Orion Engineered Carbons Expands in Sweden

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Orion Engineered Carbons S.A., a worldwide supplier of specialty and high-performance Carbon Black, recently announced that it will expand production capacity at its Norcarb Engineered Carbons AB plant in Malmö, Sweden. Debottlenecking of a line will provide additional specialty carbon black to supply the growing fibers, wire & cable and adhesives & sealants markets.

“The expansion of capacity in Malmö is one more step in Orion’s rapid realignment of our portfolio toward higher value added specialty and technical rubber applications,” said Jack Clem, Orion’s Chief Executive Officer.  “Products from Malmö will primarily support our customers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. This action is a reflection of the high confidence of our customers in Orion’s products and technical support capabilities.”

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Energy Sector Benefits from Wisconsin Oven Delivery

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

 

Mike Grande of Wisconsin Oven, Energy Heat Treating
Mike Grande – Senior Application Engineer

Wisconsin Oven Corporation shipped ten electrically heated enhanced duty walk-in series ovens, each a Model EWN. The ovens will be used for curing wind turbine components.

The maximum temperature rating for all the ovens is 176°F (80°C). The chamber dimensions are 6’6” W x 4’0” L x 6’0” H. The ovens have combination airflow which provides both horizontal and vertical upward airflow which maximizes heating rates and temperature uniformity of the product. Per the manufacturers request, the ovens required a temperature uniformity of ±2°C, and they actually achieved ±1°C in practice.

The ovens also include a Eurotherm Nanodac paperless digital recorder with 50 MB of flash memory. This feature allows the manufacturer to store 3 months of data at a time.

“We strive to design our equipment to provide the best quality part results for our customers. In this case, we guaranteed a very tight temperature uniformity to help create consistent end results”– Mike Grande, Senior Application Engineer

Unique features of this batch oven include:

  • Temperature uniformity of ±1°C
  • Digital Eurotherm 3504 programmable temperature controller
  • Increased recirculation fan CFM and HP to achieve the guaranteed temperature uniformity
  • Additional thermocouple probes inside the ovens
  • Increased heating chamber width by 6” to provide clear width of 79” with the doors opening at 90°
  • An additional pushbutton station at the front of the oven for operator convenience
  • Increased heaters from 8kW to 12kW

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Essential Criteria for Brazing: Proper Joint Fit-up

/ BRAZING, BRAZING TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

Source:  Vac Aero International, Inc.

We look now at the third of the seven important criteria that should be followed in order to insure good brazing, namely, the importance of good gap clearance (joint fit-up). We’ll see how reasonably tight joint clearances can significantly improve overall joint quality, whereas poor fit-up often yields poor brazing results (which could then hurt the reputation of the company doing the brazing.)

Read More: Essential Criteria for Brazing:  Proper Joint Fit-up by Dan Kay

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Ipsen Expands Controls Retrofit Options

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Steve Hartenberger, Ipsen, Heat Treat Industry Supplier News

Steve Hartenberger – Ipsen

Ipsen is introducing a new, competitively priced option for controls retrofits in the form of CompuCore™. Available for installation on most brands of vacuum heat-treating systems, these newly enhanced controls reduce the potential for human error and maximize uptime, allowing users to achieve greater efficiencies.

This controls software package is a cost-effective option for those that want to automate their manual system with the latest technology. It helps users gain comprehensive control of all furnace functions while also achieving repeatable throughput and results. CompuCore features five main screens, which allow operators to monitor and control operations – including viewing and editing an entire recipe – while it monitors and controls vacuum levels and temperatures. Other key features include:

Capable of meeting applicable AMS 2750 requirements
Gain greater control over temperature uniformity with DigiTrim® and DigiPID™ heat zone control (five temperature ranges each)
Create, edit, store and execute process recipes with ease via a menu-driven screen that shows the entire recipe
A streamlined solution, the CompuCore controls upgrade helps companies increase their capabilities while maximizing their equipment’s potential. To learn more, contact Steve Hartenberger at Steve.Hartenberger@IpsenUSA.com, or visit www.IpsenUSA.com/CompuCore.

In addition to controls upgrades and retrofits, the ICS (Ipsen Customer Service) Team also facilitates system installations and provides expert training, startup assistance and 360° support throughout the entire life span of the equipment for any brand.

