GE Additive

High-Strength Al-Based Alloys Being Developed for Aerospace and Automotive

A global technology group, an industrial gases company, an additive and design company, and an engineering university in Germany have entered into a research partnership with the end goal of supporting the aerospace and automotive industries through their research and development of aluminum based-alloys.

Oerlikon, a global technology group, entered into a research partnership with Linde, an industrial gases company, GE Additive, an additive and design company, and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), a leading German university in engineering, to conduct additive manufacturing (AM) research with the aim of developing new high-strength, lightweight aluminum-based alloys that can serve the safety and weight reduction needs of the aerospace and automotive industries.

Dr. Marcus Giglmaier,
Project Manager for
the AM Institute

This collaboration seeks to address the challenge of aluminum AM. “There are significant challenges during the AM of aluminum alloys because the temperatures reached in the melt pool create an extreme environment that leads to evaporation losses of alloying elements that have comparatively low boiling temperatures — such as magnesium,” said Dr. Marcus Giglmaier, project manager for the Additive Manufacturing Institute and research funding manager. “Additionally, the cooling rates of more than 1 million °C per second, create high stresses during the solidification process, which can cause micro cracks in the solid material.”

The project draws on the strengths of each of its members. Oerlikon’s experience in powder and material science will contribute to the development of the novel material; Linde’s technology and expertise in gas atmosphere control and evaporation suppression during the AM process – including the processing of aluminum-based alloys – overcomes impurities within the print chamber, which will help manufacturers achieve optimal 3D-printing conditions; GE Additive will assist in the collaboration; and, for its part, the Institute of Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics (AER) at TUM will be able to provide a detailed understanding of the physical phenomena taking place during the AM process using numerical simulations.

 

From left to right: Dr Sven Hicken (Business Unit Head, Oerlikon AM), Prof Thomas Hofmann (President, TUM), Jason Oliver (President and CEO, GE Additive), Dr Wolfgang Dierker (CEO, GE Germany), Dr Christoph Laumen (Executive Director R&D, Linde AG), Prof Michael Suess (Chairman of the Board of Directors, Oerlikon Group), Dr Christian Haecker (Head of Industrialisation, Oerlikon AM), Dr Andreas Lessmann (Managing Director, GE Additive Germany GmbH, Senior Leader, Legal Operations), Dr Christian Bruch (Executive Vice President & CEO, Linde Engineering), Andreas Rohregger (Head of Global Properties, GE Additive), Dr Alice Beck (Deputy Director, TUM ForTe) (Courtesy Oerlikon)

 

 

 

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Cooperative Research and Development Agreement Targets Improving EBM Process Reliability, Expanding Technology to SuperAlloys

A cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) has recently been reached that has as its objective improving the process reliability of electric beam melting technology (EBM) through the use of in-situ process monitoring and closed loop control, expanding the technology to new materials systems, specifically nickel-based superalloys, and validating microstructure and properties of titanium Ti-6Al-4V materials fabricated with increased deposition rate.

GE Additive announced that it entered into the five-year CRADA with the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The agreement focuses on processes, materials, and software to drive industrialization and encourage the broader adoption of additive manufacturing technology.

The new CRADA, which covers all GE Additive equipment, materials and engineering services capabilities, focuses on developing and implementing novel additive technologies into commercial products including:

  • Building on existing research into process simulation methodologies and in-situ monitoring and quality control, on both EBM and direct metal laser melting (DMLM) systems
  • Materials modeling and development
  • Industrialization and commercialization of equipment and processes

    Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director for Energy and Environmental Sciences at ORNL

“Our pioneering research with GE Additive was essential to resolving scientific challenges in advanced metals manufacturing using new electron beam methods,” said Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director for Energy and Environmental Sciences at ORNL. “We’re excited to again push the boundaries with GE and lower the barriers for widespread adoption of more efficient, low-cost manufacturing techniques.”

