Neutron Researchers Looking for Ways to Improve Vehicle Safety and Fuel Efficiency

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

Source: Phys.org

 

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

 

Read more: “Neutrons Analyze Advanced High-Strength Steels To Improve Vehicle Safety and Efficiency”

 

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

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Steelmaker Invests in Q&T Production at Alabama Plant

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A Swedish steelmaker is responding to the increase in demand for quenched and tempered (Q&T) steels in the U.S. by investing the equivalent of approximately $110 million in its Mobile, Alabama, steel mill.

Martin Lindqvist, SSAB’s President and CEO

SSAB’s investment is targeted to increase annual production capacity of Q&T in Mobile from 330,000 tons (U.S.) to 440,000 tons (U.S.) and to reduce costs.

“SSAB is a global leader in Q&T steels and we have largely driven market growth through application development together with customers,” said Martin Lindqvist, SSAB’s President and CEO. “Over the past 20 years, we have increased Q&T volumes by an average of 7 percent a year. There is great market potential as Q&T penetration is still relatively low in, for example, North and South America, where we now plan to increase capacity.”

The investment of around SEK 1 billion is scheduled to take place 2019-2021 and is targeted at three areas: formatting, blasting & painting, as well as shipping capacity.

In parallel, a new, accelerated cooling system will also be installed and this will improve the potential to grow volumes of more advanced premium products while reducing the need for alloys. The investment has been designed to include the potential to build additional Q&T capacity through direct quenching similar to the technology currently used at SSAB’s production facilities in Finland and Sweden.

 

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Sacrificial Lambs: Hardness Testing and Heat Treating

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

 

Source: Gear Technology

 

Charles D. Schultz, president of Beyta Gear Service

In a recent blog post at Gear Technology, Charles D. Schultz, president of Beyta Gear Service, addressed the importance of accuracy when describing hardness test location and the reason why “sacrificial lambs” are needed during production.

“I cannot emphasize enough that if you are not cutting up parts or coupons you do not know what is really happening during your thermal processing.” ~ Charles D. Schulz

 

Read more: “Gear Materials: More Inside Heat Treating Trivia”

Photo Credit: Gear Technology

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PA Metals Manufacturer Begins Production at Expanded Aerospace Parts Facility

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

 

Source: Light Metal Age

 

Jeremy Halford, president of Arconic Engineered Structures

A lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recently opened its expanded aluminum and titanium aerospace parts facility in Bestwig, Germany, almost doubling its titanium parts production capacity and adding state-of-the-art equipment.

Arconic’s expansion will allow the company to meet the demand for lightweight titanium investment castings.

“Combined with our previous investments in Bestwig, this latest expansion is providing additional capacity to deliver even more of the titanium components our customers need to build aircraft at high volumes,” said Jeremy Halford, president of Arconic Engineered Structures.

 

Read more: “Arconic Opens Expanded Aerospace Parts Facility in Germany”

Photo credit: Arconic

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CAB Technology Commissioned by Auto Parts Manufacturer

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

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.

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Heat Treat Today’s Meet the Consultants: Dan Herring, “The Heat Treat Doctor®”

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Heat Treat Today recently unveiled its Heat Treat Consultants page in the October 2018 print edition (available in digital format here) and at FNA in Indianapolis, Indiana. We offer this comprehensive listing of heat treat industry consultants as part of our efforts to help minimize the effects of heat treat “brain drain.” With so many heat treat brains growing older, the expertise that once used to reside inside of manufacturing operations is dwindling. Where, then, do manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments go when they need heat treat answers?

Turn to Heat Treat Today and our comprehensive list of heat treat industry consultants, which we will introduce to you one by one in this occasional feature, “Meet the Consultants”. There is no more comprehensive list of heat treat consultants. Learn more about Dan Herring, “The Heat Treat Doctor®” and then click through to the page to read more details about each consultant. We are adding more regularly. Contact them directly, or call us and we’ll introduce you to them. Whether it’s a technical process question, a safety concern, a compliance issue, or a business related question, one of our heat treat consultants will be able to help. If you are a consultant and would like to be listed, please contact Doug Glenn.

