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Source: Die Casting Engineer
“Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has shown great potential for use in metal processing and can be performed directly in the molten metal, allowing for quick and representative measurements.”
“Lightweight metals leader Alcoa (NYSE:AA) today announced a long-term contract with Embraer – the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 130 seats – valued at approximately $470 million. Under the multiyear agreement, Alcoa will supply aluminum sheet and plate for Embraer’s new E2s, the second generation of its E-Jets family of commercial aircraft, a narrow-body medium-range jet airliner. The Embraer E-Jets E2 were launched at the Paris Airshow in 2013 and are scheduled to enter into service in 2018.
“Our partnership with Embraer is rooted in constant innovation and this contract is further proof of that strength,” said Mark Vrablec, President of Alcoa’s Aerospace & Automotive Products business. “Our patented alloys enable us to support our customer’s game-changing E2 program, and we’re proud that Alcoa will fly with Embraer.”
Embraer chose Alcoa’s proprietary alloys for the E2 due to the combination of strength, corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance that they offer.
“Alcoa offers a good combination of technical expertise and industry leading material and capabilities,” said Fernando Queiroz, Embraer Vice President, Supply Chain. “Embraer designed the E-Jets E2 commercial aircraft to be the best in its segment and to do that, we needed the best material in the business, and Alcoa offers the best solution.”
According to Embraer, the market segment that the new E2 program was designed to serve is projected to require 6,350 new aircraft over the next 20 years. In addition, Embraer also stated that it has more than 50 percent market share by orders with the current E-Jet and expects to maintain similar levels with the new E-Jets E2 aircraft.
The long-term agreement makes Alcoa sole supplier to Embraer for proprietary wing skins and fuselage sheet on the E2 line of jets. Other Alcoa plate products, used in key applications such as wing ribs, fuselage frames and other structural parts of the aircraft, are also part of the contract and will be featured on the E2 as well as Embraer’s KC-390 military transport aircraft and executive jets.
Alcoa has developed most of the aluminum aerospace alloys to ever take flight, and every major new aircraft program incorporates Alcoa’s product innovations. The Alcoa/Embraer partnership draws on the aerospace manufacturing capabilities of Alcoa’s Global Rolled Products business, supplying Embraer from its plants in Davenport, Iowa, and Kitts Green, United Kingdom.
Alcoa products can also be found on other parts of the E2 aircraft: the state-of-the-art Pratt & Whitney PurePower® engine. Alcoa already supplies key parts for the PurePower® engines, including the forging for the first ever aluminum fan blade.”
Alcoa Awarded Multi-year, $470 Million Contract with Embraer Read More »
Source: Foundry Gate
“India is the third largest manufacturer of metal castings globally, producing approx 10 million tonnes of castings in various metals.
The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) is the apex industry body promoting the competitiveness of India’s foundry industry. There are about 5,000 foundries in India largely in the MSME category.
The foundry or metal casting industry is a key component feeder for the various sectors such as auto, auto components, railways, agro, tractors, textile, cement making, electrical machinery, earthmoving machinery, power equipment, defence equipment, and aero and space industry its sustainable growth has become more important today than ever before given the emphasis of the government on “Make in India”.
Read More: Foundry Sector’s Expectations
Foundry Sector’s Expectations Read More »
Source: Engineering 360
“Specialist teams from across the Aircraft Carrier Alliance—a UK government/industry partnership—have developed a thermal coating from aluminum and titanium that can withstand temperatures of up to 1,500°C. The coating, developed in partnership with Monitor Coatings, is expected to provide protection throughout the life of the carriers and forms an important part of the work under way to prepare the HMS Queen Elizabeth for sea trials in 2017 and flight trials in 2018.”
Read More: New Thermal Coating Protects Flight Deck
New High Temp Al-Ti Coating Protects Flight Decks Read More »
Source: Manufacturing Engineering
“In 2010 P&W delivered about 55 engines a month. In 2017, that number grows to about 100 engines a month. And in 2024, it continues to climb to about 158 engine deliveries a month, she said.
