Aeromet

Aluminum Alloy Achieves Ultimate Tensile Strength in Heat Treating

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An aluminum alloy developed and patented five years ago has been identified as one of the strongest aluminum additive manufacturing powders commercially available.

Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet
Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet

Aeromet’s A20X™ surpassed the key 500 MPa UTS mark following a recent research project involving aero-engine giant Rolls-Royce and additive manufacturing equipment specialist Renishaw. Heat-treated parts produced using A20X™ Powder have achieved an Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 511 MPa, a Yield Strength of 440 MPa and Elongation of 13%. Crucially, parts additively manufactured with A20X™ Powder maintain high-strength and fatigue properties even at elevated temperatures, outperforming other leading aluminum powders.

“Since bringing the A20X™ alloy to market for additive manufacturing 5 years ago we have seen significant adoption for high-strength, design-critical applications,” said Mike Bond, Director of Advanced Material Technology at Aeromet. “By working with Rolls-Royce, Renishaw, and PSI, we have optimized processing parameters that led to record-breaking results, opening up new design possibilities for aerospace and advanced engineering applications.”

The HighSAP project was backed by the UK’s National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP).  A20X™ Powder for additive manufacturing is derived from the MMPDS-approved A20X™ Casting alloy, the world’s strongest aluminum casting alloy, which is in use by a global network of leading aerospace casting suppliers.

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Canadian Aerospace Manufacturer Joins Global Licensee Network for A20X™

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A Canadian manufacturer of aerospace systems and components recently joined the global network of foundries licensed to manufacture cast parts using the advanced A20X™ aluminum alloy.

Mike Bond, Director of A20X™ at Aeromet

Aeromet International Ltd announced that Magellan Aerospace Corporation's Haley Ontario site will be added to the global A20X™ supply chain. Developed and patented by Aeromet in the UK, A20X™ is the world’s strongest aluminum casting alloy and is used in aerospace, defense, and space applications. The unique solidification mechanism and microstructure of the A20X™ aluminum alloy produces investment and sand cast parts with class-leading mechanical properties and enhanced thermal performance. A20X™ is fully approved for aerospace with MMPDS and AMS classifications and are typically used in high strength, high-temperature applications.

 

"Demand for A20X™ castings is growing significantly as aerospace and defense customers seek to unlock the weight and cost reduction potential offered by the high strength alloy – the global supply chain is key to supporting customers around the world," said Mike Bond, Director of A20X™ at Aeromet.

Haydn Martin, Magellan’s Vice President, Business Development, Marketing, and Contracts

"Magellan is delighted to join the global network of A20X™ foundries and to be able to offer the unique benefits of A20X™ castings to its customers," said Haydn Martin, Magellan’s Vice President, Business Development, Marketing, and Contracts. "The constant challenge for aerospace engineers is to find an optimum balance between strength and weight when designing a component.  The higher strength characteristics of this alloy open up new opportunities for engineers to utilize the advantages of cast components in critical aerospace applications where, traditionally, light alloy castings have not been able to meet the requirements."

 

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10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

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10 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

  • Heat treatment provider Bodycote PLC announced this week that its 2017 pretax profit rose 27 percent, due in part to a return to growth in general industrial markets following a multiyear negative trend. The pretax profit amounts to $161.6 million ((117 million pounds) in the year, compared with GBP91.9 million in 2016, the company said.
  • The UK-based specialist in thermal processing and hard coating of metals, Wallwork Group Ltd, announced that Tecvac Ltd, which supplies heat treatment and vacuum brazing to a variety of industries covering aerospace, automotive, biomedical, motorsport, and manufacturing sectors in the UK and Europe, will now operate as Wallwork Cambridge. Tecvac Ltd is BSI ISO 9001:2000 and NADCAP approved for PVD/CVD coatings and also holds various Aerospace Prime approvals. In addition, Metaltech, which was recently acquired by Wallwork, has been renamed Wallwork Newcastle.
  • Aeromet International, a leading supplier of airframe and aero engine components, recently agreed to the acquisition of the business and assets of the London-based aluminum and magnesium foundry, Stone Foundries Ltd, from Langham Industries, a UK engineering group serving particularly the marine and aerospace industries.
  • The Manufacturing Institute announced the recipients of the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award are Aleris leaders Helene Lagace and Brittany Kanz. The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory-floor to the C suite.

