2008
22.12.08 The body of a sports car has to be particularly light and stiff. Audi fulfils these requirements by use of its Audi Space Frame (ASF) technology with its aluminium structure. The bodyshell of the R8 V10, which incorporates an ultra-lightweight engine frame made from magnesium, only weighs 210 kilograms.
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22.12.08 New lightweight aluminium trolley buses for Solingen are being built in Switzerland. The prototypes arrived in Germany in December and are now undergoing trials.The vehicle bodies are constructed using a modular design and then bolted together – without using a single welded joint. The self-supporting frame comprises two main profiles: the roof frame profile and the sidewall profile.
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16.12.08 With its German 39c, German Yachtbau has designed its first boat. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers in November this year was the first test of the performance of the yacht, which is made completely from aluminium.
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16.12.08 The bridge over the River Rur at Doveren in Germany, which had to be dismantled because there was a risk of it collapsing, will not now be repaired but instead will be replaced by a new bridge. That is the decision reached by the Committee for Urban Planning in Hückelhoven after the town’s planning department had presented cost calculations for both repairing the old bridge and buying a new one.
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11.12.08 Whether it be a chocolate Santa or a nougat angel, a milk chocolate tree decoration or a plain chocolate cone – the numerous seductive chocolate items on the supermarket shelf are just as much a part of Christmas as a Christmas tree.
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08.12.08 In recent years it has become increasingly evident that industrial development in Germany is being markedly hampered by a lack of qualified specialists. This is the reason why the aluminium industry will be starting its own recruiting drive in 2009 aimed at getting qualified young talent interested in the sector.
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08.12.08 The Swiss aluminium industry feels it is being placed at a disadvantage in the building industry. It is demanding the use of a method for determining ecological assessments that correctly considers the recycling potential of the metal. The matter is now being dealt with by the country’s Federal Council and Parliament.
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01.12.08 Top-performance lists for the milling of aluminium and maximum metal removal rates have been kept since October 2007. First an OEM recorded ten litres a minute while milling structural components for civil aircraft. Just one month later, this record was broken, with almost 13 litres a minute being achieved.
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01.12.08 Given the technological developments that have taken place in high strength steels and plastics, it is important for aluminium that it maintains its dominant position in the construction of lightweight rail vehicles. A workshop on the use of aluminium in rail-vehicle manufacture held at the end of October in Freiburg was intended to assess the current situation and seek new opportunities.
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25.11.08 The aluminium industry is expecting positive impulses from the world’s largest trade fair devoted to the building industry, BAU 2009 in Munich. About 100 aluminium producers and processors will be exhibiting at the building industry’s leading international exhibition in Halls B1 and C1, and presenting innovations and established applications relating to aluminium as a building material.
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24.11.08 Carmakers can no longer ignore the need for lighter and fuel-saving vehicles, at least not since attention became focussed on climate change and in view of the inexorable increase in fuel prices. Lighter cars mean smaller engines can achieve the same performance.
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24.11.08 About 100 aluminium producers and processors will be exhibiting at the world’s largest trade fair devoted to the building industry, BAU 2009 in Munich. They will be presenting innovations and established applications relating to aluminium as a building material.
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17.11.08 After the first winter without a covered parking space for their cars, many house owners consider how they can protect it against the elements. There are actually two possibilities of which a carport is by far the simpler option and can be installed without any great effort.
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17.11.08 Modern engines are subjected to increasingly more demanding requirements with respect to weight and installation space. Mahle has developed a novel compound liner (Albond) made from a wear-resistant aluminium-silicon alloy.
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17.11.08 At the moment, economic indicators only know one direction: downwards. However certain this particular assessment might appear to be, the opposite is true when it comes to the extent and duration of the current period of economic weakness. The German economy now finds itself in a recession.
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10.11.08 Permanent flood barriers have gaps in them to allow access to the area on the other side of the barrier. These crossing points can be quickly and effectively sealed in an emergency. This is achieved using a special system of aluminium profiles.
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03.11.08 According to the latest assessment by Bundesverband der Deutschen Gießerei-Industrie (BDG), the trade association representing the German casting industry, turnover and production in the industry for the whole of 2008 will almost reach the levels of the previous year.
