Bodycote, a leading provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, has entered into an agreement to acquire Ellison Surface Technologies, of Mason, Ohio, which will provide thermal spray and engineered coating surface technology services to the aerospace industry.
Combining Ellison’s thermal spray and engineered coating surface technology services with Bodycote’s services and global infrastructure will broaden their service offering to aerospace customers.
Stephen Harris, Group Chief Executive of Bodycote
Group Chief Executive of Bodycote Stephen Harris said, “Ellison’s business is one that we have long respected and is a perfect strategic fit for Bodycote’s aerospace and Specialist Technologies’ businesses. Ellison has been successful in winning new business in recent years and it will be very complementary to Bodycote’s existing surface technology business.”
Completion of the transaction is contingent on various regulatory filings’ processes; it is anticipated that the transaction will complete during the first quarter of 2020.
Canadian business jet manufacturer Bombardier recently announced that it will relocate its global aircraft final assembly plant to Mississauga, Ontario.
Bombardier signed a long-term lease agreement with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to build its new state-of-the-art Global Manufacturing Centre located at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Preliminary site work is underway, and first production activities are set to begin in 2023, opening the way for final assembly operations for all global business jets, including the industry flagship Global 7500 business jet.
Alain Bellemare, president and CEO, Bombardier IncA rendering of Bombardier’s Global Manufacturing Centre at Toronto International Pearson
The one-million-square-foot facility will incorporate Bombardier’s advanced manufacturing technology, including a state-of-the-art automated positioning system that uses laser-guided measuring to ensure major aircraft structures, such as the wing and fuselage, are joined consistently and perfectly each time.
“Today, I’m very excited to announce the relocation of our Global aircraft family production activities to a new, cutting-edge manufacturing facility at Toronto Pearson,” said Alain Bellemare, president and CEO, Bombardier Inc. “This is a strategic move for Bombardier and a strong commitment to Ontario’s aerospace industry. It will allow us to offer world-class career opportunities and continue fueling the economic development of the region for years to come.”
A global manufacturer of technically advanced specialty materials and complex components recently announced that it has reached an agreement on multiple new long-term contracts with an aircraft engine supplier to supply iso-thermal and hot-die forgings used in the manufacture of commercial jet engines.
Robert S. Wetherbee, ATI’s president and CEO
GE Aviation, headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, has contracted with Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) for the development and production of materials and components for hotter-burning, more fuel-efficient jet engines.
“We are pleased to extend and expand our six-decade partnership with GE Aviation,” said Robert S. Wetherbee, ATI’s president and CEO. “These long-term agreements demonstrate the trust that GE Aviation places in ATI to deliver the highest quality materials and components to their production lines on-time.”
Michael J. Wagner, GE Aviation’s global sourcing general manager
“This is a great example of how we are developing key partnerships, like ATI, for the purpose of growing capability and capacity in the forging industry to ensure we can support our customers,” said Michael J. Wagner, GE Aviation’s global sourcing general manager.
Advanced large-capacity heat treating equipment and vacuum furnaces, as well as rare aerospace equipment, are listed among the items that were auctioned in December 2019, as part of the closure of an industrial facility belonging to a California-based rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer.
Paul Zimmer, CEO of Machinery Marketing International
Aerojet Rocketdyne began downsizing its operations and holdings in Rancho Cordova, California, in 2017 and expanding its manufacturing footprint in Arkansas. Machinery Marketing International (MMI), in collaboration with Hilco Industrial, was secured to partner with Aerojet in the downsizing of assets, and a large industrial auction of Aerojet Rocketdyne manufacturing equipment that occurred in December.
The auction of the 800,000-plus sq ft manufacturing facility features advanced large-capacity heat and vacuum treating, composite structure forming, CNC machining, quality assurance equipment, and more. Key assets falling under the auctioneer’s gavel include an Abar Ipsen HR-120x152VC 6-bar MetalMaster horizontal vacuum compression braze furnace and a Grieve HB-500 500°F electric oven.
