Fringe Friday: Decarbonizing the Bright Annealing Process

December 6, 2024 / ANNEALING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat Treat Fringe Friday installment: a project that targets reducing the environmental impact of the bright annealing process. Learn more about this EU-funded initiative that is expected to impact industries using high-hydrogen-content atmospheric gas.

While not exactly heat treat, “Fringe Friday” deals with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing.

Energy efficiency, specifically reducing the environmental impact of the bright annealing process in seamless stainless steel and nickel alloy tube production, is the goal of a new European Union-funded initiative. The recently launched LIFE H2Reuse Project seeks solutions for hydrogen recovery and reuse.

The project, coordinated by DMV (Cogne Group, formerly Mannesman Stainless Tubes) in partnership with Tenova, is expected to impact industries using high-hydrogen-content atmospheric gas, which could apply the project’s results to reduce their carbon footprint, optimize resource use, and lower operating costs.

In the bright annealing process, 100% hydrogen is used in high-temperature furnaces to produce high-performance tubes with superior surface quality, corrosion resistance, and durability. Currently, hydrogen is flared after each production cycle, leading to significant waste. The LIFE H2Reuse project aims to address this issue by developing two innovative technical solutions: recovering the wasted hydrogen from the annealing process and reusing it as fuel in radiant tubes working 100% of hydrogen. This approach represents a market-first innovation, as the recovery of atmospheric gas for reuse in industrial processes is not yet commercially available.

While hydrogen burners are already on the market, they remain in a developmental phase. The initiative will focus on enhancing their efficiency and effectiveness in real-world industrial environments. The project’s expected outcomes include significant reductions in carbon footprint, energy consumption, and resource waste, all of which will be rigorously tested to demonstrate their technical, environmental, and socio-economic benefits.

The press release is available in its original form here.

Main image: Technologies used by Tenova in the bright annealing process

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Fringe Friday: Additive Manufacturing Brings Metal Processing to New Heights

May 17, 2024 / FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat Treat Fringe Friday a press release detailing how additive manufacturing continues to move into the metals manufacturing industry.

While not exactly heat treat, “Fringe Friday” deals with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing.

Desktop Metal, a global company at the forefront of additive manufacturing 2.0 technologies for mass production, announced that it has installed four Figur G15 Pro systems featuring digital sheet forming (DSF) technology to three manufacturers, including Evology Manufacturing in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

With 30+ years as a contract manufacturer, Evology has a full suite of both traditional and additive technologies to service companies in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, agricultural, marine, mining, medical, electronics, and consumer goods. Evology serves companies ranging from small startups to Fortune 50 companies with prototyping and low-volume production, typically under 10,000 pieces.

Evology is now offering digital sheet form parts off its Figur G15 for cold rolled steel up to 2 mm thick and 6061 aluminum up to 3.175 mm thick, with more materials in development.

“We are delighted to offer our customers this cutting-edge rapid sheet metal forming technology from Desktop Metal,” said Sean Momsen, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Evology. “In addition to our ability to fabricate sheet metal parts rapidly, we also have a full suite of traditional finishing equipment to deliver finished final products to customers.”

Justin Nardone, CEO of Figur, a Desktop Metal brand, said, “We are encouraged by the continued demand we see for our rapid sheet metal forming technology, which truly saves manufacturers time and money when it comes to sheet metal production. The G15 eliminates a lot of the work required when forming metal, such as the design and manufacturing of tools and dies. Our system produces designs quickly, accurately, and repeatedly, so manufacturers are able to focus on the craftsmanship of design while getting their products to market faster and more efficiently.”

Introduced in 2022, the Figur G15 is the first commercial platform of its kind to shape sheet metal on demand directly from a digital file. A software-driven proprietary tooling system on an XY gantry forms the sheet with up to 2,000 lbs of force in a highly engineered and proprietary build zone.