Daniel R. Simmons, assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

“By collaborating with industry partners such as GE Additive, DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory brings its multi-disciplinary expertise and capabilities to bear on real-world challenges and moves technologies into the marketplace where they will have the greatest economic impact,” said Daniel R. Simmons, assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Josh Mook, innovation leader, GE Additive

“We’re really looking forward to applying the collective brainpower and expertise from both organizations to addressing the challenges around industrialization, but we also have an eye on the future,” said Josh Mook, innovation leader, GE Additive. “The next wave of additive technology is already upon us—whether that’s binder jet or rapid advances in software—so we’re excited to see where the next five years will take us.”

The agreement supersedes an existing CRADA in place since 2012 between ORNL and GE Additive Arcam EBM.

 

Main photo credit / caption: GE Additive / From left to right: Christine Furstoss, chief technology officer, GE Additive; Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary, US Department of Energy – Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director for Energy and Environmental Sciences and Chris Schuppe, general manager, engineering, GE Additive.

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A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

A Baker’s Dozen 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

  • GE Additive has announced the opening of its Arcam EBM Center of Excellence in Gothenburg, Sweden. The new 15,000 square meter facility triples the floor space of Arcam EBM’s previous site in Mölndal with production, R&D, training facilities, and support functions all housed under one roof.
  • Northern Minerals Ltd., Australia, has signed a rare earths supply agreement with Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Materials Trading for 100% offtake from the Western Australia Browns Range pilot plant, which has already begun producing heavy rare earth carbonates. Under the terms of the agreement, Thyssenkrupp will purchase all heavy rare earth carbonates from the pilot plant and will serve as the exclusive sales partner of Northern Minerals. The two companies will jointly work on the implementation of separating technologies and future expansion of the Browns Range project.
  • Fluxtrol Inc. presented at the 2019 National Induction Heat Treatment Technology Seminar & Mr. Shen Qingtong Career 67th Anniversary Event in Luoyang City, Henan Province, China. The presentation was titled, “What is Happening When We Induction Scan Harden an Axle?”
  • An international aerospace firm based in the southeastern United States recently purchased spray/dunk washers manufactured and shipped by Premier/BeaverMatic.
  • A universal oven (No. 841) was recently put to use heat treating at a customer’s facility, provided by Grieve Corporation.
  • The production facilities of China-based stainless steel producer Fuxin Special Steel Co Ltd, a part of Formosa Plastics Corporation, in Zhangzhou city in Fujian Province of China, were expanded by a new hot rolling mill as well as cold rolling mills including continuous annealing line and numerous finishing lines. The supply contract for coil transport logistics between the individual plants was awarded to AMOVA GmbH, a company of SMS group.
  • A hot stamping company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently purchased an integrated three-chamber furnace from Lindberg/MPH.  A recent video of the installed furnace (at Lindberg/MPH’s website) shows the integration with a robotic transfer system and a hydraulic press.
  • A rapid heating furnace was recently purchased by a research organization to be used for lightweight hot stamping & formed aluminum automotive component product development. Can-Eng Furnaces International Limited was awarded the contract for the equipment which will integrate the aluminum sheet heating furnace with existing equipment to support both automotive manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers throughout North America for the development of new safety-critical, lightweight structural components.
  • A company from within the pharmaceutical industry purchased a Gruenberg steam-heated granulation dryer from Thermal Product Solutions.
  • Ipsen USA announces its next Corporate Academy class for training Field Service Engineers, part of a fast-track development strategy to continue increasing technical
    service capacity in the field. Participants get 26 weeks of comprehensive classroom knowledge, hands-on troubleshooting experience, and on-the-job field training. expertise in servicing and maintaining furnace equipment.
  • The Cleveland Chapter of ASM International will be hosting its Season Kick-off Event on Friday, September 13, 2019, raising money for the Annual Scholarship Fund. The event will be a luncheon, followed by an 18-hole, shot-gun start golf tournament and ending with dinner and awards, at Briarwood Golf Course in Broadview Hgts, Ohio. For more information, contact Rosanne Brunello, incoming chair, at ASMInternational.org/cleveland. Non-golfers welcome to cheer and/or help.
  • Novelis and Georgia Institute of Technology recently established the Novelis Innovation Hub at Georgia Tech Company, committing $2.5 million to initiate transformational innovation through sponsored research.
  • On August 12, 2019, Parker Hannifin and ASM International officially dedicated two new laboratories located at ASM’s headquarters in Materials Park, Ohio. The Powder Characterization Lab and the Computed Tomography Lab were established due in large part to the partnership that Parker Hannifin formed with ASM, allowing key equipment to be acquired for use in the evaluation of additive manufactured metal parts. The Powder Characterization Lab focuses on the size, flow, and shape characteristics of metal powders. The laboratory utilizes a Freeman Powder Rheometer FT4, Horiba Partica LA-960, and a Retsch Technology Camsizer X2, in a total cleanroom environment. The Computed Tomography Lab focuses on non-destructive analysis of metallic parts by way of a Nikon XT H 225 ST CT scanner and an Olympus LEXT OLS5000 laser confocal microscope.

