Mary Glenn

Bonnell Aluminum to Invest $18 Million, Expand Automotive and Specialty Markets

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

Bonnell Aluminum, a subsidiary of Tredegar Corporation (NYSE:TG), announced it will be investing approximately $18 million over the next 12 months to fund an expansion project which will include the purchase of a new state-of-the-art aluminum extrusion line at its AACOA facility in Niles, Michigan. Planned startup is the second quarter 2017.

“With continued growing demand from our customers, it is exciting to invest in this additional capacity, knowing that we will satisfy these opportunities with the high quality products and services that AACOA is known for in the industry,” commented Brook Hamilton, President and General Manager for Bonnell Aluminum. “Our facility in Niles is ideally suited for this project, with a well-run operation and a great team in place.” “AACOA has a solid market reputation and is highly regarded as a leader in the markets it serves, primarily consumer durables and machinery and equipment. The facility also serves the automotive market due to its regional location,” added Ira Endres, Vice President Sales and Marketing. “It makes sense to increase the capacity in Niles based on demand from our customers.”

The new line will be comprised of a state-of-the-art 3600-ton extrusion press, housing a 9-inch container, handling systems and ancillary equipment. Capacity is estimated at approximately 16 million pounds. The project also includes additional floor space to accommodate future value-added fabrication capacity.

This announcement marks another important investment made by the Company in recent years and confirms once again Bonnell’s full commitment to its business. “The addition of this new line will provide new and broader product line capabilities for our customers,” added Hamilton.

Bonnell Aluminum is a subsidiary of Richmond Va., based Tredegar Corporation (NYSE:TG). The company produces soft and medium-strength alloy aluminum extrusions for building and construction, automotive, machinery and equipment, consumer durables, transportation, electrical and distribution markets. On October 1, 2012, Bonnell Aluminum acquired AACOA, a world-class manufacturer, fabricator and anodizer of aluminum extrusions with operations in Niles, MI, and Elkhart, IN.

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Cost of Failure: Thermal Treatments Reduce Medical Device Liability

/ MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, TITANIUM PROCESSING
Medical device industry expert witness, John McCloy, founder of Engineered Assurance, discusses what medical device manufacturers need to do to help minimize liability. Thermal processes are among the items discussed.

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TMK-ARTROM Orders Austenitizing Tube Heat-Treatment Line

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

SMS group received an order from Romania’s TMK-ARTROM for a heat-treatment line for tubes. The line will consist of an austenitizing furnace with walking-beam transport system, quenching head, quenching tank, walking-beam tempering furnace and cooling bed. It will allow various process steps, such as quenching, tempering and normalizing. The line, which will be able to treat tubes up to a wall thickness of 60 mm (2.4 inches), is scheduled to start up in the second quarter of 2017.

TMK-ARTROM’s plant in Slatina produces seamless tubes, OCTG pipes and high-strength tubes for mechanical applications. It has an annual capacity of 160,000 tons. This heat-treatment line, which also includes eco-friendly recuperative burners in the furnaces, will strengthen TMK-ARTROM’s presence in the market for tubes for oil and gas exploration

 

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Universal High Pressure Quench Delivers Wide Range of Process Capabilities to Slovenia Commercial Heat Treater, MIHEU

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS, HEAT TREATING EQUIPMENT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, QUENCHING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Slovenia commercial heat treater, MIHEU, is expanding their production capacity with the addition of a new Vector™ High Pressure Gas Quench vacuum furnace. Delivered in February 2016, the new installation will enable MIHEU to increase production capacity and expand their markets by offering a wide variety of processes with the installation of a single system.

According to Aleš Prikeržnik, Managing Director, „ We wanted to partner with a company with expertise in both emerging technologies as well as reliable standard solutions to expand our market base and continue to deliver a high quality product to our customers into the future. The SECO/WARWICK team provides more than good equipment, they have the technical and service support that we demand to keep our operation running smoothly.” Family owned for three generations, learn more about MIHEU at www.miheu.si/en/abous-us.html

Maciej Korecki, SECO/WARWICK Vacuum VP commented, „The VECTOR Universal High Pressure Quench is our signature technology in use by commercial heat treaters worldwide for over 20 years. We are pleased to work with MIHEU as a supplier-partner to provide them with the world’s best technology and technical services. ”

VECTOR™ Universal High Pressure Quench Vacuum Furnaces

The standard Universal VECTOR vacuum furnace is used for wide range of industrial heat treatment applications including gas quench hardening & tempering, degassing, annealing, solution heat treatment and brazing. Equipped with Data Portal™, the control system can connect to a configurable website that gives the user access to archive data using a web browser. This application can use an internal data recorder or it can work with other software. Recorded data is displayed in the form of web pages. Access, depending on the customer’s choice, can be through a local area network or via the Internet from anywhere.

The MIHEU Furnace main parameters include:

Useful dimensions: 600 x 600 x 900 mm (24” X 24” X 36”)

Maximum load gross weight: 600kgs (1,300 lbs.)

temperature: 1300°C (2400°F)

Quenching pressure: up to 10,0 bar abs.

The system was delivered complete with a water cooling system, load fixture, DataPortal™ software package, installation, start up and training.

