A major U.S. steel producer recently awarded a contract to a global industrial engineering group to add a continuous hot dip galvanizing line to the company’s existing plant in Columbus, Mississippi.
This was the second contract that Steel Dynamics, Inc, (SDI) awarded to Fives in a six-month period.
Madhu Ranade, vice president and general manager of SDI Columbus
The Columbus Flat Roll Division of SDI is investing $140 million to add the line (CGL № 3) and diversify its offerings to the automotive, agriculture, appliance, building and construction, energy, HVAC, lighting, and machinery industries. The advanced line, which will be capable of producing 400,000 tons per year, will be dedicated to producing unexposed automotive steel grades, as well as other commercial and specialized steel grades.
The scope of supply includes a complete design and supply of entry & exit coil handling sections, a degreasing section, a horizontal annealing furnace, hot dip galvanizing and cooling equipment, a skin-pass mill and strip leveler, inspection, metallurgical assistance for different steel grades and types of coating, as well as construction and commissioning assistance.
The new line is expected to be commissioned in the middle of 2020.
Guillaume Mehlman, president of the Fives’ Steel Division
“SDI’s target is to increase value-added product capacity, diversify product portfolio and increase profitability by investing in new projects and advanced technologies; and we look forward to again working with Fives. With the three lines in Columbus, Mississippi, and a fourth planned for the new mill in south western region, SDI will become the leading supplier and a one-stop shop of coated products for customers throughout southern region of United States and in Mexico,” said Madhu Ranade, vice president and general manager of SDI Columbus.
“We are proud to work with SDI to contribute to the success of their entrepreneurial-oriented business. Fives has significant references worldwide designing and supplying advanced technologies, including complete annealing, galvanizing and coating lines in the USA, Europe and Asia,” said Guillaume Mehlman, president of the Fives’ Steel Division.
Open any garage today and the vehicle you’ll find inside is likely to contain components achieved by lightweighting methods. In fact, it’s a practice that goes back to the days of removing backseats from the cars we inherited from older siblings because the drive for speed and basic economics together has always propelled designers, engineers, and backyard gearheads to find a way to produce a lighter vehicle.
Industry Week recently took a look at the technology and materials that mark the road to development of today’s parts made from ultra-high-strength blends of steel, aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber, relying on next-gen design software and techniques such as additive manufacturing and resulting in lighter and stronger vehicles and vehicle components.
Gregory E. Peterson, principal materials engineer for the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, a consulting organization that helps manufacturers improve profits and performance, “points to the lightweighting rule that a 10% weight reduction leads to a 6% to 7% increase in fuel economy.”
The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center helped develop an aftermarket Corvette (C2) frame that is lighter and stronger than the original.
Carmakers are responding with forwarding thinking business changes that include workforce, design, and footprint. For example, GM is focusing on electric or fuel-cell powered vehicles, which will require a paradigm shift in part production — in just about every aspect of its current manufacturing protocol. How does this look on the ground, in the lab, where the decisions are matter?
Why does a seat belt bracket look the way it does? Because of machining requirements. But what if machining was replaced by additive manufacturing?
“You unhinge yourself from those constraints with generative design. It opens up a whole new set of lightweighting opportunities that we have based on designs we can’t make any other way,” said Kevin Quinn, GM Director of Additive Design and Manufacturing.
Photo credit and caption: The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center helped develop an aftermarket Corvette (C2) frame that is lighter and stronger than the original.
This is the first in a 4-part series by Dr. Steve Offley (“Dr. O”), Product Marketing Manager at PhoenixTM, on the technical challenges of monitoring low-pressure carburizing (LPC) furnaces. This introductory article explains the LPC process and general monitoring needs and challenges.
Carburizing Process
Dr. Steve Offley (“Dr. O”), Product Marketing Manager PhoenixTM
Carburizing has rapidly become one of the most critical heat treatment processes employed in the manufacture of automotive components. Also referred to as case hardening, it provides necessary surface resistance to wear while maintaining toughness and core strength essential for hardworking automotive parts.
