Alum Producer Purchases Heat Treating Equipment to Boost Greenfield Expansion

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

 

Source: Light Metal Age

 

A leading producer a state-of-the-art aluminum extrusion and forging grade billet and rolling ingot slabs with four plants in North America recently entered into an agreement with a thermal equipment supplier based in St. Louis, Missouri, for the supply of several furnaces in support of the company’s greenfield expansion in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.

Robert Roscetti, Vice-President of Corporate Development, Matalco Inc. / Photo credit: Light Metal Age

Matalco Inc., which has facilities in Canton, Ohio; Lordstown, Ohio; Bluffton, Indiana; and Brampton, Ontario, ordered from Gillespie & Powers Inc. one 115,000 lb tilting melting furnace, one 115,000 lb tilting holding furnace, three 120,000 lb batch homogenizing ovens, and two 120,000 lb. batch coolers with charging car, and related equipment.

“We are excited about our new partnership with Gillespie & Powers Inc. for the complete furnace equipment installation and commissioning for our new Wisconsin Rapids plant,” said Robert Roscetti, Vice-President of Corporate Development, Matalco Inc. “It represents a major step forward in the construction of Matalco’s new facility, which is on schedule for first production in 2020.”

 

Read more: “Matalco Orders New Furnaces and Equipment for Latest Greenfield Site in Wisconsin”

 

Main image credit/caption: Light Metal Age / The furnace pictured is a tilting melter in the up position of the type that will be delivered to Matalco Wisconsin.

Alum Producer Purchases Heat Treating Equipment to Boost Greenfield Expansion Read More »

Acquisition to Launch New Metal Additive Manufacturing Business

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A Cleveland, Ohio, company with metallurgy capabilities that manufactures arc welding products and systems and provides alloy brazing and soldering recently acquired a privately held supplier of custom tooling, parts, and fixtures primarily serving automotive and aerospace markets.
Christopher L. Mapes, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

The acquisition by Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. will advance the company’s automation and metal additive manufacturing capabilities and leverage its core competencies in software development and metallurgy. Baker Industries, based in Detroit, Michigan, has extensive in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, including machining, fabricating, assembly and additive manufacturing. Their operations adhere to stringent aerospace quality management standards and are AS9100D certified and Nadcap accredited.

A new metal additive manufacturing service business will launch in mid-2019 which will include the production of large-scale printed metal parts, prototypes and tooling for industrial and aerospace customers. The Baker operation, along with a new Cleveland, Ohio-based additive manufacturing development center, will provide an additive manufacturing platform to help customers improve their lead times, designs and quality in their operations.

“We are pleased to welcome Baker Industries to Lincoln Electric and to our automation portfolio’s new additive manufacturing platform,” said Christopher L. Mapes, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Additive manufacturing is a key strategic growth area in automation, and Baker’s expertise and capabilities will assist in scaling our additive manufacturing services and expand our presence in attractive aerospace and automotive end markets.”

 

Main photo caption: Lincoln Electric’s new metal additive manufacturing service will launch in mid-2019 and provide large scale metal printing of industrial parts, tooling and prototypes for customers.

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Amazon Gift Card Winners Announced for Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat LinkedIn Group

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Heat Treat Today recently announced the launch of the Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat LinkedIn Group and with it was a month-long event encouraging readers to join the group and comment on any of the posts during the month of April.

Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat LinkedIn Group  (click here) provides a professional-level space where heat treaters from the aerospace industry can discuss issues and ideas. Heat Treat Today is regularly providing content related to the group, keeping members current on the latest technologies, products, processes, and discussions. If you’re a heat treat leader in the aerospace industry, you should be in this group.

As a special welcome to founding members of the Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat LinkedIn Group, Heat Treat Today conducted a drawing for three winners, each to receive a $100 Amazon gift cards, open to anyone who joined the group AND commented on any of the posts during the month of April.

