A leading full metal shapes solutions provider has announced the opening of its new North American Powder Metallurgy Headquarters and Additive Manufacturing (AM) Customer Center. The 38,260 square foot facility, located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, expands the company’s global 3D printing network and extends its scope of in-house powder metallurgy capabilities.
GKN PM Powder Metal Compaction Press (Source: GKN Powder Metallurgy)
Housing over 80 employees from the three GKN Powder Metallurgy’s businesses, Hoeganaes, GKN Sinter Metals and GKN Additive, the space is designed to inspire teamwork and enhance exceptional customer experiences. The building includes 20,700 square feet of collaborative working areas and 17,700 square feet of shop floor space to complete the cohesive working environment.
“We are excited to start a new journey in Auburn Hills with a space that is dedicated to our team, our community and the advanced technology we create for our customers,” said Reid Southby, President, GKN Sinter Metals Large Segment. “This building reinforces our commitment to the North American market and continued global growth.”
The building includes a 3,200 square foot AM Customer Center, equipped with two EOS M290 Direct
GKN Powder Metallurgy celebrated the opening of its North American PM Headquarter and AM Customer Center with an internal celebration on April 8.
Metal Laser Sinter (DMLS) printers. The DMLS machines incorporate powder bed fusion technology, creating functional prototypes within a two-week lead time and allowing customers to test factors such as usability, ergonomics, manufacturability and materials in the early stages of the development process.
“GKN Powder Metallurgy is at an exhilarating point in its journey of growth and innovation,” Southby added. “We now have the opportunity to provide our customers and strategic partners with local and exceptional support on all fronts of our business.
Alessandro Fiorese, R&D Chief Engineer with TAV Vacuum Furnaces SPA
Alessandro Fiorese, R&D Chief Engineer with TAV Vacuum Furnaces SPA, introduces the vacuum brazing process for automotive applications. For more articles, tips, and news related to heat treatment for automotive applications, keep an eye out for Heat Treat Today’s special print/digital issue Automotive Heat Treating, due in June 2019.
Introduction
Brazing is a heat treatment process in which metallic parts are joined together through a metallic filler with a melting temperature lower than the melting point of the joined parts. The filler metal can be used as a wire, a thin plate, or a paste depending upon the final application we are considering.
To obtain a good welding in terms of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, it’s necessary to minimize contamination and impurities in the joined zone. Vacuum brazing processing provides a way to reach a high cleaning level of atmosphere during the brazing heat treatment.
The brazing treatment is particularly useful to produce complex shape parts with a lot of joining points per unit of area. Typical brazing applications are oil or water heat exchangers in the civil and automotive fields such as the ones represented below.
The high-performance aluminum heat exchangers manufacturing is growing particularly in the automotive field. In this context, AA 3xxx and 4xxx are commonly used materials for parts and filler material respectively because these materials have a very low specific weight and a very high thermal conductivity level.
As indicated before, one of the cleanest brazing atmospheres is vacuum. For this reason, in the following discussion, we will analyze in detail the complete characteristics of a semi-automatic TAV vacuum brazing furnace for automotive applications.
Vacuum Brazing Furnace
The entire furnace is composed of three different stations:
the heating furnace;
the loading station;
the cooling station.
Heating Furnace
heating furnace
Furnace Vessel
The vessel separates the inner part of the furnace where the hot chamber is placed from the outside environment. The vessel develops along a horizontal axis, it has an elliptical design and it is provided with two flat doors (front and rear). Both doors are hinged and can be opened manually. The front door has an automatically sliding entrance for loading-unloading the furnace.
Hot Chamber
The thermal chamber has a rectangular section 71 (H) x 18 (W) x 144 (L) inches (180 x 45x 365 cm), and it is constituted by steel panels with nickel-chrome resistors. There are 23 independent hot zones that make the chamber temperature very well-controlled. The temperature uniformity requested for this vacuum furnace is ± 37°F (± 3°C) from the set temperature. In the following picture, the ± 37°F Temperature Uniformity Survey (TUS) chart is shown.
Figure 1. TUS example at a specific temperature with 12 TLC
Vacuum System
The vacuum system has three pumping groups, two with a rotary piston pump, a roots pump, and an oil diffusion pump. The third pumping group has a mechanical pump, a roots pump, and a cryo-trap in order to condensate humidity and impurities released during the entire process. The ultimate reachable vacuum without the load is 10-6 mbar (range).
