GF Linamar wins $300 million contract for magnesium cross-car beams for pickup trucks

October 11, 2017
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GF Linamar, Mills River, N.C., a joint venture between GF Automotive and Linamar, has been awarded a $300 million contract over a period of five years to produce lightweight magnesium automotive components for a U.S. manufacturer. (The company did not release the name of the manufacturer).

The order consists of cross-car beams for a new pickup truck model, and underlines GF Automotive's expertise in lightweight magnesium components. Typically made of steel, cross-car beams are large structural parts, and diecast magnesium would significantly lower weight.

The components will be produced from 2020 onwards at the new plant in Mills River. This plant, which GF will operate together with Canadian joint venture partner Linamar, will officially be opened in October 2017. The order is another important milestone in the expansion of GF's presence in the North American market and consequently for implementing its 2020 strategy.

On October 6, GF Linamar celebrated the official opening of its new plant in Mills River. The 57-acre high-pressure die-casting facility focuses on lightweight solutions in aluminum and magnesium for the automotive industry, drawing from the expertise of both partners. The overall investment over the next five years amounts to approximately $100 million.

GF Automotive is one of the world's leading automotive suppliers and a technologically pioneering development partner and manufacturer of components for passenger cars, trucks and industrial applications. The division provides casting solutions based on iron, aluminum and magnesium at eleven production plants in Germany, Austria, China and the United States.

http://www.gfau.com/gflinamar/en/about-gf-linamar/gf-linamar-llc.html

Nitrex Nitreg nitriding system improves fatigue resistance for automotive springs

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Nitrex Metal, Montreal, has successfully installed and commissioned an NX-1230 potential-controlled Nitreg nitriding system for processing automotive springs for a customer in Korea. The customer, Daewon Corp., is a high-volume automotive parts manufacturer supplying global automakers such as Hyundai, Kia Motors, GM, Chrysler, Volkswagen, and many others.

Daewon previously used an outside supplier to nitride springs, but the company recognized that its interests would be better served by implementing this capability in house. This new project is the result of Daewon's past experience with a Nitrex-approved heat treater and its satisfaction with the reliability of the Nitreg nitriding process, which was key to the application's success.

Nitreg nitriding enables fatigue resistance of automotive springs to be improved for longer service life. The technology also maintains tight dimensional tolerances (no distortion), excellent uniformity from part to part, and excellent repeatability between production runs. The system is capable of processing a load capacity up to 11,570 pounds, and complies with the nitriding requirements laid out by AMS2759/10A.

Nitrex Metal offers modern nitriding / nitrocarburizing technologies, solutions, equipment, and services. Nitreg potential-controlled gas nitriding and Nitreg-C potential-controlled gas nitrocarburizing (ferritic nitrocarburizing-FNC) technologies are applied in the precision parts, automotive, aluminium extrusion, defense, gears, tool & die, plastics, machinery, and many other industries.

www.nitrex.com