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03.11.08 In future, project management of the ALUMINIUM trade fairs worldwide will be in the hands of Ulrike Hülbach, who previously had project management responsibility for the event in Essen.
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27.10.08 The 34 German aluminium semis producers achieved a new production record of 2.52 million tonnes in 2007. The plants increased production still further in the first half of 2008 and current production figures are still at a high level. Despite the anticipated slowdown in economic growth, the aluminium companies have grounds for optimism.
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27.10.08 Aluminium loading ramps are increasingly being used where building-site machinery, heavy equipment or small vehicles has to be loaded onto trailers or where height differences have to be surmounted.
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20.10.08 Solar thermal power stations use a parabolic trough to concentrate sunlight; a heat transfer fluid absorbs the energy and then uses it to heat steam in a turbine generator, which produces electricity. Parabolic glass mirrors have hitherto been used to focus the sunlight. Now a well-known company in this field has presented a new design: an aluminium construction that is covered with a new-style mirror film.
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20.10.08 The jury of the European Aluminium Award 2008 chose five prize-winners this year as well as presenting two special prizes in the Industrial Design & Engineering category. A total of 48 companies took part in this year’s competition and each presented an innovative product made with aluminium. Of these, 30 entries were nominated in five categories. The awards were made on 23 September during the Award Gala at the ALUMINIUM 2008 trade fair in Essen.
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13.10.08 A growing number of prospective yacht owners are looking for larger sailing yachts suitably equipped for long trips. A trend towards aluminium ships is clearly apparent. Since satisfactory solutions were found to problems experienced earlier, such as susceptibility to corrosion and inferior strength in seawater, more and more yards are using aluminium as the hull material.
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13.10.08 The importance that aluminium had and still has in our society can currently be seen in the Fabrikmuseum in Delmenhorst, Germany. ‘Aluminium – Der Glanz der Moderne’ (Aluminium – The Sheen of Modernity) is the name of a special exhibition that runs until 30 November 2008 and traces the triumphant success of aluminium.
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06.10.08 Three German foundry industry associations – Deutscher Gießerei-Verband e.V. (DGV), Gesamtverband Deutscher Metallgießereien e.V. (GDM) and Verein Deutscher Gießereifachleute e.V. (VDG) – have amalgamated to form the new Bundesverband der Deutschen Gießerei-Industrie (BDG, Federation of the German Foundry Industry). Metal foundries are also organised within the newly formed federation.
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06.10.08 High fuel prices and ambitious climate targets on the one hand, comfort and safety aspects on the other: these conflicting objectives can only be resolved by the rigorous use of lightweight designs. Practically all well-known carmakers have intensified their development efforts in this field.
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29.09.08 The ALUMINIUM 2008 trade fair in Essen closed its doors on 25 September. With an increase of 27 per cent in the number of exhibitors, over 15 per cent more floor space and a ten per cent rise in the number of visitors, ALUMINIUM reported double-digit growth rates for the seventh successive time.
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29.09.08 ‘Das Dach stark wie ein Stier’ (The roof that’s as strong as a bull) is the slogan being used by Prefa GmbH based in Wasungen, Germany, to promote its roof covering made from colour-coated aluminium. The slogan conveys the message that the material used meets the demands to which it is subjected in a particularly successful manner.
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23.09.08 Business activity positive in 2007 / semis activity continuing at high level / ALUMINIUM 2008: leading exhibition for sector
Business activities in the German aluminium industry during the first half of 2008 were satisfactory. As Christian Wellner, Managing Director of the trade association GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. announced at a press conference ahead of the forthcoming ALUMINIUM 2008 trade fair, developments in the period from January to June 2008 were positive for the companies in the sector. For the whole of 2008, GDA’s managing director is expecting consolidation at a high level.
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23.09.08 A research team from TU Berlin is currently developing materials based on aluminium and magnesium aimed at reducing weight. Practical applications are envisaged in car bodies, which still account for 30 per cent of the total weight of an average vehicle. About half of this figure is attributable to structural parts that could be designed to be much lighter with magnesium components.