Loading Station
loading station
Loading Baskets
To carry out the brazing heat treatment in a correct way, a specific steel shelved fixtures hold the heat exchangers parts all together with the filler material. For each brazing process, a load from 1984 up to 4850lbs (900 up to 2200kg) can be heat treated at the same time. For gaining a semi-automatic heat treatment process, there is a parking station that can be used as a buffer for the heating furnace.
cooling station
Cooling Station
At the end of the brazing heat treatment, the load is automatically transferred into a separate cooling chamber where the brazed parts are cooled down by forced recirculation of air.
Heat Treatment
Before reaching the brazing temperature, the load is maintained at a lower temperature for a period of time to remove the working oil plate from the heat exchangers. During this maintenance time, a variation between high vacuum and partial pressure of N2 is observed.
Figure 2. Typical brazing cycle. Line yellow is the setpoint, line orange is the temperature TC, line blue is the high vacuum level and purple line is the partial pressure in mbar detected.
After the brazing step, the furnace reaches high nitrogen static partial pressure, starting the cooling phase. This step is considered complete when the furnace injects air up to reach the atmospheric pressure as total pressure. At this time, the front door opens automatically, and the loading track extracts the charge from the furnace.
A major steel manufacturer recently acquired certain assets from a carbon steel tubing provider that supplies induction heat-treated tubes for automotive applications.
Nucor Corp acquired the assets from Century Tube LLC, based in Madison, Indiana, which supplies carbon steel tubing for automotive and other mechanical and structural applications. The company offers round, square, rectangular, oval and other special welded shapes of mechanical steel tubing, and is a leader in supplying induction heat-treated tubes for automotive applications. Since 1993, Century Tube has produced more than 300 million door impact beams for use in Toyota, Honda, Ford, FCA, Subaru, Nissan, and Mitsubishi vehicles.
A leading producer a state-of-the-art aluminum extrusion and forging grade billet and rolling ingot slabs with four plants in North America recently entered into an agreement with a thermal equipment supplier based in St. Louis, Missouri, for the supply of several furnaces in support of the company’s greenfield expansion in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
Robert Roscetti, Vice-President of Corporate Development, Matalco Inc. / Photo credit: Light Metal Age
Matalco Inc., which has facilities in Canton, Ohio; Lordstown, Ohio; Bluffton, Indiana; and Brampton, Ontario, ordered from Gillespie & Powers Inc. one 115,000 lb tilting melting furnace, one 115,000 lb tilting holding furnace, three 120,000 lb batch homogenizing ovens, and two 120,000 lb. batch coolers with charging car, and related equipment.
“We are excited about our new partnership with Gillespie & Powers Inc. for the complete furnace equipment installation and commissioning for our new Wisconsin Rapids plant,” said Robert Roscetti, Vice-President of Corporate Development, Matalco Inc. “It represents a major step forward in the construction of Matalco’s new facility, which is on schedule for first production in 2020.”
Main image credit/caption: Light Metal Age / The furnace pictured is a tilting melter in the up position of the type that will be delivered to Matalco Wisconsin.
A leading global aluminum rolling company recently announced it has developed the first aluminum sheet battery enclosure for the rapidly growing electric vehicle and battery sectors.
Pierre Labat, Vice President, Global Automotive, Novelis Inc.
Novelis, Inc., introduced the enclosure which is built with Novelis Advanz™ aluminum products and is up to 50 percent lighter than an equivalent steel design, providing a more sustainable mobility solution in battery electric vehicles. As a result, it matches the best energy density in the industry by enabling more than 160 watt-hours per kilogram, an extremely efficient design for OEMs and Tier 1 battery pack manufacturers. It also can accommodate all battery cell types and is designed particularly for battery electric vehicles with larger power packs such as pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, and crossovers.
By utilizing Novelis’ highly-formable alloys, the battery enclosure provides automakers the ability to achieve deep drawn, complex shapes tailored to specific vehicle design requirements. The lightweight, high-strength material can help extend range, allowing vehicles to go 6-10 percent further on a single charge.
“This is the first project resulting from Novelis’ recently launched Customer Solution Center network, which brings research and technical platforms, operations and commercial development together to increase collaboration and innovation with our partners,” said Pierre Labat, Vice President, Global Automotive, Novelis Inc. “With our investment in design, joining and crash management capabilities, we were able to create a stronger, more efficient, and more cost-effective enclosure that can be fully customized to meet our customers’ needs.”
A major U.S. steel producer recently commissioned an international engineering group with the expansion of its steel plant in Osceola, Arkansas, including the supply of electric arc furnaces and other furnace lines, increasing the plant’s annual output to about 3 million tons of steel.
David Stickler, CEO, Big River Steel
Since commissioning of the new mill in 2017, Big River Steel has been producing high-quality steels, including tube grade sheet for pipeline construction, silicon steels for a wide variety of energy and electric motor applications, and advanced high-strength steels for the U.S. automotive industry.