“And I’m doing that with 20-year-old technology and 20-year-old manufacturing processes and a very well-seasoned workforce” that adds significant complexity to the digital manufacturing transformation of the East Hartford, CT-based firm, Hagerty said during a panel talk on best practices.
“So the challenges ahead of me are steep.”
In an interview with Smart Manufacturing magazine after the panel discussion, Hagerty said she is “fresh into the exploratory phase” to find products and services her firm needs. She has mapped out her requirements.
“Now, I’m reaching out to the service providers” and scheduling visits to firms using products and services that might well work for Pratt & Whitney.”
Read More: Pratt &Whitney Searching for Products, Services to Ramp UP Monthly Engine Production
Pratt & Whitney Searching for Products, Services to Ramp Up Monthly Engine Production Read More »
Source: Solar Atmospheres
Vacuum furnaces are highly flexible tools capable of providing numerous thermochemical conditions with various reactive gases at elevated temperatures and extreme pressures to alter the chemical or mechanical properties of materials. Conditions inside vacuum furnaces are equivalent to conditions found on the planets in our solar system. Each planet in our solar system is unique in terms of its atmospheric contents, pressures, and temperatures. One planet with unique atmospheric conditions is Venus.
Read More: Vacuum Heat Treating for Space Exploration
Vacuum Heat Treating for Space Exploration Read More »
OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus Defence and Space and OneWeb, has chosen Florida in the United States as the site for its final assembly line, completing the last step in its industrial organisation. This facility, located at Florida’s Exploration Park, near the Kennedy Space Center, will carry out the series production of nearly 900 satellites for the OneWeb constellation.
“In June 2015, we started from scratch to create a new satellite design and manufacturing company,” stated François Auque, Head of Space Systems. “In both Florida and Europe, we are now embarking on the next stage of an unprecedented venture in the space industry: a site that can mass-produce dozens of satellites every month. All this, of course, without affecting the levels of quality and technology that are essential when it comes to spacecraft – complex machines that need to operate for several years in space.”
The choice of Florida for the final assembly line follows the announcement of the creation of OneWeb Satellites in January 2016. The production site will cover an area of 100,000+ square feet and will create nearly 250 direct jobs.
A prototype production line at Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse (France) will assemble and test the first 10 satellites, and check and validate industrial solutions for the series production. The design of the satellites is currently under way in the company’s design offices in Toulouse.
The space segment of OneWeb will comprise initially a constellation of 648 operational satellites and replacement satellites, all of which will be identical. Each satellite will weigh approximately 150 kg and will operate in low Earth orbit. Arianespace and Virgin Galactic will begin launching the spacecraft in 2018 and the satellites will be placed in orbit using electrical propulsion.
This joint venture, equally owned by Airbus Defence and Space and OneWeb, has been set up following the selection in June 2015 of Airbus Defence and Space as the industrial partner of OneWeb to design and build its satellites. The constellation to be operated by OneWeb will provide high-speed internet services with global coverage. OneWeb Satellites will also be able to produce satellites, platforms or equipment to be marketed by Airbus Defence and Space for the benefit of other operators of future constellations.
How Will We Design, Manufacture and Test 900 Satellites? Read More »
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa (NYSE:AA) has entered into an agreement with Airbus to supply 3D-printed titanium fuselage and engine pylon components for Airbus commercial aircraft. Alcoa expects to deliver the first additive manufactured parts to Airbus in mid-2016.
“We are proud to partner with Airbus to help pave the way to the future of aerospace development and manufacturing,” said Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld. “The unique combination of our multi-material alloy development expertise, powder production capabilities, aerospace manufacturing strength and product qualification know-how position us to lead in this exciting, emerging space.”
Airbus chose to work with Alcoa because of its comprehensive capabilities, from materials science leadership to additive manufacturing and aerospace parts qualification. The agreement will draw on Alcoa’s decades of aerospace experience and new technologies gained through the recent acquisition of RTI and organic expansion in Whitehall, Michigan. Alcoa also recently invested in 3D-printing and metallic powder production capabilities at its technical center outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Last year, Alcoa acquired RTI International Metals (RTI)—now known as Alcoa Titanium & Engineered Products (ATEP)—which grew Alcoa’s additive manufacturing capabilities to include 3D-printed titanium and specialty metals parts produced at ATEP’s Austin, Texas facility. The Airbus agreement will draw on these capabilities as well as ATEP’s titanium ingot melting and billetizing, machining, finishing and inspection technologies.
