15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

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

  • Construction on an expansion recently broke ground for Premier Furnace/BeaverMatic's plant 1 facility in Farmington Hills, Michigan. This expansion will provide space for a state of the art testing and training facility, additional manufacturing capabilities, as well as increased office space to allow Premier/BeaverMatic to accommodate business growth and customer needs. The additional 22,000-square foot space is expected to be completed by fall 2018.
  • Paul Banks as plant manager for Novelis Inc.'s recently announced $300 million automotive aluminum sheet manufacturing facility in Guthrie, Kentucky. Banks assumes the role of plant manager after previously serving as unit manager at Logan Aluminum, a Novelis joint venture in nearby Logan, Kentucky.
  • Electroplating and heat treating specialists Electro-Spec, headquartered in Franklin, Indiana, is expanding its operations with a new plating facility in Lexington, South Carolina, that will serve the automotive, aerospace, telecommunication, military, radio frequency and microwave, and medical markets in the southeast U.S.
  • A heat treating company based in Lima, Ohio, recently expanded its capacity with a new draw furnace and quench tank. Heat Treating Technologies expects the $3 million investment to boost the company's thermal processing offerings in carburizing, carbonitriding, annealing, hardening, normalizing, and carbon restoration.
  • An industrial oven manufacturer based near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, recently added a second manufacturing facility to its operation. JPW Industrial Ovens and Furnaces' Plant 2, will produce the company’s expanding line of standard industrial ovens. Plant 1, located in Trout Run, will continue to craft custom-made industrial ovens and serve as the company’s headquarters. The new plant is expected to create 25 new jobs within the next two years.

Equipment Chatter

  • Three natural gas-fired box furnaces were recently shipped to a parts manufacturer for the oil and gas industry by Lindberg/MPH, to be used to develop process control requirements for heat-treating and stress relieving of underground mining/drill heads. The goal is to double the life of the tooling through research which would revolutionize industry standards. The maximum operating temperature rating for the stress relieving box furnaces is 2050°F and work chamber dimensions are 36" wide x 20" deep x 24" high. The box furnaces were designed to meet a temperature uniformity of +/-15°F at 1700°F and 2050°F per the requirements of AMS 2750E, Class 3 furnaces and Instrumentation D.
  • An aluminum casting company recently received shipment of an electrically heated horizontal quench system to be used for solution treating aluminum castings for the aerospace and automotive industries. The solution treating furnace was designed and manufactured by Wisconsin Oven Corporation to heat a 2,500-pound load of aluminum, plus basket and work grid to an operating temperature of 1,020°F. The maximum temperature rating for this horizontal quench system is 1,250°F, sized for a 5'0" wide x 5'0" long x 5'0" high basket. The horizontal quench system was designed to meet AMS2750E (Class 2, Instrumentation Type C) and with reporting to meet AMS 2771E requirements.
  • A heat treating equipment manufacturer recently shipped ten furnaces to companies in California, Georgia, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin, and also to one location in Asia. This equipment will be used to process parts for companies in the aerospace, commercial heat treating, and medical industries. Ipsen USA shipped: two TITAN® furnaces – one H2 12-bar with a 18" x 24" x 18" (457 mm x 610 mm x 457 mm) work zone and one vertical 2-bar furnace; two MetalMaster® furnaces – one vertical 6-bar with a 96" D x 96" H (2,438 mm x 2,438 mm) work zone and 10,000 pound (4,500 kg) load capacity, and one horizontal 10-bar with a 96" x 84" x 96" (2,438 mm x 2,134 mm x 2,438 mm) work zone; one VFS® horizontal internal quench 10-bar vacuum heat-treating and brazing furnace; and several custom-built atmosphere furnaces that will process parts for the aerospace industry.
  • A retort furnace was recently shipped by L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., to a northeastern US manufacturer of motor laminations to be deployed on motors primarily for government-based aerospace products. The furnace has a work zone of 17" square with a typical load weight of 250 pounds and is built in accordance with ASTM standards. Annealing of silicon iron and similar laminations are treated in a pure dry hydrogen atmosphere. A pure dry hydrogen atmosphere is provided to balance strength and magnetics in these laminations. There is also an oxidization process that can provide a thin oxide coating layer for improved durability and resistance.
  • A global manufacturer of environmental testing equipment announced the shipment of three fast change rate automotive test chambers. These test chambers, built by Tenney Environmental, will be used for temperature and humidity testing of automotive parts. The maximum temperature rating of the automotive test chambers is 180°C and the operating temperature range is -68°C to 180°C. The work chamber dimensions are 30” W X 28.8” D X 36” H. The fast change rate test chambers can transition the air temperature in remote chambers from 20°C to -40°C with a 30-minute transition rate.

