A forged and cast rolls producer for steel and aluminum manufacturers was recently selected by a Chinese manufacturer of high-end aluminum flat-rolled products to supply rolls for a new hot rolling mill installation that services the transportation sector.
Rodney Scagline, President of Union Electric Steel
The western Pennsylvania-based Union Electric Steel Corporation, an operating subsidiary of Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, announced that the $4.4M agreement with Zhongwang (Yingkou) High Precision Aluminum Industry Co., Ltd, includes forged finishing work rolls and forged roughing work rolls produced at one of the Union Electric Åkers heat treating facilities. The successful agreement follows several trials conducted at Zhongwang Aluminum’s facility in Wuqing District, Tianjin Province. Shipments are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2018.
“The agreement adds another accredited, large new aluminum mill to our customer list,” said Rodney Scagline, president of Union Electric Steel. “Supplying the rolls needed for this new mill is an encouraging win for us, demonstrating our growing presence among major aluminum rolling mills around the world which require the most demanding, high-quality rolls. We look forward to serving this important customer and to meeting Zhongwang Aluminum’s needs as they evolve in the future.”
Global aluminum rolling producer Novelis Inc. recently announced a $4.5 million manufacturing investment at its facility in Warren, Ohio. The state-of-the-art technological advances will provide greater versatility for pretreatments, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs over time. Novelis’ Warren facility has 75 employees dedicated to applying coating to rolled aluminum sheet. The sheet is then used for production of lids for the tops of aluminum beverage cans, producing enough for more than one billion beverage can lids each month.
Novelis supplies industry-leading beverage can materials to some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Coca-Cola, AB InBev, and PepsiCo.
The Warren expansion will include portions of the facility which has been involved in manufacturing for more than 100 years, including military support in World Wars I and II.
Frank Perryman, president and chief executive officer of Perryman Company
Perryman Company, a metal fabricator headquartered in Houston, Pennsylvania, recently announced it will more than double its current titanium melting capacity through the addition of two new furnaces, one electron beam (EB) and one vacuum arc remelt (VAR).
The integrated titanium producer from melting of ingot to finished products has existing melting facilities at its western Pennsylvania location which are utilized for projects in the commercial aircraft and medical sectors. The company expects the new furnaces to alleviate backlog and support demand for titanium products in these as well as other industrial, recreation, and infrastructure industries.
“Our aerospace forecast model indicates there will be a need for additional melting capacity. With the increased capacity we will be in position to pursue segments of the aerospace market where we have not yet been a participant. We believe there’s more opportunity for us to leverage our fully integrated capabilities,” stated Frank Perryman, president and chief executive officer of Perryman Company.
The added capacity will also support planned growth in medical, additive/3D and other emerging markets.
Installation of the new furnaces will begin in late 2018 and are expected to be fully operational by mid-2019. Once complete, the company’s total melt capacity will exceed 26 million pounds, placing Perryman among the world’s largest melters of aerospace quality titanium.
Matt Sand, president of 3DEO, discusses the pros and cons of laser sintering and bulk sintering as applied to the 3D printing industry with a particular emphasis on sustainability and low-cost technologies.
Left to Right: Cristóbal Fuentes, CEO of North American Stainless; Bernardo Velázquez, CEO of Acerinox; Matt Bevin, Governor of Kentucky; Rafael Miranda, Acerinox Chairman of the Board
A Ghent, Kentucky, steel production facility recently welcomed a Spanish delegation and state officials to the launch of its 11th expansion since 1990. The project, which was announced in March 2015, includes a new $150 million bright annealing line and a cold rolling mill.
A North American manufacturer of steel products recently announced that construction will begin on two new projects that will boost its capacity to meet demand for carbon and alloy steel products in its U.S. Midwestern and Plains markets.
Nucor Corporation, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, will build a full-range merchant bar quality (MBQ) mill at its existing bar steel mill located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The MBQ mill will have an annual capacity of 500,000 tons and is expected to cost $180 million. The project will take approximately two years to complete. This project will allow Nucor to fully utilize the company’s existing bar mill by optimizing its melt capacity and infrastructure that is already in place.
In addition, the steel producer will build a rebar micro mill in Sedalia, Missouri, about 90 miles east of Kansas City. The new micro mill project represents at least $250 million in new investments, with the expectation of creating 255 full-time jobs, and anticipates start-up in 2019 pending the final approval and award of state and local incentives as well as required permits and regulatory approvals.
Nucor will be able to take advantage of abundant scrap supply in both locations.
Scientists at several research institutions recently reported a breakthrough in 3D printing a marine grade stainless steel — a low-carbon type called 316L — that promises high-strength and high-ductility properties. Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), along with collaborators at Ames National Laboratory, Georgia Tech University, and Oregon State University, published their findings online October 30, 2017, in the journal Nature Materials.
LLNL scientist Morris Wang (left) and postdoc researcher Thomas Voisin played key roles in a collaboration that successfully 3D printed one of the most common forms of marine grade stainless steel that promises to break through the strength-ductility tradeoff barrier.
