Mary Glenn, Author at Heat Treat Today

World’s Largest Commercial Vacuum Furnace Completes Successful First Run

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, launched into operation its newest and largest vacuum furnace. In its inaugural cycle, the 48-foot furnace successfully vacuum heat treated nickel alloy components while preserving the crucial elements of brightness and cleanliness. The state of the art vacuum furnace has the ability to apply tight pyrometric controls to ± 10° F. The innovative, U.S. patented load car design prevented distortion of the more than 40-foot long tubes. Due to the furnace’s increased efficiency, the total cycle time for this thermal process will be reduced by two days compared to traditional furnace designs. Solar Atmospheres of Western PA is absolutely confident their brand new 48-foot vacuum furnace will consistently surpass customers’ expectations.

World’s Largest Commercial Vacuum Furnace Completes Successful First Run Read More »

Improving Accident Tolerance of Nuclear Fuel with Coated Mo-alloy Cladding

September 22, 2016 / ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

Source: Science Direct – Nuclear Engineering and Technology

The goal of this initiative is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing coated Mo-alloy cladding for LWR fuel cladding to enhance the accident tolerance of fuel rods in several loss of coolant accidents. The target is to demonstrate that coated Mo-alloy cladding can meet: (1) performance and reliability requirements for normal operation; (2) licensing safety requirements during power transients; and (3) significantly enhanced tolerance to severe accidents. A measurable goal is to demonstrate that the coated Mo-alloy cladding can survive in a steam environment at 1,200–1,500°C for at least 24 hours.

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SMS Group Commissions New Compact Steel Plant of El Marakby Steel

September 21, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

On August 2, 2016, the new compact steel plant of El Marakby Steel in Giza, Egypt, was officially opened with an inaugural ceremony. The electric steelworks supplied by SMS group has an annual capacity of 350,000 tons. It comprises a raw materials handling system, a 45-ton electric arc furnace, a ladle furnace with a transformer rating of 8 MVA + 20 percent and a three-strand billet caster supplied by SMS Concast.

“By producing billets in-house, we create value locally and strengthen our competitiveness by reducing our dependence on hard currencies. Additionally, the new plant allows us to expand our range of steel grades and produce rebars extremely flexibly,” said CEO Hassan El Marakby.

The ceremony was opened by a spokesperson of El Marakby who outlined the beginnings and the history of the factory. Subsequently, in a highly notable speech, CEO Hassan El Marakby explained the reasons for building the new plant and for choosing SMS as supplier. Next, Marcel Fasswald, Member of the Managing Board of SMS group, presented SMS group and its worldwide business activities, and emphasized the good cooperation with El Marakby. The ceremony was also attended by the Egyptian Minister of Industry and several representatives of local authorities. Also delegates of the German and Swiss embassies in Egypt were present during the event.

By producing reinforcing steel in the new compact steel plant, El Marakby is supporting the road network expansion in Egypt. The further development of the Egyptian road infrastructure is closely connected with the expansion of the Suez Canal by a second navigable channel. 3,000 kilometers of newly built roads will facilitate the exchange between the cities and ports in Egypt.

SMSgroup Image — Marcel Fasswald, Member of the Managing Board of SMS group (left) and Hassan El Marakby, CEO, MKS).

SMS Group Commissions New Compact Steel Plant of El Marakby Steel Read More »

NSK Breaks Ground on New Addition to the Kirihara Building at the Fujisawa Plant

September 20, 2016 / AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Toshihiro Uchiyama) announced that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new addition to the Kirihara Building at the Fujisawa Plant on August 2. The Kirihara Building produces environmentally friendly products such as wind power equipment and uses environmentally responsible production methods.

The Fujisawa Plant was certified under the “Select Kanagawa 100” corporate location support initiative, which was launched in April 2016 by Kanagawa Prefecture.

NSK produces high-quality bearings for industrial machinery in the Shinmei and Kirihara areas of Fujisawa City in Kanagawa Prefecture. The addition to the Kirihara Building will include installation of state-of-art production equipment that will be used to expand production of large bearings. Some equipment will also be transferred from the Shinmei area to the new part of the Kirihara Building under the business continuity plan. These steps will help improve productivity and ensure a stable supply of products.

