Aerospace
Automotive
Medical
Energy
Manufacturing
Source: The News and Observer
For Selma Technologies, an interest in buying equipment at auction turned into a real estate purchase and a plan to resume making parts for car transmissions, gear boxes and differentials – in the USA!
Read more: Selma Precision Technologies to Revamp Closed Sona Plant by Drew Jackson
Selma Precision Technologies to Spend 3 to 4 Million Read More »
A state-of-the-art gear manufacturing facility in Europe which will support new business in the region has been started by the DANA Corporation . The 140,000 square-foot (13,000 square-meter) facility in Győr, Hungary will provide customers in the region with access to Dana’s advanced design, engineering, and manufacturing expertise to support their sourcing initiatives and technology strategies.
The company is investing approximately €46 million in the new facility, which will begin production in early 2018 employing approximately 200 highly qualified associates when full production is reached in 2020.
The facility will produce Spicer® AdvanTEK® hypoid or spiral bevel ring and pinion gear sets. Dana manufactures gears for traditional banjo and beam axles, as well as all-wheel-drive systems. Full axle assembly on the site is possible in the future.
The company’s AdvanTEK line of gears offers best-in-class noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance, as well as greater power density in a compact package. When integrated into an axle, these gear sets are responsible for transmitting driving torque to the wheels – delivering improved fuel efficiency, enhanced vehicle performance, and maximum durability for the complete spectrum of light and commercial vehicles.
The new plant will serve as the company’s fourth operation in Hungary. The decision to develop another plant within the country was made possible by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), which awarded Dana development grants and tax incentives.
“We are excited to be building this new gear-manufacturing facility to support new business growth in Europe,” said Bob Pyle, president of Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies. “This plant is strategically positioned in close proximity to our existing Győr operations and will enable us to deliver technologies to our European customers more quickly and cost effectively.
“We are grateful for the strong support that HIPA and the Hungarian government have provided as we expand our gear-manufacturing capacity in the region. Dana has operated in Győr for more than 10 years, and we know from experience that we can find exceptional employees there,” Pyle added.
Gear Manufacturing Facility to Support New Business Read More »
Triumph Group, Inc. will supply gun bodies for BAE Systems’ M777 Howitzer in support of a recent contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. The contract, valued at $15 million, was awarded to Triumph’s Precision Components business unit for the gun body used in the ultra-lightweight artillery weapon. Precision Components has a long history of supporting the M777 platform, producing more than 1,000 gun bodies for BAE.
“We are pleased to continue our staunch relationship with BAE in support of the M777 Howitzer,” said Rick Rosenjack, executive vice president for Triumph Precision Components, “and extend our support for the platform as it expands operations in India.”
Triumph Precision Components will machine, weld and assemble the gun body before shipping it to BAE for the cannon assembly. Deliveries will take place over the next two and a half years. The gun bodies will support the recent foreign military sale between the U.S. and Indian governments and will be used to enhance border protection.
“With their focus on quality and on-time delivery as their top priorities, we are pleased to welcome Triumph Precision Components back to the production supply chain as we lean forward to deliver our commitment on the M777 India program,” said Jimmy Dow, head of procurement for BAE Systems.
The win marks the continued expansion into adjacent markets for Triumph Precision Components. Last year the company announced a $48 million contract with SNC-Lavalin for end fittings and shield plugs for the nuclear pressure vessels as part of the Ontario Darlington Retube & Feeder Replacement program.
Triumph Group, Inc., headquartered in Berwyn, Pa., designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs and overhauls a broad portfolio of aircraft structures, components, accessories, subassemblies and systems. The company serves a broad, worldwide spectrum of the aviation industry, including original equipment manufacturers of commercial, regional, business and military aircraft and aircraft components, as well as commercial and regional airlines and air cargo carriers.
Contract Awarded for Howitzer Gun Bodies Read More »
A laboratory furnace has recently been rebuilt, upgraded and commissioned in order both to showcase and refine its newest generation of ultra-low NOx regenerative burner. With all new piping hardware and components, new refractory and up-to-date combustion controls, this furnace has the flexibility to operate across a wide range of firing parameters.
Use of the furnace has allowed Bloom to improve its already industry-leading regenerative technology. Bloom has taken the opportunity to explore and to develop new control strategies in order to minimize emissions and maximize combustion efficiency. Having complete flexibility with both the hardware and the software means that Bloom can explore creative approaches to regenerative combustion.
Matt Valancius, a veteran of the laboratory who has gone on to serve in many different positions in Bloom explains: “What excites me the most about the D-10 furnace upgrade is that we are able to highlight Bloom’s capabilities in our advanced control systems and our next generation regenerative technologies. It can be a real benefit for a potential customer to come in and see the equipment in action, and to gain a little confidence in the reliability of the new systems.”
Bloom Engineering designs quality industrial burners and combustion systems supporting many markets worldwide. With extensive experience in many industries, on-site research and development facilities, and customizable product lines, Bloom Engineering has provided solutions tailored to a customer’s specific needs for over eighty years. Bloom’s products can be used for a variety of applications and can be operated with a wide array of fuels and capacity ranges.
D-10 Lab Furnace Commissioned Read More »
A new walking beam furnace and two new Garrett coilers will be installed at the Emmenbrücke site of Swiss Steel in Switzerland. Swiss Steel is a subsidiary of SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH, a manufacturer of special long steel.
