transaction. The Federal Trade Commission required Ball Corp. to sell eight U.S. aluminum can plants to settle agency claims that its purchase of Rexam PLC potentially was anti-competitive. The FTC approved the deal June 30, which was comprised of $6.1 billion in...
Two researchers at Cornell University has created an innovative aluminium-based electrochemical cell. The cell captures and separates carbon dioxide while generating a large amount of electricity simultaneously. The researchers, Wajdi Al Sadat and Lynden Archer describe the cell, its benefits and its technology in a paper published in the journal Science Advances. They believe their innovation to be much better than other carbon-capturing cells. Scientists have been working constantly to control, carbon emission, with considerable success. Another group of scientists are taking a different approach to the issue and trying to find a way out to separate carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in an economically plausible manner. The Cornell University report provides a cell technology that...
A team of undergraduate students from one of India's premiere tech schools, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Kharagpur, has designed their fourth Formula 1 racing car prototype with chassis made from aluminium alloys. The new racing car ‘K-3′ will compete in the Formula Student Russia 2016 to be held in September this year. Around 30 teams comprising 800 students from all over the world will participate in the racing event. TeamKART is a students’ project under the Department of Mechanical Engineering of IIT Kharagpur that involves designing and manufacturing Formula style cars. So far the team has built four such cars and participated in four international competitions. “Our fourth car K-3 is our lightest car weighing at just 220 kgs. It is also fuel efficient providing a fuel...