Plant Overview (Kirihara Building, Fujisawa Plant)

Location	No.12 Kirihara-machi, Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Construction Commenced	February 2008
Addition to be completed	Summer 2017
Investment in addition and equipment enhancement	5 billion yen
Manufactured products	Large bearings for wind turbines, rail cars, steelmaking equipment, construction equipment, airplanes, and industrial robots
Floor space	Before addition:15,000㎡ After addition:Approx. 30,000㎡

NSK Breaks Ground on New Addition to the Kirihara Building at the Fujisawa Plant Read More »

Metal Medical Miracles

September 19, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

Source: Today’s Medical Developments –

Many physical ailments would go untended if it weren’t for the metals and heat treatments used to repair us. Cobalt chrome alloys, titanium, stainless steel – these and a host of proprietary metals are used in knee and hip joint replacement, fusion cages that relieve pressure on ailing discs, pacemakers and pumps, and the screws and hardware that hold it all together.

Metal Medical Miracles Read More »

Safran Celebrates the Completion of 500th Landing Gear for Boeing 787 Dreamliner

September 19, 2016 / AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

Ajax, Ont, 12 September 2016

Safran Landing Systems announces the completion of the 500th landing gear set (nose and main landing gear) for Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its Canadian facility located in Ajax, Ontario.

Since being awarded with the contract in 2006, Safran Landing Systems has been responsible for the design, development, qualification, testing, manufacture and support of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner main and nose landing gear.

“This milestone is a testament to our commitment to technology and research,” said Deane Weatherby, VP, North American Programs at Safran Landing Systems. “Our Boeing 787 landinggear features a number of innovations in material technology aimed at reducing landing gear weight, corrosion and providing higher resistance to fatigue.”

Production activities for the 787 program are shared across Safran Landing Systems facilities in Canada, USA, China, France, Mexico and the UK. Final integration takes place at the company’s Everett, Wash. and Ajax facilities as well as its sister company Safran Electrical and Power site in Charleston, S.C., where the system components are integrated with the landing gear structure prior to delivery to Boeing’s final assembly lines in Seattle and Charleston. The 500th landing gear set is scheduled to be shipped to Boeing’s final assembly line in Seattle.

“This is a significant landmark for Safran Landing Systems,” said Deane Weatherby. “Since the launch of this program, more than 113 million passengers have flown on the 787 Dreamliner equipped with our landing gear. We are pleased to be a part of the Boeing 787 family and we look forward to our continued partnership.”

Safran Celebrates the Completion of 500th Landing Gear for Boeing 787 Dreamliner Read More »

IHEA’s Fundamentals of Industrial Process Heating Online Learning Course

September 17, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

IHEA’s Fundamentals of Industrial Process Heating Online Learning Course is scheduled to begin on Oct. 17, 2016. This course is ideal for students who wish to take the course at home or work in a flexible web-based distance-learning format. It’s an affordable alternative to campus-based classes and allows students to go at their own pace. The course offers an indispensable tool to industrial process heating operators and users of all types of industrial heating equipment. In the instructor-led, interactive online course, students learn safe, efficient operation of industrial heating equipment, how to reduce energy consumption and ways to improve your bottom-line.

This class provides an overview of the fundamentals of heat transfer, fuels and combustion, energy use, furnace design, refractories, automatic control, and atmospheres as applied to industrial process heating. Students will gain a basic understanding of heat transfer principles, fuels and combustion equipment, electric heating, and instrumentation and control for efficient operation of furnaces and ovens in process heating. For complete course description, visit www.ihea.org and click the Events tab to find the class. Students will also earn PDH’s for passing the course.

This course is led by industry expert, Max Hoetzl, retired Vice President of Surface Combustion. Max brings more than 40 years’ experience in the combustion industry to IHEA’s online course.