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Novel Carburizing Method with Endocarb System Has Patent Awarded

/ CARBURIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

On January 10, 2017, the United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded patent number 9,540,721 to George Barbour, President of Heavy Carbon Company for a Method of Carburizing which allows a carburizing process in a furnace at high temperatures in a protective atmosphere.  The primary function of this carburizing method  is soot control with an atmosphere flow providing a constant low CH4 to produce a strong reaction for a high quality atmosphere regardless of carbon potential set point.

This new method carburizes at a carbon potential well into the soot range while maintaining a controllable carbon potential with a stable CH4.  This stability maintains a constant reaction, cracking an air/gas mix in a self heated retort to a temperature of 1825f before entry into the furnace.  The high carbon potential penetrates the steel surface at a rate up to 30% faster saving time and money while producing higher quality parts.

In addition to the speed at a higher carbon potential at high temperatures, the atmosphere will also penetrate lower grade steels at lower temperatures without using ammonia to raise the HRC.  The air/gas mix is cracked in a retort outside the furnace to form the atmosphere and is heated at the same high temperature of 1825f before entry into the furnace.  In this manner, the low furnace temperature does not hinder the reaction that must take place in the furnace.

Soot control takes place simultaneously while the carburizing cycle is in operation therefore no time is lost to clean soot from the furnace, instead of using furnace time to remove soot and clean the furnace, loads can be run instead.  Time is money and soot burn out takes time.  Because less time is required per load less gas and power is used resulting in more cost savings.

The Heavy Carbon Company manufactures the patented system which is known as the Endocarb System.  The Endocarb System can be added to existing furnaces or built into a furnace at the time of manufacture.

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Textron Aviation Selects Triumph for Cessna Components

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES
Rick Rosenjack - Triumph
Rick Rosenjack – Executive VP for Triumph Precision Components

Textron Aviation Inc. selected Triumph Group, Inc. to supply aluminum machined parts for the new Cessna Citation Longitude super-midsize aircraft. Triumph Precision Components’ Complex High Speed Center of Excellence based in Wichita will produce the aluminum spars and wing skins for the Longitude program.

To add manufacturing capacity, Triumph invested in a new Makino A6 5-axis horizontal machining center that became operational in August 2016. The A6 machine is built specifically for high-efficiency machining of complex aluminum monolithic parts of up to six meters in length.

“We are pleased to see our relationship with Textron Aviation continue with the Longitude program,” said Rick Rosenjack, executive vice president for Triumph Precision Components. “Our focus on performance coupled with our investment in new technology provided us with this opportunity to further demonstrate our capability in high- speed, complex monolithic machining.”

The new agreement continues a long-standing relationship between Triumph and Textron Aviation. Triumph currently provides a number of structural components and systems for Textron Aviation, including stringers, bulkheads, frames and spar caps.

This agreement will contribute to organic growth for Triumph. Delivering on customer commitments, becoming predictably profitable, and driving organic growth are fundamental to the company’s long-term strategy.

 

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SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH and TSINGSHAN to Form Joint Venture

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

Clemens Iller - CEO of SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACHClemens Iller – CEO SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH

SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH, a global leader in special long steel, and TSINGSHAN GROUP, a world leader in stainless steel, announced the formation of a Joint Venture in China. The JV company is 60 percent owned by SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH and 40 percent by TSINGSHAN and will operate under the name Shanghai Xinzhen Precision Bar Co. Ltd. out of Shanghai (China).

By creating the JV, SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH and TSINGSHAN share the common ambition of further growth in the Chinese stainless long steel market. The combination of SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH’s technical know-how with TSINGSHAN’s strong market position in China creates a world-class supplier of special bright bars that is able to meet the growing demand in the region.

The JV focuses on the production of a wide range of drawn bright bars with a reliable and flexible supply chain, leveraging technical expertise, operational excellence and deep customer and market knowledge of both parties.

Key feedstock will comprise stainless steel wire rods from TSINGSHAN as well as from SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH’s Business Units Ugitech and Deutsche Edelstahlwerke which are recognized as a global benchmark in quality and performance. Deep understanding of end-use applications coupled with a local manufacturing capability in China will allow to comprehensively delivering industry-specific
value proposition to customers through this partnership. To further strengthen its leading position, Shanghai Xinzhen Precision Bar will invest in additional equipment that allows expanding the offering to higher performance steel grades.

