AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT

Aluminum Caster Expands Facility, Technology Capabilities, Including Heat Treatment

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

An aluminum casting producer in New Hampton, Iowa, announced ongoing plans to expand its plant and technical capabilities, including space to house expanded heat treatment operations, to keep up with growing demand. ATEK Metal Technologies ships thousands of aluminum castings each day and has recently completed a significant expansion of its metal casting, heat treatment and finished machining capabilities. The major building expansion is expected to be completed in December of 2018.

“We need additional plant space to support growth,” said Tom Christie, president of ATEK Metal Technologies. “The new building will allow us to consolidate our warehousing and shipping areas and make room on the plant floor for ongoing expansion of operations.”

On the technical side, the new robotic de-gating and deburring of castings operations will be operational in July 2018.

Tom Christie, president of ATEK Metal Technologies

“We added 40 percent to our low-pressure permanent mold casting capacity to keep up with our accelerating growth,” said Christie. “We also have added state-of-the-art precision machining capabilities to be able to provide our customers with cast and machined finished components.”

ATEK Metal Technologies supplies aluminum castings that meet specifications for motorsports, recreation, transportation and industrial markets industries. The entire plant expansion is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2018.

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Mercedes Selects Aluminum Provider for CLS Panels, Fenders

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS

A global aluminum producer based in The Netherlands announced recently that it will be the primary supplier of aluminum auto body sheet for the new Mercedes model, which was released at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show and which entered the market in March 2018.

Dieter Höll, Constellium’s vice president Global Automotive

Constellium will provide the coils for the outer trunk lid panels and fenders of the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Constellium’s Surfalex®, which offers high surface quality as well as specific hemming and roping properties, was selected by Mercedes for its lightweighting value.

“Constellium is proud to contribute to the new Mercedes-Benz CLS with our Surfalex® aluminium solutions. This new program reflects the strong relationship established over the years with our customer as we deliver aluminum solutions to all main Mercedes-Benz auto lines. Our commitment to innovation enables us to develop new alloys and solutions from the original model design phase to the start of production,” said Dieter Höll, Constellium’s vice president Global Automotive.

 

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No. American Steel Producer Invests in Michigan — Again

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

 

Source: Modern Metals

 

A major North American steel producer recently announced a $70.3 million investment project at the same facility that underwent a $155.6 million overhaul three years ago, launching an upgrade that will include a new electric arc furnace (EAF) transformer, controls and mechanical upgrades in the EAF, and a new twin ladle furnace and material handling system.  The culmination of these investments will increase Gerdau Special Steel North America’s shipping capacity to 720,000 tons, a 180,000-ton increase from the current shipping capacity.

Photo credit: Monroe News

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A Hot Ride: Motoring Around a Heat Treating Plant

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS

Plant tours are all the rage these days, but a heat treating company in the United Kingdom takes the concept to a whole new level — to several levels, in fact.

In a new video, twelve times Trial World Champion, trial motorbike rider extraordinaire Dougie Lampkin takes on the Wallwork Group’s Manchester heat treatment plant in a thrilling two-minute ride, where no obstacle is too high – or too hot!

“We had seen Dougie’s work before, not least Red Bull’s F1 factory, and thought that it would be an exciting and engaging way to show a brief glimpse into the world of metal heat treatment,” explained Wallwork sales manager, Howard Maher.

Wallwork is headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester, and also has plants in Newcastle, Birmingham, and Cambridge. The company provides metal heat treatment, vacuum brazing, and hard coatings services to aerospace, motorsport, medical device and other precision industries.

“Dougie is a high-profile, professional motorcycle sportsman, so this also fits nicely with our autosports market and by association other industries such as aerospace that share the same requirements,” Howard added.

Dougie’s professional career has spanned over 25 years, lifting his first trophy in 1991, collecting silverware up to 2017 and he is still looking for even more in 2018. Awarded an MBE in 2001, his autobiography, Dougie Lampkin – Trials and Error, was launched on May 17th this year.

“We are really pleased with the video and it was a pleasure opening up the works to Dougie’s special way of riding. And our health and safety guy is able to relax now it is all done!,” Howard concluded. The two minute video can be viewed below or at the Wallwork website.

