AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT

Bonnell Aluminum to Invest $18 Million, Expand Automotive and Specialty Markets

Bonnell Aluminum, a subsidiary of Tredegar Corporation (NYSE:TG), announced it will be investing approximately $18 million over the next 12 months to fund an expansion project which will include the purchase of a new state-of-the-art aluminum extrusion line at its AACOA facility in Niles, Michigan. Planned startup is the second quarter 2017.

“With continued growing demand from our customers, it is exciting to invest in this additional capacity, knowing that we will satisfy these opportunities with the high quality products and services that AACOA is known for in the industry,” commented Brook Hamilton, President and General Manager for Bonnell Aluminum. “Our facility in Niles is ideally suited for this project, with a well-run operation and a great team in place.” “AACOA has a solid market reputation and is highly regarded as a leader in the markets it serves, primarily consumer durables and machinery and equipment. The facility also serves the automotive market due to its regional location,” added Ira Endres, Vice President Sales and Marketing. “It makes sense to increase the capacity in Niles based on demand from our customers.”

The new line will be comprised of a state-of-the-art 3600-ton extrusion press, housing a 9-inch container, handling systems and ancillary equipment. Capacity is estimated at approximately 16 million pounds. The project also includes additional floor space to accommodate future value-added fabrication capacity.

This announcement marks another important investment made by the Company in recent years and confirms once again Bonnell’s full commitment to its business. “The addition of this new line will provide new and broader product line capabilities for our customers,” added Hamilton.

Bonnell Aluminum is a subsidiary of Richmond Va., based Tredegar Corporation (NYSE:TG). The company produces soft and medium-strength alloy aluminum extrusions for building and construction, automotive, machinery and equipment, consumer durables, transportation, electrical and distribution markets. On October 1, 2012, Bonnell Aluminum acquired AACOA, a world-class manufacturer, fabricator and anodizer of aluminum extrusions with operations in Niles, MI, and Elkhart, IN.

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Brazing and High Vacuum Heat Treat Furnace Delivered to Southwest USA

CHERRY VALLEY, IL – Ipsen recently shipped a horizontal-loading MetalMaster® vacuum furnace with 2-bar gas quenching to a company in the Southwest U.S. for use in manufacturing catalytic converter products, which are then used by such industries as Aerospace, Automotive and Power Generation. Ideal for brazing and other high vacuum applications, this vacuum furnace line performs well with thin section parts and lighter pieces.

This customized furnace features a 36″ x 36″ x 72″ (914 mm x 914 mm x 1,829 mm) graphite work zone with a carbon steel gas distribution plenum and graphite heating elements, as well as a 3,000-pound (1,361 kg) load capacity. It operates at temperatures of 1,000 °F to 2,400 °F (538 °C to 1,316 °C) with ±5 °F (±3 °C) temperature uniformity.

The furnace is also equipped with a 35-inch diffusion pump and Ipsen’s CompuVac® controls system. In addition, this MetalMaster furnace is capable of meeting applicable AMS 2750E requirements and providing tight temperature tolerances with DigiTrim® controls settings. It also features an open heating element detection system, as well as offers a specially engineered heat exchanger and turbine blower that are designed to optimize gas flow for more efficient cooling.

MetalMaster furnaces can also include several high-productivity options, including specialized instrumentation, increased pumping capability and material handling systems.

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Magnesium and silicon carbide recipe results in lightweight metal with record strength

BOTW-50w Source: GizMag

Magnesium has a number of potential advantages when it comes to engineering. It is considered the lightest of structural metals (those capable of bearing loads in buildings and cars) and it is the eighth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. On the flipside, however, it is not as strong and durable as some of its counterparts. Scientists are now reporting to have overcome its main limitations by infusing it with silicon carbide nanoparticles to form a new type of super-strong composite material, which they claim may lead to lighter and more efficient airplanes, spacecraft and cars.

Read more about how silicon carbide nanparticles increase strength and stiffness-to-weight ratios.

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Revolutionary steel treatment paves the way for radically lighter, stronger, cheaper cars

featured flash-bainite-automotive-hyundai-11[Best of the Web] Source: GizMag

Back in 2011, we wrote about a fascinating new way to heat-treat regular, cheap steel to endow it with an almost miraculous blend of characteristics. Radically cheaper, quicker and less energy-intensive to produce, Flash Bainite is stronger than titanium by weight, and ductile enough to be pressed into shape while cold without thinning or cracking. It’s now being tested by three of the world’s five largest car manufacturers, who are finding they can produce thinner structural car components that are between 30-50 percent lighter and cheaper than the steel they’ve been using, while maintaining the same performance is crash tests. Those are revolutionary numbers in the auto space.

Darren Quick did a good job explaining exactly how Flash Bainite is produced in our original story, but in basic terms, you take regular, off-the-shelf AISI1020 carbon steel, and instead of heat treating it for 10 minutes like costly alloyed steel, you put it through a roller-driven system that induction-heats and liquid-cools the steel in a matter of 10 seconds or so.

 

Read more about Flash Banite and its potential and growing use in the automotive industry.

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