Equipment Chatter

  • North American heat treater Paulo has added a new precision controlled nitriding furnace.  Also known as vacuum nitriding the equipment is similar to a vacuum heat treatment

    Paulo adds precision controlled nitriding furnace

    furnace but operates at lower temperatures and without quenching capability, which produces minimal distortion. The recently installed furnace has a 6,000lb capacity and a work zone that measures 70"L x 47"W x 39"H. Process controls allow Paulo to meet specific requirements with respect to which nitride phases are formed and to what depth. This furnace is also capable of vacuum (protective atmosphere) tempering, which prevents oxidation during the tempering process.

Kudos Chatter

  • Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) has announced that the company meets all certification requirements of the new ISO 9001:2015 + AS9100D standard, maintaining processes that provide superior components and assemblies with detailed quality reporting. SDP/SI is a leader in providing mechanical based design, engineering, and manufacturing services for critical motion control and small power transmission applications for aerospace and defense.
  • ASTM International, based in West Conshohocken, Pa., announces F3301 - 18 Standard Specification for Thermal Post-Processing Metal Parts Made Via Powder Bed Fusion. This standard specifies the requirements for thermal post-processing of parts produced via metal powder-bed fusion to achieve the required material properties and microstructure to meet engineering requirements. This standard is intended to be referenced by Material Part Property specifications for powder-bed fusion. Currently, this standard includes thermal post-processing for the following materials: titanium alloys; cobalt 28 chromium 6 molybdenum; UNS N07718; UNS N06625; UNS 31603; and AlSi10Mg. This specification will be updated as new powder-bed fusion material heat treatments are developed.
  • Advanced Heat Treat of Waterloo, Iowa, has announced that their Burton Avenue location successfully transitioned from ISO/TS 16949:2009 to ISO 9001:2015 / IATF 16949:2016.
  • Toronto-based Innovation Metals Corp., which specializes in cost-effective processing solutions for critical metals, was recently awarded a research contract from Natural Resources Canada for work on the production of rare-earth-element ("REE") oxides and alloys. The contract was awarded as part of NRCan’s Rare Earth Elements and Chromite R&D Program. NRCan is the Canadian government department that oversees the responsible development and use of Canada’s natural resources and the competitiveness of Canada’s natural-resources products.
  • Pelican Wire was certified under ISO 9001:2015 standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The Naples, Florida-based company had previously earned certification under ISO 9001:2008 in 2010 and has been audited and registered since that time by DQS Inc.

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British Firms Explore Heat Treatment Regimens for Alloy in Additive Manufacturing

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Two British firms recently announced a collaboration to establish process parameters for the use of aluminum alloy in additive manufacturing (AM), a project that will include the investigation of heat treatment regimens to deliver optimum properties in AM components for applications in multiple industries, including the aerospace sector.

Mike Bond, Aeromet

Renishaw, a global engineering technologies company based in Gloucestershire providing solutions and products for the aerospace, medical, energy and manufacturing sectors, and Worcestershire’s Aeromet International, a leading supplier of cast metal parts for the global aerospace and defense industries, recently debuted the highly refined alloy at the Paris Air Show in June. The two companies are working together to establish additive manufacturing process parameters and material properties for Aeromet’s A20X® aluminum alloy and to optimise the processing techniques for the alloy on Renishaw metal AM systems.  The results of these developments and the heat treatment research will be made available to Renishaw and Aeromet customers.

A family of high-strength aluminum alloy technologies developed and patented by Aeromet, A20X® includes the Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization (MMPDS) approved A205 casting alloy and AM205 powder for additive manufacturing.

Marc Saunders, Renishaw

“A20X is being rapidly adopted for additive manufacture of aero engine, airframe, space, defense and automotive parts.  It’s unique combination of high strength, high ductility and performance at high operating temperatures make it ideal for light-weight, stressed components.  We look forward to making processing techniques for this innovative alloy more widely available to accelerate its adoption,” said Mike Bond, Director of AMT a Division of Aeromet.

“Renishaw’s metal AM systems feature high-power lasers, an inert processing environment, and open parameters,” said Marc Saunders, Director of Global Solutions Centres at Renishaw, “making them ideal for supporting innovative new materials like A20X.  We are working closely with Aeromet to qualify this exciting new alloy on our machines. Through our network of AM Solutions Centres, we can help manufacturers to develop industrial AM processes using A20X.”

The two companies plan to release processing techniques and material properties information in the coming months.

Photo Credit: Aeromet/Monty Rakusen

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