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| 3003 aluminum plate |
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Posted by: Doyle123 - 06-07-2019, 03:11 AM - Forum: Buying Leads
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Mingtai Aluminum is a large-scale 3003 aluminum plate manufacturer. The company focuses on the R&D and production of hot-rolled 3003 aluminum plate. 3003 aluminum alloy is a typical Al-Mn alloy with good formability, very good corrosion resistance and weldability. Production of power battery casings in light-weight vehicles, cookware, food storage devices, tanks, silos on transport equipment, sheet metal pressure vessels and pipes.
Mingtai Aluminum can produce 3003 ultra-wide and ultra-thick aluminum plates. The internal stress is eliminated, the cutting is not deformed, the widest is 2650mm, and the thickest is 500mm. It is one of the few manufacturers in China that can produce ultra-wide and ultra-thick aluminum plates.
Typical use of ultra-wide 3003 aluminum plate: bus skin, silo, antenna pot material, wide curtain wall panel, wide roof panel, etc.;
Hot-rolled 3003 aluminum plate typical use: power battery casing, automobile heat shield, fuel tank, water tank, automobile skid plate, battery explosion-proof valve, battery cover, automobile interior, signage, cans, medical equipment, etc.;
3003 aluminum foil coil use: aluminum foil for honeycomb core, electronic foil, honeycomb material, lunch box material, container foil, etc.
bus skin, silo, antenna pot material, wide curtain wall panel, wide roof panel, etc.;
Hot-rolled 3003 aluminum plate typical use: power battery casing, automobile heat shield, fuel tank, water tank, automobile skid plate, battery explosion-proof valve, battery cover, automobile interior, signage, cans, medical equipment, etc.;
3003 aluminum foil coil use: aluminum foil for honeycomb core, electronic foil, honeycomb material, lunch box material, container foil, etc.
WEB:https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.co...plate.html
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| ARTICLE: After the Crash – Repairing Aluminum-Intensive Vehicles |
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Posted by: aadaasdark8072 - 06-06-2019, 09:19 AM - Forum: Knowledge & Technique
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A few years ago, if you were involved in a collision, you may not have given much thought to the repair shop. Of course, you wanted the repairs to your vehicle done right and you may have dreaded the go-around with your insurance company, but you probably didn’t focus on the shop’s capability to repair your car—unless perhaps, you were driving a Jaguar.
Today, however, collision repair is potentially an issue for an increasing number of drivers—those driving all-aluminum or aluminum-intensive vehicles. With over one million aluminum-intensive Ford F-150s on the road, nearly 150,000 all-aluminum Tesla Model Ss and Xs, a smattering of brand new Cadillac CT6s, as well as a variety of Audis, Corvettes, Porsches, Land Rovers, and other vehicles with substantial aluminum content, the question of a shop’s capability to repair aluminum vehicles is real for many.
“They’re not more complex, they’re not more difficult. They’re different,” Doug Richman, vice president of engineering for Kaiser Aluminum and technical committee chairman at the Aluminum Transportation Group, told AutoGuide.com. “Different” is one of those loaded words that can mask all kinds of meanings—like more expensive, more complex—or it can just mean what it says, “different.” This article will explore what it really means when it comes to the repair of the increasing number of aluminum-intensive vehicles on the road.
Aluminum Vehicles Are Different
An excellent example of how aluminum cars are different is Cadillac’s new CT6 flagship, which has a body-in-white (BIW) made of over 60% aluminum. The CT6 features one of the industry’s most advanced automotive body structures (Figure 1). The aluminum-intensive architecture incorporates 11 different materials to achieve strength, performance, and efficiency goals. An all-aluminum skin, extensive use of extrusions (including complex multi-void hollows for the rocker and engine cradle assemblies), and complex high-pressure aluminum die castings (one of which replaces over 20 conventional parts in the front shock tower) are combined with a number of advanced high-strength steels for sound deadening and structural reinforcement.
[img=800x0]https://www.lightmetalage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AutoRepairLynnBrown-Cadillac-CT6-Body.jpg[/img]Figure 1. The Cadillac CT6 frame uses a mixture of aluminum and steels.
But the difference is not just in the materials; it’s also in the joining technology employed. You won’t find traditional spot welding in the CT6, but rather extensive use of self-piercing rivets (SPRs), flowdrill screws, and adhesives. Roughly 750 flowdrill screws are employed, along with 340 SPRs, and structural adhesive in virtually all joints for both bonding and sound isolation.