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15.09.08 The rate of consolidation in the metal industry – and particularly in the aluminium sector – increased dramatically in 2007. Although the number of mergers and acquisitions reported – 411 – was not much higher than the figure of 385 for 2006, the total value was a staggering USD 144.7 billion, 67% up on the USD 86.4 billion of the previous year.
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15.09.08 Nowadays, when portable forms of communication, such as computers or mobile phones, are promoted, the fact that the case is made from high-grade aluminium rarely fails to get a mention. A new field of application is appearing and is continually gaining in importance. With its light weight, corrosion resistance, stability and high-class surface finish, and not forgetting its shielding properties, aluminium is the optimal material for electronic equipment, especially portable devices.
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08.09.08 Despite the widespread use of the extrusion process and its growing economic importance, there is so far no mathematical model capable of portraying the whole process chain from tool design via extrusion parameters through to heat treatment. Three well-known university institutes are now tackling this as part of an extensive research project.
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08.09.08 The Swiss public transport operator Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich has placed an order for 88 lightweight body shells using an aluminium hybrid construction for the Cobra trams of its municipal transport system. Following a four-year development phase and tests involving six prototype units, delivery of the 37-metre long vehicles to Verkehrsbetriebe Zurich is now planned from mid-2009 onwards.
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01.09.08 The Chinese government is now imposing an export duty on aluminium alloys. The decision is not unexpected – there has been speculation about the introduction of such a duty for some time – but most analysts had expected the decision to be made in September.
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01.09.08 The world’s largest aluminium bridge complex was completed in time for the Olympic Games. The complete unit, which was supplied by a German manufacturer, comprises nine bridges and eight flights of steps, with a total area of over 3000 square metres, and weighs more than 400 tonnes.
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26.08.08 After a record year in 2007, the demand for aluminium tubes and aluminium aerosol cans has stabilised at a high level in 2008. Whereas German manufacturers of aluminium aerosol cans are reporting a further increase of three per cent on top of double-digit growth last year, the order intake for aluminium tubes has stagnated.
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25.08.08 The German aluminium industry feels it has a special obligation to environmental protection. This sense of purpose on the part of the industry needs to be made more apparent to those outside the industry. Companies in the non-ferrous metals industry have therefore started an environment protection and energy efficiency campaign to convey to the broad public the industry’s achievements and its contributions to nature protection.
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25.08.08 The red and black car registration plate of the Chinese community in Australia carries an astrological sign. The number plate from Guatemala, with its hologram, watermark and laser number, is particularly forgery proof. The green colour of the motorcycle registration plate from Panama reveals that the owner has already paid his taxes for 2008. However different the vehicle registration plates in 110 countries of the world might be, they have two things in common: they are made from aluminium and they come from Germany.
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18.08.08 When the ALUMINIUM 2008 trade fair closes its gates for the last time on 25 September this year, it will again be reporting record figures for exhibitors, exhibition space and visitors. One thing is already certain today, a good month before the fair begins: it will not only be building on its growth of previous years, but there will be significant increases in the rates of growth.
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18.08.08 Although the new four-post CARLIFT II 3,5 ALU hydraulic lift is made from aluminium prefabricated parts bolted together it is still designed for loads up to 3.5 tonnes. The main components, e.g. runways, cross beams and posts, are made from precision extruded aluminium profiles which are bolted together without any welds.
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11.08.08 In 2007 metal foundries were again able to match the good figures for turnover and production of the previous year. Light-metal castings once again made a significant contribution to this development. Predictions for the current year are characterised by optimism. The development of material prices is a cause for concern, however.
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11.08.08 To mark the 40th anniversary of its XJ flagship, Jaguar is issuing a special edition of its XJ Portfolio. The edition is limited to 100 units. This series is characterised not only by the highest possible levels of exclusivity and luxury but also by the successful use of lightweight aluminium technology.