Name: Dan Herring “The Heat Treat Doctor®”
Company Name: The HERRING GROUP, Inc.
Location: Elmhurst, Illinois
Years in Industry: 45+
Consulting Specialties:

  • Problem Solving & Technical Advice in Heat Treatment, Sintering, Brazing, Metallurgy, Engineering & Material
  • Metallurgical & Failure Analysis
  • Technical Education & Training (SAE-ARP-1962, Nadcap)
  • Marketing Studies, State-of-the-Industry Reports
  • New Product & Business Development

Send an email | Website | Phone: 630-834-3017

Briefly: 

Dan Herring, who is most well known as The Heat Treat Doctor®, has been in the industry for over 45 years. He spent the first 25 years in heat treating prior to launching The HERRING GROUP in 1995. His vast experience in the field includes materials science, engineering, metallurgy, equipment design, process and application specialist, and new product research. Dan holds a patent (as a co-inventor), and a broad range of industries are made better for his consulting services in heat treating and sintering, metallurgy, operations, business management, sales and marketing, and technology. In particular, The Heat Treat Doctor strongly believes open sharing of knowledge and discoveries in the field will improve the industry: he holds a position as an associate research professor with the Thermal Processing Technology Center (Illinois Institute of Technology), has written four books and nearly 500 technical articles, and lectures frequently at conferences and workshops worldwide.

Publications or Significant Accomplishments:

  1. Founded The HERRING GROUP (1995)
  2. Associate Research Professor, Thermal Processing Technology Center, Illinois Institute of Technology.
  3. Author of 4 books on heat treatment: 1) Vacuum Heat Treatment: Principles, Practices, Applications, Volume I(BNP Media; 2012); 2) Atmosphere Heat Treatment: Principles, Applications, Equipment, Vol. 1 (BNP Media, 2014); 3) Atmosphere Heat Treatment: Atmospheres, Quenching, Testing, Vol. 2 (BNP Media, 2015); 4) Vacuum Heat Treatment: Applications, Equipment, Operation, Volume II (BNP Media, 2016); as well as U.S. Government publications, including The Influence of Process Variables on Vacuum Carburizing (U.S. Department of Energy, 1995)
  4. Author or co-author of over 425 technical articles on Heat Treatment Processes at The Heat Treat Doctor’s Technical Library as well as The Heat Treat Doctor’s Heat Treat Hints .
  5. Co-inventor of patented “method of carburizing steel comprising carburizing steel under vacuum utilizing as the carburizing gas an aliphatic alcohol having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, preferably methanol and natural gas additions.” (Patent No. US4386973A)
  6. A frequent lecturer at local, national and international conferences
  7. Consulting Technical Editor and Monthly Contributor, Industrial Heating, including over 500 articles and blog posts
  8. Contributing Writer: Vac Aero, Fastener World, Fastener Technology International, Heat Treating Progress, Wire Forming Technology International, Gear Solutions, and more (see list linked under #4)
  9. Member: ASM International, American Gas Association “Hall of Fame”
  10. One of the “25 Most Influential People in the North American Heat Treating Industry” (The Monty, 2007, 2009)

Links to Heat Treat Today or Other Online Resources from This Consultant (a select list)

References (partial list):

LinkedIn.com |  The Heat Treat Doctor  |  Vac Aero  |  Industrial Heating  | Thermal Processing Technology Center

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Nevada, Wisconsin Construction Equipment Manufacturer Expansion Includes Heat Treat

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A manufacturer and supplier of earth-moving equipment recently announced expansion plans that include two of its brands building new facilities in Nevada and Wisconsin, one to host a new heat treat shop.

Jeff Dawes, President and CEO of Milwaukee-based Komatsu Mining Corp

Komatsu Equipment Company will a build state-of-the-art, $47 million customer support and service center in Elko, Nevada. This announcement comes not long after Komatsu Mining Corp reported intentions to construct a new headquarters and manufacturing campus near the location of the company’s original machine shop off South First Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Komatsu’s investment of nearly $300 million at the Milwaukee site will include the design and construction of advanced machine, heat treat, and fabrication shops; state-of-the-art technology, R&D, and robotics labs; as well as new office and training facilities. Komatsu Mining Corp. aims to reduce energy consumption with green initiatives, including solar panels, wind spires, a remotely operated closed-loop heat treat system, green spaces, LED lighting and other sustainable solutions. Project completion is expected in 2022.

“The new campus provides us opportunity for advancement in state-of-the-art facilities that expand our capabilities on a global scale,” said Jeff Dawes, President and CEO of Milwaukee-based Komatsu Mining Corp. “Our new facilities will be designed to enhance safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability – all top priorities of Komatsu worldwide, allowing us to better serve our customers and deliver innovative solutions.”

John Pfisterer, president of Komatsu Equipment Company

Of the new 189,000 sq-ft manufacturing space in Elko, Nevada, Komatsu Equipment Company John Pfisterer said: “The new building offers an exciting opportunity to bring together local employees of two major Komatsu subsidiaries: KEC and Komatsu Mining Corp. (KMC), into one integrated organization. Collaborating directly in a shared, state-of-the-art space, these combined teams will enhance customer support and operational efficiency.”