With the investment, Swiss Steel is updating its facilities with state-of-the-art technology, resulting in one of the most modern facilities in the world. The production potential for special steels is increased by around 8%. The new walking beam furnace allows optimal and more efficient heating of the previously produced billets at the desired temperatures, preparing the billet for its further processing in the downstream rolling mill. In addition to a performance increase, this also reduces quality losses and achieves substantial energy and CO2 savings. The new Garrett coilers used to wind the rolled products after they were processed in the rolling mill will allow an increase of ring weight to over 2.2 tons from 1.8 tons currently. Thus, Swiss Steel meets the requirements of the important customer segment of drawing mills.
The commissioning of the plant is planned in stages. The walking beam furnace is expected to go into operation in 2019, the Garrett coilers a year earlier. Full operation is expected for the end of 2020. Of the total investment volume of CHF 49 million, around CHF 11 million originate from federal funds by means of a reimbursement of the “feed-in remuneration at cost” (“Kostendeckende Einspeisevergütung”, KEV), a Swiss federal instrument for the promotion of electricity production from renewable energies.
Carlo Mischler, CEO of Swiss Steel, said: “The investment decision is a clear commitment to Swiss Steel and its location Emmenbrücke. With the new equipment, we are increasing our competitiveness and can serve customers with even better quality and a wider range of products. In addition, we are significantly
reducing energy consumption in the rolling mill.”
Clemens Iller, CEO of SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH: “Swiss Steel is a company with a strong market position and a broad customer base – a valuable part of our Group. The large-scale investment at the Emmenbrücke site strengthens this first-class positioning and makes it possible to meet the high demands of Swiss Steel’s customers in the future.”
New Walking Beam Furnace Installed Read More »
Rolls Royce has granted approval to Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania to conduct certain commercial aerospace heat treat processes. Rolls Royce requires strict specification requirements, strict process execution, and a daily commitment to quality processing from its suppliers in order for this to be granted.
Susan Generalovich, Quality Manager said: “The successful certification of our western Pennsylvania facility is a testament to our commitment to continual improvement, and to growing our business within the aerospace industry. We are excited about the opportunities this certification will allow and the added confidence it provides to our customers.”
More information about Solar Atmosphere’s Quality Certifications: click here.
Rolls Royce Grants Approval Read More »
Callies Precision Engine Components of Fostoria, OH has installed an automated nitriding process control system from Super Systems Inc (SSi). Callies, a leading supplier to the high performance engine market for 28 years, is always looking at opportunities to invest in technologies that improve quality, reduce cost and collapse delivery time to the customer – and the SSI Nitriding system was a perfect fit. “Our goal has been to outfit all equipment with the latest technological controls to assure complete accountability with our in-house operations. This was the main reason we teamed up with Super Systems.”
The engineered control system from SSi provides Callies with the ability to perform tight nitriding process control using an easy-to-use recipe system that maintains tight tolerances on temperature(s), gas flows and nitriding potential. The relatively shallow nitride case delivers a tremendous improvement to fatigue life of every Callies crankshaft. The extremely hard nitrided surface also gives the crankshaft excellent wear resistance. The SSi control system provides the latest in sensor and flow technology for measuring the nitrding atmosphere and an operator-friendly interface to provide complete traceability to the process and load data.
The SSi control panel was retrofitted on an existing a Lindberg pit furnace previously used for nitriding. Delivering proper surface and case properties requires in-situ control of the nitriding potential (Kn) and control of the ammonia, dissociated ammonia and nitrogen gases. The system delivered by SSi also included the control of the Dissociated Ammonia (DA) generator. The controls for the DA generator provided gas flow monitoring and temperature control to ensure the ammonia is fully cracked prior to being used as process gas in the furnace.
Callies takes their heat treating seriously as illustrated by their investment in SSi which is just part of the million dollar plus investment in the department. Carefully controlled heat treating can be found throughout their manufacturing process which includes induction, neutral hardening, and carburizing.
Callies Precision Engine Components Improves Process Read More »
Source: Euskalforging
Five large rolled rings ranging from 6.500 mm of outer diameter up to 10.000 mm of outer diameter and input weights from 24t up to 80t have been ring rolled, heat treated, machined and delivered by Euskalforging. The rings will be used in the manufacturing of the Blue 25M hammer from Fistuca. The hammer will be able to drive the largest offshore wind monopiles in the industry.
Read more: Euskalforging Breaks a World Record
Heat Treated Rolled Rings Used in Energy Industry Read More »
Source: Light Metal Age
By using aluminum, magnesium, and high-strength steel, the BMW 5 series has lost 137 pounds. Read more about the light-weighting of this popular vehicle.
Read more: New BMW 5 Series Features Aluminum-Intensive Architecture
137 Pound Weight Loss Achieved on New BMW Series 5 Read More »
The Ohio-based Engineering Division of Conrad Kacsik Instrument Systems completed a full system upgrade of an automated hardening and tempering line for Nelson Fastening Systems, also located in Ohio. The project involved the removal of the existing control system, VFD drives, limits, and control wiring for Nelson, and included the installation of a new system that features safety controls.
A Honeywell HC900 with a 15-inch operator interface terminal integrated with a computer running Specview HMI software controls a 2-zone hardening furnace, generator, quench tank, water cooling tank, washer, 2-zone tempering furnace, and a blackening unit. The equipment was linked with six conveyors and wired into the four control panels completed by Kacsik’s engineering team.
The old conveyor system had VFD drives that did not communicate with a PLC. The new system was programmed with safety features: in the event of a chain break or a conveyor jam, the system will alarm and automatically shut other conveyors off.
Hardening and Tempering Line Receives Upgrade Read More »