A steel manufacturer and a corporation that provides automation and robotics technologies, both from Japan, recently announced that automakers are the target users for a jointly developed experimental robotic welding system that will join dissimilar metals — such as aluminum and high strength steel — with the goal of bypassing traditional methods of assembly, including rivets, fasteners, and adhesive bonding.
Kobe Steel developed the EASW process (element arc spot welding) and FANUC Corporation adapted it to high-speed application in assembly-based manufacturing.
“Specifically, the system performs a series of actions at high speeds, including position detection, smooth and accurate movement of the robot, pressurization, feed and engagement of the rivets, and arc welding.” — Light Metal Age
A Detroit-based manufacturer of automobile driveline and drivetrain components and systems, which includes heat treating under its metal forming division, recently announced expansions of its operations in China and Spain.
David C. Dauch, AAM Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile Industry Co. Ltd. entered into a joint venture agreement to manufacture driveline systems, beginning production later this year in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in the state-level economic development zone of East Liuzhou, in the Guangxi Province. Independent rear axles and driveheads will be manufactured at Liuzhou AAM.
“Liuzhou AAM will also continue to enhance our ability to provide both conventional and electric drive axles in the world’s largest automotive market,” said David C. Dauch, AAM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Liuzhou AAM will produce driveline technology for SAIC-GM-Wuling’s SUV and MPV models. SAIC-GM-Wuling is a joint venture between General Motors and SAIC and is the largest manufacturer of rear-wheel-drive light vehicles in China.
In addition, AAM will open a new facility in Barcelona, Spain, in January 2019, producing powertrain components for Europe’s leading automakers including Renault, BMW, Daimler, Porsche, Audi, and Ford.
“The new facility will help AAM meet customer demand for products that help reduce noise and vibrations from downsized engines,” said Dauch.
Photo caption: Donald Joseph, president of AAM Asia and Weimin Li, Deputy General Manager, Guangxi Automobile Group at the Liuzhou AAM Automotive Driveline System Co., Ltd. signing ceremony.
An international automotive technology supplier headquartered in Canada recently opened a 225,000-square foot aluminum casting facility in Telford, England, which will supply structural castings to Jaguar Land Rover, a leading vehicle manufacturer in the U.K.
Ben Goater, general manager of Cosma Castings U.K.
Magna’s new operations will see use of its patented vacuum die-casting process in which advanced lightweight aluminum castings help maximize strength and stiffness and minimize weight, improving fuel economy, safety, and handling. As electrified and hybrid powertrains become more common in the automotive industry, high-pressure aluminum castings can be a key factor in reducing overall vehicle weight.
“With this new aluminum casting facility, we have established a world-class center of excellence to bring the most advanced structural casting technologies to the U.K.,” said John Farrell, president of Cosma International, which is the operating unit of Magna and supplies a comprehensive range of body, chassis and engineering solutions to automakers around the world. Magna now has nine manufacturing facilities with more than 2,200 employees throughout the U.K.
“The manufacture of aluminum castings is an important building block for the next generation of all-aluminum and multi-material vehicle architectures,” said Ben Goater, general manager of Cosma Castings U.K.
Photo credit: Magna and caption: “Magna officials were joined by Ian Harnett from Jaguar Land Rover (center) and members of local government to celebrate the grand opening of Magna’s new aluminum casting facility in Telford, England.”
A manufacturer of flat-rolled aluminum products recently announced plans to expand its existing operations in Goose Creek, South Carolina, adding a new 220,000 square foot building and installing state-of-the-art equipment.
JW Aluminum expands operations at its Mount Holly location.
JW Aluminum launched the $255 million expansion of its Mount Holly plant in a project that it hopes will greatly enhance the company’s capabilities to serve its primary end markets, representing the most significant capital investment in domestic continuous cast technologies and capabilities since 2001. In addition to the Mount Holly location, JW Aluminum manufactures aluminum products for the automotive, aerospace and construction industries at three other mills around the country, including St. Louis, Missouri; Williamsport, Pennsylvania; and the latest addition to the JW Aluminum, a mill in Russellville, Arkansas.
