Report outlines the future of automotive steel
Detroit, Michigan — August 2, 2016 — Aluminum, carbon fibre and graphene grab headlines, but steel is still very widespread in the automotive world and will likely remain so for some time. This is especially true when considering third generation advanced high-strength steels. The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) has released its 2016 Steel Industry […]
MPI to open new advanced materials training centre
By Jeff Sanford Winnipeg, Manitoba — November 23, 2015 — The province of Manitoba is taking a proactive approach to training on new materials. Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) has just announced a major initiative that will ensure techs know how to repair the new and advanced materials coming into use in the industry. MPI has […]
Canadian auto parts maker bets big on the shift to aluminum
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — October 16, 2015 — Canadian auto parts giant Linamar Corporation announced this week it has tendered an offer for 100 percent of the shares of French aluminum casting firm, Montupet S.A. The deal was billed by Linamar executives as the “latest move to solidify the company as a global […]
Carbon fibre could be a major material within five years
By Mike Davey Toronto, Ontario — October 15, 2015 — More composite materials, including carbon fibre, will be showing up on our roads in coming years. It’s an absolute certainty that these cars are also going to be making their way to your facility. Dale Brosius is the Chief Commercialization Officer for the Institute for […]
New materials call for new joining techniques
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — October 6, 2015 — The new era of “exotic” materials calls for new methods of joining, both at the OEM and on the shop floor. Chief Automotive Technologies hosted trade press reporters recently to showcase new joining tools the company is making available. The day-long session provided some fascinating […]
Virtual technology aids in learning to weld advanced materials
by Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — October 5, 2015 — Chief Automotive recently hosted a meeting at its headquarters in Madison, Indiana. The purpose of the gathering: Introduce a new line of joining tools collision repair centres can use to keep up with the industry-wide shift to more advanced materials. The biggest news in the […]
Move over aluminum: Carbon fibre steps up its game
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — September 9, 2015 — On the materials side, the big news in the industry of late has been the move to the use of more aluminum in vehicles, especially in the case of the latest Ford-150. But some are already looking beyond aluminum to carbon fibre, an advanced, lightweight […]
Live@NACE: Dr. Jody Hall on steel’s future and its ‘green’ capabilities
By Jeff Sanford Detroit, Michigan — July 23, 2015 — Collision repair professionals from around North America have gathered in Detroit. The booths are up. The cars have been rolled out on the convention floor. The drink tickets have been distributed. NACE 2015 is underway. The Volt lounge at the base of the Renaissance Center […]
Graphene may herald the next auto material revolution
By Jeff Sanford Toronto, Ontario — July 23, 2015 — Much has been written about the current battle between high-strength steel and aluminum in the auto body mix. But looking deeper into the future there is another material being mentioned more frequently, graphene, that has strong advantages over either. Graphene is nothing more than carbon. […]