“We are proud to have been selected as an asset disposition partner for this closure,” said Paul Zimmer, CEO of Machinery Marketing International. “This facility features rare aerospace equipment including vacuum furnaces and heat treatment machinery, composite manufacturing equipment, large scale turret lathes, and a wide selection of machine tools. The scale and quality of this equipment makes this auction a unique opportunity for buyers.”
The live auction will take place at 2001 Aerojet Road Rancho Cordova, California 95742 on Tuesday, December 10, at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time) with additional online webcast bidding hosted by Bidspotter. Lot preview and machinery inspection will occur Monday, December 9, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time), or earlier by appointment.
A company that manufactures custom magnetic shields, precision sheet metal fabrication, and Hydroforming recently commissioned its first-ever vacuum furnace to accommodate expansions to better serve the magnetic shielding industry by providing material designed to protect sensitive electronics from magnetic fields.
Jason Davidson, Solar Manufacturing’s northeast regional sales manager
MuShield Company of Londonderry, New Hampshire, commissioned Solar Manufacturing to design the furnace, built with a SolarVac® Polaris control system, fully compliant to AMS2750E pyrometric specification, operating at a vacuum level of 10-5 Torr with the capability of maximum temperatures up to 2400°F, and featuring an external quench system designed for pressures up to two bar.
“What this means for us is that we’ll be able to offer quicker turnaround times on heat-treated products, fit larger shields into our furnace, and eliminate outside vendor work,” notes MuShield’s website.
“MuShield was already aware of our excellent reputation in the industry, and they were impressed with our facility when they visited earlier this year,” said Jason Davidson, Solar Manufacturing’s northeast regional sales manager. “They were also impressed with results of testing performed for them by Solar Atmospheres, so we’re pleased they have placed confidence in Solar Manufacturing to provide their first vacuum furnace.”
The new vacuum furnace will also allow MuShield to perform stress relief annealing cycles on hydroformed parts made from non-shielding alloys, which is a manufacturing requirement on most materials that the company hydroforms.
Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. recently announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire select assets of Bombardier aerostructures and aftermarket services businesses in Belfast, Northern Ireland (known as Short Brothers); Casablanca, Morocco; and Dallas, Texas.
Spirit AeroSystems president and CEO Tom Gentile
The opportunity to expand its operations into Northern Ireland and Morocco and the addition of the entire work package for the A220 wing and its technology is critical for the future of next-generation aircraft, says Spirit. In aerostructures and fabrication, Bombardier supplies composite and metallic wing components, nacelles, fuselages, and tail assemblies, along with high-value mechanical assemblies made out of aluminum, titanium, and steel.
“The Bombardier operations bring world-class engineering expertise to Spirit and add to a strong track record of innovation, especially in advanced composites,” said Spirit AeroSystems president and CEO Tom Gentile. “Belfast has developed an impressive position in business jet fuselage production, in addition to the world-acclaimed fully integrated A220 composite wing. This acquisition is in line with our growth strategy of increasing Airbus content, developing low-cost country footprint, and growing our aftermarket business.”
Heat Treat 2019 was just a month ago, and one of the great benefits of gathering with a community of heat treaters is the opportunity to challenge old habits and look at new ways of doing things. Heat TreatToday’s101 Heat TreatTips is another opportunity to learn the tips, tricks, and hacks shared by some of the industry’s foremost experts.
Today’s Technical Tuesday features tips from Grammer Vacuum Technologies covering Vacuum Furnace and Cooilng.
If you have a heat treat-related tip that would benefit your industry colleagues, you can submit your tip(s) to doug@heattreattoday.com or editor@heattreattoday.com.
Heat TreatTip #59
Oxygen Contamination Sources
A common source of oxygen contamination to vacuum furnace systems is in the inert gas delivery system. After installation of the delivery lines, as a minimum, the lines should be pressurized and then soap-bubble tested for leaks. But even better for critical applications is to attach a vacuum pump and helium leak detector to these lines with all valves securely closed, pull a good vacuum, and helium leak check the delivery line system. Helium is a much smaller molecule than oxygen and a helium-tight line is an air-tight line. Also, NEVER use quick disconnect fittings on your inert gas delivery system to pull off inert gas for other applications unless you first install tight shut-off valves before the quick disconnect. When the quick disconnect is not in use, these valves should be kept closed at all times. (Though the line is under pressure, when you open a back-fill valve to a large chamber, the line can briefly go negative pressure and pull in air through a one-way sealing quick disconnect valve.)