SMS group will supply BRS with mechanical equipment, electrical and automation systems, and digitalization. After completion of the next expansion, the steel plant will have two electric arc furnaces and two twin-ladle furnaces. Installation of an additional gas cleaning system will ensure compliance with strict environmental legislation. A second strand, a second tunnel furnace, and a further downcoiler will be added to the CSP® plant. Big River Steel’s CSP® plant produces up to 1,930 millimeters wide coils, making it one of the widest CSP® plants in the world. Also as part of this project, the continuous galvanizing line (CGL) will receive an additional coiler.
Also in the second construction stage, Big River Steel will see the installation of the PQA® (Product Quality Analyzer) system developed by SMS group company MET/Con as a central module of the process automation system.
Burkhard Dahmen, Chairman of the Managing Board of SMS group
“I have purchased several technologically advanced steel production facilities from SMS over the past twenty years and I am fully confident that SMS group will again deliver a high-quality mill that sets the standard in terms of product capability, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability,” said David Stickler, CEO of Big River Steel.
“Working closely with the management and staff of Big River Steel, we have succeeded in digitalizing a highly complex steel plant in a way that meets the targets of stable and resource-saving production,” said Burkhard Dahmen, Chairman of the Managing Board of SMS group. “We are very pleased about Big River Steel’s decision to also award us the order for the next expansion stage of the steel plant and to continue on the proven successful way with SMS group as their partner.”
A manufacturer of aluminum profiles and complex extrusion press products recently purchased a nitrocarburizing system for its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in northwestern Romania.
Quebec-based Nitrex delivered and installed the turnkey NX-815 nitrocarburizing system for Swiss corporation Alu Menziken Extrusion AG, incorporating the Nitreg®-C technology for treating aluminum extrusion dies at the greenfield site which produces a range of profile products for aerospace and automotive companies. The process technology adapts to the application requirements to deliver improved performance of extrusion dies.
“With a focus on the environment, Alu Menziken also sought to introduce eco-friendly technologies for all equipment at its greenfield facility. Not only is there a benefit of reduced process gas use with the Nitrex system, the integral high-efficiency neutralizer also helps comply with environmental regulations,” said Marcin Stoklosa, Nitrex European Project Manager.
A major automaker recently announced that it will base its manufacturing of electric vehicles in Chattanooga, Tennesee.
Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, will invest $800 million into the facility, which will be the company’s North American base for manufacturing electric vehicles.
Chattanooga will be the first dedicated location in North America for production of a vehicle using Volkswagen’s modular electric toolkit chassis, or MEB. In addition to Chattanooga, Volkswagen is building the first dedicated EV production facility in Zwickau, Germany, starting MEB production by the end of 2019. Volkswagen will also add EV-production at facilities in Anting and Foshan, in China, in 2020, and in the German cities of Emden and Hanover by 2022.
"The US is one of the most important locations for us and producing electric cars in Chattanooga is a key part of our growth strategy in North America," said Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen AG.
Volkswagen of America will offer the first EV based on the MEB platform to customers in 2020. This vehicle will be a series-production version of the ID. CROZZ SUV concept, first shown at the North American International Auto Show last year. This vehicle will have the interior space of a midsize SUV in the footprint of a compact SUV. Volkswagen of America will also offer a multi-purpose EV based on the ID. BUZZ concept.
Volkswagen currently builds the midsize Atlas SUV and the Passat sedan at the Chattanooga factory, which opened in 2011. A five-seat version of the Atlas, the Atlas Cross Sport, will begin production in Chattanooga later this year.
Scott Keogh, CEO and president of Volkswagen Group of America
"We could not be prouder to build the future of mobility here in the U.S.," said Scott Keogh, CEO and president of Volkswagen Group of America. "We’re known as ‘the people’s car' for a reason, and our EVs will build on that tradition."
Globally, Volkswagen Group plans to commit almost $50 billion (44 billion euros) through 2023 toward the development and production of electric vehicles and digital services.
A manufacturer of automotive fasteners recently broke ground on an expansion in Columbus, Indiana, that will increase the company’s manufacturing operations, which include heat treat capabilities for improved strength and hardness, and allow it to produce a broader range of metal fasteners.
OSR Inc. is a joint venture between Nagoya, Japan-based Owari Precise Products Co. Ltd and Columbus-based Rightway Fasteners Inc. (RFI). Under the plan, OSR will construct and equip a new 82,395-square-foot manufacturing facility.