The carburizing heat treatment process is commonly applied to low carbon steel parts after machining, as well as high alloy steel bearings, gears, and other components. Being critical to product performance, monitoring and controlling the product temperature in the heat treatment process is essential.
The carburizing process is achieved by heat treating the product in a carbon-rich environment, typically at a temperature of 900 – 1050 °C / 1652 – 1922 °F. The temperature and process time significantly influences the depth of carbon diffusion and associated surface characteristics. It is critical to the process that, following diffusion, a rapid quenching of the product is performed in which the temperature is rapidly decreased. This generates the microstructure giving the enhanced surface hardness while maintaining a soft and tough product core.
Increasing in popularity in the carburizing market is the use of batch or semi-continuous batch low-pressure carburizing furnaces. New furnace technology employs the dissociation of acetylene (or propane) to produce carbon in an oxygen-free low-pressure vacuum environment, which diffuses to a controlled depth in the steel surface. Following the diffusion, the product is transferred to a high-pressure gas quench chamber where it is rapidly gas cooled using typical N2 or Helium up to 20 bar.
An alternative to gas quenching is the use of an oil quench, used commonly in continuous carburizing furnaces where the products are plunged into an oil bath.
Fig 1: Schematics of the LPC Carburizing process showing the Temperature and Pressure steps
Temperature Monitoring Challenges in Low-Pressure Carburizing
As already stated, the success of the carburizing process is governed by careful control of both the process temperature and duration in the heating and quench stages. Obviously, when considering temperature, we are interested in the product temperature, not the furnace. Measuring product temperature through a carburizing process, although possible using trailing thermocouples, as performed historically, is neither easy nor safe, and it disrupts production for lengthy periods.
PhoenixTM provides a superior solution with the use of a “thru-process” temperature monitoring system. As the name suggests, the PhoenixTM temperature profiling system is designed to travel through the thermal process, measuring the product and or furnace environment from start to finish. The system can be incorporated into a standard production run so does not compromise productivity. A high accuracy, multi-channel data logger records temperature from thermocouple inputs, located at points of interest on, in, or around the product being thermally treated. To protect the data logger as it travels through the hostile furnace, a thermal barrier is employed to keep the logger at a safe working temperature to prevent damage and ensure accuracy of measurement. The barrier also obviously needs to protect during the quench, whether that be against high pressure or oil ingress if the quench can’t be avoided.
Employing the PhoenixTM system a complete thermal record of the product throughout the entire process can be collected. A popular enhancement to the system is the use of 2-way RF telemetry, providing real-time process monitoring directly from the furnace, useful for either profiling or performing a live Temperature Uniformity Survey (TUS). The product temperature can be viewed live and downloaded at any point in the furnace. Raw temperature data collected from the process can be converted into useful information using one of the custom-designed PhoenixTM Thermal View Software packages available. The thermal graph can be reviewed and analyzed to give a traceable, certified record of the process performance. Such information is critical to satisfying CQI-9, AMS2750, and other regulatory demands. Fully TUS-compliant reports can be produced in moments from the simple and intuitive software, making accurate TUS a simple and quick task. Information can be used to not only prove product quality but provide the means to confidently change process characteristics to improve productivity and process efficiency (Optimize Diffusion, Soak and Quench).
A global automotive parts manufacturer recently announced its plans to invest in the expansion of its Kentucky aluminum products plant.
Kobelco Aluminum Products & Extrusions Inc. (KPEX), the U.S. subsidiary of Kobe Steel, Ltd., based in Japan, expects the expansion to increase the production capacity of its plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in response to the growing demand for automotive extrusions and fabricated products in the United States.
Established in April 2016, KPEX manufactures aluminum extruded products for use as bumper materials and car frame materials. In November 2018, KPEX began integrated production, ranging from melting and casting to the final manufacturing process of fabrication. Plans call for new equipment for melting, extrusion, and fabrication to go into mass production in the first half of 2020. When the expansion is completed, KPEX will have two melting furnaces and two extrusion presses. Production capacity will increase to 1,000 tons per month, from the current 500 tons per month.
