
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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The recently ended National Conference on Non-Ferrous Minerals & Metals- 2016, which was held on 8th and 9th July in Jamshedpur, India, saw a huge congregation of professionals from the non-ferrous metal industry in India. In the satellite session of the event, focused mainly on the application products and technology trends, 20 papers were presented by renowned personalities from organizations like Hindalco, Vedanta, Mecon and many others. The technical session began with the presentation on aluminium refining cells designing by Prof. Rajiv Shekhar, IIT Kanpur who stressed on increasing industry’s focus on R&D. Hindalco, in the same session, suggested that aluminium alloys be used instead of steel for manufacturing LPG cylinders on an economical scale. The company has reportedly achieved...

Aluminium flexible packaging solutions manufacturer Aluflexpack has been granted a loan of €20 million (USD 22 million) by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to finance technology upgrades at its Croatian firm. Aluflexpack specializes in manufacturing containers, closures and lids, and other aluminium products. Technology upgradation which forms an integral part of Aluflexpack’s recent strategic expansion plans would enable the company to develop new products and increase production capacity significantly. Aluflexpack approached EBRD for the loan based on ‘demonstration of successful restricting and setting standards of corporate governance and business conduct.’ EBRD, in response, outlined the following conditions: • Environment and Social (E&S) issues associated with...

Constantia Flexibles has completed its acquisition of Vietnamese pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer Oai Hung, strengthening its presence in Asia. Headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Oai Hung produces aluminium blister foil and rigid film for the growing local pharmaceutical market. In addition, the company already has a meaningful presence in the dairy lidding sector having only entered this market in the last two years. The state-of-the-art production site is equipped with a cleanroom that meets high international standards. The Pharma division of Constantia Flexibles is the world’s second largest flexible packaging manufacturer for the pharmaceutical and home and personal care industries. It operates three pre-material production sites in Austria, Germany and Spain, which serve three...

Canyon Bicycles has launched the revamped Roadlite flat bar road bike, built on all aluminium frame, with the increased accessibility of flat handlebars, that the company says makes this the ideal bike for “a day-to-day ride or a new way to explore at the weekend.” The Roadlite name used to be found on an aluminium-framed drop bar road bike in the Canyon range a few years ago, but it’s now repositioned as a fitness bike in the company’s growing range, or what we would normally call a hybrid bike. We can definitely see the Roadlite appealing to people that might be keen to get into road cycling but are put off by the drop handlebars, and it would make an ideal commuting bike with the easier control the flat bars provide when weaving through traffic. “Whether you cycle as part of your...

The city of Joondalup in western Australia has a new eight-storey development added to its skyline that stands out both in terms of design and the built. The exterior design by Meyer Shircore and Associates Architects features perforated triangular aluminium panels arranged in a tessellated origami pattern, aluminium cladding with a timber finish, clear glazing and patterned concrete walls. The North West Metro Development Assessment Panel supported plans for the proposed multi-storey Government office building at the corner of Davidson Terrace and Shenton Avenue. The skyscraper featuring perforated aluminium panels will consist of five levels of office space, two levels of car parking and a ground level café and commercial tenancy. The development proposal has achieved a five-star rating...

China has built the world’s most powerful and the largest single aperture radio telescope in the southwestern province of Guizhou in expectation of an “extraordinary impact” on astronomy. Made up of 4,450 triangular aluminium panels, the $180m telescope’s dish is half a kilometre in diameter, with a total area equivalent in size to 30 football pitches. It is located in a remote limestone valley in Pingtang County to minimise electromagnetic “noise” from human activity – an important factor in the sensitivity of the instrument, which is known as FAST (an acronym for “Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical radio Telescope”). The aluminium panels of the radio telescope are capable of being adjusted to create a 300m sub-dish that can be focused on particular bits of the universe with 10 times...