With a maximum sheet size of 1,600 x 1,200 mm (63.0 x 47.2 in), the Figur G15 delivers parts with a draw depth up to 400 mm (16 in) in Z without custom forming tools, molds, dies, or presses. The G15 supports forming a range of metals and sheet thicknesses – including steel up to 2.0 mm and aluminum up to 2.5 mm – and delivers a high quality surface finish

Pro configurations of the Figur G15 include an automatic tool changer and measurement, through tool part lubrication, and automated work holding capabilities.

This press release is available in its original form here.

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Fringe Friday: 3D Printing Premium Performance Tractor Valves

February 3, 2023 / FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, SINTERING POWDER METAL NEWS

Click to watch the helpful video for the topic
Source: John Deere UK IE/YouTube

Source: Forbes

Sometimes our editors find items that are not exactly "heat treat" but do deal with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing. To celebrate getting to the “fringe” of the weekend, Heat Treat Today presents today’s Heat Treat Fringe Friday best of the web article that investigate the success of 3D printing an engine part for John Deere.

In collaboration with GKN Sinter Metals, the project team was able to develop, qualify and introduce the Thermal Diverting Valve 3.0. – a stainless steel component in the fuel system. This is the company’s first 3D printed metal part in production. Using this production method, results are showing significant cost savings and less materials usage. R&D phase worked to develop a part that would outperform, in cold weather, the current valve. Testing in the lab and in the field have gone well; other projects could benefit including printing of replacement parts.

Thermal Diverter Valve 3.0 prototypes
Source: John Deere UK IE/YouTube

An excerpt: "The new thermal diverter valve on the latest versions of John Deere 6R and 6M tractors isn’t just an innovative application of increasingly accessible metal 3D printing technology, it’s the culmination of about two years of R&D."

Source: Forbes

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Fringe Friday: How to Sell Amid Global Shortages

December 10, 2021 / FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

Source: ThomasNet.com

Sometimes our editors find items that are not exactly "heat treat" but do deal with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing. To celebrate getting to the "fringe" of the weekend, Heat Treat Today presents today’s Heat Treat Fringe Friday best of the web article discussing how to sell amidst global shortages.

We all remember the great toilet paper shortage of 2021, but supply chain issues have created shortages in other areas as well. How can manufacturers sell when warehouses may be empty and jobs may be on hold due to parts stuck somewhere in the supply chain? This video gives practical tips for how to sell to clients no matter where they are in the supply chain.

An excerpt:

"For one, companies should focus on being nimble, and that could mean adapting their sales strategy to the current circumstances. Creating promotions around goods that are readily available can help move customers over, but for those who are committed to a certain product, incentivizing or rewarding their patience can keep them from jumping ship while they wait."

Read more at "How to Sell Amid Global Shortages"

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Fringe Friday: Can Solar Panels Use Non-Toxic Metals?

September 18, 2020 / ANNEALING TECHNICAL CONTENT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

Source: Interesting Engineering

Sometimes our editors find items that are not exactly "heat treat" but do deal with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing. To celebrate getting to the "fringe" of the weekend, Heat Treat Today presents today's Heat Treat Fringe Friday Best of the Web article on efficient alloy-based solar panels. These solar panels are free of toxic metals and can be implemented in producing electronic devices, buildings, and vehicles.

Check out how scientists from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea were able to overcome issues of underperformance in this article by Interesting Engineering: "Efficient Alloy-Based Solar Panels Created Free of Toxic Metals."

An excerpt: "'Thin-film solar cells using bronze (Cu-Sn) and brass (Cu-Zn) as base materials are composed of non-toxic earth-abundant materials, and have been studied worldwide because of their low cost, high durability, and sustainability,' said Kang[...] While theoretically they are said to perform as well as top market products, in reality, they severely underperform[...] The scientists looked for a way to bypass these flaws and produce the best quality CZTSSe (copper, zinc, tin, sulfur, and selenium) thin films. They came up with the ingenious solution..."