“Kobelco Aluminum Products & Extrusions Inc. was established in April 2016 using our technology from Japan, and with the cooperation of Kentucky officials, our customers, and all the employees working at Kobelco, we were able to successfully begin mass production here in the US,” said Hiroaki Matsubara, Kobe Steel senior managing executive officer. “And now, supported by even more robust demand for our products, we are proud to announce that we will be making our second major investment in our operations in less than two years. With that, our aim is to continue to make our contribution to the weight reduction of automobiles and to further develop our business footprint in the Bowling Green facility.”
Kobelco’s Bowling Green plant expansion (PC: Kobelco)
A U.S. steel producer recently announced plans to construct a state-of-the-art electric arc furnace (EAF) mill for flat roll steel in the U.S. southwest with an eye to serve the Mexican flat roll steel market.
Mark. D. Millett, Steel Dynamics President and Chief Executive Officer
Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI), based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, anticipates the facility to have an annual production capacity of approximately 3.0 million tons with the capability to produce the latest generation of Advanced High Strength Steel products. The project will include a galvanizing line with an annual capacity of 450,000 tons with a product offering serving the energy, automotive, and equipment manufacturing industries.
SDI currently expects to locate the facility in the southwestern United States in order to reach the underserved Mexican flat roll steel market as well as the southern and southwestern states. Determination of the final site location is subject to state and local government infrastructure and incentive support with an expectation of construction beginning in 2020, followed by the commencement of operations in the second half of 2021.
“We believe our unique operating culture, coupled with our considerable experience in successfully constructing and operating cost-effective and highly profitable steel mills, positions us well to execute this greenfield opportunity and to deliver strong long-term value creation,” said Mark. D. Millett, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We plan to utilize new technologies that will further reduce the gap between existing EAF and integrated steel mill production capabilities.”
An India-based independent heat exchanger manufacturer for the domestic automobile industry recently purchased a controlled atmosphere brazing system to reduce energy costs as well as improve production quality and operate within the latest environmental regulations.
NBR Cooling Systems commissioned the signature controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) cooling system from SECO/WARWICK.
Liu Yedong, Managing Director, SECO/WARWICK RETECH
“We selected SECO/WARWICK because they provided a high-quality production assurance which we needed to keep our plant running efficiently along with low atmosphere consumption, minimum maintenance, and repeatable process results, all at a low capital cost investment,” said Aarif Hussain, NBR Cooling Systems managing director. “A SECO/WARWICK CAB system was definitely our first option – the company leverages many years of experience and guarantee continuous trouble-free operation at a high technological level and provides local contact, care and service.”
“We are pleased to support NBR Cooling Systems’ vision to become the leader in the national and international market for commercial heat exchangers and air conditioning systems for the automotive industry,” said Liu Yedong, Managing Director, SECO/WARWICK RETECH (China).
The primary supplier of automotive body sheets for both closures and inner parts of the new Audi A6 model recently announced the extension of the partnership to provide a high-tech crash absorption alloy for the hood of this model.
Dieter Höll, Vice President of Global Automotive at Constellium
Constellium produces components, such as doors and trunks, for its partner Audi to achieve its lightweighting, design and safety targets, specifically Surfalex® with high surface quality and particular hemming and roping properties. This highly formable alloy has been designed to fulfill the most demanding pedestrian safety requirements.
“Constellium is proud to extend its long-term partnership with Audi and to accompany them in their mission to build high-quality automobiles. To do so, Constellium supports Audi in solutions not only for closures but also for body-in-white parts requiring specific crash and mechanical performance such as the ones offered by Securalex®,” said Dieter Höll, Vice President of Global Automotive at Constellium.
The first titanium wheel created using EBM technology was recently unveiled during the official announcement of a partnership agreement between the two companies responsible for its design and manufacture.
HRE Wheels, headquartered in Vista, California, and GE Additive launched the new technology, which is a type of 3D printing to test the capabilities of additive manufacturing in a practical application and to create a highly-sophisticated wheel design with an elusive material like titanium. The new prototype wheel is known as “HRE3D+”.