Air-cooled vacuum furnace cooling system (from Dry Coolers)
Heat TreatTip #80
Closed-Loop Water Cooling Systems
Modern water cooling systems for vacuum furnaces are typically closed-loop. (By this we mean that air never comes in contact with the water that goes through your vacuum furnace. The expansion tank would be pressurized with dry nitrogen, in this case, to prevent oxygen pick-up by the water.) Sometimes after maintenance work, the expansion tank or sump is left open to air. As a result, air/oxygen, dirt, and organic materials can get into the water system and eventually cause both corrosion and plugging of your chamber. A plugged chamber can overheat and explode or implode causing serious injury or death. Replacement chambers are very expensive. A recirculating water system that allows air to contact the water entering your furnace can dramatically decrease the life of your vacuum chamber.
Heat TreatTip #89
Lanthanated Moly Alloy Strip Increases Element Longevity
Moly and TZM moly grids can double or triple vacuum furnace throughput by using a two-tier or three-tier fixture to utilize unused work zone space.
Pure molybdenum vacuum furnace heating elements distort with time in service due to growth and contraction during thermal cycling. You can often see this distortion beginning just a month or two into service of new elements. Eventually, these will contact either the insulation/shield wall— or worse yet, your parts—and cause electrical arcing. So they need to be replaced before this happens. By making a direct replacement of these pure moly strips with a lanthanated moly alloy strip, the life of the elements can be significantly increased. We have seen a rough doubling of the element life by making this change. Many new OEM vacuum furnaces are now supplied with lanthanated elements at the start. OEM and aftermarket hot zone re-builders are frequently making this change as well to get longer life out of their hot zone elements.
Heat TreatTip #101
TZM Moly Alloy for Structural Vacuum Furnace Components
For over 30 years, there has been a molybdenum alloy called TZM (Moly-0.5%Ti-0.1%Zr) which is far superior to pure molybdenum in vacuum furnace structural applications. TZM is slightly more expensive than pure moly, so OEM furnace companies use pure moly to keep their costs down for competitive reasons. But they could be offering it as an option for their buyers. Pure molybdenum metal undergoes recrystallization at temperatures as low as 2000°F. The recrystallized structure is very brittle at the grain boundaries, resulting in a structural component that also is very brittle. If you have a vacuum furnace with moly components, you have undoubtedly seen this with older parts. TZM alloy, however, does not recrystallize until around 2500°F, and even then it does not exhibit the brittle behavior of pure moly, because the recrystallized grain size is still very fine. TZM is also stronger than pure moly, as much as 3 to 4 times the strength at temperatures above 2000°F. For a 10-15% premium in cost, you can dramatically extend the life of your moly structural components in your furnaces.
A global company that produces specialty metals and provides related vacuum heat treating equipment and services recently announced the acquisition of assets of a leading titanium producer based in western Pennsylvania that supplies the aerospace industry.
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. finalized the acquisition of the assets of International Specialty Alloys (ISA) from Kennametal Inc. through its operating unit AMG Technologies, which, besides its production of titanium aluminides and titanium master alloys, also designs, engineers, and produces advanced vacuum furnace systems and operates vacuum heat treatment facilities under the ALD Vacuum Technologies brand name, primarily for the transportation and energy industries.
ISA, located in New Castle, Pennsylvania, is a leading U.S. producer of titanium master alloys and other binary alloys for the aerospace market.
“The acquisition of ISA provides an excellent opportunity for AMG Titanium Alloys and Coatings to increase its market position in these key products for the aerospace market in North America and Europe,” stated Guido Loeber, President of AMG Technologies.
Heat TreatToday’s regular contributor Jason Schulze of Conrad Kacsik (“Jason Schulze on AMS2750E” series) interviewed Shaun Kim from Byington Heat Treating, located in Santa Clara, California, about the company’s experience preparing for and working through the Nadcap accreditation process. Shaun is the quality director at Byington Heat Treating.
