27 06, 2014

Ford Squashes Rumors About Delivery & Manufacturing Delays

2015-06-18T15:33:04+00:00June 27th, 2014|

The Ford F-150 and its aluminum body have gotten plenty of attention in 2014. With the launch imminent, rumors have started to swirl regarding delays and manufacturing difficulties. Is there any truth to this? Not at all, says Ford President Joe Hinrichs. From Time Magazine:

“Everything is on schedule and everything is going as planned,” Ford Americas President Joe Hinrichs told reporters, speaking at Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan (via Automotive News), adding that he was “very confident in this vehicle.” Morgan Stanley’s analyst Ravi Shanker had said earlier that Ford’s planned factory retooling, which it has to perform in order to produce the new pickup, would result in “slow changeover, with tight supply.”

Ford has noted the planned retooling would temporarily deplete its production by over 90,000 F-Series pickups, reducing company sales and profits. Furthermore, margins are expected to be lower on the new aluminum-bodied F-150. But Ford views all of that as necessary back-stepping to be first to market with a truck that uses a combination of “military-grade aluminum and high-strength steel,” and that’ll weigh roughly 700 pounds less than the version it’s replacing.

Of course, only time will tell whether or not Ford is putting on a brave face on top of manufacturing delays. But we’ll take it all at face value and assume things are full speed ahead for now.

20 06, 2014

Aluminum-Air Batteries May Lead New Generation Of Hybrid Cars

2015-06-18T15:33:05+00:00June 20th, 2014|

The typical hybrid car of 2014 switches between a lithium-ion battery and traditional gasoline combustion to maximize efficiency. But what if there was a way to swap out the gas part of the equation for something better? And what if that something was aluminum?

Well, not straight aluminum, but an aluminum-air battery. Isreali start-up Phinergy is currently road testing a hybrid that uses the standard lithium-ion system and a new aluminum-air system. The result is a drive range of a whopping 1,100 miles. From The Algemeiner:

Founded by CEO Aviv Tzidon, Phinergy‘s battery solution offers greater capacity than Tesla Motors Inc.’s Model S electric car, which can go for 300 miles between charges, and less expensive alternatives, with ranges of about 160 miles.

Phinergy’s prototype uses the lithium-ion battery for short trips and the aluminum-air battery for longer hauls.

Globes said: “The aluminum-air technology uses oxygen naturally occurring in the air to fill its cathode. Aluminum-air batteries discharge turns the metal into aluminum hydroxide, which can then be recycled to make new batteries. This makes it far lighter than liquid filled lithium-ion batteries to give the car a far greater range.”

The aluminum battery has to be replaced every few months, but its components are recyclable. Alcoa Canada partnered with Phinergy to produce the batteries, which were manufactured in Canada.

While Ford and other truck makers may be turning to aluminum to increase gas mileage due to mass properties, it’s good to see that our favorite metal is involved in other green initiatives. Perhaps even in a few years, aluminum-manufactured trucks will be powered by aluminum-air batteries!

5 06, 2014

How Ford Made Aluminum Stronger Than Steel

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00June 5th, 2014|

Can aluminum truly be stronger than steel? Not just over the course of a truck’s life cycle, but through all of the immediate dings, dents, and rigor that a pickup truck needs to go through as it works from job to job?

Ford knew that these would be major questions going into the aluminum-based F-150.  Chief Engineer Pete Reyes came loaded with research and answers when it came time to face these types of questions and more…and as it turns out, the biggest problem with aluminum isn’t a material property. It’s perception. From Forbes:

The majority of the truck body is 6,000-series alloy aluminum, which is a heat-treatable alloy aluminum. Depending on the mix that you put in the alloy, but certainly more a function of how long you heat-treat it, you can get all manner of properties out of this aluminum. Some of our structural elements and our extruded pieces are heat-treated, and we end up with stronger pieces than the steel we’re replacing.

… You can just choose to heat-treat it to a strength and replace a steel part that just happened to not be as strong. But you can also just add gauge

[i.e. make it thicker]. Aluminum being a third as dense as steel, you can have three times the thickness before you have the same weight as steel. So in a lot of cases, we tailored it to the strength we needed.

People are asking, “How do you have more dent and ding resistance?” Well, aluminum actually has better properties for dent and ding resistance, but we can also just up-guage it another tenth of a millimeter and still save 40 percent of the weight.

Reyes has plenty more to say regarding the expectations of the truck and the engineering that went into, so be sure to check out the full article.

22 05, 2014

Make Aluminum Sculptures At The Fine Line Arts Festival

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00May 22nd, 2014|

Have you ever wanted to make cool things out of molten aluminum?

Okay, that sounds like an odd question, and chances are, you’ve probably never even thought of that situation. So let’s re-phrase that: given the opportunity, would you like to make cool things out of molten aluminum?