The three winners have been notified and they are:

  • Gary Berwick, Sales Engineer at Dry Coolers, Inc.
  • Steve Offley, Product Marketing Manager at Phoenix Temperature Measurement
  • Ellen Conway Merrill, Vice President at DELTA H TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Each will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

This new professional space was launched on the heels of releasing our inaugural Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat monthly e-newsletter and the new Aerospace Heat Treat special print/digital edition (click here for digital).

To join the LinkedIn group:

Go to your LinkedIn account, sign in and search for “Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat.” Join the group and connect with other leaders in aerospace heat treat.

For more information about the Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat monthly e-newsletter, contact Doug Glenn at doug@heattreattoday.com.

Amazon Gift Card Winners Announced for Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat LinkedIn Group Read More »

First Aluminum Sheet Battery Enclosure Helps Electric Vehicles Go Farther on a Single Charge

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS

A leading global aluminum rolling company recently announced it has developed the first aluminum sheet battery enclosure for the rapidly growing electric vehicle and battery sectors.

Pierre Labat, Vice President, Global Automotive, Novelis Inc.

Novelis, Inc., introduced the enclosure which is built with Novelis Advanz™ aluminum products and is up to 50 percent lighter than an equivalent steel design, providing a more sustainable mobility solution in battery electric vehicles. As a result, it matches the best energy density in the industry by enabling more than 160 watt-hours per kilogram, an extremely efficient design for OEMs and Tier 1 battery pack manufacturers. It also can accommodate all battery cell types and is designed particularly for battery electric vehicles with larger power packs such as pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, and crossovers.

By utilizing Novelis’ highly-formable alloys, the battery enclosure provides automakers the ability to achieve deep drawn, complex shapes tailored to specific vehicle design requirements. The lightweight, high-strength material can help extend range, allowing vehicles to go 6-10 percent further on a single charge.

“This is the first project resulting from Novelis’ recently launched Customer Solution Center network, which brings research and technical platforms, operations and commercial development together to increase collaboration and innovation with our partners,” said Pierre Labat, Vice President, Global Automotive, Novelis Inc. “With our investment in design, joining and crash management capabilities, we were able to create a stronger, more efficient, and more cost-effective enclosure that can be fully customized to meet our customers’ needs.”

First Aluminum Sheet Battery Enclosure Helps Electric Vehicles Go Farther on a Single Charge Read More »

SDB Furnaces Shipped to Metal Treating Facility

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS
Mark Schahczinski, Sales Engineer, Wisconsin Oven Corporation

A metal treating company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently purchased five electrically heated standard draw batch (SDB) series furnaces to be used for stress relieving at its facility.

East Carolina Metal Treating received shipment of the equipment, which have maximum operating temperatures of 1250°F, from Wisconsin Oven Corporation, a Thermal Products Solutions company. Guaranteed temperature uniformity of ± 10°F at set points 300°F, 750°F, and 1250°F was documented with a 9-point temperature uniformity survey in empty oven chambers under static operating conditions.

“East Carolina Metal Treating has been incredible to work with,” said Mark Schahczinski, Sales Engineer, “and we look forward to working with them for many years to come. ECMT even filmed the installation process for these five batch ovens, and the time lapse video is available to watch on both the WOC and ECMT Facebook pages.”

SDB Furnaces Shipped to Metal Treating Facility Read More »

Heat Treater Performs Brinell Hardness Testing with Precision for Primes

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, HARDNESS TESTERS TECHNICAL CONTENT

The largest subcontract heat treater of aluminum alloys in the UK, accredited to process components to Prime specifications, turned to a manufacturer of Brinell hardness testing machines to develop a more efficient testing process.

Foundrax BRINtronic automatic Brinell microscope

Alloy Heat Treatment (AHT), which serves the aerospace, automotive, energy, and other sectors, has a large number of prime customer approvals including Leonardo Helicopters, Airbus, Safran, Boeing, and BAE Systems. They are accredited to heat treat to these Prime’s specifications and often work as a trusted supplier to other companies that deal directly with them. Part of the Prime specifications dictates that Brinell hardness testing is carried out prior to releasing the components. AHT settled on the Foundrax BRINtronic automatic Brinell microscope, designed by Foundrax Engineering Products, based in Wessex, England.