This is a 6-week online course beginning on Oct. 17th. Registration fee includes course instruction, live interaction with the trainer, class forums to interact with other students, plus an electronic copy of IHEA’s Fundamentals of Process Heating Course Handbook. Registration is open now through Oct. 14th, 2016 at www.ihea.org. Click the Fundamentals of Industrial Heating Online Course button on the right side of the homepage. Cost for IHEA members is $700 and non-members is $875.

IHEA’s Fundamentals of Industrial Process Heating Online Learning Course Read More »

Heat Treating Race Car Parts with Quick Turnaround for Race Event

September 16, 2016 / AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, TEMPERING

Source: MetLabHeattreat.com

Metlab has worked with a number of NASCAR and Indy Racing Car Teams and also companies that restore antique cars, sports and muscle cars and has a history of heat treating race car parts that must endure severe conditions. Big B Manufacturing is a specialty machine shop located in Klingerstown, PA which specializes in design and engineering as well as machining of small and large components. They also make and race off road cars. Big B brought a project to Metlab that required the heat treating of four (4) link arms. The arms are fabricated from 4130 steel and TIG welded with 4130 filler. The suspension parts are for Big B Manufacturing’s racing team.

Heat Treating Race Car Parts with Quick Turnaround for Race Event Read More »

Solar Atmospheres Group Adds Vacuum Pump Services Corp.

September 15, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, VACUUM PUMPS GAUGES VALVES NEWS

Souderton, Pennsylvania: Solar Atmosphere announced the formation of a new vacuum pump servicing company, Vacuum Pump Services Corp. Solar Atmospheres group of companies has over one hundred mechanical vacuum roughing pumps and mechanical holding pumps. Solar currently operates a fleet of vacuum furnaces across the United States many of which are still in operation after 30+ years. Since mechanical pump life averages five to ten years, depending on usage, it became advantageous for the commercial vacuum heat treating company to establish its own vacuum pump service center.

Currently, there are three employees: Bob Sandora, Vice President of Operations, a longtime Solar Atmospheres employee with over 40 years of mechanical vacuum pump experience; Steve MacInnes, Manager of Operations with 15 years of mechanical vacuum pump experience; and another recently hired pump technician.

According to William R. Jones, CEO of the Solar Atmospheres family of companies, “We know vacuum pumps, when to have the pumps serviced, and how to service them correctly. This is the base reason for establishing our own organization. We have also serviced pumps for other organizations including our competitors. So we’re eager to share our knowledge and expertise and to offer our services broadly across the industry.”

Solar Atmospheres Group Adds Vacuum Pump Services Corp. Read More »

2016 Hephaestus Award Recipient

September 14, 2016 / HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

The Hephaestus Award will be bestowed this year to Mr. John Hubbard, P.E. for his contribution to the development of heat treating worldwide. Mr. Hubbard devoted his entire career to the thermal processing industry and was a driving force behind the remarkable growth story of Bodycote, the world’s leading provider of thermal processing services. Under his leadership, Bodycote expanded rapidly from a UK-focused heat treater to the preeminent global company. He made over 200 acquisitions before retiring to return to the United States in 2009. Mr. Hubbard didn’t stay away for too long. Earlier this year, he came out of retirement to return to the heat treating business, working with Calvert Street, a private US investment firm, both as an investor and a board member.

The Hephaestus Award recognizes contributions made by academic and industrial researchers and industry leaders to the field of heat treating that have had an impact on surface engineering, materials science, and industrial processes or production techniques.

Past Recipients

Professor Jan TACIKOWSKI of the Institute of Precision Mechanics, Poland, Ground-breaking work in controlled nitriding.

– Dr. Kiyoshi FUNATANI, Leading role in the development and industrialization of various nitriding technologies in the automotive industry.

Dr. George TOTTEN, Long-standing efforts in quenching and tribology, as well as his contributions to standards development.

Dr. Dieter LIEDTKE, 50 years of dedication to the practical development of heat treating at Bosch and lifetime service to the AWT (German Association for Heat Treatment and Materials Engineering), as well as his positive guidance in the classroom.

2016 Hephaestus Award Recipient Read More »

Mary Glenn