If the answer is yes, then you might want to fly out to Chicago in early June. At the Fine Line Arts Festival on June 6, you’ll be able to partake in the festival’s first aluminum sand casting event. From the Chicago Tribune:

Fine Line’s first aluminum sand casting event starts things off on Friday evening. Opening Night includes a catered dinner from BBQ on Wheels and live music performed by “Fight With Monsters.” Tickets are required for Opening Night only, and can be purchased online: fineline.org/fine-line-arts-festival, or in person at Fine Line.

Artist and Fine Line blacksmithing instructor Dan Caldwell, will be leading the aluminum pour. “We’re going to take a molding sand mixture, put tile forms on a board, and pack the sand around them,” he said. “After the pour, the mold is destroyed and (participants) will get to take the parts out, clean them off, apply a patina, and buff and polish their pieces.”

Those who attend Friday night will get to watch while the melted aluminum is poured into the molds, and will take their own finished pieces home that evening.

The festival also includes pottery making, copper etching, basket making, and other craft-related activities. However, we get the feeling that nothing will quite beat out playing with molten aluminum!

16 05, 2014

The World’s Most Stylish Aluminum House

2015-06-18T15:33:05+00:00May 16th, 2014|

Japan offers us plenty of technological innovations. At the same time, some of the quirkiest stuff in the world comes from Japan. This next aluminum-centric find is a little bit of both. Noted Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori is known for his unusual and eccentric designs, and his latest design moves the single-home residence in a radical new metallic direction. From Archdaily:

Terunobu Fujimori’s Soft-Hard Aluminum House Opens Near Tokyo

A new private house designed by an exceptional Japanese architect, Terunobu Fujimori, has opened. The new building is located in a small provincial town near to Tokyo. Neighbored by typical one-family residences, the newcomer comes to the fore. Different, shiny and apparently soft metallic façade catches the visitor’s eye.

Yet the scale of the building is much smaller than one might expect. Every height, width and depth are accurately measured and left from a certain point of view spatially stingy: no waste is admissible here.

It’s difficult to fully describe the house in just a snippet. Do yourself a favor and go check out the full post at Archdaily’s site for photos and more information.

14 05, 2014

Report: The Dodge Ram Goes Aluminum

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00May 14th, 2014|

Get ready for more big American trucks made out of aluminum bodies. As we noted last week, auto manufacturers are sharing industry secrets about how to best use aluminum in a collective effort to lower the cost of materials and building. Chrysler (AKA the newly renamed Fiat Chrysler) has just thrown its hat into the ring with the popular Dodge Ram truck. From USA Today:

Fiat Chrysler, the new name for the combined Fiat and Chrysler Group, says it will redesign the popular Ram standard-duty pickup in 2017 and overhaul the heavy-duty line of pickups the following year.

And the 2017 Ram could have an aluminum body, like the 2015 Ford F-150 coming this year, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said.

In a question and answer session after the all-day future-product presentation, an analyst wondered how quickly FCA could respond if the aluminum-bodied F-150 is a big hit.

“We’ll make the deadline. We can do aluminum in ’17,” Marchionne said. “We have the technology in-house.”

With Fiat Chrysler now on board, that’s three big truck manufacturers (Ford and GM as well) using aluminum for their heavy-duty vehicles. Perhaps the next wave will see entry into the next heaviest segment: the SUV market.

1 05, 2014

Jaguar Shares Aluminum Secrets For Industry Benefit

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00May 1st, 2014|

It’s no secret that aluminum is becoming a go-to material for the auto industry. However, it’s uncharted territory for many manufacturers. Are individual companies keeping secrets? In fact, it’s actually the opposite — they’re sharing knowledge, lessons learned, and tricks of the trade when dealing with aluminum.

Why would they do this? It’s all about bringing the industry up to a new standard so that manufacturing costs decrease. From Automotive News:

Jaguar Land Rover would like the industry to adopt standards for raw materials and tools to assemble aluminum vehicles. These standards would cut production costs, and the changes won’t happen unless the big players get involved.

Mark White, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief technical specialist for aluminum, says automakers producing vehicles with aluminum — Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and soon Ford — each use a slightly different manufacturing system that includes various grades of aluminum and different rivets, glue, robots and measuring systems.

For example, Jaguar Land Rover will buy 353 million rivets this year to assemble all of its aluminum-bodied vehicles. When production of Ford’s aluminum F-150 begins in the fall, Ford will be buying about 2 billion rivets per year, assuming each F-150 has roughly the same number of rivets as an aluminum-bodied Range Rover.