 


Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com

A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

A Baker’s Dozen 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

  • Tom Spicer recently joined Gasbarre Industrial Furnace Systems (OEM of J.L. Becker brand equipment) as a Field Service Technician. Tom brings over 20 years of industry experience to the Plymouth, Michigan, company, having previously worked with OEMs assembling and servicing equipment and in maintenance at a commercial heat treat facility.
  • Changes at DANTE: The month of May saw the transition of Dan Londrico and Stefan Habean from intern to staff engineer. Charlie Li moved from Vice President to President of the company, and Lynn Ferguson became Emeritus. Edward Lee, a mechanical engineering student at The Ohio State University, joined the DANTE team as an intern.
  • Sławomir Woźniak has been appointed by the Supervisory Board at the SECO/WARWICK Group to the role of President of the Management Board. The new President has been appointed for the same period as the joint term of the new Management Board, which spans the next three full financial years.
  • Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic / Emmedi would like to congratulate Don Gibeaut on his election to Chairman of the North American Management Board of Directors (NAMB) for the International Tube Association (ITA). Don is the product manager for ATM’s Tubular Products Division.
  • A materials technology engineering group recently completed a partial acquisition of a provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) services and advanced end-use components. Sandvik acquired a 30% stake in privately owned Beam IT, which supplies metal AM end components to demanding industries, including automotive, energy and aerospace, and holds several relevant quality certifications to serve these industries.
  • A new hot isostatic press (HIP) has been delivered and installed at Paulo’s Cleveland Division. The furnace was built by Quintus Technologies. The 30,000-sqft expansion to house the HIP vessel is complete and will provide the Cleveland Division room for additional expansion to support customer needs.
  • GE Additive recently announced that the company has made a significant investment in its electron beam melting (EBM) technology, with the purchase of an additional 17 A2X systems and 10 Spectra H systems. Avio Aero, a GE Aviation company, currently operates a fleet of 35 Arcam machines at its recently expanded site in Cameri, Italy. The additional EBM systems will be installed at GE Aviation and Avio Aero facilities in the US and Europe and will be used primarily for the production of titanium aluminide (TiAl) blades on the low-pressure turbine for the GE9X engine.
  • Metal Exchange Corporation (MEC), headquartered in St. Louis, MO, is forming a new joint venture with Novellini Industries Srl in Mantova, Italy. Called novALmec, the newly formed company will supply aluminum billet capacity to the European market.
  • An automotive supplier recently ordered a nitrocarburizing furnace for a new component line for a major carmaker. SECO/WARWICK commissioned the high-volume, horizontal retort furnaces, which will allow the customer to produce parts for North American suppliers. In addition to ferritic nitrocarburizing, the furnaces can provide clean, stress relief processing.
  • Four atmosphere controlled, aluminum coil annealing furnaces, which will be used to anneal automotive body stock and common alloy sheet coils, have been ordered by a leading U.S. aluminum producer from Consolidated Engineering Company.
  • A quench tank has been installed by Baker Furnace, a division of Thermal Product Solutions, for a supplier in the heat treatment industry. The customer had two quench tanks and three drop bottom furnaces and needed the third quench tank in order to optimize quench loads per day.
  • During the 2019 CCAI Annual Meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the Chemical Coaters Association International held their annual awards ceremony to recognize the CCAI Chapter Users and Suppliers of the Year and announce the 2019 James F. & David J. Wright Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The 2018-19 Chapter Award winners are: Central States Chapter – Frank Laster, A-1 Paint Powder and Sandblasting LLC and Ron Cudzilo, George Koch Sons LLC; Georgia Chapter – Wayne Pettyjohn, Georgia Power Company; Las Vegas Chapter – Tony Sclafani, AR Iron, LLC and Sercy Spears, TIGER Drylac, Inc. USA; Northern Illinois Chapter – Matt Ambrose, Henkel Corporation; Salt Lake City Chapter – Ginny Phommavongsay, Martin Door Mfg.; Southern California Chapter – Shivie Dhillon, Sundial Powder Coating, Tony Sclafani, AR Iron, LLC and Luis Hernandez, Coral Chemical Co.; Twin Cities Chapter – Mark Walsworth, Retired and Jim Henningsen, Troy Chemical; West Michigan Chapter – In memory of Herb Knape, Knape Industries Inc., and Jason Meekof, Industrial Metal Cleaning; and Wisconsin Chapter – Justin Jarmuz, Wacker Neuson Corp. and Matt Roeser, DuBois Chemical Co.
  • During the July 9th Collier County Board of County Commissioners meeting, Pelican Wire was named the Collier County ‘Business of the Month’ and was recognized by the Board for being a manufacturing leader in Collier County for over forty years.
  • On July 11th, Solar Atmospheres hosted 28 high school students enrolled in the Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) at Lehigh University. The group also included a few members of Lehigh University undergraduate students and staff. The SEI program, under the guidance of Director Dr. Laura Moyer, is a two-week residential program, running two sessions back to back. Students are nominated by faculty of local high schools, and the program specifically targets under-represented groups including girls, first-generation students, and students who might otherwise have limited opportunities to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com