Photo credit/caption: Kenny Canfield, from left, vice president of sales and marketing for OSR Inc., Tom Dowd, executive vice president of Dunlap General and Mechanical Contractors, Jason Hester, president of the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp., Koji Hyodo, president of OSR Inc. parent company Owari Precise Products Co. Ltd., Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop, Jim Staton, vice president of business development for the Indiana Economic Development Corp., and OSR Inc. President Makoto Inagaki take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new multi-million dollar OSR Inc. facility in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, March 5, 2019. / Mike Wolanin | The Republic
In 2018, Heat TreatTodayintroduced one of its most popular features, the 40 Under 40 Awards for young, up-and-coming talent in the North American heat treat industry. Click here for the 2018 recipients. Heat TreatTodayis posting occasional features of some of the 2018 recipients in anticipation of the 2019 40 Under 40 awardees to be presented in September (nominations are being accepted here). Today we feature Dr. Wei Guo of The Timken Company.
Wei Guo
The Timken Company
Principal Materials Engineer
Dr. Wei Guo was nominated from within The Timken Company. The following was provided by his colleague, Dr. Lee Rothleutner:
Dr. Wei Guo joined Timkin in 2018 and is on pace to have a prolific career in the area of heat treatment. Wei is continually leveraging both his industrial and academic heat treatment experience to implement new technologies at Timken while advancing the industry’s knowledge base. Wei has over 50 publications in the field of heat treatment and related fields, with his most recent contribution being available in the July/Aug issue of Thermal Processing magazine discussing residual stresses evolution.
When asked to describe what he finds interesting about metallurgy/thermal processing/heat treating, Wei Guo described the parallel between a metallurgist crafting a heat treat recipe and “a famous cook developing a recipe for new cuisine.”
“One needs to control the ingredients, mixing sequence, baking time and cooking temperature combined with skill and expertise to obtain an optimized flavor and palate. The development of heat-treating process recipes is similar, relying on the metallurgist’s fundamental knowledge and experience of physical metallurgy. The most exciting aspect of thermal processing is the application of the knowledge and experience to create a heat treat process that produces the desired result and creates value to the company.”
Wei recalls when he was a master student 10 years being a part of a team that developed a process in a lab for grain-oriented, electrical steels. That process has been formally deployed to four steel plants, promising the production of electrical steels with exceptional magnetic properties (high in magnetic induction and low in core loss). As a result, he found himself intrigued by metallurgy and heat treating.
Wei explains how heat treating fits into the processes at Timken:
“‘Stronger by design’ is the tag line of Timken and its bearing products. Heat treatment is critical to the production of quality, high performing bearings. Utilizing an improper heat treatment can result in a “garbage in- garbage out” effect; no matter how well the bearing design engineer optimizes the machining process and the mechanical design of bearing components, the production scrap rate and bearing performance may be negatively influenced. On the other hand, providing a proper heat treatment is the prerequisite to producing bearings with sufficient hardness and proper microstructure that meet the designer’s expectations. In my opinion, Timken is doing an excellent job expanding company knowledge and expertise with new heat treatment processes, beyond traditional through hardening and carburizing.”
With an eye to the future of the heat treating industry and what to expect out of new technology and advancements in metallurgy, Wei states:
“The heat treatment industry is trying to monitor residual stress and minimize the generation of undesirable residual stress during the manufacturing process that results in part distortion. However, distortion from these stresses and thermal gradients cannot be avoided. If the amount of distortion can be predicted by modeling and simulation, we can engineer a pre-heat treat shape that will result in the desired or expected post-heat treat shape. This concept has been referred to as “quench to fit”. Creating virtual heat treat processes based on data science and artificial intelligence can help select the best heat treatment method within a shorter amount of time. This might replace the current “one at a time” trial and error method currently employed and help the metallurgist obtain a high-throughput, high-quality heat treatment solution for the designated purpose.”
As the industry reels from the brain drain, it is noteworthy that many of our 40 Under 40 recipients agree with the bright future the industry promises for those entering the field in the next few years. Wei believes the industry is open to young professionals willing to learn.
“Because of the many process variables involved, everyone’s effort can make it better. To start with, [I recommend upcoming professionals] gain hands-on experience with practical heat treatment processes when trying to identify problems and challenges. I’d recommend that they determine an area of interest and drive themselves to learn/practice thermal processing skills. In addition, find a mentor; learning from a senior experienced metallurgist is always helpful. Many aspects of heat treatments cannot be learned from the textbook and might take a long time to figure them out on your own.”
“Heat treatment processing is a very dynamic world because many novel metallic materials are emerging every day,” Wei offers as a summary. “We, not only young professionals, but everyone in this field need to keep abreast of the latest materials development and make ourselves ready for the new challenges.”