Being an industry leader is a great thing but leading innovation can be expensive. By sharing knowledge, new innovations can become standard, allowing manufacturers to focus

17 04, 2014

Aluminum Repair Drives Evolving Body Shop Workload

2015-06-18T15:33:05+00:00April 17th, 2014|

More and more auto manufacturers are looking at aluminum as a significant portion of a vehicle’s body. But what happens after the car hits the road and requires repairs? Body shops are discovering that they need to quickly get with the times in order to keep up. From Body Shop Business:

Ever since Ford announced the release of its new F-150, aluminum seems to be the talk of the industry. Due to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards requiring automakers to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, the maker of America’s best-selling vehicle turned to military grade aluminum alloy to make it 750 lbs. lighter.

But some shop owners aren’t too enthusiastic about the change. For one, purchasing special equipment to properly repair aluminum is a significant investment – one that some speculate will offer little to no return.

“The biggest challenge facing repairers isn’t becoming capable in aluminum repair; it is the downward pressure being placed on repairs from an expectation that somehow we are able to do more, and invest more, for a lesser return,” said Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS).

Dan Risley, president and executive director of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), estimates that less than 20 percent of the industry is ready to perform structural repairs on aluminum vehicles.

“I think a larger portion of the industry is capable of repairing non-structural aluminum parts, but they aren’t equipped to do it. Unfortunately, many of them aren’t properly equipped to do it.”

While the return on investment won’t just magically appear overnight, Risley says that the shops that make the investment in equipment and training will be the ones that survive in the end.

“It probably doesn’t make financial sense for [shops] to pursue it today if they don’t have the capital. However, it will start to even out as more mainstream vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, are manufactured. If you don’t do this at some point, you’re going to be blocked out from repairing those cars.”

And it’s not just the customers who will take their business elsewhere – shops will be facing increased scrutiny from insurance partners, too.

“Insurance companies are going to start identifying which shops are equipped and trained to repair [aluminum] cars,” said Risley. “So if you’re a shop that’s reliant upon direct repair referrals, quite frankly some of those referrals will never make it to your door because you can’t properly repair the vehicle.”

As with any industry, staying ahead of trends is the key to survival. As aluminum becomes more and more of an industry standard, the proper training and equipment for body shops will become a fact of life, not just a luxury.

2 04, 2014

Tesla’s Aluminum Shield

2015-06-18T15:33:05+00:00April 2nd, 2014|

The only blip on Tesla’s radar over the past year or so has been that pesky battery fire problem. While these incidents have made for some spectacular videos, the truth is that they  occur in statistically minimal amounts. However, Tesla’s known for their innovation and attention to detail, and considering the coverage this issue has gotten, it’s no surprise that they’ve responded quickly – and aluminum is part of the solution. From CleanTechnica:

In response to two road debris-induced road fires that were front page news, Elon Musk announced the Tesla Model S will get a titanium-reinforced underbody shield. That should silence the haters and doubters who thought the Tesla was a firetrap.

All new Tesla Model S sedans built after March 6th have been equipped with the new battery shield, and existing Model S customers can get the upgrade, free of charge. The battery shield consists of three separate layers of aluminum and titanium designed to deflect and absorb energy from road debris before it ever reaches the battery pack.

Head over to CleanTechnica for videos of this new shield in action. If this issue was causing you to hesitate on purchasing a Tesla, the new shield might just change your mind.

26 03, 2014

Aluminum Closures Gaining Popularity On Wine Corks

2015-06-18T15:33:05+00:00March 26th, 2014|

Twist-off caps may represent a stereotype of lower-grade quality when it comes to wine bottles. However, these aluminum-based closures are actually gaining in popularity, particularly in Europe, which means you’ll have to shed any preconceived notions about them when purchasing wine.

Why are wine drinkers leaning towards twist-off caps? Thanks to the world moving towards greener materials, aluminum closures are recognized for their recyclability (you can also save the wine for later, which is always a bonus). From Greener Package:

When it comes to wine and spirits closures, a majority of European consumers prefer aluminum over other options. That’s according to a recent survey of 6,000 consumers conducted by market research company IPSOS.

The study, which took place in five major European markets—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.—as well as in the U.S., was commissioned by members of the EAFA Closures Group, part of the European Aluminum Foil Assn. (EAFA).

Other results of the study show that aluminum closures received top scores when consumers were asked about their preferences for reclosing a bottle of unfinished wine for later consumption. Four out of 10 surveyed confirmed they had poured away wine from a bottle closed with a cork closure that had been tainted or had gone bad.

When asked to compare their purchasing intentions of the same bottle of wine with different closures, more than one-third said they would prefer to buy wine with an aluminum closure, and a quarter said the type of closure would not influence their purchase.

At present, only 30% of consumers connect easy and complete recyclability with aluminum closures. This supports the industry’s continuing efforts to more proactively promote the advantages of recycling, as already in Europe, more than 40% of aluminum closures are recycled.

Wine snobs of the world, look out! Aluminum’s coming your way, and it may even be hauled in an aluminum-based Ford F-150!

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