A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

Titanium Implants Improve Surgical Accuracy, Outcomes for Man’s Best Friend

Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and in the case of certain breeds, they are also prone to higher incidences of hereditary defects, deformities, or infirmities.

Dr. Kevin Parsons, an orthopedic veterinarian, Langford Vets

Small dogs can present particular health issues that are a challenge to correct because their size and weight offer little to no margin for error. In dachshunds and Shih Tzus, abnormal bone growth can sometimes cause their front paws to point outwards. And pugs, and other breeds with corkscrew tails, are susceptible to spinal problems caused by misshapen bones. Fortunately, if diagnosed in time, these conditions can be treated with surgery, but with such small animals, corrective surgery to drill and cut bones, stabilize vertebrae or reposition limbs is a laborious and intricate process.

Two animal specialists from Britain, Dr. Kevin Parsons, an orthopaedic vet based at the small animal hospital at Langford Vets, in Bristol, and a former colleague Tom Shaw a neurosurgeon, now at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull are pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing in veterinary science and are applying it to both scenarios. They have been exploring the world of 3D-printed anatomical guides and titanium implants, manufactured on a GE Additive Arcam EBM Q10plus in South Wales, as a means to provide animals suffering from malformation an opportunity to live longer, pain-free lives.

Integral to Langford Vets’ additive journey has been its partnership with Swansea-based CBM Wales (CBM) – a commercially focused advanced research, product development and batch manufacturing facility, established by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Dr. Ffion O’Malley, CBM Wales

Dr. Ffion O’Malley and an experienced team of additive manufacturing designers and engineers at Swansea-based CBM Wales (CBM) — a commercially focused advanced research, product development and batch manufacturing facility, established by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David — oversee production of bespoke surgical guides (either in polymer or metal) and titanium implants to match exactly to each individual patient’s anatomy to restore mechanical and/or aesthetical functions. Each implant design, follows precise specifications from the Langford Vets’ surgical team, using CT or MRI diagnostic imaging data.

 

 

 

The Q10plus is particularly well-suited for medical implant manufacture and has been developed for easy powder handling and fast turnaround times. The EBM process takes place in a vacuum and at elevated temperatures, which results in stress-relieved implants with properties better than cast and comparable to wrought materials.

