"Craft shop" approach of low-volume, all-aluminum, high-end makes is too restrictive for America's best-selling vehicle. SEMA Show training classes by I-CAR demonstrate special techniques necessary and the learning curve for mainstream body shop technicians.
With the world's first pickup featuring an all-aluminum body and cargo box and full LED lighting, Ford leapfrogs its domestic and Japanese competition in the highly profitable full-size truck segment. The structures feature 5xxx- and 6xxx-series alloy sheet, the latter with a T4 temper.
The 2016 Honda Civic features selectively-tempered “soft zone” technology in the B-pillars and rear frame rails, allowing zones within a single frame piece to have more ductile properties than the surrounding ultra-high-strength hot-stamped steel. The technology minimizes parts count and saves 15.6 lb (7 kg) compared to the previous-generation Civic.
Designed in Japan with exterior surfacing finalized at Honda’s California studio, the 2018 Accord is up to 176 lb (89 kg) lighter than the outgoing model, depending on trim level. Key technical features include two new turbocharged gasoline engines, the first use of a 10-speed automatic transaxle (Honda’s own 10AT) in front-drive sedan, and the return to the low-cowl/thin pillar body architecture.
In part two of a two-part series, Richard Gardner discusses various aerospace propulsion innovations and continued work by aerospace engineers and scientists to advance aircraft engine technologies to increase efficiency and lower emissions.
Car put on display is based on electrical and mechanical components from a Renault electric vehicle "city car" simply as a proof of process. Much testing and refinement remain. Help is being provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and SABIC.
At Envisage, traditional coachbuilding skills blend with 3D printing and other digital tools to create concept/show vehicles and individual bespoke solutions.
Current products from 3M can be used to repair aluminum- and carbon fiber-intensive vehicles, but the company is working with OEMs such as General Motors to develop optimized solutions for multi-material structural applications.
Aerodynamic experts are cautiously optimistic that a long-awaited leap in vehicle fuel efficiency is advancing toward near-term production: the replacement of the two exterior mirrors with camera-based streaming-vision technology—at no overall cost penalty.
The Terma 3D-audio system will enhance pilot situational awareness by supplementing the A-10C cockpit control panel visual warning system with audible directional signals from within the pilot’s helmet. The natural or spatially separately audio signals will be similar to what a human would hear when not wearing a conventional headset.
Engineers from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL’s) Manufacturing Technologies Division successfully demonstrated the capabilities of a new multi-purpose maintenance and manufacturing robot at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
In the “What’s Next for Aerospace and Defense: A Vision for 2050” study, AIA, New York City-based McKinsey & Company, and other industry partners reveal a comprehensive 30-year, Industry 4.0 forecast of air travel and spaceflight based on improvements in automation and digitization, next-generation materials, alternative energy sources and storage, and increased data throughput.
Baytec AS is a new acoustical spray technology from Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience. There is a patent pending for this innovative new approach, which uses a higher level of sound-blocking fillers than current solutions.
The 3D printing materials market will experience high double-digit growth in the aerospace industry through 2024, as manufacturers of aircraft and spacecraft vehicles and components increasingly adopt and reap the benefits of additive manufacturing, market analysts at Frost & Sullivan in Mountain View, California, predict.
Two new installments in the burgeoning SAE International Podcast Series cast a spotlight on additive manufacturing, which is fueling innovation, greater efficiencies, and the future of mobility engineering. Additive manufacturing continues to advance and transform mobility engineering, as aerospace and automotive firms increasingly adopt and invest in 3D printing technologies, which are becoming more capable and cost-effective.