The Byington Steel Treating Inc team
As a quality director at a commercial heat treat facility, I’ve been presented with some challenging situations. I take each challenge and examine it in any way I can, or at least, in any way that I know how. I like to think I’m a detail-oriented, evidence-based thinker with the ability to, at the very least, recognize gaps even if I’m not sure how to fill them. In short, the challenges drive me to learn more, and in the end, that is what I’m after. That is what I got out of the Nadcap process: a learning experience that has since prepared me for the next round.
My name is Shaun Kim. I’m the Director of Quality at Byington Steel Treating located in the California Bay Area. In fact, we are now the only Nadcap-approved commercial heat treat facility in the area. Byington Steel Treating has been around since 1952, heat-treating materials from carbon steels to aluminum allows to superalloys. Our capabilities have grown through the years and include hardness and conductivity testing. As we heat treat to AMS2759 (and family), AMS2770, and AMS2771, as well as material specifications, Nadcap accreditation was inevitable.
Sean Byington, CEO, Byington Heat Treating
The vision of Nadcap accreditation in heat treat was initiated and fully supported by our CEO Sean Byington. I know that, for many in the field, management may not supply the full resources needed to achieve Nadcap approval, but for me, that was not the case. Our CEO offered all the necessary resources to achieve accreditation. My challenge, once I first gained access to the eAudit.net website, was the new requirements within the checklist. As I stated, I’m detail-oriented, so I examined the checklists closely and, in the process, realized that in order to achieve Nadcap accreditation, simply conforming to an AMS specification wouldn’t be enough.
My biggest challenge was pyrometry. At the time I didn’t understand AMS2750E very well, so I intently read the specification until it started to make sense. I must have read that specification 10-plus times. Our initial Nadcap audit did not go well. It wasn’t that we were not doing what was required; it was that we did not have those requirements documented. We ended up going through the risk-mitigation process, otherwise, we would have had to wait two years to re-apply for Nadcap heat treat accreditation—something our team and CEO was not willing to do. If I had to point out some things I would have done differently pre-risk mitigation, I would have a) given myself more time to prepare, b) hired an industry expert to perform a gap-analysis using the AC7102 checklists, and c) hired an industry expert to facilitate the audit.
Slide from the Nadcap training Jason Schulze provides on behalf of Conrad Kacsik
Back to the risk mitigation process. The Nadcap risk mitigation process essentially consists of addressing all findings received from the eAudit.net system. PRI Staff Engineers will review root cause and corrective actions as they normally would during a reaccreditation audit. Prior to the risk mitigation process, we engaged an industry expert to help us review the findings to ensure that what we were capturing would improve our process and get the findings closed. Even though the risk mitigation process, we learned a lot about the response expectations and just how far we had to dive into our process to find the root cause and take corrective action. In the end, I must admit, I wouldn’t have changed anything. Going through the pains of risk mitigation prepared our company for the stringent requirements that come when processing aerospace parts to the requirements of Nadcap. Nadcap is a serious thing, and we wanted to learn as much as we could even if it meant putting a lot of time and effort into risk mitigation, which we did.
Internal audits gas analysis results can provide a learning opportunity.
Post-risk-mitigation, my experience was completely different and so was our approach. We retained our consultant who walked us through a gap analysis and supplied us with a close-out letter, laying out each gap for each checklist and how to close the gap. Once we had this information, and with an open line of communication to our consultant, we modified our procedures/forms and re-trained our staff in line with changes and requirements. At that point, my understanding of the Nadcap requirements, as well as AMS2750E, had improved greatly, which helped us through the process.
The time came for us to have our initial Nadcap heat treat audit. This process was tough. We had worked hard to close all the gaps we could think of. The auditor did not necessarily contribute to the tough process; it was more about the under-the-gun feeling. We had worked hard and invested the time and money to ensure a successful audit, and we were eager to experience the reward. Of course, there were several times we did not see eye-to-eye with the auditor, but in the end, we had a very successful audit. We passed with room to spare.
Interior of a vacuum furnace
In the end, I learned a lot through the process of Nadcap accreditation in heat treat. I’m a strong believer that you will never learn anything unless you make mistakes along the way and identify why it happened. There is no way for us to learn unless someone points it out or an event forces us to recognize the gap and we then address it.