The bespoke implants are built in Titanium Ti6Al4V ELI, which is certified to the USP Class VI standard for biocompatibility and is extensively used for FDA and CE marked implants. CBM has ISO 9001:2015 certification for the provision of a design, prototyping and small batch manufacturing service and ISO 13485:2016 & EN ISO 13485:2016 certification for the design and manufacture of custom made 3D-printed surgical guides and implants.

 

Click here for additional images and more information.

Photo credit: Langford Vets, CBM Wales

Titanium Implants Improve Surgical Accuracy, Outcomes for Man’s Best Friend Read More »

First Titanium Wheel Created with 3D Unveiled in California

The first titanium wheel created using EBM technology was recently unveiled during the official announcement of a partnership agreement between the two companies responsible for its design and manufacture.

HRE Wheels, headquartered in Vista, California, and GE Additive launched the new technology, which is a type of 3D printing to test the capabilities of additive manufacturing in a practical application and to create a highly-sophisticated wheel design with an elusive material like titanium. The new prototype wheel is known as “HRE3D+”.

With a traditional aluminum Monoblok wheel, 80% of material is removed from a 100-pound forged block of aluminum to create the final product. With additive manufacturing, only 5% of the material is removed and recycled, making the process far more efficient. Titanium also has a much higher specific strength than aluminum and is corrosion resistant, allowing it to be extremely lightweight and to be shown in its raw finish.

There was an intensive design collaboration between the Vista, California-based, team at HRE and the GE AddWorks team out of Ohio. Using design queues from two existing models of HRE wheels, the two companies worked together to create a stunning example of what is possible with additive manufacturing.

HRE President Alan Peltier

The wheel was produced on two Arcam EBM machines – Q20 and a Q10 in five separate sections, then combined using a custom center section and titanium fasteners.

“This is an incredibly exciting and important project for us as we get a glimpse into what the future of wheel design holds,” said HRE President Alan Peltier. “Working with GE Additive’s AddWorks team gave us access to the latest additive technology and an amazing team of engineers, allowing us to push the boundaries of wheel design beyond anything possible with current methods. To HRE, this partnership with GE Additive moves us into the future.”

Robert Hanet, senior design engineer, GE Additive AddWorks

“HRE prides itself on its commitment to excellence and superior quality in the marketplace. It was a natural fit for AddWorks to work on this project with them and really revolutionize the way wheels can be designed and manufactured,” said Robert Hanet, senior design engineer, GE Additive AddWorks.

First Titanium Wheel Created with 3D Unveiled in California Read More »

A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

A Baker’s Dozen 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

  • Ashleigh Walters, president of Onex, Inc., recently participated in Penn State’s 2018 Fall Engineering Speaker Series, addressing how leadership can create impact through focusing on teamwork, creativity, improved processes, and mission.
  • Wallwork Heat Treatment’s Richard Burslem recently received the Meritorious Service to Heat Treatment Industry Award at the annual Surface Engineering and Heat Treatments Awards, presented on October 12th at the Radisson Blu in Manchester by Alan Hick, the secretary of the Contract Heat Treatment Association (CHTA).
  • A high tech provider of vacuum solutions for multiple markets recently opened a new 27,000-sq ft building in Nashua, New Hampshire, to house the company’s North American headquarters for administration, sales, product management, marketing and customer care. Pfeiffer Vacuum will convert the former 24,000 square foot administration building into a Service Center of Excellence, bringing together under one roof all service activities for the major part of the Pfeiffer Vacuum product portfolio.
  • A mobile heating station where ceramic components can be heated uniformly to 400ºC has been introduced by StrikoWestofen, allowing the components of dosing furnaces to be heated up on site.
  • StandardAero recently extended its long-running relationship with leading aviation services provider Dumont Group, LLC, through a follow-on contract for Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) JT15D-5R engine overhauls.
  • Novelis Inc. recently made several newsworthy announcements: 1) The company announced that it expects its new $300 million automotive aluminum sheet manufacturing plant in Guthrie, Kentucky, to be in production in mid-2020 where it will operate heat treatment and pre-treatment lines that prepare aluminum for use in vehicle parts. 2) Novelis has agreed to partner with Impression Technologies to explore innovative ways to increase the broader adoption of aluminum through the hot stamping process. Impression Technologies has the exclusive rights to Hot Form Quench (HFQ®), a unique technology used to design and manufacture components using ultra high-strength aluminum for the high volume automotive and transport markets. 3) Finally, the company unveiled plans to establish a global network of Customer Solution Centers (CSCs) to accelerate collaborative innovation between Novelis and automakers for the next generation of vehicle design.