“Marine grade” stainless steel is valued for its performance under corrosive environments and for its high ductility — the ability to bend without breaking under stress — making it a preferred choice for oil pipelines, welding, kitchen utensils, chemical equipment, medical implants, engine parts and nuclear waste storage. However, conventional techniques for strengthening this class of stainless steels typically comes at the expense of ductility.
“In order to make all the components you’re trying to print useful, you need to have this material property at least the same as those made by traditional metallurgy,” said LLNL materials scientist and lead author Morris Wang. “We were able to 3D print real components in the lab with 316L stainless steel, and the material’s performance was actually better than those made with the traditional approach. That’s really a big jump. It makes additive manufacturing very attractive and fills a major gap.”
Wang said the methodology could open the floodgates to widespread 3D printing of such stainless steel components, particularly in the aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas industries, where strong and tough materials are needed to tolerate extreme force in harsh environments.
To successfully meet, and exceed, the necessary performance requirements for 316L stainless steel, researchers first had to overcome the porosity which causes parts to degrade and fracture easily during the laser melting (or fusion) of metal powders. Researchers addressed this through a density optimization process involving experiments and computer modeling, and by manipulating the materials’ underlying microstructure.
Researchers say the ability to 3D print marine grade, low-carbon stainless steel (316L) could have widespread implications for industries such as aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas.
“This microstructure we developed breaks the traditional strength-ductility tradeoff barrier,” Wang said. “For steel, you want to make it stronger, but you lose ductility essentially; you can’t have both. But with 3D printing, we’re able to move this boundary beyond the current tradeoff.”
Using two different laser powder bed fusion machines, researchers printed thin plates of stainless steel 316L for mechanical testing. The laser melting technique inherently resulted in hierarchical cell-like structures that could be tuned to alter the mechanical properties, researchers said.
Wang called stainless steel a “surrogate material” system that could be used for other types of metals. The eventual goal, he said, is to use high-performance computing to validate and predict future performance of stainless steel, using models to control the underlying microstructure and discover how to make high-performance steels, including the corrosion-resistance. Researchers will then look at employing a similar strategy with other lighter weight alloys that are more brittle and prone to cracking.
“We didn’t set out to make something better than traditional manufacturing; it just worked out that way,” said LLNL scientist Alex Hamza, who oversaw production of some additively manufactured components.
In addition to organic expansion in the U.S. and Asia automotive and construction sectors, Hindalco Industries recently revealed an interest in aluminum processing in aerospace, defense, and high-speed rail industries, according to a recent interview with Hindalco’s MD Satish Pai, published in The Economic Times.
An international manufacturer of industrial furnaces, ovens, ceramic kilns, and combustion systems, based in Monterrey, Mexico, recently announced the key asset acquisition of a Pennsylvania-based supplier of industrial furnace and process-heat treating equipment, broadening its offerings to the steel, aluminum, and alloy industries, and ultimately user industries such as steel, heat treatment, aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas.
Nutec Bickley expands its operations by bringing on board Olson Industries’ line of equipment to secure access to larger projects for the Metals Business Unit and consolidating its position in the North American market. As part of the transaction, Bryan Kraus (President and Owner of Olson Industries), will be engaged in Nutec Bickley’s Metals BU, providing guidance and assistance in related activities such as technical sales and engineering.
“We are very excited about Olson Industries and Bryan Kraus joining the Nutec Bickley family,” said Nutec Bickley President, Daniel Llaguno. “Applications such as large rotary-hearth furnaces, and peripheral equipment such as quenching systems, manipulators, robots, and conveyors will now be a standard offering from us,” confirmed Daniel Llaguno. “If you couple that with Nutec Bickley’s state-of-the-art facilities, highly experienced staff, and constant focus on customer satisfaction, you can see that there is indeed a very powerful value proposition on offer to both existing and new customers.”
Heating by means of electromagnetic induction is a topic of major significance. In the recently published (Sept. 2017) Handbook of Induction Heating (2nd Ed.), a comprehensive resource on induction heating and heat treating processes, the authors focus on addressing the intricacies of electromagnetic induction heating for the induction thermal community, providing numerous case studies, ready-to-use tables and simplified formulas and graphs.
The new edition (the first edition was originally published in 2002 and maintained a spot on the publisher’s “bestseller” list for the first 10 years) reflects numerous innovations that have taken place over the last decade in the practice and science of induction heating and heat treating, computer modeling, power supplies, failure analysis, quality assurance, and process technology. This technical resource promises to continue to be a synthesis of information, discoveries, and novelties that have been accumulated in industry and academia providing practical, comprehensive knowledge, technical insights, and guidelines.
Dr. Valery Rudnev, FASM, is the Director of Science & Technology, Inductoheat Inc., and a co-author of Handbook of Induction Heating (2nd ed.)
