Manufacturing

Automotive energy management: finding hidden costs Around $400 of cost per vehicle could be hiding in your automotive supply chain. Do you know where to find it? Read full story

GM tools up for high-volume aluminum structures with new welding technology The process centers on a new electrode-tip design. It will enable GM’s global body shops to spot-weld virtually any combination of aluminum sheet, extrusions, and castings at higher production rates than are currently used in automotive aluminum-structures manufacturing. Read full story

Higher-volume vehicle gets carbon-fiber body panels produced in less time A new processing technology for carbon-fiber body panels at Plasan Carbon Composites will mark its production debut on a future vehicle with a yearly volume of as much as 50,000 units. Read full story

New IP process helps U.S. take lead global role for Honda manufacturing In-plant process starts at Marysville, OH, on 2013 Accord. Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. assumes responsibility for manufacturing procedures for all Honda vehicle production worldwide, as North America becomes top Honda production location. Read full story

Hyundai uses cloud server to remotely check vehicle performance Blue Link data modem transmits onboard diagnostic data to server as soon as vehicle comes off assembly line. Electronic Pre-Delivery Inspection system is in development, post-delivery monitoring requires attention to privacy concerns, and remote reflashing is on “wish list” but poses major challenges. Read full story

Lightweight sandwich structures for EV chassis Plastic foam-core/aluminum-skin sandwich components developed by Inrekor in collaboration with JSP cut the weight of a prototype EV chassis by 30%. Read full story

Materials lead the way to vehicle mass reduction Reducing a vehicle's mass opens the door for a downsized engine and transmission, a lighter cradle and body structure, smaller wheels and brakes, as well as a weight-slimmed suspension. The start point for this ripple effect is materials. Read full story

Oak Ridge collaborates for cheaper carbon fiber Lightweight vehicles of the future will require strong carbon-fiber composite structures, but low-cost fibers are needed for market viability. Overcoming the challenges to cheaper carbon fiber is exactly what a research team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is aiming to do at its new Carbon Fiber Technology Facility in Tennessee. Read full story

Kuka robots get faster, stronger Agile robots. Stronger robots. And robots that can be programmed using computer numerical control (CNC) language took the spotlight during Kuka Robotics' first-ever technology event showcase. Read full story