The Ford F-150 shows similar variety in its materials and assembly processes, including: - 14 different aluminum sheet, extrusion, and steel specifications
- Eight distinct joining technologies—with a typical F-150 BIW incorporating about 140 flowdrill screws, 70 Tox clinches, 100 resistance spot welds, 6 m of laser weld, eight friction welds (primarily for attachment of the crush tubes), and 100 m of structural adhesive (used in conjunction with the previously mentioned clinches, flowdrill screws, and a whole bunch of SPRs
- Six fastening technologies—including pierce/clinch nuts, friction welded nuts, and drawn arc studs
Implications in the Body Shop
The mix of materials and assembly processes leads to three major differences in body shop practice, depending on the level of damage to the car. First, cosmetic dings or dents are still repaired, although the process is different. You won’t see a trained body tech try to pull a dent out of an aluminum panel using a slap-hammer as they would have on steel. Instead, by necessity, heat is carefully applied to aluminum sheet. Often two techs will team up—one to apply and control the heat, the other to pull on pins applied to the sheet to straighten the panel.
Second, more severe panel damage is likely to lead to replacement. Unlike a badly crinkled steel panel that may be repairable via stretching and filling, aluminum will not respond to stretching, so the panel has to be replaced—and that may only work once. Successfully replacing a damaged outer aluminum panel often requires extensive adhesive bonding to the inner structure or panel. If that same panel is hit again, then the outer and the inner will both require replacement, because a reversible adhesive hasn’t yet been developed. (Adhesive manufacturers are currently developing new formulations for body shop conditions, such as a two-component epoxy adhesive from Sika.) Also, replacement is going to be the answer to damage to extrusions—particularly if multi-void hollows are involved—or to castings.
Third, forget about straightening a frame. We probably have all heard about straightening a bent steel frame, applying force and maybe heat to pull it back into alignment. In fact, body shops have chassis alignment benches to facilitate that. But not with aluminum. Although there is still a chassis alignment bench, it is only used for verifying alignment. If the laser scan and print out indicates the chassis is out of spec, the techs will start cutting out and replacing structural parts until they return the chassis to specification. Tesla’s guidelines are very clear: “no straightening of structural parts” and “no sectioning of energy absorbing/carrying elements.” In fact, if one of the four major cast aluminum nodes is damaged, Tesla’s bias is to replace the body structure. Other manufacturers, like Audi, prescribe similar approaches.
In aggregate, while there is still some repair that will be done with aluminum-intensive vehicles, more and more the answer is replace.
Cost Considerations
You might suspect that body shop practice differences lead to implications for repair costs as well. But here the answer is fuzzier, as insurance premiums appear not to have generally increased as of yet (in fact, insurers have held the same premiums for new F-150s), but the underlying cost pressure—driven by shop investment and technician efficiency—certainly seems to exist.
Estimated costs for training and equipment investment at a local certified Audi, Tesla, F-150, Porsche, or CT6 shop is approaching $300,000. They’re required to have a dedicated aluminum booth with fire-resistant curtains ($30,000), dedicated dust collection/vacuum ($10,000), at least two specialty welders at $15-20,000 each (not to mention the difficulty of training welders to master the welding of aluminum or HSS), and a variety of flowdrill and SPR toolsets (as every manufacturer uses their own variant) at $15,000 each. Add in the specialty chassis alignment bench and the remote training courses for their technicians, and you can see the numbers climbing fairly fast. Note that the rationale for the dedicated booth and dust collection is to keep aluminum dust and steel dust from mixing—both to eliminate any potential fire/explosion hazard and to mitigate potential galvanic corrosion. This also leads to separate stocks of hand tools.
Technician productivity is another factor. Traditionally, techs are compensated on a piece work basis, and have made their money by completing in 2 hours what the shop manual says takes 4—but not with these aluminum or multi-material vehicles. Close adherence to the manufacturers’ guidelines is essential—both for quality and to retain OEM certification; if it says 4 hours, it will take 4 hours. As a result, shops are seeing the higher skilled aluminum technicians earning less than their steel-oriented peers, and some are shifting towards salary as a result.
Future Outlook
Is this cost pressure a temporary situation, as we move up the learning curve with this new generation of vehicles? Probably not, at least for a while. But keep in mind, this is not just an aluminum issue. The new high-strength steels don’t behave like the old ones either—especially when it comes to welding. Thus, a new Chevy Malibu, with minimal aluminum but ten different grades of steel requires as much attention to detail in the repair shop as does the Tesla; the technician can’t just start fixing the vehicle, but has to first download the details on materials and assembly in order to be using the right technique on the right part.