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04.08.08 The recent price increases associated with the production of recycled aluminium have reached 40-50%, with further increases anticipated. As Erich Oetinger, chairman of the Verband der Aluminiumrecycling-Industrie (VAR) trade association, now points out, things will gradually begin to get tight for the German aluminium recycling industry if they do not manage to pass on these exceptional price increases to their customers in an adequate way.
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04.08.08 The German producers of rolled aluminium semis are optimistic that they will be able to maintain the previous year’s high level of production in 2008 as well. With a production of 1.903 million tonnes, the annual production of the German rolling mills in 2007 was only slightly below the record level achieved in 2006 (1.922 million tonnes). This means the German rolling mills have more than a one-third share of rolled aluminium production in Europe.
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28.07.08 F.W. Brökelmann Aluminiumwerk GmbH & Co. KG. based in Ense-Höingen, Germany, is investing in a new 22/24 MN extrusion press. The new plant is expected to go into operation at the end of 2009/beginning of 2010. The company is planning to invest about 4.5m euros at the location.
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28.07.08 The modern fast ferries operating in the North and Baltic Seas today are mainly futuristic-looking aluminium constructions built by shipyards in Australia, Norway or Finland. Double hulls, pointed bows and flat superstructures – often with small niches on deck – can all be achieved more economically and with weight-savings using aluminium.
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24.07.08 GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie, the Düsseldorf-based aluminium industry trade association, has published a new design brochure titled Gestalten mit Aluminium – Architektur und Design (Designing with Aluminium –Architecture and Style). The brochure is currently only available in German. After a brief journey through the 120-year old history of the metal, the 68-page brochure provides information on the metal’s properties, and their influence on a decision to use the metal, as well as on the metal’s manufacture, processing and finishing.
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14.07.08 The trend to weight reduction in car-making will have to continue. The weight of cars has risen by 50% in the last 35 years despite a several-fold increase in the use of aluminium in European car manufacturing since the end of the 1970s.
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14.07.08 The 20 largest Chinese aluminium producers, who represent 70% of the country’s capacity, agreed at a recent meeting in Shangdong to cut production by 10% (up to 1m tonnes annually). The companies involved cited the limited availability of electric energy in the country as the reason for this move.
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14.07.08 The worldwide 500 millionth fist-caliper for use in hydraulic brake systems was recently manufactured by Continental Teves in Rheinböllen. There are four of these important functional parts in every vehicle so that making them from aluminium results in a not insignificant contribution to weight reduction.
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08.07.08 Mining company Rio Tinto has embarked on a course of expansion following its takeover of Canadian aluminium producer Alcan. Aluminium production is to undergo marked expansion with billion-dollar investments at plants in Québec and British Columbia. The wide-ranging expertise of the country’s mature aluminium industry coupled with the availability of regenerative energy make this region one of the world’s most preferred locations for future aluminium production.
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08.07.08 The economic environment for manufacturing companies has deteriorated, with prices for important raw materials doubling within a short space of time. Since the beginning of 2007 there has been a double-digit percentage increase in the price of steel, one of the basic materials for a multitude of industries.
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30.06.08 Lüneburg, Donaueschingen, Guldenburg – ever more frequently local authorities are reporting on their good experience with footbridges made from aluminium. One of the benefits of aluminium bridges is that they can be completely prefabricated in the factory and then installed as a single unit by lowering them onto concrete abutments prepared at site.
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24.06.08 In order to be able to meet the European Union’s tough exhaust-emission regulations in future, methods for reducing pollutants will have to be continually improved. The exhaust-gas system has been the domain of stainless steel until now, but new solutions are relying increasingly on lighter materials.
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24.06.08 The worldwide demand for primary aluminium is expected to increase by 8–9% in 2008. This is the prediction of Volker Stutz, managing director of Hydro Aluminium Deutschland. China will be the driving force for this development.
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16.06.08 The two initiators of the ALUMINIUM international specialist trade fair, Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. as founder and Reed Exhibitions Deutschland as organiser, are delighted with the fair’s rapid growth. Exhibitors already include almost the whole of the European aluminium industry and these are now being joined by new ones, in particular downstream users of aluminium.