With a traditional aluminum Monoblok wheel, 80% of material is removed from a 100-pound forged block of aluminum to create the final product. With additive manufacturing, only 5% of the material is removed and recycled, making the process far more efficient. Titanium also has a much higher specific strength than aluminum and is corrosion resistant, allowing it to be extremely lightweight and to be shown in its raw finish.
There was an intensive design collaboration between the Vista, California-based, team at HRE and the GE AddWorks team out of Ohio. Using design queues from two existing models of HRE wheels, the two companies worked together to create a stunning example of what is possible with additive manufacturing.
HRE President Alan Peltier
The wheel was produced on two Arcam EBM machines – Q20 and a Q10 in five separate sections, then combined using a custom center section and titanium fasteners.
“This is an incredibly exciting and important project for us as we get a glimpse into what the future of wheel design holds,” said HRE President Alan Peltier. “Working with GE Additive’s AddWorks team gave us access to the latest additive technology and an amazing team of engineers, allowing us to push the boundaries of wheel design beyond anything possible with current methods. To HRE, this partnership with GE Additive moves us into the future.”
Robert Hanet, senior design engineer, GE Additive AddWorks
“HRE prides itself on its commitment to excellence and superior quality in the marketplace. It was a natural fit for AddWorks to work on this project with them and really revolutionize the way wheels can be designed and manufactured,” said Robert Hanet, senior design engineer, GE Additive AddWorks.
Researchers working with a major U.S. steelmaker are responding to the increased demand for vehicles that are made safer and more fuel efficient by using neutrons “to better understand the properties of hydroformed advanced high-strength steel and how it responds to residual stress introduced during manufacturing,” according to Phys.org.
United States Steel Corporation (USS) industrial research engineers used neutrons at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source to analyze materials exposed to different manufacturing processes.
“Because this is a new material containing retained austenite, we need to have a better understanding of its performance. A better understanding of how this material responds to different manufacturing processes like stamping or hydroforming will help us validate engineering models that will in turn make it easier to design and produce auto components that are lighter, stronger, and more durable.” ~ Lu Huang, USS industrial research engineer
Photo Credit: ORNL/Genevieve Martin. Photo caption: Lu Huang, USS industrial research engineer prepares a lightweighted advanced high strength steel component for neutron research at the Spallation Neutron Source’s VULCAN instrument. Data from this study may make it faster and easier for companies to design automotive components that are lighter, more durable, and safer. Credit: ORNL/Genevieve Martin
A manufacturer of automotive heat exchangers recently partnered with a leading heat treat furnace manufacturing company with a formidable U.S. presence to produce parts using a complete Controlled Atmosphere Brazing (CAB) line for its greenfield project in Gujrat, India.
Karnavati Car Air Conditioners Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad, (KCPL), which produces a wide variety of high-quality radiators, condensers, cooling coils, and fan assemblies, will utilize SECO/WARWICK’s CAB line and related equipment in the manufacturing process, including thermal degreaser, fluxer, dry-off oven, air quality and cleaning. The system will be utilized for aluminum heat exchangers of all types for the automotive market.
“KCPL is one of the fastest growing companies in India,” said Kartik Jethwa – Chief Engineer, KCPL, “dealing in automotive radiators, condensers, cooling coils and fan assemblies. We have selected the complete SECO/WARWICK’s CAB brazing line because the system versatility will enable our company to produce a wide variety of high-quality products with the lowest possible cost – our goal is to continue our rapid pace of growth and improve profitability by modernizing our brazing operation.”
“We are proud technology partners with KCPL and look forward to their continued success. Since 1984, SECO/WARWICK has been the leader in the evolution and innovations in CAB technologies ensuring our customers that they will receive the finest system value and professional technical services to keep their equipment online and operating efficiently for many years in the future,” said Piotr Skarbinski, VP, Aluminum Process and CAB Technology, SECO/WARWICK.