What we are seeing is rapid evolution of vehicle architecture as manufacturers lighten weight and drive for mandated improvement in fuel efficiency. Just as the design engineers are struggling to understand and incorporate a widening portfolio of materials and assembly technologies, the body shops are struggling to figure out how to best fix them.
A positive upshot of the situation is that the manufacturers are clawing back influence from the insurance carriers. The manufacturer certification programs for body shops are extremely rigorous and are driving repair for these new vehicles to the most qualified and professional shops—not the ones who will fix the damage for whatever the insurer wants to offer. So, if there is a word to remember, if your new vehicle is in an accident, it is “certification”; that’s your assurance that the shop has the equipment and training to fix it right.
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| Hansens Aluminum to Build Aluminum Extrusion Plant in Kentucky |
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Posted by: aadaasdark8072 - 06-06-2019, 09:16 AM - Forum: Knowledge & Technique
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Hansens Aluminum LLC, a family-owned company based in South Africa, plans to build an $18.4 million aluminum extrusion manufacturing facility in Henderson, Kentucky. Hansens manufactures over 25 million anti-vibration and HVAC line fitting components for the automotive industry annually, which the company exports around the world, including Germany, China, and Mexico. The new Kentucky facility, which is scheduled to start production in 2017, will enable the company to expand its offering of precision components for the automotive sector for delivery throughout the U.S. and Mexico.
[img=576x0]https://www.lightmetalage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/hansens_4_screen.jpg[/img]Jared Pudney, Hansens Aluminum.
“We see great opportunities to supply our existing customers from Kentucky and to add new clients. The Henderson operation will expand our global capacity and allow us to add new automotive products to our range,” said Jared Pudney, business development manager for Hansens. “The support we have experienced at a local and state level from both elected officials and economic developers has been truly exceptional. This certainly influenced our decision towards Kentucky.”
Hansens has been working with the Kentucky Network for Development, Leadership and Engagement (Kyndle) to develop the project, choosing Henderson due to its central location as well as incentives provided by the state of Kentucky.
The 75,000 sq ft facility will include both aluminum extrusion and machining operations. Hansens ordered a state-of-the-art extrusion line from SMS group and OMAV SpA. The facility will be the first in the U.S. to install the SMS Hybrex® press, a next generation extrusion press that utilizes a new hybrid drive for energy-efficient production. According to SMS, owners of Hybrex benefit from energy savings in the range of 35-55%, depending on the field of application.
[img=1600x0]https://www.lightmetalage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Hansens-sms-hybrex.jpg[/img]Schematic of a Hybrex press of the type to be installed at Hansens’ new facility in Kentucky.
The handling systems for the new press line will be supplied by OMAV including a high efficiency pre-heating furnace, a process optimized cooling system, and OMAV’s innovative Direct Drive ePuller. The ePuller, which has been specifically engineered to work as an integrated solution with the Hybrex press, is one of the most energy efficient machine systems to guide extruded profiles from the press to the exit handling, according to OMAV.
[img=1600x0]https://www.lightmetalage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Hansens-OMAV.jpg[/img]
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| Arconic Aluminum Sheet and Plate To Be on Every Airbus Platform |
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Posted by: aadaasdark8072 - 06-06-2019, 09:14 AM - Forum: Knowledge & Technique
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Arconic, which recently launched as a standalone company, signed a multi-year contract with Airbus valued at approximately $1 billion, through which Arconic will supply aluminum sheet and plate for Airbus’ highest volume programs. The company’s most significant gain in the contract is in the A320 family of aircraft, which is Airbus’ highest growth program.
![[Image: 6061-t6-aluminum-sheet.jpg]](http://www.thick-aluminum-plate.com/images/aluminumsheet/6061-t6-aluminum-sheet.jpg)
The multi-year agreement starts in January 2017 and makes Arconic sole supplier to Airbus for specific applications, including some wing, fuselage, and structural components. In addition to the company’s proprietary alloys — chosen for their combination of strength, corrosion resistance, density savings, and manufacturability — Airbus planes will feature Arconic plate products on every platform, used in key applications, such as wing ribs, fuselage frames, and other structural parts of the aircraft.
