In July, members of the Impression Technologies team attended the Automotive Forum event held by the Aluminium Federation (ALFED). Hosted at the University of Wolverhampton, Telford Campus, there was a huge focus at the event on R&D, as well as new technologies and processes.

The day brought together several heavyweights from aluminium industry, giving businesses from within the supply chain the opportunity to share their thoughts on the UK aluminium sector, and discuss the latest innovations. Speakers ranged from OEMs, to welders, to extrusion specialists, with topics discussed including:

• UK aluminium sector growth/opportunities/challenges
• Light-weighting and aluminium developments for automotive
• Recycling, including the scrap market
• Aluminium alloy developments
• Developments in sheet forming, extrusions, bonding and welding

Collaborative discussions

Adrian Tautscher, Principal Technical Specialist – Sustainability & Circular Economy Lead at Impression Technologies, was in attendance at the event, and delivered a presentation to attendees entitled ‘Enabling Light-weighting and Sustainability for Automotive – An SME view’. The presentation provided an overview of HFQ® Technology and an assessment of the automotive sector, highlighting the importance of innovation to accelerate the next generation of lighter, cost-effective and lower carbon (increased recycling) aluminium solutions to support OEMs.

The presentation was very well received and demonstrated Impression Technologies’ ability to bring HFQ® Technology to the forefront of the aluminium light-weighting sector. This also follows the recent HFQ® Partner Network Event in June, hosted by Impression Technologies, which brought together members of the HFQ® Partner Network to discuss the automotive industry, and how aluminium can play a key role in the electrification of transportation.

Comments from those in attendance at the ALFED event ranged from “a well-organised and interesting event” to “a very busy day with meaningful content”. With such regular networking events underway within the aluminium industry, it is a certainty that the sector is continuing to grow, as the importance of light-weighting becomes more apparent for everyone to see.

For the latest news on Impression Technologies, you can follow the company on LinkedIn. For more information on HFQ®, please visit the HFQ® Technology website.