“Part of the release process for aluminum alloys is that we must do conductivity and hardness testing on every job that leaves us,” said Steve Roberts, Quality Director with Alloy Heat Treatment. “As such we were looking at ways that we could gain efficiencies in this process. Using the BRINtronic from Foundrax has allowed us to gain these efficiencies.”

Brinell hardness measurements were required to be taken in areas of components where access is limited by intricate machine webbing or where the nose diameter of the microscope is restricted to approximately 30mm.

Alex Austin, Managing Director, Foundrax

“One of the problems we needed to solve with equipment selection is that the microscope must get into quite intricate places,” continued Roberts. “All the other microscopes we looked at have wide noses on them so, the design of the Foundrax scope was right up our street. We’ve used the manual Foundrax microscopes for as long as I’ve been here.”

“As the microscope automatically measures the indentation at multiple points, results are instant,” said Alex Austin, Managing Director of Foundrax. “They are recorded, and of course, the operator doesn’t have to turn the microscope 90 degrees and remeasure as he would with manual measurement. There is well over a 50% saving on measuring time.”

Foundrax BRINtronic display

“Obviously, the usability of the BRINtronic suited us,” said Roberts, “because we could get it into the places that we would struggle with using the competitor’s equipment. The process of measuring was far easier with the Foundrax BRINtronic as with the others we had to try and hold it with both hands and press buttons. They weren’t particularly well balanced either so in practice we were losing efficiencies rather than gaining them.”

 

 

 

Main photo caption: Steve Roberts of AHT uses the BRINtronic testing machine from Foundrax.

Heat Treater Performs Brinell Hardness Testing with Precision for Primes Read More »

Major U.S. Steelmaker to Invest in Endless Casting & Rolling Technology

/ FEATURED NEWS, FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A U.S. integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recently announced that it will invest more than $1 billion to construct new facilities in Pennsylvania, including a sustainable endless casting and rolling facility at its Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, Pennsylvania.

David B. Burritt, president and CEO of U.S. Steel

United States Steel Corporation (U.S. Steel) announcement highlights] the company’s continued commitment to steelmaking in Pennsylvania. In addition to the endless casting and rolling facility, the company plans to build a cogeneration facility at its Clairton Plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania. Both are part of the U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works.

The cutting-edge endless casting and rolling technology combines thin slab casting and hot rolled band production into one continuous process and, according to U.S. Steel, will make Mon Valley Works the first facility of this type in the United States, and one of only a handful in the world, replacing the existing traditional slab caster and hot strip mill facilities at the Mon Valley location.

“This is a truly transformational investment for U. S. Steel,” said David B. Burritt, president and CEO of U.S. Steel. “We are combining our integrated steelmaking process with industry-leading endless casting and rolling to reinvest in steelmaking and secure the future for a new generation of steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania and the Mon Valley. U. S. Steel’s investment in leading technology and advanced manufacturing aligns with our vision to be the industry leader in delivering high-quality, value-added products and innovative solutions that address our customers’ most challenging steel needs for the future. We believe that adding sustainable steel technology to our footprint will create long-term value for our employees, our region, our customers and our investors.”

With this investment, Mon Valley Works will become the principal source of substrate for the production of
the company’s industry-leading XG3™ Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) that assists automotive customers in
meeting fuel efficiency standards. This project, in addition to producing sustainable AHSS, will improve
environmental performance, energy conservation and reduce our carbon footprint associated with Mon Valley Works. First coil production is expected in 2022, contingent upon permitting and construction.