“This large contract is a further important step to expand our leadership position in the aerospace industry,” said Klaus Kleinfeld, chairman and CEO of Arconic. “We are proud that Airbus has chosen us to support their fastest growing, technologically advanced programs. Partnerships like this with industry leaders are core to our strategy and this contract is another proof point of the potential that lies in it. We continue to focus on developing products and technologies that take all of our aerospace customers to new heights.”
![[Image: aircraft-aluminum-sheet.jpg]](http://www.thick-aluminum-plate.com/images/aluminumsheet/aircraft-aluminum-sheet.jpg)
Thick Plate Stretcher
This agreement with Airbus is the first that will include material from Arconic’s new state-of-the-art thick plate stretcher in Davenport, Iowa, which will come online in 2017. The “very thick plate stretcher” enhances the performance of thick aluminum and aluminum-lithium plate in wing ribs and fuselage frames material and enables the company to produce the largest high-strength monolithic wing ribs in the industry.
The stretching process reduces stress introduced into the plate as part of the manufacturing process, resulting in a part that is more easily machined and processed. For example, as composite wings get larger, one of the challenges is strength and stiffness, and the aluminum plate from this stretcher will enable Arconic to make wing ribs to address that issue.
The addition will also enable Arconic to serve the existing plate market while also providing airframe builders with the ability to make large wing ribs, fuselage frames, and bulkheads using thick plate.
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| 6061 medium thick aluminum plate |
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Posted by: Doyle123 - 06-06-2019, 07:55 AM - Forum: Buying Leads
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6061 aluminum plate is one of the advantages of Mingtai Aluminum. The processing technology is superb. The aluminum plate has many advantages such as good oxidation effect, small deformation after processing, uniform quenching, etc. in mobile phone shell, automobile wheel hub, trolley case, 3C products, etc. , enjoy a good reputation and reputation. Mingtai Aluminum can produce 6061-t6 aluminum plate, pre-stretched 6061-t651 aluminum alloy plate, 6061 super flat plate, 6061 hardened plate and other aluminum plates. Welcome to consult!
Mingtai Aluminum can produce ultra-wide and ultra-thick 6061 aluminum plates. The internal stress is eliminated, the cutting is not deformed, the widest is 2650mm, and the thickest is 500mm. It is one of the few manufacturers in China that can produce ultra-wide and ultra-thick aluminum plates.
https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.co...plate.html
6061 aluminum sheet and its advantages and advantages:
White/glossy surface, no need for milling, cost saving; widely used in mobile phone card slots, buttons, computer brackets, computer casings and other 3C fields as well as trolley cases, aluminum furniture, door panels / door handles, etc.;
6061 aluminum alloy sheet can be used for 5G mobile phones
6061 medium thick aluminum plate use and advantages:
Internal stress elimination, cutting without deformation; widely used in underwear molds, shoe molds, precision machining, bus decorative panels / tread plates, automotive chassis protection, automotive four-door two-cover, car wheels, car seats and other fields;
![[Image: 1-16122q35919152.jpg]](https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.com/templets/muban/images/1-16122q35919152.jpg)
WEB: https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.co...plate.html
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| 5182 aluminum sheet, magnesium alloy |
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Posted by: Doyle123 - 06-06-2019, 07:52 AM - Forum: Buying Leads
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5182 aluminum plate is one of the best-selling products of Mingtai Aluminum. The 5182 aluminum plate belongs to Al-Mg-Si alloy and has a wide range of applications. The 5182 aluminum alloy produced by Mingtai has good corrosion resistance, excellent weldability and good cold workability. Medium-strength, widely used in automotive lightweight aluminum. The products have passed the SGS automotive aluminum quality management system certification, the quality meets the requirements of the national indicators, and the original warranty book is provided. The quality is reliable and can be purchased with confidence.
5182 aluminum sheet, magnesium alloy does well in processing cans cover, car body panels, operation panel, stiffeners, brackets and other components.can also used for manufacturing aircraft fuel tanks, fuel lines, and metal sheet parts of transportation vehicles, vessels, instruments, lights bracket and rivets, hardware and shells of electrical appliances.
![[Image: 1-16122q33310339.jpg]](https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.com/templets/muban/images/1-16122q33310339.jpg)
WEB:https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.co...plate.html
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![[Image: 1-16122q4044k02.jpg]](https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.com/templets/muban/images/1-16122q4044k02.jpg)
![[Image: 1-16122q33t3l2.jpg]](https://www.aluminumalloymanufacturer.com/templets/muban/images/1-16122q33t3l2.jpg)