Kudos Chatter

  • Sintavia, LLC, a leading Tier One metal additive manufacturer, announced that it has achieved National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) approval for its laser and electron beam powder bed fusion applications. The NADCAP accreditation is the latest quality certification achieved by the company and resulted from a year-long application process.
  • AIM Aerospace has earned Nadcap Merit Status at their Orange City, Iowa, facility, for AC7118 Composites Processing.  The company processes structural carbon fiber composites for key aerospace customers.
  • Plastics Extrusion has been added to the growing list of audit opportunities available through MedAccred, the medical device industry’s collective approach to critical process supply chain oversight. This newest opportunity comprises audit criteria which covers Tubing/Profile, Sheet, Film, Blown Film, Over-Jacketing, Co-Extrusion and Ram Extrusion. The audit criteria are developed by leaders in the medical device industry who are part of the MedAccred program and are focused on improving product quality and patient safety.
  • Sunlite Plastics of Germantown, Wisconsin, has become the first manufacturing facility in the world to achieve MedAccred Plastics Extrusion Accreditation, with a Scope of Accreditation covering Tubing/Profile Extrusion. Following the MedAccred audit, technical experts from leading medical device companies reviewed the audit findings and corrective actions before voting on granting each MedAccred Accreditation.
  • Medical tools manufacturers increasingly commission SECO/WARWICK technologies for product quality and strict standards compliance, according to a recent company report. For example, a U.K. company installed a 6 Bar vacuum furnace for the production of medical tools such as those used for heart bypass procedures.

 

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.

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Steel Producer Implements HD Spray Technology

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A new HD (high definition) spray technology was implemented and successfully commissioned in the two-strand slab caster of a global steel producer in the last quarter of 2017.

SMS group retrofitted the two strands of the vertical bending caster at ArcelorMittal Bremen one after the other and put them back into operation within one month of one another. The goal of the retrofit was to improve secondary cooling and slab quality.

At ArcelorMittal Bremen, 220-millimeter-thick steel slabs are cast with a maximum width of 2,670 millimeters.

“We are very satisfied with the HD spray technology,” said Kai Küstner, project manager for the caster retrofit at ArcelorMittal Bremen. “The SMS group team was very committed and supported our trusting cooperation. This enabled smooth commissioning.”

The HD spray system developed by SMS group is a scalable water distribution and control system. Compact HD spray boxes fitted close to the spray nozzles, and not in the water distribution room, take over the function of control valves, reducing the required interconnecting pipework. Pneumatically operated pressure control valves and the related automation system form the centerpiece of the HD spray system. The secondary cooling water is distributed and controlled only just before the cooling nozzles.

ArcelorMittal Bremen produces over 3.5 million tons of flat steel every year.

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Heat Treatment Processes Vary for Alloy Type, End Use

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

 

Source: AVWeb

 

Here’s a great article by Bob Hadley at AVWeb that explains the differences between aluminum alloys and how heat treating can make a crucial difference in the final properties.

Aluminum is usually marked by the manufacturer to indicate the alloy and temper. The markings may also include the lot number and the born-on date. (PC and caption: AVWeb)

An excerpt: 

“Heat treatment can dramatically alter the working characteristics of an alloy. 6061 is a great example. In the non-heat-treated state (6061-TO), it is quite bendable. But it is so soft, if you try to machine it, it will gum up the gullets of your saw and clog the flutes of your drill bits and end mills. It’s like trying to drill taffy. But when heat-treated to T4 or higher (such as 6061-T6 or 6061-T651…T651 being T6 temper plus stress-relived), it responds fine to any machining operation.”

