
Spanish racing driverFernando Alonso has added a one-off Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse to his growing collection of rare cars. Known as chassis 8.100, the car is distinguished by bespoke aluminium bodywork that required more than 20 tonnes of aluminium to produce, along with dedicated CAD programmes developed by Bugatti. Its history is equally distinctive, being produced after an original customer pushed Bugatti to create something it had initially considered too expensive. For Alonso, the automobile fits closely with an approach to luxury he outlined in 2024 about choosing manufacturers that treat individual customers differently rather than simply producing cars in larger numbers. To know the aluminium casting demand forecast in the transportation sector, explore our report "Global...
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...
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<p>Tom Boney, chairman of the Aluminum Association's Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG) and vice president and general manager, Automotive Value Stream, Novelis North America applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and California Air Resources Board for releasing the draft of Technical Assessment Report, yesterday, after examining a wide range of factors relevant to the 2022-2025 light-duty vehicle standards.</p> <p><img style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.alcircle.com/uploads/images/EndUser_Transportation20072016.jpg" alt="News" width="350" height="200" /><br />"Based upon a preliminary review, we are pleased the Technical Assessment Report recognizes the...

Vishay has announced the launch of five new series of aluminium capacitors, delivering increased vibration capabilities over standard devices. Providing high stability and reliability in automotive and industrial applications, the surface-mount 260 CLA-V, 246 CTI-V, and 250 CRZ-V, and radial 246 RTI-V and 250 RMI-V series, combine high-vibration performance with low impedance, high ripple current, and long useful life. The SMD and radial devices offer vibration resistance up to 30g and 50g, respectively. These AEC-Q200-qualified capacitors feature low impedance down to 18mohm at 100kHz for better filtering, high ripple current to 3,500mA, and long useful life to 10,000h. The devices feature capacitance from 150µF to 10,000µF over voltages from 6.3V to 100V. Surface-mount 260 CLA-V, 246...

Aluminum Trailer Co., based in Nappanee in the U.S. state of Indiana, will break ground on its $5 million production facility this fall. The move will enable the company to expand its production capacity significantly. The trailer manufacturer, which has steadily flourished since recession ended in 2009, is expected to generate up to 40 jobs over the next three years as it plans major expansions over its 90,000-square-foot facility, said CEO Steve Brenneman. Operations at the plant are expected to start in the second quarter of 2017. The upcoming facility, to be built near an existing 20,000-square-foot plant, will be the third production site for Aluminum Trailer Co. "We're going to move our two main production lines into the building, as well as our main office," said Brenneman. ATC...

With power transmission and data communication sectors opening up new vistas, the Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) industry is undergoing tremendous churning before the giant leap. Add to it the fillip received from the Union Government’s ‘Digital India’ slogan, the outcome is perceptibly encouraging. ZTT India Private Limited, a major manufacturer of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) and also the first to have a manufacturing unit in India, has grabbed the opportunity with both its hands as its product deals with arresting lightning as well as in data communication. In the OPGW cable, the strands of OFC are covered by a central aluminium tube, which is further surrounded by a layer of 12 aluminium clad steel (ACS) wires to offer double protection. ZTT India's plant at Sri City in Chittoor district of...

Ford Motor says it's going to boost the towing capacity of its pickup trucks. As announced on Monday July 18, the 2017 F-Series F-450 Super Duty, one of the heavy-duty versions of its F-150 full-size pickups will be capable of towing a 21,000-pound trailer. This according to Ford is 1,000 pounds more than the competition. Ford confirms that the boost becomes possible from a heavier driveline and other factors triggered by the switch to an all-aluminium body. Since aluminium is about 350 pounds lighter than standard steel body, that extra weight could be used for heavier drive components which accounted for the added towing capacity. Considering the fact that Ford F-Series has been the US's best-selling heavy vehicle and consumers may not appreciate the change of materials, the switch to...