“By partnering in drawn bar activity with highly respected TSINGSHAN we will establish local downstream production capability in China,” SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH CEO Clemens Iller commented. “This marks a milestone in our efforts to better serve global customers located in China and consolidates our leading position in technical products, mainly for the Automotive and Electronics industries. Beyond that, we can address several market segments such as Industrial Equipment or Food & Beverage that offer niches with excellent growth potential.”

Mr Huang Weifeng, Vice Chairman of TSINGSHAN GROUP, said: “TSINGSHAN is one of the worldwide major players in the stainless steel industry and Shanghai Decent Group, the JV partner, is a member company of TSINGSHAN. The joint venture is an excellent example of win-win cooperation in the stainless steel industry.”

TSINGSHAN is a global leader endeavor to the excellence operation of complete stainless steel production chain with more than 26’000 employees. It currently operates a bar drawing facility in Shanghai under the name Shanghai Xinzhen Special Steel Co. Ltd. SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH is a leading global producer, processor and distributor of special long steel products, operating with a global sales and services network in an attractive niche market. It enjoys strong customer relationships globally in various application industries and an extensive international footprint. This partnership will help to further consolidate its existing strong presence in Chinese markets.

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Heat Treat Radio #5: Shaymus Hudson of MIT

/ HEAT TREAT RADIO

Welcome to another episode of Heat Treat Radio, a periodic podcast where Heat Treat Radio host, Doug Glenn, discusses cutting-edge topics with industry-leading personalities. Below, you can either listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button, or you can read an edited version of the transcript. To see a complete list of other Heat Treat Radio episodes, click here.

Audio: Heat Treat Radio: Shaymus Hudson of MIT

In this conversation, Heat Treat Radio host, Doug Glenn, interviews Shaymus Hudson from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to discuss interesting new developments at MIT as well as his roots and experience in the metals and heat treat industry.

Click the play button below to listen.

 

Doug Glenn, Publisher, Heat Treat Today
Doug Glenn, Heat Treat Today publisher and Heat Treat Radio host.

To find other Heat Treat Radio episodes, go to www.heattreattoday.com/radio and look in the list of Heat Treat Radio episodes listed.

 

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Modern Industries Receives Control System Upgrade

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Modern Industries,  a Pennsylvania – based commercial heat treater, received a plant wide Control System upgrade from the Engineering Division of Conrad Kacsik Instrument Systems. The project consisted of the replacement of the legacy controls on over 30 furnaces and pieces of equipment within the facility. This included vacuum furnaces, integral quench lines, tempers, nitriders, cast belt’s, and generators.

All of the upgraded equipment is now encompassed within a plant wide Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System. The system is comprised of Honeywell HC 900 controllers and control station operator interfaces for logic and process control; and Specview HMI (Human Machine Interface) Software for centralized furnace supervision and data collection. The individual control stations are capable of storing over 200 days-worth of data; and Specview allows all of this information to be archived to a server on the plant-wide network.

Conrad Kacsik’s Engineering Team worked closely with the facility’s personnel to develop customized programs that would enhance operational productivity. For example, Specview was programmed to mirror all of the individual control station screens, and to provide furnace operators with Recipe Management capability. Customized screens were also developed to enable customer names, part numbers, part quantities, and additional information to be combined with individual furnace data.

The combination control station / Specview    HMI package delivers a redundant control and data acquisition system that eliminates the possibility of data loss.

Remote seat licenses were also incorporated into the system. Facility personnel now have the capability of logging in to a network pc to control the furnaces, develop new programs, or review production charts.

The system also enables remote access for Conrad Kacsik’s Engineering Team to provide assistance with control scheme changes, problem diagnostics, and general system maintenance and support.

According to Dennis Sweny, Co-President of Modern Industries, he was somewhat skeptical at the inception of the project. Modern had never embarked on such a large scale, plant-wide upgrade. Maintaining production capacity during the installation was imperative. Conrad Kacsik’s Engineering Team worked with Modern’s staff to ensure this was accomplished. Dennis also stated that upon completion of the project, he was pleasantly surprised at the timeliness and ease of transition from the legacy controls to the new system; as well as the minimal number of problems encountered compared to what he had anticipated for a project of this magnitude. In fact, Modern has worked with Conrad Kacsik to expand upon the original scope of the project to further customize the system to meet the specific needs of Modern Industries. Sweny concluded by stating that the benefits of the project have far exceeded his expectations.

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