Equipment Chatter

  • Ipsen USA recently posted a record month of sales with orders for nine TITAN® vacuum furnaces to be shipped for use in a variety of applications for companies in aerospace, automotive and commercial heat-treating industries. In addition,  Ipsen also sold seven custom units, including MetalMaster®, TurboTreater® and vacuum aluminum brazing furnaces.
  • A Hot Isostatic Press from Quintus Technologies has been purchased by Paulo to be installed in the Cleveland Division’s recent expansion and primarily support densification and heat treatment of investment castings and additively manufactured parts.
  • GE Additive and GE Aviation recently announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given ‘change in design’ approval to replace a conventionally manufactured power door opening system (PDOS) bracket, used on GE Aviation’s GEnx-2B commercial airline engines that power the Boeing 747-8, with an additively manufactured bracket.
  • An order for a complete walking hearth furnace plant has been received by ANDRITZ Group from Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Specialty Steel GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, for its facility in Witten, Germany. Production is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2020.
  • The expansion agreement for an existing bell annealer facility is expected to begin production next month. Guang Xi Zheng Run New Material Technology Co., Ltd. placed an order with EBNER® for the expansion this summer. The agreement includes three HICON® workbases employing 100 % argon as a process atmosphere, two heating bells, and one cooling bell.

Kudos Chatter

  • Solar Atmospheres – Greenville, SC, announces that it has been awarded Nadcap 18-month Merit status for Heat Treating, Brazing and Carburizing. We are extremely pleased PRI has recognized our corporate commitment to quality. Achieving 18-month merit has been a goal set by Solar’s employees since opening its doors in 2015. The adherence to strict specification requirements, flawless process execution, and a daily commitment to quality processing is evident among all employees of Solar Atmospheres. The Solar Atmospheres Greenville facility has held Nadcap accreditation since 2015.
  • Meron Medical, LLC, announces the successful transition to ISO 13485:2016. Safety and quality are non-negotiables in the medical devices industry. Regulatory requirements are increasingly stringent throughout every step of a product’s life cycle, including service and delivery. With greater attention on the organization’s ability to meet applicable customer and regulatory requirements, ISO 13485:2016 focuses on the entire supply chain of the medical device industry, with added emphasis on risk management.

 

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.