 

Photo credit: Image still from video, U.S. Steel Youtube page

Major U.S. Steelmaker to Invest in Endless Casting & Rolling Technology Read More »

15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

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15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

Personnel and Company Chatter

  • Thomas Persson recently joined Therma-Tron-X Inc. as their newest HTF (Heat Treat Furnace) sales engineer.
  • Chromalox has announced the opening of its new sales and operations office in Korea.
  • Thomas “Tucker” Hamling II was recently appointed to the position of sales manager with ZIRCAR Refractory Composites, Inc., responsible for domestic technical sales while also providing technical guidance to the company’s customers.
  • A definitive agreement has been reached between Tenaris S.A. and PAO TMK, a Russian company and manufacturer of steel pipe, to acquire 100% of the shares of PAO TMK’s wholly owned U.S. subsidiary IPSCO Tubulars, Inc.
  • Beaumont Machine has relocated to a new larger manufacturing facility, still in the Cincinnati area, to expand the machine line for components for new markets such as semiconductor materials processing and land-based power generation, particularly turbine blades.
  • The American Foundry Society is pleased to welcome Tom Dore as Technical Director. Formerly a vice president at AFS Corporate Member Alu-Bra Foundry, Dore has years of hands-on experience in foundry operations, including plant engineering, heat treating, sand casting, customer quality, and sales.
  • Mike Winkelmann, an industry veteran, has been appointed the new General Manager of the fast-growing Mechanical Services division of Plibrico Company, LLC.
  • Paulo recently announced three leadership changes to the Operations team. Kyle Moore has been promoted to Plant Manager of the St. Louis Division, Tim Mohr has been promoted to Director of Strategic Programs, and Tee Rassieur has been promoted to Vice President Operations.

 Equipment Chatter

  • A Tier 1 automotive manufacturer recently chose Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd to design and commission a high-capacity, heat-treatment system, providing T-6 and T-7 processing capabilities for lightweight aluminum High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) automotive components.
  • A medical device manufacturer required an oven to preheat an aluminum mold for a silicone part that was to be filled and cured in the next manufacturing step and contracted with Despatch. The company develops innovative products that improve patient outcomes by enabling minimally invasive surgery.
  • A company that requires the heat treating of automotive parts in baskets recently purchased the No. 1040, a 2200°F (1204°C), inert atmosphere pit furnace, from Grieve Corporation.

Kudos Chatter

  • Dr. Valery Rudnev, FASM IFHTSE Fellow, the Director of Science & Technology at Inductoheat Inc., was recently appointed this year’s speaker at the Woodside Lecture of the Detroit Chapter of ASM. The Woodside Lecture is named for William P. Woodside, the founder of ASM in Detroit (1913). Dr. Rudnev will be discussing “Recent Theoretical and Practical Novelties in Induction Heat Treatment.”
  • Saint-Gobain recently announced that Neha Dave, business manager of Specialty Materials at Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, has been named a 2019 STEP Ahead Emerging Leader by The Manufacturing Institute. Additionally, the institute is recognizing Silham El Kasmi, operational director for Saint-Gobain Crystals in France, as a 2019 STEP Ahead Award Honoree. Dave and El Kasmi were recently honored during an Awards Dinner Gala in Washington, D.C.
  • The world’s largest wind-turbine blade—351 feet (107 meters) long—has been manufactured by LM Wind Power in Cherbourg, France, as part of a GE Renewable Energy Haliade-X 12-MW offshore turbine. The blade is comprised of multiple thin layers of glass-and-carbon fibers with wood, fused together with resin.
  • In addition, the largest rotary tilting furnace in the world has been manufactured and supplied by GHI Smart Furnaces, in a project subsidized by the Basque Government in which the company has worked together with Befesa and Tecnalia. This is the second time the company has reached a world record.
  • Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.

15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

Nitinol Tubing Center Launched to Support Medical Device Applications

/ MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

A nitinol-based components manufacturer recently launched the High-Performance Nitinol Tubing Center of Excellence in response to increasing market demand for High-Performance Nitinol Tubing in challenging medical applications.

Confluent Medical (formerly Nitinol Devices & Components “NDC”) expects the center to support Nitinol component manufacturers for applications such as Transcatheter Heart Valves, Neurovascular, Electrophysiology, and Interventional Pulmonary.

The High-Performance Nitinol Tubing Center of Excellence has world-class internal capabilities that include high purity ELI Nitinol material; a wide range of Nitinol tubing sizes and tolerances; precise Nitinol tubing processes; and superior surface finish.

 

Nitinol Tubing Center Launched to Support Medical Device Applications Read More »