Medin a.s., a Czech manufacturer of medical instruments and implants, recently unveiled its new heat treatment workshop in Nové Město na Moravě, which includes a vacuum oil quenching furnace — B55TH with oversized dimensions heating chamber with 900 x 1200 x 900 mm for a max load of 1200 kg — supplied by BMI. In order to treat large loads, this furnace was installed as an alternative to a vertical furnace or a pit-type furnace.
Medin’s workshop also houses a gas quenching furnace and a tempering furnace from other Tenova Group companies.
Bob Hill, Pres. Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. Photo: www.solaratm.com
The first FAA-certified, structural additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V parts produced by Norsk Titanium AS have been processed successfully by a commercial heat treater located in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. The components, vacuum stress reliefs compliant with stringent AMS 2801 and other OEM specifications, are destined for installation on a Boeing airplane. Norsk Titanium AS is the world’s pioneering supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components.
Norsk Titanium’s printing technology of these aft galley supports, along with other flight critical components, signals the ancillary cost benefits that customers may realize with additive manufacturing: lead time reduction, lower inventory requirements, and future spare parts continuity assurances. Solar Atmospheres processed the initial production components for Norsk in March.
Norsk’s U.S. facility in Plattsburgh, New York, will produce multiple 3-D printed components for commercial aircraft OEMs. The company is also exploring other applications in the defense sector including the next generation aircraft, naval vessels, and land-based vehicles.
“We are extremely proud to partner with innovative additive manufacturing companies such as Norsk Titanium,” said Bob Hill, President of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. “Today, we can clearly see how this revolutionary manufacturing process has departed from the hype realm and is entering into everyday reality.”
Thermal processing and induction hardening of metals are included among the metal treatments that will be offered to the aerospace, automotive, medical device, and precision engineering sectors as UK-based coating company Metaltech Ltd joins forces with The Wallwork Group, also of the UK.
Both companies specialize in the thermal processing and coating of metals and each brings additional metal treatments that will complement those of the other. Wallwork has also recently announced plans to invest in the Metaltech site and base some of the transport operations there.
Metaltech was founded in 1981 by Ron Scott. Dr. Graeme Forster joined the company in the early 1990s and became managing director; together they have developed the company to a staff of 22, serving clients in the UK and internationally.
“Joining Wallwork, a firm founded on the same principles of a business that believes people are its greatest asset, is a positive step as Ron steps out to pursue his other interests,” said Dr. Forster commented.
Luke Collins, a graduate engineer with 12-plus years of experience within the Wallwork Group, will become site director at Metaltech. “This is a good fit for us and strengthens our range of metal heat treatments, hard coatings processes, and customer service promise,” said Collins. “Adding a facility in the North East means we can provide an even faster service to customers there and extend our transport service into Scotland, giving greater flexibility within our Manchester, Birmingham and Cambridge sites for further growth.”
We already have plans to invest in the Metaltech site and also base some of our transport operation there. Luke will permanently relocate to be near the Metaltech works.
As well as extending the induction hardening of metals and thermal processing operations, the expansion adds new processes including Xylan Flouropolymer Coatings, Molybdenum Disulphide dry film lubricants, and Phosphate Coating and enlarges the capacity of the company’s plasma nitriding and Plasox services.
A Canadian automotive parts manufacturer recently contracted a chain conveyor oven to preheat aluminum billets prior to forging into automotive suspension components under high pressure. This forging process produces high-strength parts that are ideal for applications where performance and safety are critical, but a lighter-weight metal is needed for speed or energy efficiency.
The natural gas-fired indexing conveyor oven, constructed and shipped by Wisconsin Oven Corporation, has a maximum operating temperature of 1,100°F (593° C) and work chamber dimensions of 6’6” W x 23’6” L x 1’0” H. The oven is designed with the capability to heat 1,995 pounds of aluminum per hour and a production rate of 360 parts per hour. The equipment achieved temperature uniformity of +/-10°F (5.6° C) at 1,050° F (565° C) for the last 90 index positions. The patented Expandable Surface™ design includes 2 inches of high-temperature block insulation backed with 4 inches of semi-rigid batt type insulation.
A producer of monolithic refractory products, an employee-owned company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has expanded its manufacturing presence in the southeast through the recent acquisition of an Alabama refractory products supplier.
Jon Tabor, Chairman and CEO, Allied Mineral Products. Photo credit: Janet Adams/BizJournals
Allied Mineral Products, Inc., with twelve manufacturing facilities in eight countries, three precast shapes facilities, and two research and technology centers, has purchased family-owned and -operated Riverside Refractories, Inc, adding taphole clay to its line of industry-leading refractory products and extending a reach into the steel industry, including international operations. The sale includes Riverside’s Pell City, Alabama, manufacturing operation, monolithic and pre-cast refractory shapes products, refractory coatings and mortars and high-alumina and anhydrous taphole clay products.
“Riverside is a natural to join the Allied family,” said Jon R. Tabor, chairman and CEO of Allied. “They have outstanding products, expertise in the manufacture of taphole clays, a skilled workforce, and an employee-driven culture that is a perfect fit with Allied’s. After our recent acquisition of Pryor Giggey Co., which included a facility in Anniston, Alabama, Allied is poised for a significant manufacturing presence in the Southeast.”
John Morris, President of Riverside
“As the marketplace continues to be more competitive, [Riverside] realized we needed to align with a strong company to ensure we could continue to serve our customers and provide security for our employees,” said John Morris, president of Riverside. “With this sale, we know our customers and employees will benefit and that was very important to us. We are excited that Allied’s global manufacturing network and worldwide sales presence will provide a platform to market the Riverside product lines internationally. We could not be in better hands.”
“The Morris family has been a force in the refractory industry for over 60 years,” added Tabor. “We have great respect for what they have achieved at Riverside. There is great value in the brand and in the name, and we look forward to carrying on their tradition of great products and customer service.”
Riverside’s production facility in Pell City, Alabama, joins Allied’s existing U.S. manufacturing operations in Columbus, Ohio; Brownsville, Texas; Chehalis, Washington; and Anniston, Alabama.
Fourteen vacuum furnaces have recently been shipped to various clients in the additive manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and commercial heat treating industries, distributed across seven states as well as Indonesia and Japan.
Ipsen USA delivered the following during the third quarter 2017:
A vertical (bottom-loading) MetalMaster® vacuum furnace with an 84″ (2,100 mm) diameter work zone and 8,000-pound (3,600 kg) load capacity;
four standard TITAN® vacuum furnaces with options ranging from spare parts kits and a thermocouple upgrade to the PdMetrics® predictive maintenance software platform;
three HIQ (horizontal internal quench) and HEQ (horizontal external quench) furnaces from the VFS® product line that will process parts for aerospace and commercial heat treating industries;
several custom-built, horizontal MetalMaster® and TurboTreater® vacuum furnaces.
A global engineering solutions firm recently established the next generation in its series of driveshafts optimized for the most popular configurations of heavy-duty commercial trucks.
Mark Wallace, Executive Vice President of Dana Incorporated
Dana Incorporated announced the launch of its SPL® 250 Lite driveshaft line, designed to handle torque ratings up to 25,000 Nm and specifically engineered to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels. Up to 25 pounds lighter than competitive products, the newly revealed driveshaft will enhance vehicle dynamics without compromising strength.
“The lower numeric axle ratios required to support engine downspeeding and improve fuel efficiency can cause significant stress to the drivetrain and alter harmonics in driveline components,” said Mark Wallace, executive vice president of Dana and president of Dana Commercial Driveline Technologies. “Excessive vibration leads to unplanned downtime and driver fatigue on the road. The SPL 250 Lite driveshaft leverages proprietary precision manufacturing methods that ensure no NVH issues while delivering a smooth ride. It also reduces weight without sacrificing performance or durability.”
The SPL 250 Lite driveshaft widens the range of applications with fewer components to reduce weight and improve installation by OEMs.
An Indiana-based manufacturer of wires for medical and non-medical markets recently announced plans to expand its operations, including in thermal processing, production, and maintenance.
Fort Wayne Metals, which was established in 1946 and now has locations in the U.S., Asia, Central America, and Europe, will invest $51.1 million to increase its Allen County operation, creating up to 337 new jobs by 2021. The project will include the construction of an addition to their corporate office building and revitalization of a 60,000-square-foot building, further bolstering the company’s production capacity for precision wire and wire-based components for the medical device industry and other non-medical critical applications, including aerospace and defense, industrial and resistance wire industries.
“Indiana has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading medical device hubs,” Governor Eric J. Holcomb said. “Every day, Hoosiers are at work developing new life-saving solutions, and I’m excited to see that trend continue with the growth of our life sciences sector and industry-leading firms like Fort Wayne Metals.”
Troy Linder, CFO of Fort Wayne Metals
“As we continue to be innovative leaders of life-saving, high-quality material solutions, we are experiencing a global increase in demand,” said Troy Linder, chief financial officer of Fort Wayne Metals. “Our investment in facilities and people will help build the infrastructure necessary to meet this demand, and we are excited to be able to partner with the IEDC and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. to continue to expand our footprint in Fort Wayne.”
Steve Prout, President, Solar Atmospheres, Greenville, South Carolina
Boeing has granted an approved scope of processing to a South Carolina heat treat processing plant to include the processing of precipitation hardening, corrosion resistant, and maraging steel parts to the requirements of Aerospace Material Specification AMS 2759/3.
Solar Atmospheres recently announced the expansion to its current scope of Boeing approval at its Greenville, South Carolina, facility, which now includes the following specifications:
BAC 5613 – Heat Treatment of Titanium and Titanium Alloys
BAC 5616 – Heat Treatment of Nickel-Base and Cobalt-Base Alloys
BAC 5619 – Heat Treatment of Corrosion Resistant Steel
AMS 2759/3 – Heat Treatment of Precipitation-Hardening, Corrosion Resistant, and Maraging Steel Parts
“We are proud to be able to expand upon our process offerings in support of Boeing and its many suppliers,” said Steve Prout, President of Solar Atmospheres’ Greenville facility. “This step allows us to once again provide the U.S. Southeast with another regional option for aerospace thermal processes.”
The facility handles small lots and development cycles to a 6-1/2 foot diameter by 24 foot long vacuum chamber capable of processing up to 50,000 lb loads with a maximum temperature of 2400°F. Solar Atmospheres has previously been awarded AS9100 and Nadcap accreditation.
Airbus recently released an update on their progress on five new Airbus BelugaXL super transporters, anticipating the first of the five to be ready to join the Airbus Beluga fleet by 2019. Current work is on the power-on process–systems, mechanical, and electrical integration–to be followed by adding on the tail section.