Plus more, including

  • the range of temper/heat-treat designations denoting the specific process used to treat the material
  • the higher the number of alloy doesn’t necessarily indicate a stronger and harder alloy
  • which aluminum stock ought to be considered “mystery” material

Whether the OEM manufactures truck frames, aircraft components, or soda cans, applying the right heat treatment process to the right alloy produces the just the right weldability, machinability, and bendability.

 

Read more: “Home Shop Machinist: Material Matters—Aluminum”

Photo credit: Ichudov – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

 

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Heat Treat Industry Supplier Seeks Metrology Software Offerings to Broaden Capabilities

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

A Swedish high-tech engineering company that supplies to the heat treat industry, offering tooling systems, advanced stainless steels and special alloys, recently announced intentions to broaden its reach in digital manufacturing through the planned acquisition of French software company, Metrologic Group, headquartered in Meylan.

Björn Rosengren, president and CEO of Sandvik Group

Björn Rosengren, president and CEO of Sandvik Group, based in Sandviken, Sweden, noted that this announcement is a “first material step towards an increased offering in digital manufacturing in Sandvik Machining Solutions.”

A market leader in agnostic metrology software, Metrologic Group would form a new business unit within a new product area in Sandvik Machining Solutions and would maintain brand independence, in line with Sandvik’s decentralized business model.

Klas Forsström, president of Sandvik Machining Solutions

Metrologic Group develops 3D inspection software and electronics which run measurement machines used for dimensional control notably in the automotive, aeronautics, transport, and medical sectors. The company’s offering includes agnostic software for metrology, automation and robotics control as well as services for calibration and 3D-measuring. Products are used globally in most industries, including automotive, aerospace, energy, general engineering and consumer goods, all similar to that of Sandvik Machining Solutions.

“By merging Sandvik Machining Solutions’ know-how about materials, customer applications and machining processes with Metrologic’s deep understanding of measurement technology, we would be able to further expand the offering of increased productivity. I am convinced that this step towards increased digital manufacturing will be key for continued success for Sandvik Machining Solutions,” said Klas Forsström, president of Sandvik Machining Solutions.

The transaction is expected to close mid-2018.

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Russian Hydraulic Cutting Tool Manufacturer Launches Commercial Heat Treatment

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A Russian manufacturer of hydraulic cutting tools and rescue and emergency equipment recently extended its range of services by offering commercial heat treatment through its newly created subsidiary, TVN2.

SPRUT expanded its operation with a BMI double chamber vacuum furnace (B64TH for oil and gas quenching) and a second furnace for tempering and low-pressure nitriding (B54RN). This led to the launch of TVN2 to carry out the vacuum technology heat treatments, offering repeatability of results and giving the company control of the manufacturing process. With its own metallurgical laboratory on site, SPRUT, through TVN2, is able to offer hardness and microstructure analyses as additional services.

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Novel Refractory Relines Boost Furnace Performance

/ FEATURED NEWS, INSULATION TECHNICAL CONTENT

Original Content by Contributing Writer Ken Stanford

 

Furnace refractories are an essential consideration in thermal process equipment operations for optimizing efficiency, productivity, and performance as well as cutting operating costs.

To optimize furnace refractory lining, operational factors must be considered, such as furnace type, alloy composition, operating temperatures and melt rate, type of fuel used and charging and drossing practices. Furnace design is also critical, with factors including equipment type, static or tilting, capacity, desired casting temperature and position of freeze plane.

The service life of a furnace refractory lining is typically between four to 15 years, depending on the type of furnace and other variables including alloy type, melt rate, combustion system, scrap charging size and furnace practice. Contributing factors to refractory failure include corundum growth, mechanical damage, metal penetration, thermal shock, erosion and chemical attack.

Since 1974, the Pyrotek TAB Refractory Services team, based in Warrington, UK, has developed lining compositions and materials that can withstand harsh environments. The systems are pre-fired to 932°F (550°C), which eliminates water to allow for faster commissioning. A strong ceramic bond is developed and firing shrinkage is allowed that results in less stress relief cracking. Installation is not affected by ambient temperatures. Big-block systems can also be combined with castable or brick furnace linings, and to maximize service life, the company provides “zoned” refractory linings consisting of both cast-in-place and precast monolithic blocks. Employing the most suitable refractory materials for each different area of the furnace extends the lining’s durability and reduces furnace maintenance and downtime.

Figure 1. Big-block linings improve furnace performance and productivity

 

Examples of the work illustrate the key issues and routes to effective refractory relines. Here are recent projects where the company has provided refractory technology input:

  • The company designed and installed refractory components for a South African aluminum operation, then relined those components in 12 smelting furnaces.
  • Logan Aluminum Inc in Russellville, Kentucky, commissioned refractory lining for a new furnace designed to process flat-rolled aluminum sheet primarily for use in the beverage can market. The 340,000-pound (154-ton) tilting holding furnace, one of the largest in the world, was supplied by UK-based manufacturer Mechatherm International Ltd. Two low nitrogen-oxide burners allow the furnace to have holding and melting capacity. Furnace features include a large 33 foot (10 meter)-wide door, roof-mounted radar molten metal sensor and integration for an under hearth electromagnetic stirrer, Mechatherm says. The furnace is expected to begin operating later this year.
  • The refractory lining of six new aluminum melting furnaces was contracted by Mechatherm for the Novelis recycling plant in Nachterstedt, Germany. The plant was commissioned in 2014 and processes 881.8K pounds (400,000 tons) of aluminum scrap annually. Mechatherm believes that the melting furnaces are the biggest dual-chamber recycling units in the world. They comprise three 400,000-pound dual-chamber side well furnaces, which each has over 1 million pounds (500 tons) of refractory, and three 286.6K-pound (130-ton) side well furnaces with 661.4K pounds (300 tons) of refractory each. The company was later awarded the casthouse refractory maintenance contract.
  • A greenfield project in Saudi Arabia jointly owned by Alcoa and the Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Ma’aden) were supplied turnkey refractory furnace linings by the company’s Saudi Arabian operation, TAB KSA. The integrated aluminum facility, which began pouring metal in 2012, includes an alumina refinery, a smelter, a casthouse and a rolling mill. The smelter has a capacity of 1.63M pounds (740,000 tons) per year. Pyrotek participated in what was reportedly the largest aluminum furnace refractory project in history. The equipment scope comprised: five 220,000-pound (100-ton) ingot furnaces, five 298,000-pound (135-ton) slab furnaces, three 187,000-pound (85-ton) billet furnaces, one 80,000-pound (36-ton) coil melter, one 198,000-pound (90-ton) remelt furnace, and two 265,000-pound (120-ton) used beverage can (UBC) side-well melters,

The company’s global refractory team and engineering centers work with aluminum operations to select the optimal refractory design and materials for their particular applications. In some cases, upgrading from brick to a non-wetting, corundum-resistant lining in smelting furnaces can increase ingot and billet casting capability. After a 5-year period, some customers reported that furnace downtime due to refractory repairs was reduced by up to 65 percent. Total furnace availability increased by up to 12.6 percent, and output increased by up to 26 percent. Refractory costs per pound of aluminum produced were reduced by up to 22.8 percent.

Furnace relines and maintenance for major aluminum companies around the world have been carried out with over 1,100 completed projects in more than 30 countries.

Ken Stanford formerly served as Group Managing Editor and Technical Director at DMG World Media in the UK, responsible for various metal, foundry, steel, and furnaces publications and associated conferences and exhibitions in the UK and overseas, including Aluminium International Today, and the ALUMINIUM series of events, which presents in Germany and the US. Particular industry interests center on new technologies, innovation, and applications, as well as sustainability and environmental issues.

 

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April IHEA Report: Good and Bad in the Numbers

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

Following several months of nothing but relatively good news, this month’s IHEA Executive Economic Summary Report shows some numbers dipping. As Chris Kuehl, the economist behind the report, states in his monthly in-depth analysis, “This month there is good news in bad data and some bad news in the good data. It is not always about whether an index is climbing this month or not. Sometimes it is the overall trend line and how it compares to what it might have been some months ago.”

Auto and light truck sales continue to be strong.
Auto and light truck sales continue to be strong.

Every month, Dr. Kuehl, through IHEA, provides not only raw data that is of specific interest to the heat treating industry, but he also provides insightful analysis of what the numbers mean and why readers should care.

Dr. Chris Kuehl, economic analyst for IHEA, prepares the monthly IHEA Economic Trends Index.