A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

15 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

  • D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD., Senior Research Scientist–Metallurgy at Houghton International, was elected by the International Federation of Heat Treating and Surface Engineering (IFHTSE) to serve as president for a two-year term. Dr. MacKenzie has been the ASM representative to IFHTSE Executive Committee since 2015 and was awarded ASM Fellow in 2007; he has also published over 150 publications and books, mainly in the field of heat treating and quenching.
  • A new generation of leadership takes over at Michigan-based, flat-rolled steel distributor Grand Steel Products Inc. Jim Barnett, retiring as president and COO, announced that his son, Michael Barnett, has assumed those roles, having started with the company in 2006 and overseeing growth through the purchase of an operations building in 2008, purchase and installation of a slitting line in 2011, and office renovations and additions in 2014. Michael also assisted in the formation of Barnett Industrial Properties and Grand Steel Transport, where he is a Partner. This year, Jim and Michael also added a new company within the same property of Grand Steel Products’ by adding Steel Testing Laboratory (STL).
  • ASM International recently announced that member John Storm, president and CEO of Contour Hardening Inc. (CHI), passed away on May 13, 2018, at the age of 63. "John helped pioneer work with dual frequency induction hardening to strengthen gears and shafts by creating a uniform hardened case pattern. In 1986 . . . he ventured out to co-found CHI with the goal of supplying the industry with innovative induction hardening systems. . . He holds over 200 U.S. and International patents on a variety of processes and applications."
  • The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) announced that R. Scott Kelley, president and CEO of Service Center Metals in Prince George, Virginia, was elected to serve as chairman of the Aluminum Extruders Council.  Mr. Kelley has been a member of the AEC Board of Directors since 2013 when he served as an Independent Extruder Director until he was elected to the Executive Committee in 2016 as Vice Chairman of the Council.
  • Gervais Jacques, Managing Director--Atlantic at Rio Tinto Aluminum, has been appointed Chair of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). As IAI Chair he succeeds Hilde Merete Aasheim, executive vice president of Hydro's Aluminum Metal business, at the end of her two-year tenure.
  • Mary Pernacciaro has been named Director of Quality Management Systems at Illinois-baesd ADVANCED Heat Treating Inc, overseeing maintenance and improvements within the company’s quality systems.
  • Gerdau S.A. recently announced that Chia Yuan Wang, currently the Supply Chain Vice-President in North America, was appointed as the new president for its North American Long Steel Operation, succeeding the CEO of Gerdau, Gustavo Werneck, who was temporarily serving in the position during the last three months. Wang has almost 30 years of experience at Gerdau and held several positions in Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States.
  • Germany’s leading engine manufacturer, MTU Aero Engines AG, recently announced the formation of a separate department, Additive Manufacturing, to explore conceptual designs of applications and constructions from a bionics viewpoint, push the development of the production technology forward, and industrialize the entire process chain. Dr. Jürgen Kraus has assembled a team of around 30 professionals from various technical disciplines: design engineers, structural mechanics engineers, process specialists, and operations scheduling experts.
  • GE Additive recently released an update to its Concept Laser M2 cusing and M2 cusing Multilaser machines to provide aerospace, automotive, medical customers with an increased level of productivity and reliability. The upgrades include a new gas flow system and a higher build chamber with a z-axis of 350 mm and newly designed heating.

Equipment Chatter

  • A two-zone walk-in temperature humidity cycling room was recently shipped by Tenney Environmental announced the shipment of a two- zone walk-in temperature humidity cycling room to replicate negative pressure housing conditions to test door locks during the design phase. In addition, Tenney announced shipment of a vacuum temperature space simulation system for the manufacturer of laser guidance modules for satellites and other space equipment that is used to assure precise locations of equipment while they are docking together.
  • A manufacturer of recreational vehicles recently received shipment of a gas-fired aluminum stack melting and holding furnace from Lindberg/MPH to provide additional melting capacity and efficiency for a new die casting machine installation. Lindbergh/MPH also recently announced shipment of a box furnace with retort to a laboratory in Canada to be used to test parts in a hydrogen atmosphere. The temperature range is 212°F to approximately 2200°F and the customer will run it at a maximum temperature of 1922°F.
  • A natural gas-fired enhanced duty walk-in furnace was recently manufactured for a transportation technology company by Wisconsin Oven Company to be used for heat treating baskets of aluminum parts. The heat-treating equipment has a maximum temperature rating of 600°F (315°C) and has sufficient capacity to heat 1,312 pounds (5,952 kg) of aluminum from 70°F (21°C) to 482°F (250°C) within 120 minutes when loaded into an ambient oven. Wisconsin Oven Company also manufactured a custom electrically heated enhanced duty walk-in oven for an aerospace parts manufacturer to be used for curing composites. The maximum operating temperature of this composite curing oven is 500°F.
  • An order for advanced tubes has been received by Sandvik Materials Technology from a company related to the energy segment.

Kudos Chatter

  • The Buehler Wilson® Reference Block Laboratory in Binghamton, New York, has achieved accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 by A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation) for Rockwell, Knoop, Vickers, and Brinell hardness test blocks and indenters. A2LA is in full conformance with the standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electro-Technical Commission (IEC), including ISO/IEC 17025. Buehler markets the reference blocks along with the Wilson hardness testers and DiaMet software globally.
  • The world’s largest independent Pratt & Whitney Canada authorized PT6A Designated Overhaul Facility (DOF) with distribution rights on certain engine models, StandardAero, is celebrating its second anniversary as a chosen supplier of PT6A engine maintenance to business aircraft manufacturers Textron Aviation.

 

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.

15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »