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Source: Engineering 360
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found a way to double the strength of steel by using a heat treatment process. Read more to get the details of the process….
Read more: Researchers Develop Stronger Titanium Alloy by the Engineering 360 Newsdesk
Heat Treatment Process Helps Develop Stronger Titanium Alloy Read More »
Ipsen recently shipped a TITAN® H2 vacuum heat-treating system with 2-bar gas quenching to Costa Rica. There it will be used to manufacture surgical components. With its compact dimensions and superior quality, the TITAN helps companies accelerate the pace of innovation while satisfying the strict legal requirements of the Medical industry. This shipment included more than just a furnace, though. The company also utilized Ipsen’s full-scale support offerings with Ipsen U training, a spare parts kit and installation/start-up support to advance their equipment and maximize uptime.
This standardized vacuum furnace features an 18” x 24” x 18” (455 mm x 610 mm x 455 mm) all-metal hot zone with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) load capacity. It is capable of operating at temperatures of 1,000 °F to 2,400 °F (538 °C to 1,316 °C) with ±10 °F (±6 °C) temperature uniformity. Equipped with the PdMetrics® platform for predictive maintenance – which securely connects to a network of integrated sensors on the furnace to gather and analyze data, run algorithms and provide real-time diagnostics – the TITAN furnace provides sophisticated monitoring of critical systems and key parameters that improve the health and integrity of the equipment. They also received a gas backfill reservoir, a loader with a 2,000-pound (907 kg) load capacity and a complete air-cooled, closed-loop water system.
Medical Manufacturer Chooses Vacuum Heat Treating System Read More »
The recently commissioned ferro-chrome plant of Tata Steel at Gopalpur Industrial Park in Ganjam district of Odisha, has achieved a major milestone with the first ever production of ferro-chrome on February 25, 2017, with compliance to all technical parameters.
Chromite briquettes used for making ferro-chrome have been produced by the Briquetting Plant at the ferro-chrome plant complex. The Briquetting Plant had earlier commenced production on January 23, 2017. For the plant, the steel major is sourcing chrome ore from its chromite mine at Sukinda in Jajpur district of Odisha.
Speaking on the occasion Mr D B Sundara Ramam, Executive-in-Charge, Ferro Alloys & Minerals Division of Tata Steel said, “This marks the completion of the commissioning of the ferro-chrome plant. It also goes a long way in consolidating our footprint in Odisha and the long standing partnership with the state towards industrial progress of the region.”
As part of the anchor investment in Tata Steel’s Gopalpur Industrial Park, the Rs 542 crore Ferro-chrome plant has an installed capacity of 55,000 tonne per annum (TPA). The plant was inaugurated on November 30, 2016 by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik. It is a unique environment-friendly plant with state-of-the-art pollution control equipment and technology such as the ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) and STP (Sewage Treatment Plant). It has 100% water harvesting facility that caters to most of the water needs of the plant. It has an indigenously built semi-closed hybrid furnace, which is first of its kind in India and components procured from all over the world to maintain high standards of quality and safety. Also, it is the first plant in India to use briquetting method of Chrome ore fines agglomeration.
Tata Steel’s First Greenfield Ferro-Chrome Plant Starts Production Read More »
Automotive Industry to Benefit from New SBQ Steel Mill Read More »
Global technology, engineering and advanced manufacturing leader Arconic announced a multi-year supply deal with Toyota North America. Arconic is supplying aluminum to Toyota for its all-new Lexus RX. The vehicle debuted last year and became Toyota’s first vehicle in North America to prominently feature aluminum exterior panels.
“Automakers worldwide are turning to aluminum for the stronger, tougher, higher performing vehicles that consumers demand,” said Mark Vrablec, President of Arconic’s Aerospace & Automotive Products business. “Many bestselling vehicles in America have already converted to aluminum for improved performance, including better fuel efficiency, more towing and payload capacity, and improved vehicle safety scores. This trend will continue. We are proud to expand our relationship with Toyota.”
This makes Arconic the sole aluminum sheet supplier to Toyota for the Lexus RX, named by Consumer Reports as the Best Luxury SUV of 2016.
The Arconic and Toyota deal draws on the strong automotive expertise and manufacturing capability of Arconic’s Global Rolled Products business. Arconic will supply Toyota from its plants in Davenport, Iowa, and Danville, Illinois.
Arconic Announces Multi-Year Deal with Toyota Read More »
VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation from Yekaterinburg (Russia) has granted SMS group the final acceptance certificate for the supplied ring rolling plant. The new plant produces jet engine rings made of titanium alloys.
With the new ring rolling plant, consisting of a PL 8000-V3 ring blank press, RAW 400/200-3500/800 DM radial-axial ring rolling machine and two RKP 500 and RKP 1350 ring expanders, the Russian company is extending its product portfolio for the aerospace industry, at the same time increasing its competitiveness with this newly built production line. VSMPO is one of the world’s largest producers of forgings made of titanium alloys and a strategic partner of leading aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus.
A special feature of the ring rolling line at VSMPO is the combination of the forging and the ring rolling process. With this technology developed by SMS group, VSMPO is able to produce rings with extremely complex inside and outside profiles. Furthermore, the material input is far lower than with the conventional forging process that the company has employed to date. With this new production line, VSMPO can manufacture titanium rings with a diameter of up to 3,500 millimeters and a height of up to 800 millimeters.
Russian Company Extends Product Portfolio for Aerospace Industry Read More »
LMI Aerospace Inc. has entered into a merger agreement to be acquired by Sonaca Group, a global aerostructures company headquartered in Gosselies, Belgium. Under the agreement, LMI shareholders will receive $14 per share in an all-cash transaction. Sonaca’s offer represents a 52 percent premium over LMI’s closing share price on Feb. 16, 2017, of $9.19 per share, a 63 percent premium over LMI’s 3-month volume weighted average price up to and including Feb. 16, 2017, of $8.59 per share, and a 78 percent premium over LMI’s 6-month volume weighted average price up to and including Feb. 16, 2017, of $7.88 per share.
In connection with the merger agreement, Sonaca has obtained debt and equity financing commitments. The merger agreement, however, does not include, and the consummation of the merger is not conditioned upon satisfaction of, a financing condition.
“This deal brings our combined company to the forefront as a leader in the design and manufacture of complex aerostructures while working to diversify our global customer base,” said Dan Korte, LMI Aerospace chief executive officer. “In addition, LMI and Sonaca have complementary product portfolios while largely serving different aerospace primes and Tier 1 suppliers around the world, enabling us to better serve our customers.”
“The addition of LMI Aerospace to the Sonaca Group supports our vision to expand our capabilities in the United States,” said Bernard Delvaux, Sonaca chief executive officer. “Sonaca and LMI have both distinguished themselves in the industry through capabilities such as wing movables, wing panels, complex fuselage and structural assemblies, and together we will be able to strengthen our competitive advantage in the global aerospace market.”
LMI’s independent directors unanimously approved the transaction. The deal is expected to close mid-2017, subject to LMI shareholder approval as well as certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Upon transaction close, LMI will operate as LMI Aerospace — A Member of the Sonaca Group, with headquarters remaining in St. Louis. Korte will continue to serve as LMI Aerospace CEO and will report directly to Delvaux. Other members of the LMI senior leadership team also will remain in place and will continue their current reporting relationships. The company will continue investing in its current footprint, continuously improving its U.S. and worldwide infrastructure and the capabilities of its teams.
Lazard served as financial advisors and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Polsinelli PC served as legal advisors to LMI. Credit Suisse served as financial advisors and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer and Husch Blackwell served as legal advisors to Sonaca.
LMI Aerospace to be Acquired by Sonaca Read More »
At the beginning of 2017, LOI Thermprocess GmbH and its Chinese subsidiary company LOI Thermprocess (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. received a contract for a wire annealing plant from STM Kunshan Cheng Tongming Metal Co. Ltd. a Chinese wire manufacturer in the province Jiangsu. The order includes the delivery of a bell-type furnace plant with two annealing bases, two heating hoods and one Jet-cooling hood. The HPH® (High Performance Hydrogen) bell-type furnaces also works with hydrogen as annealing atmosphere and has per base an usable diameter of 4,200 mm and a charging height of 3,500 mm. Thus, an average batch weight of 28 tons steel wire per annealing base can be achieved. Not only hot rolled wire coils but also drawn wire coils shall be annealed. The start of production for the new annealing plant is forecasted for end of the third quarter of 2017.
STM Kunshan Cheng Tongming Metal Orders Bell Furnace Read More »
Mr. William Jones, CEO of the Solar Atmosphere Group of Companies, listened with interest to the recent Heat Treat Radio podcast featuring Phoenix Heat Treating president, Peter Hushek. Peter introduced a new 3D TUS tool, Virtual Visual Surveys.
Below, Mr. Jones offers his comments about this new tool and TUS practices in general.
If you’d like to listen to the Heat Treat Radio episode that sparked these comments, click here.
Please note that immediately following Mr. Jones’ comments is a response from Peter Hushek.
Unedited comments from Mr. Bill Jones, CEO, Solar Atmospheres & Solar Manufacturing…
Like Peter Hushek we have been in this TUS business for more time than we like to remember. So, most up to date HT companies track our TUS data on paperless video recorders and down load onto an Excel spread sheet and plot out the data a minimum of every 30 seconds. This is done with a preprogrammed digital temperature controller thru the necessary ramps, soaks, and set points. The Excel spread sheets also contains all the survey and controller TC correction factors. Prior to the survey each data point contains the preset temperature controller PID parameters. All survey TC’s are set into their preset locations per AMS 2750E with careful notation to position and correct TC length and care for equal hot / cold lengths. Prior to survey each electronic instrument is checked with a calibrated thermocouple millivolt run-up box and each instrument calibrated. Normally midafternoon each furnace under test is set up thus and the survey to run preprogrammed overnight. Our QC department downloads the data, reviews and makes the pass fail decision, within a few hours, the next day. If the TUS failed back to maintenance to look into the issues, make corrections and rerun the TUS. Problems are not always furnace related but thermocouple, TC position, jack panel, jack panel wiring, instrumentation, and numerous other issues. I view the VVS 3D presentation as an aide but only part of the story”.
William R. Jones, CEO, FASM
Solar Atmospheres Inc.
Souderton, Pa.
More about Solar Atmospheres? www.solaratm.com
And Peter Hushek’s unedited response to Mr. Jones’ comments…
In regards to the response from the listener I can say he makes some valid points. There are many issues that can affect the outcome of a TUS. We realize that the evaluation of the furnace uniformity involves many aspects and we are only addressing the data generated by the process. We believe that when companies begin the process of actual data analytics they will become more aware of the process and improve the quality of their processing as a result. VVS is only beginning to scratch the surface of the data flow that occurs daily in processing companies. We look to greater innovation through customer supplier interface as well and technological improvements that can be used as feed stock to improve future generations of this software. We are only starting the process and I hope the market realizes that this is not a static process or company.
If you haven’t done so already, clicking here to listen to the Heat Treat Radio episode being discussed above.
To find out more about VVS, go to www.virtualvisualsurveys.com.
Heat Treat CEO Comments on 3D TUS Tool Read More »
Hydro Aluminium in Commerce (TX), USA has placed an order with Hertwich Engineering, a company of the SMS group, for the supply of a modern batch homogenizing furnace and a further saw for extrusion billets.
In 2010, Hertwich Engineering has completely modernised its batch furnace concept for the homogenisation of extrusion billets. The performance of Hertwich’s newly developed batch furnace with its new heating system and automated log handling is comparable to that of a continuous furnace.
This means clients can now choose between the two concepts or combine the two, as in the case of the US company Hydro Aluminium Commerce, TX. This flexibility has led to a significant increase in client interest.
Hydro Aluminium Commerce, TX processes some 100,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap into extrusion billets at its Commerce facility. The company already operates a Hertwich continuous homogenising furnace and has now placed an order for a state-of-the-art batch homogenising furnace together with an additional saw. The new furnace has a capacity of 55 tonnes and is designed for billets up to a maximum length of 7.7 metres and diameters in the range 178 – 406 mm.
The decisive advantage of the new batch-furnace design concept is the heating. With conventional batch furnaces, the air releases thermal energy when passing through the material being heated. This leads to non-uniform temperature distribution. Longer heating times are necessary to compensate for the temperature differences.
The concept of the new HE furnace generation combats this disadvantage by changing the direction of air flow in the furnace (using so-called reversed air). Thus the billets in the furnace are heated more uniformly. Experience has shown that heating time can be reduced significantly in this way.
The flow direction is reversed with the help of flaps. The fan operates at full power during flow reversal. The energy supplied via the fan suffices to balance out the heat loss during the soaking time. No external heating (whether supplied via burners or electrically) is necessary during this period. During operation, the temperature is kept constant using frequency-controlled fans. Baffles enable the hot gases to be distributed uniformly throughout the whole furnace chamber. The chamber is designed in such a way that uniform air flow is not impeded or prevented anywhere in the chamber.
Cooling is carried out in a similar manner to heating. The fact that the cooling air flow is reversible as well ensures that the temperature is uniform during this phase, with correspondingly better metallurgical results.
The two homogenising furnaces will be arranged in such a way that they can operate in combination, enabling homogenisation to be carried out flexibly. A second sawing plant will be installed to eliminate waiting times. A transfer car coupled with an automated stacker and spacer handling will be used to transport the billets.
Hydro Aluminium to Expand Heat Treatment Capacity Read More »