Almost immediately, we began receiving RFQs which required Nadcap accreditation in heat treat. We have been processing quite a bit of work which requires Nadcap approval and aim to get more. If I could share any advice it would be the following:
Start from the beginning. Get the checklist and fill it out honestly—be honest with yourself about your capabilities.
It will not help you to ignore the gaps. Identify the gaps and start with those areas for improvement.
I recommend getting a consultant familiar with the Nadcap process of audits. The more you learn, the better off you will be.
If you would like to contact me for questions regarding my experience in our Nadcap heat treat accreditation process, please feel free to email me at skim@byingtonsteel.com. I look forward to sharing my experience and learning from yours.
Jason Schulze of Conrad Kacsik, regular contributor to Heat Treat Today (“Jason Schulze on AMS2750E” series)
Written by Jason Schulze from questions presented by Jason Schulze using responses submitted by Shaun Kim from Byington Heat Treating.
An HTT consultant on Hardide A coating technology . . .
“The technology behind using advanced tungsten carbide coatings for metal parts, as described in this article, looks very promising, and in my estimation bears further investigation. The stereotypical misgiving with coatings, irrespective of the method of deposition [i.e. PVD, CVD] is that although they improve wear and corrosion resistance, they result in marginally decreased fatigue life. This technology would appear to answer the fatigue life portion of this question; however, this article really does not speak to the corrosion/wear resistance properties of the process.” ~ Michael Mouilleseaux, General Manager, Erie Steel Ltd.
Air Europa Airbus A330-202
A UK-based provider of advanced tungsten carbide coatings for metal parts recently announced that its tungsten carbide/tungsten metal matrix composite coating has been selected as the replacement for hard chrome plating (HCP) on Airbus A330 compression flap pads.
Following this announcement, Hardide Coatings, which also has a facility in Martinsville, Virginia, for processing parts for customers in North America, received word from an independent testing source that Hardide-A tungsten carbide/tungsten metal matrix composite coating improves the fatigue life of metal components by 4.5% when compared to uncoated substrates. The tests were conducted by Westmoreland Mechanical Testing and Research Ltd (WMTR), a leading aerospace qualified testing laboratory in the UK and USA, concluding also that Hardide-A eliminates the need for costly secondary shot peening, making the coating a significant advancement in materials optimization for the aerospace and other industries where fatigue debit of surface-coated metals is a problem.
WMTR used the rotating bend fatigue test method complying with BS ISO 1143:2010. This test is considered to be the most sensitive to the effects of surface treatment on fatigue properties. Samples of S99 steel were coated with Hardide-A to a thickness of 63-70 microns and hardness of ~950 Vickers, which are mid-value thickness and hardness properties for this coating type. The test was discontinued after 15 million cycles.
Traditionally, the fatigue debit after hard coatings such as hard chrome plating (HCP) and HVOF coatings have been applied can be as much as 60% and only following shot peening of the coated surface can this be reduced to around a 20% debit. The Hardide-A coating recorded a fatigue life increase of +4.5% after coating without any need for shot peening. The Wöhler S-N curve for the coated samples is clearly positioned above the uncoated control samples’ curve by ~40 MPa throughout the whole range of the N cycles to failure.
Dr. Yuri Zhuk, technical director at Hardide Coatings
Fatigue debit of surface-coated metals has been a long-standing problem for the aerospace industry; Hardide-A was developed specifically to meet the needs of the sector. This environmentally compliant and technically superior replacement for HCP and HVOF coatings provides enhanced protection against corrosion and chemically aggressive media, wear, galling, fretting, and fatigue.
“Metal fatigue is an enduring problem in aerospace as well as for the steam and industrial gas turbines industries, and we recognized the value in commissioning independent testing to verify the fatigue advantages of Hardide-A,” said Dr. Yuri Zhuk, technical director at Hardide Coatings. “The positive 4.5% improvement to fatigue life provides the detailed analysis and assurance that our solution is an improved alternative to traditional HCP and HVOF coatings. Unlike these other coatings, Hardide-A has no through micro-porosity, so creating an excellent barrier against corrosion as well as improving fatigue performance.”