 

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Casthouse Expansion in Czech Republic Includes Heat Treating Processes

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS

An Amsterdam-based producer of aluminum semi-products recently expanded its casthouse capacity with the purchase of a continuous homogenizing plant, including a helical ultrasonic testing station and billet saw for aluminum extrusion billets.

Paul Warton, president of Constellium’s Automotive Structures and Industry business unit

Constellium Extrusions, which customizes aluminum extrusions primarily for automotive and industrial applications, placed the order for the new furnace for its Dĕčín, Czech Republic, facility with Hertwich Engineering, an SMS group company. With this added capacity, the plant will broaden its product portfolio to include sections for Crash Management Systems and for new aluminum applications for hybrid and electric vehicles.  With a capacity of nine tons per hour, the new homogenizing furnace is considerably larger and more powerful than the plant for three tons per hour delivered in 2016. It is scheduled to go into operation in the first half of 2019.

The Dĕčín plant is part of the multinational Constellium network and is one of the leading manufacturers of aluminum extrusion products in Europe. The plant is particularly important as an integrated manufacturer and processor of hard and soft alloys as well as a supplier of extruded, partially drawn tubes, bars, seamless and non-seamless profiles. The increasing demand, especially from the automotive industry, has prompted Constellium to expand the Dĕčín plant in several investment stages.

The new homogenizing capacities are part of the current program, which is aimed at expanding extrusion capacity. For this purpose, a further extrusion plant including a casthouse is planned, for which Hertwich will supply the entire heat treatment in the form of a continuous homogenizing furnace.

 “As the auto industry increasingly turns to lightweight, high-strength aluminum, Constellium’s expansion in Decin will support rising demand for hard and soft alloy profiles and bars from automotive customers across Europe,” said Paul Warton, president of Constellium’s Automotive Structures and Industry business unit. “This new activity is expected to increase Decin’s total extrusion capacity to 96,000 metric tons per year.”

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Heat Treatment Integral to New Alum Facility in Kentucky

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Heat treatment processes are among the operations planned at an automotive aluminum sheet manufacturing facility in Guthrie, Kentucky, where a gathering of business and government officials celebrated a groundbreaking this week.

Steve Fisher, president & CEO, Novelis Inc.

Representatives from Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, were joined by local and state officials to recognize the investment of a 400,000 square foot, $305 million facility that will create approximately 125 jobs and produce annual nameplate capacity of 200,000 metric tons. The facility will include heat treatment and pre-treatment lines for use in vehicle parts such as body-in-white, hoods, doors, lift gates and fenders. Novelis will begin producing automotive aluminum at the site in 2020.

“The increased adoption of aluminum in cars, trucks and SUVs, coupled with more automotive manufacturing plants in the southeast makes Guthrie a strategic location to serve our customers,” said Steve Fisher, president and CEO, Novelis Inc. “With the strong, highly-skilled workforce in Kentucky, we believe our culture and commitment to building a sustainable world together will have a lasting and positive impact on this community.”

The significant positive impact of tax reform in the U.S. reinforces Novelis’ decision to expand at this time. A favorable economic environment has enabled Novelis to recently finalize key contracts totaling approximately $60 million for engineering plans, site preparation and state-of-the-art equipment for the greenfield facility. Senator Rand Paul, Congressman James Comer, Governor Matt Bevin and Senator Mitch McConnell’s staff were present at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Paul Banks, a 25-year veteran of the aluminum rolling industry, will oversee the project as Plant Manager, having previously served as Unit Manager at Logan Aluminum, a Novelis joint venture in nearby Russellville, Kentucky.

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Plating Services Grow with Help from Automakers

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS

 

Source: ThomasNet.com

 

Tony Uphoff at ThomasNet.com breaks down how a Bureau of Labor Statistics report on job growth in the Fabricated Metal Products manufacturing sector during the month of March heralds good news not only for the overall durable goods industry but for fabrication shops turning out countless different metal parts and components for OEMs, contractors, and Value Added Resellers. Since “a great number of those metal parts will typically need some type of surface finishing, such as a coating or plating, for things like decorative appeal, durability, corrosion resistance, friction reduction, and more,” heat treaters may be able to spot upward trends on the horizon.