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TimkenSteel Develops New Manufacturing Process for High-Pressure Tubing

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

CANTON, Ohio,  TimkenSteel (NYSE: TMST, timkensteel.com), a leader in customized alloy steel products and services, today announced that it has developed a new process to manufacture high-pressure tubing (HPT) for use in the production of low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

TimkenSteel recently accepted its first order of HPT for a major petrochemical producer. Over the last decade, HPT for LDPE environments has had extended supply chains that created long lead times for North American customers.

“We have developed a more streamlined process using the assets and operations we have in place to create cost efficiencies. HPT that previously took more than a year to produce now takes a matter of months,” said Shawn Seanor, TimkenSteel’s executive vice president of sales and business development. “Another advantage our process offers is flexibility, allowing customers to buy smaller lot sizes.”

TimkenSteel’s process begins in Canton where its special bar quality (SBQ) steel is forged-rolled and heat treated. It is then sent to TimkenSteel Material Services in Houston where it is bored and honed.

TimkenSteel recently entered into a supply agreement with A&A Machine & Fabrication, LLC, of La Marque, Texas, to further process, market and sell HPT for LDPE customers. A&A completed reliability testing to ASME code on prototype tubing and processed that material to industry fabrication requirements in order to illustrate material performance. A&A and TimkenSteel then met with end-users to gain market acceptance of the material.

“HPT users will be able to plan projects with a more accurate forecast due to the shorter lead times and ease of inspection and oversight of the manufacturing process,” said C. Alan Hutchins, President and CEO of A&A.

SOURCE TimkenSteel

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Aluminum Immersion Holding Furnace to Large Automotive Die Caster

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, EQUIPMENT, HEAT TREAT NEWS, HEAT TREATING EQUIPMENT

Aluminum Immersion Holding Furnace to Large Automotive Die Caster

Lindberg/MPH announced the shipment of an electric immersion aluminum holding furnace to a large automotive die caster. The equipment provided includes three electric immersion aluminum holding furnaces used to keep aluminum at die casting temperature.

These aluminum holding furnaces utilize Lindberg/MPH patented board lining and high efficiency immersion tubes/heaters. A manually operated winch crane operates the center cover for cleaning.

“Repeat business based on past performance is a testament to the quality and durability of Lindberg/MPH equipment. We work closely with our customers to provide the best possible solution to their application needs and are pleased to be their chosen vendor.”  Andrew Paul, Sales Engineer

Unique features of these aluminum holding furnaces includes:
• Efficient electric immersion heating.
• Excellent temperature control and fast recovery.
• Lindberg/MPH patented board lining.
• Longer lining life.
• Manually operated winch crane cover lift

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Two -thirds new US generating capacity from renewables: Wind largest source

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS
Washington, D.C. – Setting a new annual record, renewable sources (biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) accounted for almost two-thirds (63.85%) of the 16,485MW of new electrical generation placed in service in the U.S. during 2015.

According to the just-released latest monthly Energy Infrastructure Update report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission‘s (FERC) Office of Energy Projects, 69 new units of wind accounted for 7,977MW of new generating capacity – or nearly half (48.39%) of all new capacity for the year. That is a third more than the 5,942 MW of new capacity provided by 50 units of natural gas.

Among the other renewable sources, solar placed second with 2,042MW (238 units) followed by biomass with 305MW (26 units), hydropower with 153MW (21 units), and geothermal steam with 48MW (2 units).

FERC reported no new capacity at all for the year from nuclear power and just 15 MW from ten units of oil and only 3 MW from a single new unit of coal. Thus, new capacity from renewable energy sources during 2015 (10,525 MW) is more than 700 times greater than that from oil and over 3,500 times greater than that from coal.

Renewable energy sources now account for 17.83% of total installed operating generating capacity in the U.S.: water – 8.56%, wind – 6.31%, biomass – 1.43%, solar – 1.20%, and geothermal steam – 0.33%. The share of total installed capacity from non-hydro renewables (9.27%) now exceeds that from conventional hydropower (8.56%).

For perspective, when FERC issued its very first Energy Infrastructure Update in December 2010, renewable sources accounted for only 13.71% of total installed operating generation capacity. Over the past five years, solar’s share has increased 12-fold (1.20% vs. 0.10%) while that from wind has nearly doubled (6.31% vs. 3.40%). During the same period, coal’s share of the nation’s generating capacity plummeted from 30.37% to 26.16%.

Finally, for the first time, installed electrical capacity from non-hydro renewables (108.34 GW) has now eclipsed that of nuclear power (107.03GW).

“If it weren’t already obvious, the latest FERC data confirm that the era of coal, oil, and nuclear power is rapidly drawing to a close,” notes Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “The future – in fact, the present – has become renewable energy!”

Source: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 

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The USA plans more aerospace work in Asia: Heat treat impact expected

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

BOTW-50w Source: Aerospace Industries Association

The U.S. Aerospace and Defense industry shows a commitment to increasing international trade and partnerships with America’s friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific region by participating in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Singapore Airshow.

Read more: http://www.aia-aerospace.org/news/aia_singapore_airshow_demonstrates_value_of_tpp/

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