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16.06.08 At a meeting in Baden-Baden on 30 May 2008 the members of Gesamtverband Deutscher Metallgießereien (GDM) gave the go-ahead for an amalgamation with Deutscher Gießereiverband (DGV) and Verein Deutscher Gießereifachleute (VDG), becoming the last of the three trade associations to give its approval.
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09.06.08 In their role as intermediaries between producers and fabricators, semis stockists get an early feel for market changes. For several years the wgm trade association has been surveying its members on the economic situation in the companies and summarising the data to give an overall picture.
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30.04.08 The objective of the ‘alu pack vision’ design competition organised by GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V., Düsseldorf, was to encourage the design and development of innovative packaging made of aluminium. The competition was aimed at students of design departments who were asked to consider possible uses of aluminium as a packaging material. Communication between industry and colleges of higher education was just as important here as creativity and design using the ‘light’ metal.
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23.04.08 In response to great demand, ALUMINIUM International Journal, Schweißtechnischer Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt Hannover and GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. are again be holding their introductory seminar ‘Understanding Aluminium!’ – on 24. June 2008.
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31.03.08 The award presentation for the ‘alu pack vision’ design competition, which was organised for the second time by GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V., Düsseldorf, is an important feature of the programme of events on the GDA stand (A37/Hall 11) during this year’s interpack trade fair. Patricia Bumann-Kolb, vice-president of interpack, and Wilhelm Niedergöker, managing director of Messe-Düsseldorf, will present the awards to the winners at 12 p.m. on 29 April 2008.
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31.03.08 aec - aluminium engineering center aachen, RWTH International Academy GmbH and GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. are jointly organising an advanced training course on 28 May 2008 under the heading ‘Lightweight Design and Construction Using Aluminium’.
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19.03.08 It is inconspicuous and yet indispensable, resistant to heat and changes in shape, and has a place in every household and kitchen, whether it be for keeping food fresh or for baking, roasting, grilling or steaming the food: the packaging material aluminium. At this year’s interpack in Düsseldorf, the world’s largest packaging trade fair, the TV celebrity chef Ralf Zacherl will be giving cookery demonstrations to show off the versatility of this silvery all-round packaging material. His exclusive show, full of variety, will take place on 24 and 25 April 2008 at the aluminium stand (Hall 11, A37), where he will inspire visitors with his creative culinary ideas.
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11.03.08 The German producers of aluminium foil, tubes, flexible packaging and aerosol, food and beverage cans reported a very satisfactory in-crease in turnover in 2007. At 427,316 tonnes, production was 4.8 per cent up on the previous year (2006: 407,923 t). As a result of the high world price for aluminium, turnover in the industry climbed 8.7 per cent to 2.57bn euros (2006: 2.37bn euros).
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29.01.08 The journal ALUMINIUM International Journal and SLV Schweißtechnischen Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, Hanover and GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. are jointly organising a basic seminar on 15. April 2008 with the title „Aluminium – verständlich!“.
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23.01.08 The Institute of Forming Technology and Lightweight Construction (IUL), the German Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG) and GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. organize in co-operation the 3rd International Conference on High Speed Forming at the University of Dortmund, Germany on March 11th - 12th, 2008.
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11.01.08 GDA - Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V., Düsseldorf will be holding its now traditional seminar on the joining of aluminium profiles and sheet on 5-6 March 2008; GDA’s partner is again SLV Schweißtechnische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt Duisburg, the training and testing institute for welding engineering. The seminar will be chaired by GDA’s Wolfgang Heidrich and will include presentations by well-known specialists from industry. It will be in German and is aimed primarily at users engaged in the automotive, building and construction, and mechanical engineering fields.
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11.01.08 Professional support for vocational education and training activities at the plants of different member companies is an important part of the activities of the Düsseldorf-based aluminium trade association Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. (GDA). A regular feature of this support is exhibiting at the didacta fair for education and training, which will be held this year in Stuttgart from 19 to 23 February 2008. GDA will be presenting a range of products that provide teachers from all types of school with information on aluminium. Interested parties can view the items on offer at Stand D71 in Hall 7, where GDA’s experts will also provide them with more information about the metal, the aluminium industry, works visits and the programme of practical training.
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