Alcoa will employ advanced CT scan and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) capabilities at its advanced aerospace facility in Whitehall, Michigan. HIP is a technology that strengthens the metallic structures of traditional and additive manufactured parts made of titanium and nickel based superalloys. Through a $22 million investment in the technology in Whitehall, Michigan, Alcoa today owns and operates one of the largest aerospace HIP technology complexes in the world.
Additionally, Alcoa is bolstering its additive manufacturing capabilities through a $60 million expansion in advanced 3D-printing materials and processes, including metallic powders. The expansion is located at the Alcoa Technical Center near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the world’s largest light metals research center.
Post updated Thursday 4/29/2021 at 3:37pm.
Alcoa to Supply 3D-Printed Metal Parts for Airbus Read More »
Following significant capex investment, Element Materials Technology has launched its newly expanded and upgraded Cincinnati, Ohio, facility, as one of the largest independent materials testing and product qualification testing (PQT) service facilities in the U.S. The former-Accutek location has expanded to 62,000ft2 and now provides specialist testing to both the aerospace and medical device sectors and houses three of Element’s Global Centers of Technical Excellence delivering critical testing services to these sectors.
Charles Noall, president and CEO of Element, comments: “Our investment at Element Cincinnati marks a significant step towards securing our position as the strategic partner of choice for our clients in the aerospace and medical device industries. We are committed to developing Centers of Technical Excellence across our global platform, allowing us to deliver market-leading technical expertise where needed by our partners, from aerospace primes to leading medical device manufacturers.”
Element Cincinnati is a world-leading ceramic matrix composite (CMC) Center of Technical Excellence, that is equipped with market-leading environmental controls, high temperature facilities (up to 2,400°F) and doubled capacity in CMC testing, to support its major clients in the development of the next generation of aero engines. The laboratory also houses the Element Group’s Center of Technical Excellence in low-cycle fatigue (LCF) testing, which tests aerospace forgings for airframers and their supply chain partners. Finally, the laboratory also contains the group’s medical device testing center of Technical Excellence that offers a comprehensive range of 21 test methods including accelerated aging testing capabilities and mechanical testing for physiological studies for new spine, knee and hip wear simulator evaluations.
Rick Sluiters, Element’s executive vice president, aerospace, comments: “Our investment at Element Cincinnati allows us to act as a strategic partner to primes and OEMs working at the forefront of CMCs for the aerospace sector. The CMC Center of Technical Excellence provides testing services to respond to the industry’s most demanding challenges through the laboratory’s market-leading environmental controls. The increase in quality of environmental controls also gives us a very tight tolerance, allowing for highly accurate measurement of straining of CMCs.
“The investment also enhances the location’s medical device capabilities, with the mechanical, biological and related testing services allowing us to act as a full-service testing provider for clients. Element Cincinnati is a leading center for Medical Device testing and its newly expanded scope of accreditation underlines our commitment to acting in strategic partnership with key clients.”
Element Cincinnati is Nadcap and ISO accredited, as well as having an impressive range of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) approvals, including GE Aviation, Snecma, MTU, Honeywell, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Rolls-Royce (Germany, U.K., and U.S.), Pratt & Whitney, and Bell Helicopter.
Element Launches World-Leading Material Testing, PQT Facility Read More »
Bodycote, the world’s leading provider of heat treating services, held a ground breaking ceremony for a new aluminum solution treatment capability at its Westminster, California location in February 2016.
With this new capability, Bodycote will be able to process aluminum alloys up to 21 feet in length at 1100ºF, able to use multiple types of quench media. This new furnace, scheduled to be in service by the end of third quarter this year, will allow the treatment of large aerospace and commercial forgings, up to 20,000 lbs.
Bodycote continues to invest in regional aerospace manufacturing markets across the USA in support of aerospace prime manufacturers and their supply chains.