New Content, Case Studies, and Updated Graphics
The majority of content presented in the first edition has been completely rewritten for the second, and a significant amount of new material has been added. This includes
· Up-to-date content is provided for the following: metallurgical specifics of induction hardening of plain carbon and low alloy steels; process parameters selection for hardening cast irons vs. martensitic stainless steels vs. bearing steels vs. powder metallurgy components; the effect of rapid heating on the kinetics of austenite formation; subtleties of quenching techniques applied in induction hardening; the impact of prior microstructure, its heterogeneity, and the presence of the residuals on hardening results.
· A number of innovative induction technologies specifically developed for automotive, aerospace, off-road machinery, energy, construction, and other industries, have been reviewed, emphasizing equipment designs that maximize metallurgical quality, process robustness, machine flexibility and energy efficiency, while minimizing excessive part distortion and probability of cracking; subtleties of induction hardening and tempering of variety of critical powertrain and engine parts, including gears and gear-like components, stepped shafts, parts with geometrical irregularities (such as holes, shoulders, keyways, undercuts, etc.); a comparison of single frequency vs. simultaneous dual frequency vs. variable frequency on obtaining contour hardening.
· Aspects of components failure analysis and problems associated with reaching excessive temperatures, the occurrence of grain boundary liquation (incipient melting), grain coarsening, and other metallurgical factors are reviewed; simple solutions for typical heat treat challenges and a “fishbone” diagram of cracking are provided; transient and residual stresses are discussed.
Handbook of Induction Heating (2nd ed.), by Valery Rudnev, Don Loveless and Raymond L. Cook, 2017, CRC Press
· Inventions and innovations related to inductor designs have been reviewed: for example, in single-shot hardening of shaft-like components, a unique inductor design allows the extension of its life more than sixteen-fold compared to the industry standard as verified by the tool-room tags of the users; aspects related to the failure analysis of hardening inductors and induction coils used in different applications and prevention of their premature failures have been examined.
· The discussion of the causes for crack initiation and the propagation during rapid heating and intense quenching and means to control or eliminate cracking has been greatly expanded. Innovative inductor design made achieving almost undetectable distortion when hardening camshafts possible, allowing the elimination of the necessity of a subsequent straightening operation.
· The modular design concept in induction heating of ferrous and non-ferrous (e.g., Al, Cu, Mg, etc.) metallic materials prior to forging, extrusion, rolling, and upsetting is included, as well as efficient induction heating of billets, bars, rods and tubular workpieces; concept of true temperature control and ways to avoid surface and subsurface overheating and billet sticking (fusing) problems.
· Modern low-, medium- and high-frequency power supplies for various needs of induction heating and heat treating are discussed. This includes novel semiconductor inverter technologies, simultaneous dual frequency power supplies, as well as inverters that allow controlling independently and instantly frequency and power (IFP-Technology) during scan hardening. Topology, applicability, troubleshooting and maintenance, and other aspects of typical induction power supplies have been reviewed. Engineering procedures assuring a proper “coil-to-power supply” load-matching characteristics are provided.
· The use of induction heating in brazing, soldering, bonding, shrink fitting, sealing, coating, and other applications is discussed.
· Common misassumptions and misleading postulations associated with the theory and practice of induction heating are clarified in the 2nd edition.
· Best practices and recommendations for equipment maintenance and safety principles are provided. Do’s and Dont’s items are reviewed, along with discussion on the direct and indirect effects of electromagnetic field exposure on health, passive and active medical implants, hypersensitivity, etc. Awareness programs regarding non-ionizing radiation and evaluation of the health risks associated with external field exposure and ways to monitor and control them are included.
· Crucial tips executives must know regarding computer modeling of induction heating processes.
“Three World-Class Experts on Staff”
Jon D. Tirpak, PE, FASM; Executive Director, Forging Defense Manufacturing Consortium, and Past President, ASM International (2015-2016)
The 2nd edition Handbook of Induction Heating is intended to reach a wide variety of readers including practitioners, students, engineers, metallurgists, managers, and scientists.
Jon D. Tirpak, PE, FASM; Executive Director, Forging Defense Manufacturing Consortium, and Past President, ASM International (2015-2016) says the following about Handbook of Induction Heating:
“The 2nd Edition of the Handbook for Induction Heating is equivalent to having 3 world class experts on staff without paying high priced consulting fees. For your seasoned, and probably more importantly, your new and emerging manufacturing and process engineers, this comprehensive guide provides the details your company needs to compete around the world. Significant technical achievements have occurred since 2002 with the last edition. Rudnev, Loveless, and Cook have compiled an indispensable, world-class text replete with the basics and advanced concepts of induction heating. The case studies also illustrate and inspire the design and deployment of innovative concepts which transform theory into application. If you are not reading and using this tour de force, it is safe to say that your competitors have read and marked up their copies.”
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Dr. Valery Rudnev, FASM, is the Director of Science & Technology, Inductoheat Inc., and a co-author of Handbook of Induction Heating (2nd ed.), along with Don Loveless and Raymond L. Cook. The Handbook of Induction Heating, 2nd ed., is published by CRC Press.
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