Gérard Blatrix, Amcor, has been elected as Chairman of Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE), the organisation which represents the interests of the sector at a European level and on the international stage. He previously served as Vice Chairman and is replaced in that role by Paddy Mullaney of Clondalkin. Both appointments were made during the FPE summer conference, held recently in Hamburg. Amcor is a global leader in responsible packaging solutions supplying a broad range of rigid & flexible packaging products into the food, beverage, healthcare, home and personal care and tobacco packaging industries. Aluminium foil, aluminium beverage can, aluminium aerosol can and aluminium blisters form important categories of the company's product portfolio. Speaking shortly after his election Mr...

To discuss critical issues surrounding the upcoming Midterm Evaluation of 2025 fuel economy and emissions regulations, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Aluminum Transportation Group chairman Tom Boney of Novelis, and the following panellists of transportation and environmental leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. last Thursday, June 7: • John Bozzella, President and Chief Executive Officer, Global Automakers • Michelle Robinson, Director, Clean Vehicles Program, Union of Concerned Scientists • John German, Senior Fellow / US Co-Lead, The International Council on Clean Transportation Lively discussion ensued on whether automakers can meet (or possibly exceed) 2025 fuel economy and emissions targets as well as how existing vehicle technologies and designs are advancing. "No...

Larson Electronics, a leading industrial lighting company has announced the release of a ten outlet explosion proof portable spider box that allows operators to safely operate up to 4,000 watts of lighting and electrical equipment within Class 1 Division 1 zones. The EPL-SBO-120-10XLV explosion proof portable power distribution system from Larson Electronics is designed to provide operators using 120 volt equipment in hazardous locations with multiple outlets in areas where receptacles are limited. This wheeled power distribution system allows operators to safely operate up to 4,000 watts of lighting and electrical equipment within Class 1 Division 1 areas. This unit includes ten 12 volt twist-lock receptacles rated at 20 amps maximum each. Operators provide 120 volt power from inside or...

Google has teamed up with the biggest smartphone makers HTC over the years to manufacture its flagship smartphones. Based on evidence from a credible source, the devices, which are codenamed M1 "Marlin" and S1 "Sailfish" will be offered in a dark gray and black aluminium case. The body of the aluminium case has a two-tone look, thanks to either a glossy plastic or glass cutout on its rear, which is believed to act as a window for an NFC reader and other radios. The HTC Nexus M1 "Marlin" is expected to include a 2,560 x 1,440 Quad HD display, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 12-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front-facing shooter, and a large 3,450 mAh battery. The HTC Nexus S1 "Sailfish" is said to use a 5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD display, feature similar...

California based Blue Bicycles is a sports and mountain bike maker that was once struggling to survive but now has new life breathed into it. It was once known for triathlon and cyclocross bikes but now has three different mountain bikes in its line. Here’s a peak at what’s coming in 2017 for Blue while at Press Camp in Park City, Utah. The Crew is Blue’s new 11-speed, 27plus hardtail. The Crew EX is carbon and the Crew AL is aluminium. Blue first tried its hand at mountain bikes in 2009 but by the time it got its first 26er together, 29ers had come on the scene full-force and the company didn’t think it would be able to properly sell its small-wheeled bike. Now that new wheel sizes have settled, it was ready to jump in, again. The Crew AL still runs Shimano XT and the same Hayes brakes...

Renowned architecture firm Fran Silvestre Arquitectos has come up with a two-storey Aluminium House in Madrid. The building made out of aluminium construction systems features a roof terrace that spans the entire width of the building and extends out towards a swimming pool. The Valencia-based firm wanted the two-storey-high Aluminium House to appear smaller than it actually is. To achieve this, they tried to make the top level feel like the main storey, and the lower level an extension of the patio. To emphasise the effect, the top-heavy first floor is clad in aluminium panels, while the ground floor is covered in a light stone like the surrounding paving. The large roof terrace cantilevers out from the first floor towards the pool, creating a shaded area beneath. "The piece, of metallic...