The April report showed an increase in roughly half of the index numbers, including a surprisingly strong automobile and light truck sales index which, according to Kuehl, “continues to shock analysts as there is an assumption that the market is already saturated. It seems not to be the case as the consumer still has a desire for new wheels and if the current hike in gas prices accelerates there may soon be a new desire for those fuel sippers.”

Steel consumption continues to be week.
Steel consumption continues to be weak.

Along with auto and truck sales, some of the other indices that also continued to climb were industrial capacity utilization, capital expenditures, and durable goods shipments.

Falling indices included the purchasing managers index, new home starts, and steel consumption.

Anne Goyer, Executive Director of IHEA
Anne Goyer, Executive Director of IHEA

For a look at the complete report, contact Anne Goyer, Executive Director of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA).

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New Heat Treatment Complex Boasts Expanded Capacity for Oil & Gas Applications

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT

A leading Romanian pipe manufacturer recently commissioned a new Heat Treatment Complex for processing of seamless pipes to be used in mechanical applications and exploration of oil and gas fields.

TMK-ARTROM, located in southern Romania, in the town of Slatina, announced that this commissioning completes the second phase of the company’s investment program, which launched with production of new premium pipes for hydraulic and telescopic cylinders from new type steel and alloys with higher added value.

The new heat treatment line housed in the Heat Treatment Complex has an annual capacity of over 165 thousand tons of pipes which undergo heat treatments of quenching and tempering, annealing, normalization, etc., for seamless steel pipes with outside diameter between 60 and 254 mm and wall thickness between 5 and 60 mm. The new system has a hot straightening machine integrated into the technological flow that solves the problem of permanent tension that occurs when pipes are cold straightening and also requiring an additional treatment for eliminating stress relieving. By using high-tech equipment within the new line, high-quality heat treatment, good uniformity, and high martensite transformation are achieved and improved mechanical characteristics.

The design and supply of the equipment was carried out by SMS Group, one of the global leaders in manufacturing equipment for metallurgical industry.

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Street Rod and Classic Cars Get New Life with Heat-Treated Parts

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

 

Source: ClassicCars.com

 

Between rounds of heat treating, re-shaped leaves are oil-bathed. Photo credit: ClassicCars.com

Heat treating serves a critical role in the restoration of street rod and classic cars, and a leading manufacturer of leaf and coil springs based in Detroit, Michigan, recently demonstrated the re-temper and re-arch process that brings renewal to first-generation Chevrolet Corvettes, which can be particularly difficult to restore due to the type of steel used in production only up until the mid-1960s.

Eaton Detroit Spring keeps 24,000 original manufacturer spring blueprints to aid in the manufacturing leaf and coil springs for the street rod and restoration industries.

An excerpt from the article at ClassicCars.com:

“Company president Mike Eaton — his grandparents founded the firm, explained, ‘We had a customer in this morning who happens to be the designer of the original Corvette suspension who I have known for years. He brought in a couple of sets of C1 rear springs to be reconditioned. Even though we do a lot of these, there are a lot of ’Vette owners who don’t know we offer it.'”

Read more: “A Little R&R Can Revitalize First-Gen Corvette Leaf Springs”

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Precision Heat Treat, Aftermarket Suppliers Announce Cooperation

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

A German heat treat aftermarket supplier recently reached a cooperation with a European heat treating manufacturer for the production and distribution of heat treat systems for precision fine casting industries.

Linn High Therm GmbH and SAFED Suisse SA, a company of the Aichelin Group, announced the joint project in early 2018, wherein Linn High Therm GmbH will license the production of smaller heat treatment systems for watch, jewelry, and microsystems technology from SAFED’s product range. The agreement states that SAFED will take over the distribution of these products as well as the distribution and service of the products of Linn High Therm GmbH in Switzerland, France, Italy, and partly Germany through the existing sales and service network.

Both companies are experienced in the development and construction of electrically heated heat treatment plants. Linn High Therm GmbH specializes in the production of industrial and lab furnaces/ kilns, microwave furnaces, sample preparation units for spectroscopy, induction heating systems, precision fine casting systems and customer-specific systems. SAFED Suisse SA, based in Delémont, Switzerland, provides installations for the watchmaking and micromechanical industries.

Photo: Antoine Cantenot of SAFED Suisse SA and Horst Linn of Linn High Therm GmbH

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