Lidl teams up with Who Dares Design to create the aluminium can packaging for Castelgy, their new pre-mixed single serve gin and tonic brand. Who Dares Design will be implementing the identity of Castlegy across the new variants in the range, and will also develop the packaging artwork through launch. The newly designed packs strategically re-positioned the logo in a simplified manner placing the brand separately at the top of the can graphics. Their aim was to “compliment the streamlined proportions of the can packaging, while being immediately recognisable as part of the Castelgy family”. Elegant and bold typography has been used to display the flavours and bright green and silver background colours have been used to differentiate the standard variant from the diet one. The alcoholic...

Scientists in two US laboratories have shown that three-dimensional printed aluminium heatsinks could be lighter and more compact in size – in other words, better than conventional heatsinks. They drew this conclusion from two closely linked projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee Knoxville: One project proved- printed aluminium heatsink ensures not only equal but sometimes better thermal conductivity than a standard aluminium heatsink. The second has developed genetic algorithms that make use of the freedom of shape available from 3D printing to design heatsinks that fit in the same space as their conventional cousins but work better. In the first case, conventional heatsink aluminium (‘6061’, aluminium with At room temperature, the 6061 alloy had a...

Kengo Kuma and Associates has completed the design and construction for their ‘Hongkou Soho’ office tower located in the Hongkou district in Shanghai. The building creates a sense of openness through the distinctive aluminium façades and the public areas that are distributed around the building aesthetically. A number of 18mm width ‘pleats’ make up the surface of the façade giving the building its exotic look. The 95,000 sqm building is wrapped in a pattern of pleated aluminium mesh measuring 18mm in width and the design creates the visual appeal of a woven lace. Kengo Kuma and Associates has described the building facades as a ‘soft dress for women’. Apart from the beautiful design, the pleats create an interesting play in light and shadow depending on the positioning of the sun during...

The students of CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering are building an RV-12, a light-sport aircraft out of aluminium. The experimental two-seater airplane, being built as a summer project, will be kept at Brainard Airport on completion. Advanced aluminium alloy technologies, including the latest Al-Lithium products, help aircraft engineers achieve enhanced fabrication benefits by offering an optimal combination of lower density (hence, reduced weight), improved strength, and higher corrosion resistance. The CREC project seems to be completely in line with the recent trend of increased aluminium usage in the aerospace industry, which is characterised by strong demand for aircrafts in the foreseeable future. According to Aluminium Federation (ALFED), the trade association representing...

According to a recently published market report, the global building automation and control market, which was $35 billion in 2015, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9 per cent-10 per cent during 2015-2020. Building automation improves the efficiency of building systems by reducing energy consumption, improving the lifecycle of utilities, and enhancing occupant comfort, and aluminium construction systems comprising aluminium extrusions and panels play a crucial role in improving the acceptability of the building automation process. Aluminium extrusions are used for manufacturing building profile systems as fine, value-added solutions. These products are increasingly used in the form of windows, doors, facades, and sliding doors in modern high-rise buildings, commercial buildings, and star...

The world’s leading truck manufacturer Daimler is planning to use three-dimensional printing (3D) to produce steel or aluminium-made automotive spare parts. This will be done to streamline their supply chain and expedite vehicle manufacturing process leveraging the latest digital technologies. The use of 3D printing technology has been gaining in popularity among auto makers worldwide as the process helps them to pare down logistics and warehouse storage costs substantially. Instead of shipping vehicle spare parts across the globe, they can simply send a digital blueprint of a component to a printing specialist who then creates the parts using lasers to melt powdered form of aluminium, steel, plastics or glass into solidified articles. The digital technology also helps vehicle...

Kemet Corporation New (KEM) hit a new 52-week high yesterday, reaching a peak of $3.18 after opening at $2.98 and closing at $3.17 for a move of 6.02 per cent. Kemet Corp is a manufacturer of capacitors. Its product offerings include tantalum capacitors, multilayer ceramic capacitors, film capacitors, electrolytic capacitors, paper capacitors and solid aluminium capacitors. Hitting a new 52-week high is a notable milestone for any company, and it can mean a trading opportunity on either the long or short side, depending on one's perspective. Some view a company hitting its highest price in a year as a sign of momentum and think it means it's time to buy in. Others, though, tend to interpret a new 52-week high as likely signalling the end of a strong run, with the stock peaking out before...

The Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL) has planned for high ampacity power supply through cables having aluminium composite core around India’s Nashik city connecting seven of its 132 kv power stations to deliver quality power to the citizens. The decision follows major power outages in the city which has already taken off as a major business hub of the country. MSETCL has successfully tested the use of the high ampacity cables for transmission of 1,32,000 volt (132 kv) power lines between Eklahara (Nashik Thermal Power Station) and Ozhar sub-stations. After that, it has been updating its transmission lines using the technology. "The high ampacity cables will be able to withhold exta load and would not lead to such a situation (power failure)," a senior...

Santa Cruz Bicycles just rolled out a new crop of bikes that are a bit more wallet friendly than the top-tier carbon models you’ve already seen. There are new aluminium versions of the Bronson, Tallboy and 5010. There’s now also a complete range of Carbon C models- Bronson, Tallboy, Hightower, Stigmata to name a few. The launch brings the price point on complete carbon bikes down a good bit. As for the clicking and whirring bits, both Santa Cruz and Juliana are offering up new build kit options at both the high end (SRAM Eagle at the XO and XX1 levels) and the low end (SRAM NX). That’s the quick and pithy intro. Santa Cruz is now offering the latest-generation Bronson, Tallboy and 5010 models in aluminium. Frame-only options will sell for $1,899. Complete aluminium models will have...

The Swanhill farm at Jennapullin Road, Shire of Northam has yet another amazing sculpture installed on its premises. The ‘Nellie,’ placed atop the hill at the Swanhill farm, is crafted out of thousands of recycled aluminium horse shoes. Earth Solutions Avon Valley commissioned Otto Hampel to make a swan from recycled aluminium of a magnitude that can be shared by all. He chose to make horse shoes from the re-molten metal to come up with the sculpture. Nellie, which can be seen from as far as 25 kilometres, is believed to be the largest swan sculpture made out of aluminium horse shoes in the world. She will be adding to the stunning backdrop of the Shire of Northam farm, making it a must visit for the global tourists to this part of the wall.

The Lavit Capsule, developed jointly by Lavit and Alupak has won the 2016 Alufoil Trophy award for excellence in Marketing & Design. The Alufoil Trophy is organized each year by EAFA and is the aluminum foil sector’s annual premier awards competition. The Alufoil Trophy recognizes manufacturers and brands that meet environmental and sustainability targets without losing any degree of performance or quality in addition to the technical innovations, to solve complex problems or meet difficult conditions. The Lavit capsule is a revolutionary single serve beverage container containing powder beverage concentrate. When the capsule is inserted into a Lavit beverage system, the user can craft an individual still or sparkling cold beverage with the touch of a button. The capsule also features...

Alpro’s overhead transom closers are a means of hydraulically controlling the opening and closing of an aluminium door. The units are on doors fabricated and installed by HH Aluminium of Southampton. These transom closers are contained within the transom header bar of a door and are therefore well suited to use in premises where attention is being paid to aesthetics. Features include dual closing speed to allow flexibility, three levels of spring strength and 90-degree hold open facility. Keith Parry, Sales Director at Alpro, said: “Fabricators using our transom closers benefit from the ability to adjust the latching and closing force according to the weight and height of individual doors as well as type and frequency of usage. Fine-tuning to accommodate the exact needs of a pupil and...

According to a recently published report, the construction equipment market worldwide is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.11 per cent, to reach a market size of $116.20 billion by 2021, while the mining equipment market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.42 per cent, to reach $136.03 billion by 2021. The Asia-Pacific region covering countries such as China, Japan, and India has been identified by the report as the largest and fastest-growing market for construction and mining equipment. The growth, according to the published data will be diven by increasing number of infrastructural projects and revised government regulations on mining. Robust economic growth, coupled with the growing population and rapid urbanization, will also likely boost construction activities across the...