Our “Best of the Web” feature today brings you a story about an initiative in India to inaugurate a “Swiss Precision & Assembly” unit in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in a joint venture with a Switzerland-based company.
Swiss scientist Dr. Rajendra Joshi and his wife Mrs. Ursula Joshi (RUJ Group) and SRM Technologies AG will join forces under the name RUJ & SRM Mechanics (or RS India) to provide solutions for precision metal parts processed with metal anodizing, painting, and heat treatment to the a wide range of manufacturing sectors such as medical, automotive, and aerospace, as well as polymechanical, machine automation, and laboratory technology.
The Heat Treatment Pty Ltd. of Queensland, Australia, will contribute to a new research hub set to drive advances in Australia’s medical technology sector by developing cost-competitive technologies for the rapid production of medical devices.
Researchers from The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology have teamed up with experts from industry, government, and academia to launch the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Advanced Manufacturing of Medical Devices (AMMD Hub).
UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj
With researchers based at Cook Medical Australia, the AMMD Hub will focus on the development of advanced materials, improved manufacturing technologies and flexible processing capabilities.
UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said one of the key goals for this hub was to create better health outcomes for patients in Australia and around the globe.
“One of the intended outcomes is to reduce the time it takes to design, manufacture and supply custom-made medical devices such as endovascular stent grafts for patients with aortic aneurysm – an increasingly common condition that currently has post-rupture survival rates of only 10 to 20 per cent,” said Professor Høj. “It’s an exciting venture with lots of potential, and we look forward to celebrating the results.”
Professor Sue Thomas, Australian Research Council CEO
Researchers have already begun work in the area of lean manufacturing to improve the production times of custom-made devices to surgeons. Projects looking at adaptive automation systems, metallic biomaterials, and collaborative robotics are also underway.
“This Research Hub’s industry-focused research collaboration will develop new, advanced materials and processes that will not only lead to tangible health outcomes for Australians but also drive new technologies and skills that are vital for the competitiveness of Australia’s medical devices industry,” said Professor Sue Thomas, Australian Research Council CEO.
The AMMD Hub brings together researchers from UQ, The University of the Sunshine Coast, The University of Sydney and RMIT with industry partners including Cook Medical Australia Pty Ltd., Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty Ltd., Heat Treatment (Qld) Pty Ltd. and QMI Solutions Ltd.
A steel and metals manufacturer based in Irving, Texas, which processes materials and services through a network of facilities that includes electric arc furnace (EAF) mini-mills and micro mills, recently dedicated a new micro mill in Durant, Oklahoma.
Barbara Smith, chairman, president, and CEO of CMC.
This is Commercial Metal Company’s second micro mill in Durant, supporting CMC’s processing and supply of steel and metals to a wide range of industries, including energy, construction, refractory, and transportation. The new technologically advanced facility will use a continuous manufacturing process which melts, casts, and rolls steel from a single uninterrupted strand, resulting in higher yields and lower energy consumption.
“We look forward to providing our customers with high-quality product combined with CMC’s outstanding service,” said Barbara Smith, chairman, president, and CEO of CMC.
A metal processing company based in Lansing, Michigan, which provides numerous heat treating services such as annealing, quench & tempering, and stress relieving, recently added Ferritic Nitrocarburizing (FNC) to its process offerings.
Atmosphere Annealing, a division of Premier Thermal Solutions (PTS), supports automotive, energy, aerospace, agriculture, heavy equipment, heavy truck, rail and wire rope industries to customers throughout the U.S. Midwest.
An excerpt:
“FNC, a low-temperature process, typically is used on plain carbon steel components. FNC is known for providing a high level of wear resistance, low distortion, improved fatigue properties and greater corrosion resistance. Depending on requirements, FNC often is used as an alternative to carburizing and carbonitriding.”
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.”
A global aerospace company that provides complex assemblies and systems solutions to aircraft and engine manufacturers and defense and space agencies worldwide recently announced that a number of major contract extensions and new awards have been made by world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems.
Magellan Aerospace, based in Toronto, Ontario, reported that multi-year contract renewals were agreed to for the manufacture of titanium wing fittings for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the detail manufacture and assembly of the tanker door for the Boeing 767-2C aircraft. In addition, Magellan was also awarded a new multi-year contract to manufacture winglet components for the Boeing 737 MAX.
The components and assemblies associated with these multiple contracts will be delivered from Magellan’s facilities in New York, New York, and Middletown, Ohio.
Haydn Martin, vice president New Business Development for Magellan
“These awards reflect Magellan’s commitment to continue to provide value solutions to Boeing in meeting their market challenges. Magellan will continue to innovate and optimize its performance to meet the expectations of Boeing and our customer base,” said Haydn Martin, vice president New Business Development for Magellan.
Dr. Bill Stry, senior process technology engineer at Harper International
A global leader in complete thermal processing solutions recently extended the carbon fiber production capabilities of several cutting-edge material industries across multiple sectors by building and installing oxidations ovens.
Harper International, based in Buffalo, New York, offers thermal and velocity uniformity through the design and manufacture of carbonization technology and equipment for carbon fiber production. The company’s 3-meter wide, center-to-end parallel flow production oxidation ovens include integrated tow guidance and energy recovery, integrated roll stands with precision tow tracking, and low energy consumption per kilo of fiber.
Artist drawing of the thermal processing line of oxidation ovens being built by Harper International
“Our technology advancements provide rapid startup and stable oxidation, improved air velocity and thermal uniformity at a variety of flow rates, and optimal control of the reaction ultimately enhancing fiber quality,” said Dr. Bill Stry, senior process technology engineer at Harper International.
Nico Schmitz, Christian Schwotzer, and Herbert Pfeifer with the Department for Industrial Furnaces and Heat Engineering (IOB) in Germany have collaborated on an analysis of metallic recirculating radiant tubes, their purpose in the heat treating process, and their design and installation. In particular, the authors, with access to a furnace-equipped pilot plant operated by IOB, investigate the factors that affect tube productivity and contribute to tube failures. They have reported on these findings in an exclusive paper published at heat processing online, the official publication of the European Committee of Industrial Furnace and Heating Equipment Association (CECOF).
An excerpt:
“It is common to assume a homogeneous temperature distribution for construction calculations. In real operation, inhomogeneous temperature distributions occur. The temperature gradients induce thermal stresses that can substantially influence the lifetime of the tubes. In addition to that, higher furnace temperatures come along with an increasing thermal load.”
A Vermont-based ceramics solutions specialist and manufacturer recently announced in a white paper the introduction of a new direct-pressure, sintered silicon nitride powder-to-part component manufacturing process to be applied in a wide variety of industries.
Superior Technical Ceramics released the results of the heat treating process that provides a high-performance, cost-effective material solution as an alternative to both reaction-bonded silicon nitride and hot-pressed silicon nitride, and which the company expects to meet the demand from manufacturers looking for a material with a high strength-to-weight ratio, which compares favorably even with metallic nickel-based “superalloys”.
An excerpt:
“Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is a strong, lightweight, and commercially important non-oxide ceramic material. . . . Raw silicon nitride powder has a gray color and is typically fabricated by exposing pure metallic silicon powder to high-temperature nitrogen gas under pressure, although naturally occurring deposits have also been found as small inclusions in certain meteorites. Fully sintered (dense) silicon nitride has a dark gray to black coloration and component surfaces can be ground to a smooth polish. It is often utilized in demanding applications in which strength, wear resistance, fracture toughness, and dimensional stability are all required at high temperatures and/or in corrosive environments.”
The classic Corvette makes an appearance again in Heat TreatToday‘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.