Panasonic Automotive & Industrial Systems Europe has released two new ranges of aluminium electrolytic capacitors to meet recent market demands for higher ripple current handling. Developed from the proven V-TP series components, the new V-TC and V-TCU series benefit from 1.2 to 1.5 times higher ripple current capabilities at 125C (V-TC series 300mA for D8 can size up to 750mA for G can size and V-TCU series 400mA for F can size up to 750mA for G can size). In addition, V-TCU parts also offer 1.2 to 2.2 times larger capacitance values (220µF up to 680µF) while downsizing by one can size (G to F size or F to D8 size). Ideal for applications such as automotive ECU in DC-DC filtering and output ripple smoothing, the can-shape surface-mount capacitors feature a footprint from 6.3mm x 7.7mm up...

Iconic limousine maker Rolls Royce is all set to enter the next generation of car manufacturing with modern techniques and lightweight aluminium platform. The upcoming Rolls Royce Phantom and all future super-luxury cars will be made from the same materials as used in Tesla Model S, with a lighter yet durable aluminium chassis and body. The eighth-generation Rolls Royce Phantom will be the first car that the company makes using the new aluminium architecture, and it is known from industry sources that that design has taken “another significant step forward”. The current Phantom will end its production life on 31 December 2016, and the new model won’t be introduced until 2018, so there will be a gap of at least a year where dealers will sell through the existing stock they have on hand....

Jan Homan, Supervisory Board Member of Constantia Flexibles, has been re-elected President of the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) at the organisation’s summer conference held in Hamburg. The European Aluminium Foil Association is the international body representing companies engaged in flexible packaging, in rolling and rewinding of alufoil as well as in the manufacture of aluminium closures and semi-rigid containers. Its more than 100 members include companies in Western, Central and Eastern Europe. Speaking during the conference, following his re-appointment, Mr Homan said, “It is a great honour to have been given the task to continue leading EAFA. Currently there is great optimism that the industry is well positioned to take advantage of the improving economic position, both...

The AptarGroup, a supplier of packaging solutions such as aluminium aerosol cans for the beauty and personal care industry, announced resumption of production flows at its factory in Annecy, France, after a fire broke out at one of its three anodization production units, on June 25. The fire caused no injury but resulted in severe damage of equipment and machiney in the Annecy plant. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Aptar Annecy supplies anodized aluminium components for certain AptarGroup dispensing systems. “The stamping workshop, which was not affected by the fire, is fully operational and all Aptar’s teams are mobilized for a restart of the anodizing lines by the end of July, except for the line that was destroyed by the fire,” said the supplier. While repair works...

Prague’s desirable Vinohrady district has got a striking new addition to its skyline – The Crystal offices, a project that demonstrate how far boundaries can be pushed with aluminium curtain walling to create original spaces and bespoke shapes. Crystal is made up of two main parts, which together create a compact unit. They are sliced by a striking sharp chasm, leading to the inspiration behind the name. Supported by bespoke aluminium systems from Reynaers, the significant height and distinctive shape means that this building has a unique and unexpected look, from every angle. The innovative build is found beside the busy Vinohradská Boulevard opposite one of Prague’s largest cemeteries, Olšany, and the post-modern 1990s Don Giovanni hotel. It was commissioned by the GES REAL development...

Siemens researchers have developed a new type of electric motor that, with a weight of just 50 kilograms, delivers a continuous output of about 260 kilowatts – five times more than comparable drive systems. This record-setting propulsion system successfully completed its first public flight today at Schwarze Heide Airport near Dinslaken, Germany, where it – almost silently – powered an Extra 330LE aerobatic airplane. The new drive system had already made its maiden flight on June 24th 2016. This advance means that hybrid-electric aircraft with four or more seats will now be possible. "This day will change aviation," said Frank Anton, head of eAircraft at Siemens' central research unit Corporate Technology. "This is the first time that an electric aircraft in the quarter-megawatt...