India's hidden urban mines are going to landfills: Why e-waste needs a second life
As smartphones, laptops, televisions, electric vehicles, and household appliances become an integral part of modern life, electronic waste (e-waste) is emerging as one of the world's fastest-growing waste streams. Yet, every discarded electronic device contains more than just obsolete technology—it...
Stricter fines, greater scope for innovation: Hungary targets cleaner practices in battery manufacturing
Hungary will raise the maximum fine for serious environmental violations by large manufacturers to 5 billion forints (USD 16 million) under new measures to strengthen environmental oversight across industries, including EV battery manufacturing, recycling, and decommissioning. The changes come as...
Grow with
AL Circle
Elna expands Chiang Mai facility to meet demand for aluminium electrolytic capacitors
Elna has expanded and renovated its manufacturing facility, Tanin Elna Co, in Chiang Mai to help boost its production capacity for aluminium electrolytic capacitors. The Chiang Mai facility has been producing electrolytic capacitors since 1980 and began manufacturing electric double-layer...
Alcoa Technical Center in Upper Burrell is shifting its strategy
Alcoa Inc.'s battle to get more aluminum into automobiles might be won with a technology developed years ago for soda cans. It's the kind of win that would fit CEO Klaus Kleinfeld's emphasis on more profitable products and being a partner rather than just a supplier to manufacturers. While aluminum...
Extruded Aluminum helps Tesla’s Model S achieve record in auto safety testing
Tesla Motors’ Model S set new records in safety testing conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) thanks, in part, to the abundance of extruded aluminum used in the vehicle. The Model S scored a 5-star safety rating overall and in every subcategory in which the car was...
BMW’s rechargeable carbon fiber and aluminum i8 enters sports car market
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s rechargeable i8 sports car is entering a soon-to-be-crowded field of supercars with a hint of green. While they tap into Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA)’s popularity, they’re for different buyers. “This is the supercar of the future: It has the driving performance of an...
Opel’s new all-aluminum 3-cylinder turbo sets refinement benchmark
Opel’s all-new three-cylinder will be celebrating its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. The 1.0-liter turbo gasoline engine is not only climate-friendly, it also represents a new benchmark for refinement in three-cylinder engines, with noise and vibration...
Novelis rolling out aluminum investment plan
Novelis is spending $200 million on its rolled-aluminum plant in Oswego, NY, so the company can quadruple its output for the automotive industry and permit several new all-aluminium vehicles to be built in North America. Novelis had been selling aluminum for hoods, liftgates and some roofs for...
Tesla's Demand for Aluminum may bring hopes for Alcoa
Matt DiLallo speculates that Tesla's aluminum-intensive Model S could be harbinger of greater use of the metal by other carmakers, 'rekindling hopes that Alcoa can once again thrive.' When Tesla Motors launched its Model S, it arguably changed the face of the auto industry forever. The company...
JLR Focuses on Lightweighting to to meet fuel-economy goals
The only way for Jaguar Land Rover to meet fuel-economy goals with its big cars and SUVs is to make them as light as small cars, says Mark White, the man in charge of JLR’s vehicle bodies. For the U.K.-based auto maker, that means switching materials from steel to aluminum, and the new Range Rover...
Novelis is pinning high hopes on the automobile sector
Carmakers are focusing considerable resources on meeting new fuel efficiency regulations to be implemented by governments in the coming years. And they know more efficient engines and electric powertrains cannot carry the whole load, turning their eyes to new alternative materials to make lighter...
Fuel Efficiency Target to Impact auto sector steel demand in Europe and the US
Tough new vehicle fuel-efficiency targets in Europe and the US are likely to lead to lower sales volumes for steel companies, Fitch Ratings says. But higher prices for lighter, stronger steels should favour well-funded manufacturers that have the resources to invest in product development over...
Research says aluminum helps reduce 40% vehicle body mass
The results of an intensive research study were released last month at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress. The study was commissioned by the Aluminum in Transportation Group of the U.S. Aluminum Association and completed by EDAG Group. Results of the study explain why car and...
Canada launches program to promote aluminium intensive vehicles in future
As automakers and their suppliers from around the world strive to develop fuel-saving technologies, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has announced a new program to help the Canadian transportation industry reduce the weight of cars, trucks, trailers, buses, and trains by developing...
China-based P&A International breakthrough for mass production of aluminium intensive vehicles
China-based P&A International has announced its breakthrough in pre-treatment bonding technology, which could lead to cars being made with more aluminium parts. The enabler for adhesive bonding of automotive structures has been licensed to a leading supplier of surface treatments to the automotive...
Novelis CEO foresees aluminum use in vehicle industry to double in a decade
Intensive use of aluminum in vehicles is growing more than 25% a year, signalling "a gigantic and permanent change" in the automotive industry, spurred on by new regulations on fuel economy and carbon emissions, the chief executive officer of a major aluminum sheet producer said. While aluminum...
Alcan gets $750 million in pacts for aluminum auto components
Alcan Engineered & Automotive Solutions, part of Alcan Engineered Products – a business unit of Rio Tinto – is becoming a key player in the growing market for greener car components, having been awarded a total US$750 million worth of multi-year contracts over the past 12 months for its innovative,...
Honda finds solution that enables steel and aluminium to be joined
Japanese car manufacturer Honda Motor Company has announced that it has developed a technology that allows steel and aluminium to be joined. Honda says the innovation will allow it to manufacture weight-saving vehicle doors that combine a steel structure with an aluminium outer skin. Joining...
Volvo applies Formula One technology in next-gen XC90
Volvo realizes it can’t continue on the same path forever. Now 11 years old, the XC90 is one of the oldest production cars on sale today, according to an Autocar report. Accordingly, Volvo engineers are hard at work on a new Scalable Product Architecture platform, which it claims is “flexible and...
Henkel introduces pretreatment process to increase aluminum use in vehicle manufacturing
Henkel Corporation's automotive group today announced the North American production debut of its BONDERITE Flex Process on the 2013 Ford F-150. The Flex Process, used on the body of the 2013 F-150, enables a significant increase in aluminum content on vehicles by replacing the traditional zinc...