“It’s an exciting new chapter in JW Aluminum’s story and a considerable progression in our strategic journey. As a domestic supplier, we’ve prevailed in an extremely challenging competitive environment. The outcome of this endeavor will empower us to produce superior product for our customers, provide increased value to our stakeholders and serve as a preferred supplier and employer for decades to come,” said Lee McCarter, CEO of JW Aluminum.
Hazelett Corporation also recently confirmed that the Hazelett® Twin-belt Continuous Casting Process will be utilized for the JW Aluminum expansion. The casting machine being supplied is capable of producing 2000 mm wide strip at approximately 50 metric tonnes per hour. Alloy capabilities include 1XXX, 3XXX, 5XXX, and 6XXX series.
“This new facility will be a model for the most cost-effective and energy-efficient sheet production in North America,” said David Hazelett, president. “And, it will significantly ease the projected shortage of aluminum coil in the United States.”
Hazelett Corporation designs, manufactures, installs, and services twin-belt continuous casting machines worldwide and is fully integrated with in-house engineering, manufacturing, R&D, and technical services.
A North Carolina-based steel producer with operations primarily in the U.S. and Canada recently announced plans to expand heat treating capabilities at its Arkansas facility with a galvanizing line to support the company’s strategy to grow its automotive market share.
John Ferriola, chairman, CEO and president of Nucor
Nucor Corporation’s Board of Directors approved the construction plans at the sheet mill in Hickman of a galvanizing line at the company’s sheet mill with a target date for operations to begin in the first half of 20121. The $240 million investment with an annual capacity of approximately 500,000 tons complements the company’s $230 million investment currently underway to construct a specialty cold mill complex at Nucor Steel Arkansas.
“At Nucor Steel Arkansas, we are building one of the most modern and efficient steel mills in the world,” said John Ferriola, chairman, CEO and president of Nucor. “This new galvanizing line, coupled with our new specialty cold mill complex, will allow us to efficiently produce products beyond the capability of any North American mill, and to have the flexibility to meet current and future demand for advanced high-strength steel products.”
The company is also evaluating building additional galvanizing lines at its other sheet mills as part of Nucor’s initiative to further expand its sheet business.
MaryEmily Slate, vice president and general manager, Nucor Steel Arkansas
“Building this galvanizing line will diversify the product mix at Nucor Steel Arkansas and allow us to better serve our automotive and value-added customers,” said MaryEmily Slate, vice president and general manager, Nucor Steel Arkansas. “We are positioning ourselves to become a major supplier to the growing galvanized market in the U.S.”
Nucor and its affiliates are manufacturers of steel products, with operating facilities primarily in the U.S. and Canada. Products produced include: carbon and alloy steel — in bars, beams, sheet and plate; hollow structural section tubing; electrical conduit; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; steel fasteners; metal building systems; steel grating; and wire and wire mesh.
An aluminum casting producer in New Hampton, Iowa, announced ongoing plans to expand its plant and technical capabilities, including space to house expanded heat treatment operations, to keep up with growing demand. ATEK Metal Technologies ships thousands of aluminum castings each day and has recently completed a significant expansion of its metal casting, heat treatment and finished machining capabilities. The major building expansion is expected to be completed in December of 2018.
“We need additional plant space to support growth,” said Tom Christie, president of ATEK Metal Technologies. “The new building will allow us to consolidate our warehousing and shipping areas and make room on the plant floor for ongoing expansion of operations.”
On the technical side, the new robotic de-gating and deburring of castings operations will be operational in July 2018.
Tom Christie, president of ATEK Metal Technologies
“We added 40 percent to our low-pressure permanent mold casting capacity to keep up with our accelerating growth,” said Christie. “We also have added state-of-the-art precision machining capabilities to be able to provide our customers with cast and machined finished components.”
ATEK Metal Technologies supplies aluminum castings that meet specifications for motorsports, recreation, transportation and industrial markets industries. The entire plant expansion is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2018.
A global aluminum producer based in The Netherlands announced recently that it will be the primary supplier of aluminum auto body sheet for the new Mercedes model, which was released at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show and which entered the market in March 2018.
Dieter Höll, Constellium’s vice president Global Automotive
Constellium will provide the coils for the outer trunk lid panels and fenders of the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Constellium’s Surfalex®, which offers high surface quality as well as specific hemming and roping properties, was selected by Mercedes for its lightweighting value.