The new building will include a six-bay, full-service construction equipment and mechanical rebuild shop; a heavy welding and fabricating shop, large enough for rebuild and manufacturing of large shovel and truck structures and manufacturing of truck bodies; a heavy machine shop with large, horizontal milling and boring machine, plus vertical lathe capability; and a construction equipment and rental-machine yard. The Nevada project is planned for completion in early 2020.

 

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Aero Manufacturer Opens Parts, Components Facility

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS

A global aerospace manufacturer recently celebrated the opening of its news fabrication factory in Sheffield, U.K.

Jenette Ramos, Boeing senior vice president of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations.

Boeing’s new factory, the company’s first manufacturing site in Europe, makes actuation system components for the 737 and 767 jets from raw materials sourced in the UK. At full capacity, Boeing Sheffield will produce thousands of parts each month, which will be shipped for assembly in Boeing’s plant in Portland, Oregon. The 66,736-sq-ft facility represents a Boeing investment of more than $51.5 million, placing the world’s largest aerospace company at the heart of Sheffield City Region’s growing Global Innovation Corridor.

“We appreciate all the community support for Boeing’s new advanced manufacturing factory in the UK. This is a fabulous example of how we are engaging global talent to provide greater value to our customers,” said Jenette Ramos, Boeing senior vice president of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations. “In Boeing Sheffield, we are building on longstanding relationships and the region’s manufacturing expertise to enhance our production system and continue to connect, protect, explore and inspire aerospace innovation.”

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Steelmaker Completes Acquisition of Rebar Facilities

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A steel and metal manufacturer based in Irving, Texas, which includes heat treating in the processes it provides recently announced the company has completed the acquisition of 33 rebar fabrication facilities as well as steel mills in the United States.

Barbara Smith, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Metals

Commercial Metals Company acquired the plants from Gerdau S.A., a producer of long and specialty steel products in the Americas. The steel mills are located in Knoxville, Tennessee; Jacksonville, Florida; Sayreville, New Jersey; and Rancho Cucamonga, California.

“I am thrilled to welcome the approximately 3,200 employees of these operations to Commercial Metals Company,” said Barbara Smith, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Metals. “The successful completion of the transaction represents an important step in our strategy to be the leading concrete reinforcing specialist as well as a significant provider of merchant and wire rod products.  With our expanded geographic footprint and added operational flexibility, this transaction supports our vertically integrated steelmaking model and will leverage our existing rebar manufacturing technology and customer service core competencies.”

Photo credit: BizJournals.com

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Heat Treat Tips: Burner Tuning & Calibration – It’s Not Your BBQ Grill . . .

/ BURNERS & COMBUSTION SYSTEMS TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

During the day-to-day operation of heat treat departments, many habits are formed and procedures followed that sometimes are done simply because that’s the way they’ve always been done. One of the great benefits of having a community of heat treaters is to challenge those habits and look at new ways of doing things. Heat Treat Today‘s 101 Heat Treat Tips, tips and tricks that come from some of the industry’s foremost experts, were initially published in the FNA 2018 Special Print Edition, as a way to make the benefits of that community available to as many people as possible. This special edition is available in a digital format here.

In today’s Technical Tuesday, we continue an intermittent series of posts drawn from the 101 tips. The category for this post is Combustion, and today’s tip is #23.

Combustion

Heat Treat Tip #23

Burner adjustment to nominal gas and air ratios is a typical component of your combustion equipment maintenance. However, this process cannot be minimized in importance as any adjustment can affect operation, efficiency, exhaust emissions & equipment life. Factors to consider and address during any burner adjustment:

  • Burner adjustment should always be done when possible at normal furnace operating temperature under typical production to maintain best conditions for final calibration.
  • Provide clean combustion air: maintain blower filter & consider the source of any plant air.
  • An increase of gas may not increase power to the system due to heat transfer or throughput issues.
  • A decrease in combustion air will not create a hotter flame or add power to the system as this may only create a gas-rich operation resulting in reduced power and CO in the exhaust.
  • Verify gas & combustion supply pressures & consider creating a monthly log of incoming pressures.
  • While a visual inspection of flame can help to verify operation or proper combustion, burner gas /air adjustment can not accurately be performed by simply looking at color or size of a flame.
  • A working understanding of burner system is important to determine and verify values to gas/air and excess O² to a specific application.

This tip was submitted by WS Thermal.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the expert who submitted the Tip or contact Heat Treat Today directly. If you have a heat treat tip that you’d like to share, please send to the editor, and we’ll put it in the queue for our next Heat Treat Tips issue. 

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