A manufacturing group headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, was recently selected by Boeing to supply components for applications on the 787 Dreamliner and 737 MAX programs.
The Triumph Group’s multiyear contract extends existing work Triumph Mechanical Solutions provides on the 787 program, as well as adds new 737 MAX content. Triumph Mechanical Solutions is an operating company of Triumph Integrated Systems, which services a broad portfolio of aircraft structures, components, accessories, and systems. This announcement follows a recent agreement with Boeing to provide major structural assemblies for the 767 program, including the production of horizontal stabilizers, doors, aft fuselage and center wing sections for both the 767 freighter and KC-46A Tanker variants.
Triumph’s subassemblies incorporate engineered products with build-to-model components and will be manufactured at the Triumph Mechanical Solutions facility in Windsor, Connecticut. Triumph Mechanical Solutions designs, develops, manufactures and supports highly engineered mechanical controls, actuation, and components.
Rotor Clip, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of retaining rings, wave springs, and self-compensating hose clamps and supplier to aerospace, automotive, industrial, oil & gas, and medical industries, has purchased a complete batch carburizing and austempering line.
The full line consists of a UBQA (universal batch quench austemper) furnace, a washer with transfer pump, temper furnace, transfer car, scissor lift table, and stationary table, all provided by AFC-Holcroft.
The UBQA furnace is designed for neutral hardening, austempering, and other heat treating processes where a controlled environment is required during the heating and quenching portions of the cycle. Parts subjected to the austempering process are shown to have improved mechanical properties such as strength and toughness along with improved dimensional control during processing.
Rotor Clip, which is celebrating its diamond anniversary, is headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, with locations in Europe and Asia. The company’s products are found in components such as ABS brakes, air conditioning compressors, and steering gears to electric vehicle assemblies, and medical equipment.
A global aircraft engine manufacturer recently announced Delta Air Lines and Airbus Group selected the company’s Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine to power Delta’s order of A321neo aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp., also released that the order consists of 100 firm aircraft and includes a 20-year EngineWise™ services agreement. Aircraft deliveries are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2020.
“This is the right transaction at the right time for our customers, our employees, and our shareholders,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “Delta, Airbus, and Pratt & Whitney share the same commitment to safety, efficiency, innovation and continuously improving the customer experience. This order for the state-of-the-art A321neo with Pratt’s PurePower next-generation jet engines reflects our long-term commitment to these values for Delta people and all our constituents.”
“We couldn’t be more proud of our long-standing relationship with Delta, which dates back to the 1930s,” said Pratt & Whitney President Robert Leduc. “Fast forward nearly 90 years, and the GTF engine has revolutionized aviation technology, and will provide Delta with proven performance and environmental benefits. We are honored to power and support Delta’s new fleet of A321neo aircraft well into the future.”
Robert Leduc, President of Pratt & Whitney
Delta currently operates a fleet of more than 350 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, including the JT8D, PW2000, PW4000 and V2500 engines.
Click this thumbnail for an infographic of the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine:
A Michigan-based supplier of custom copper, aluminum, and other non-ferrous metal forging recently broadened its investment in equipment and facilities, including a size expansion to a furnace for heat treating.
Weldaloy Products Company serves aerospace, astrospace, electronics, oil and gas, and other industries, providing heat treating, as well as product development, drafting, machining, packaging, non-destructive testing, and material conversion. Among other additions, a 2,000-ton press has undergone a modernization of its hydraulic system, including pumps, motors, and controls, upgraded ring roller controls. Weldaloy will be expanding its campus in Warren, Michigan, through acquiring two adjacent manufacturing facilities.
“These investments allow us to meet the needs of our customers,” said Kurt Ruppenthal, Weldaloy’s vice president and general manager. “Specifically, we’re increasing our capabilities as a supplier to the aerospace and astrospace markets.”
A new update on MPIF Standard 35 was issued in October 2017 by the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) for aluminum alloys often used in aerospace applications, providing design and materials engineers with performance requirements for specifying aluminum alloys in powder metallurgy. The new standards identify a Rockwell hardness of 75 for the AC-2014-32-T8 and 83 for the AC-2014-38-T8, values which refer to the heat treatment which the alloys undergo.
Kai Soon Fong, Senior Research Engineer, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology
Researchers from the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology and Nanyang Technological University have devised a method that involves heat treatment processes to strengthen magnesium alloy and produce a more workable, ultra-fine crystalline structure suitable for multiple applications, including aerospace, automotive, transportation, medical and technology.
“By optimizing the processing temperature and strain rate, we were able to achieve an ultrafine-grained microstructure, which does not physically change the alloy, but improves its mechanical properties through grain refinement,” reported Kai Soon Fong, Senior Research Engineer at Singapore Institute of Manufacturing. “This processing led to improved mechanical strength and ductility, making it tougher and easier to shape at room temperature.”
A heat-treatable aerospace grade aluminum composite used heavily in applications for national defense, aviation, and space was recently awarded AMS 4368 specification approval from the Society of Automotive Engineers – Aerospace Material specification Nonferrous Alloys Committee (SAE-AMS).