“Constellium is proud to contribute to the new Mercedes-Benz CLS with our Surfalex® aluminium solutions. This new program reflects the strong relationship established over the years with our customer as we deliver aluminum solutions to all main Mercedes-Benz auto lines. Our commitment to innovation enables us to develop new alloys and solutions from the original model design phase to the start of production,” said Dieter Höll, Constellium’s vice president Global Automotive.
A major North American steel producer recently announced a $70.3 million investment project at the same facility that underwent a $155.6 million overhaul three years ago, launching an upgrade that will include a new electric arc furnace (EAF) transformer, controls and mechanical upgrades in the EAF, and a new twin ladle furnace and material handling system. The culmination of these investments will increase Gerdau Special Steel North America’s shipping capacity to 720,000 tons, a 180,000-ton increase from the current shipping capacity.
Plant tours are all the rage these days, but a heat treating company in the United Kingdom takes the concept to a whole new level — to several levels, in fact.
In a new video, twelve times Trial World Champion, trial motorbike rider extraordinaire Dougie Lampkin takes on the Wallwork Group’s Manchester heat treatment plant in a thrilling two-minute ride, where no obstacle is too high – or too hot!
“We had seen Dougie’s work before, not least Red Bull’s F1 factory, and thought that it would be an exciting and engaging way to show a brief glimpse into the world of metal heat treatment,” explained Wallwork sales manager, Howard Maher.
Wallwork is headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester, and also has plants in Newcastle, Birmingham, and Cambridge. The company provides metal heat treatment, vacuum brazing, and hard coatings services to aerospace, motorsport, medical device and other precision industries.
“Dougie is a high-profile, professional motorcycle sportsman, so this also fits nicely with our autosports market and by association other industries such as aerospace that share the same requirements,” Howard added.
Dougie’s professional career has spanned over 25 years, lifting his first trophy in 1991, collecting silverware up to 2017 and he is still looking for even more in 2018. Awarded an MBE in 2001, his autobiography, Dougie Lampkin – Trials and Error, was launched on May 17th this year.
“We are really pleased with the video and it was a pleasure opening up the works to Dougie’s special way of riding. And our health and safety guy is able to relax now it is all done!,” Howard concluded. The two minute video can be viewed below or at the Wallwork website.
An Amsterdam-based producer of aluminum semi-products recently expanded its casthouse capacity with the purchase of a continuous homogenizing plant, including a helical ultrasonic testing station and billet saw for aluminum extrusion billets.
Paul Warton, president of Constellium’s Automotive Structures and Industry business unit
Constellium Extrusions, which customizes aluminum extrusions primarily for automotive and industrial applications, placed the order for the new furnace for its Dĕčín, Czech Republic, facility with Hertwich Engineering, an SMS group company. With this added capacity, the plant will broaden its product portfolio to include sections for Crash Management Systems and for new aluminum applications for hybrid and electric vehicles. With a capacity of nine tons per hour, the new homogenizing furnace is considerably larger and more powerful than the plant for three tons per hour delivered in 2016. It is scheduled to go into operation in the first half of 2019.
The Dĕčín plant is part of the multinational Constellium network and is one of the leading manufacturers of aluminum extrusion products in Europe. The plant is particularly important as an integrated manufacturer and processor of hard and soft alloys as well as a supplier of extruded, partially drawn tubes, bars, seamless and non-seamless profiles. The increasing demand, especially from the automotive industry, has prompted Constellium to expand the Dĕčín plant in several investment stages.
The new homogenizing capacities are part of the current program, which is aimed at expanding extrusion capacity. For this purpose, a further extrusion plant including a casthouse is planned, for which Hertwich will supply the entire heat treatment in the form of a continuous homogenizing furnace.
“As the auto industry increasingly turns to lightweight, high-strength aluminum, Constellium’s expansion in Decin will support rising demand for hard and soft alloy profiles and bars from automotive customers across Europe,” said Paul Warton, president of Constellium’s Automotive Structures and Industry business unit. “This new activity is expected to increase Decin’s total extrusion capacity to 96,000 metric tons per year.”