An excerpt:

“There’s increased sourcing demand for Plating using the specific metals of silver, copper, brass and bronze, zinc-nickel alloy, tin, cadmium, chromium, and hard chromium. . . . [M]any of the potential customers [buyers] are connecting with are within the automotive industry. In fact, according to a report by Grand View Research, auto manufacturers are the largest revenue segment for the overall metal plating industry and are increasing their reliance on metal plating to protect more automotive parts than in the past.”

 

Read more: “Auto Manufacturers Drive Demand for Plating Services”

Photo credit: Greystone, Inc.

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Lightweight Vehicle Frame Draws Attention from Car Aficionados and U.S. Defense

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

 

Source: Light Metal Age

 

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray

The classic Corvette makes an appearance again in Heat Treat Today‘s Best of the Web feature, this time as a test model for a project that targets development of alternative lightweight vehicle frames.

A growing market demand for alternative lightweight vehicle frames in the custom car market is driving technology “to design a lightweight frame that could be easily morphed into virtually any wheelbase, vehicle length and width without requiring additional tooling,” reports Light Metal Age, and not only are classic car enthusiasts interested, so is the U.S. Department of Defense.

An excerpt:

“Beyond replica cars, this frame can be adapted for military applications, as a number of companies working with the Department of Defense have identified the need for a lightweight frame to be used in military vehicles to effectively lighten loads and increase fuel economy.”

First to unveil an innovative lightweight vehicle frame for the aftermarket, based on testing that involved the 1963-67 Corvette (C2 second generation design), was the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center.

 

Read more: “Manufacturing Technology Center Unveils Lightweight Vehicle Frame”

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Street Rod and Classic Cars Get New Life with Heat-Treated Parts

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

 

Source: ClassicCars.com

 

Between rounds of heat treating, re-shaped leaves are oil-bathed. Photo credit: ClassicCars.com

Heat treating serves a critical role in the restoration of street rod and classic cars, and a leading manufacturer of leaf and coil springs based in Detroit, Michigan, recently demonstrated the re-temper and re-arch process that brings renewal to first-generation Chevrolet Corvettes, which can be particularly difficult to restore due to the type of steel used in production only up until the mid-1960s.

Eaton Detroit Spring keeps 24,000 original manufacturer spring blueprints to aid in the manufacturing leaf and coil springs for the street rod and restoration industries.

An excerpt from the article at ClassicCars.com:

“Company president Mike Eaton — his grandparents founded the firm, explained, ‘We had a customer in this morning who happens to be the designer of the original Corvette suspension who I have known for years. He brought in a couple of sets of C1 rear springs to be reconditioned. Even though we do a lot of these, there are a lot of ’Vette owners who don’t know we offer it.'”

Read more: “A Little R&R Can Revitalize First-Gen Corvette Leaf Springs”

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New VW Crafter Van to Sport Axle Designed for Heavy Payloads

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Christophe Dominiak, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Dana

An engineering solutions company based in Maumee, Ohio, recently announced it will be supplying all-wheel-drive axle to the new, award-winning Volkswagen Crafter 4 Motion panel van.

Dana Incorporated manufactures the compactly designed Spicer® AdvanTEK®M180 axle at its Birmingham, England, facility. A key feature of the axle is its advanced electronic-locking differential.  As part of the complete system design, the four-pinion rear-locking differential incorporates an electric solenoid with an electronic position sensor to lock the wheels together for improved traction and stability.  Dana was responsible for ensuring the locking differential application software met Volkswagen’s stringent performance and demanding functional safety requirements.

“Our team worked closely with Volkswagen from start to finish to develop and launch the best solution for the all-new Crafter 4 Motion.  We are proud to be part of this vehicle, the 2017 International Van of the Year,” said Christophe Dominiak, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Dana. “The new axle on the Volkswagen Crafter is a great example of Dana’s leadership in efficient all-wheel-drive integration technologies and our ability to partner with our customers to provide them the solution they need to meet ever-changing market demands.”

The company also launched its Spicer® AdvanTEK® M250 rear axle – also manufactured in Birmingham, England – for rear-wheel-drive versions of the VW Crafter.  This axle is designed to handle heavier payloads while providing optimal traction and power density, even when the vehicle is fully loaded.

Dana supports the passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, as well as industrial and stationary equipment applications.

 

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