This is Materion Corporation’s second AMS specification for a SupremEX metal matrix composite.
W. Glenn Maxwell, President, Materion Performance Alloys and Composites
SupremEX® 640XA provides improved performance in aero-engine components and aircraft structures because it is 60 percent lighter than steel and 36 percent lighter than titanium, yet offers high strength, stiffness, and fatigue properties that significantly increase a component’s capability and useful life. The high-quality alloy is reinforced with 40 percent silicon carbide particles and is manufactured using a proprietary mechanical alloying process to ensure a homogenous reinforcement distribution. It provides a refined grain structure and enhanced mechanical properties, making it an ideal replacement for aluminum, titanium, steel and other structural alloys and composites.
SupremEX also provides superior damage tolerance and improved wear resistance when compared to conventional alloys. With a low coefficient of thermal expansion, components made of this composite will not deform over the range of temperatures experienced during flight.
“Other Materion aerospace-grade products have earned SAE-AMS specifications, including SupremEX 225XE, so we understand the value of this designation,” said W. Glenn Maxwell, President, Materion Performance Alloys and Composites. “With this specification, it’s much easier and faster for engineers to include the material in their designs and recommend it to new customers. In fact, many engineers will not consider using materials without SAE-AMS specifications.”
SupremEX 640XA is reinforced with 40 percent silicon carbide particles and is manufactured using a proprietary mechanical alloying process to ensure a homogenous reinforcement distribution. It provides a refined grain structure and enhanced mechanical properties, making it an ideal replacement for aluminum, titanium, steel and other structural alloys and composites.
Aleris has signed a new multi-year contract with Embraer to supply aluminum flat-rolled products for use in the production of all of Embraer’s aircraft. The renewed contract agreement includes the supply of technically advanced alloys and extends the reach of products for aerospace and systems applications.
“Our continued investment in growing our technical capabilities has enabled us to further expand our relationship with Embraer, and we look forward to working with them to achieve their aircraft manufacturing and design goals,” said Sean Stack, Aleris chairman and CEO. “With a world-class aerospace aluminum plate facility in Asia Pacific, we are also uniquely positioned to help them meet aerospace demand in the region which is projected to experience the most significant growth.”
The contract includes the supply of material from the company’s facilities in Koblenz, Germany, and Zhenjiang, China.
Memory foam mattresses and pillows ease millions of restless sleepers through rough nights; perhaps tires made from shape-memory alloy will provide NASA’s Curiosity robot an easier ride across the rough terrain of Mars.
After years of research, NASA recently created a tire made of heat-treated nickel-titanium alloy that results in a woven-mesh metal which “remembers” and returns to its shape.
A definitive agreement to form an innovative 50-50 joint venture (JV) was recently reached between the world’s largest stainless steel producer and a global manufacturer of technically advanced specialty materials and complex components, with a target to manufacture and sell 60 inch-wide stainless sheet in North America.
Richard J. Harshman , Chairman, President and CEO of ATI
Allegheny & Tsingshan Stainless is the new entity formed between Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, based in western Pennsylvania, which produces components for the aerospace, defense, oil & gas, electrical energy, medical and automotive sectors, and an affiliate company of Tsingshan Group, a multi-national fully integrated stainless steel producer engaged in nickel ore mining, ferronickel and ferrochrome smelting, stainless steel making, hot rolling, and cold rolling with captive supportive power plants and ports. Formation of the JV is subject to customary regulatory and anti-trust clearances, which are expected by the first quarter 2018; first shipments are expected in early 2018.
“Our strategy is to first return our flat-rolled products (FRP) business to profitability and then position our FRP segment for sustainable profitability regardless of raw materials costs or trade policy,” said Rich Harshman, ATI’s Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “Tsingshan’s capabilities to produce stainless steel slabs using its unparalleled vertically integrated mining, refining, and casting assets combined with ATI’s innovative, low-cost hot-rolling and processing facility (HRPF), and the JV’s unique direct roll anneal and pickle (DRAP) facility creates a cost competitive supplier of stainless sheet products for the North American market.
“For ATI, the conversion agreement volume will significantly increase the utilization of our HRPF and will utilize the previously idled DRAP finishing facility in Midland, PA, which will be owned and operated by the joint venture.”
Key points of the joint venture:
Allegheny & Tsingshan Stainless is the joint venture company’s name.
Tsingshan’s operation in Indonesia is vertically integrated from mining raw materials, including ferronickel and ferrochrome, through refining and casting. Tsingshan will supply the JV with redi-to-roll slabs with reduced raw material cost volatility.
The Tsingshan-supplied stainless slabs will be hot-rolled into coils on ATI’s HRPF under a conversion agreement between ATI FRP and the JV. The HRPF provides customers with the market’s most consistent quality and edge-to-edge, tip-to-tail gauge control.
The hot-rolled coils will be finished into stainless sheet using the JV’s DRAP line, which is ATI’s major investment in the joint venture. The Midlandoperations’ assets were impaired in 2015 and the DRAP finishing line was idled in early 2016.
The JV is expected to add approximately 100 manufacturing jobs in western PA.
