Grieve Corporation

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

  • ThermTech of Waukesha, Wisconsin, celebrates the groundbreaking of a 10,500-square-foot manufacturing addition. Construction is expected to be completed in December 2018. 
  • An Ohio-based engineering firm, Dana Incorporated, announced a new series of Brevini™ heavy-duty winch drives for marine and offshore applications.  This new series of lightweight winch drives have been engineered with a sealing system designed to withstand harsh marine environments, and with improved power density, housing made from either cast iron or steel, and high-radial load bearings to deliver reliable lifting performance for heavy loads.
  • Brunel University London opened its Advanced Metal Processing Centre (AMPC) at the Brunel Center for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), which will enable R&D activity to enable innovations, such as lightweight car parts, to make the leap from the lab to full-scale industrial trials. The 1,500 sq m AMPC facility includes industrial and pilot-scale equipment for processing and fabrication of extruded metals (novel bending processes, machining, and advanced joining); additional casting processes (gravity die casting and sand casting, etc.), and supporting materials characterization technologies (strength and fatigue testing and 3D x-ray tomography).
  • A global leader in manufacturing and overhauling aerospace structures, systems, and components, Triumph Group, Inc., based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, recently announced that its Aerospace Structures business has been awarded a multi-year airframe component contract for Lockheed Martin’s C130J Super Hercules program. Under initial terms of the contract, Triumph Fabrications in San Diego, California will provide 108 different part numbers for the C130J program. The parts include fabricated sheet metal structures made from a combination of aluminum, steel and titanium materials that will be fitted to the nacelle, wing and fuselage sections of the aircraft.
  • Aerospace equipment manufacturer Liebherr Aerospace has been awarded another contract from Boeing Commercial Airplanes for their 777 and 777X programs. Liebherr-Aerospace will deliver two electronic components of the main gear steering system for the two wide-bodies: the main gear steering control unit and the nose gear steering position transducer.
  • Engineered bearings and power transmission manufacturer, The Timken Company, based in Canton, Ohio, recently completed the acquisition of Rollon Group, a leader in engineered linear motion products. Rollon specializes in the design and manufacture of engineered linear guides, telescopic rails and linear actuators used in a wide range of industries such as passenger rail, aerospace, packaging and logistics, medical and automation.
  • Gear Motions, which has divisional offices in central New York, recently appointed to executive positions: Dan Bartelli to Director of Operations of Nixon Gear, a division of Gear Motions, and Anna Pastore to Corporate Controller. Bartelli, who began his career as a machinist, also recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with Nixon Gear, a division of Gear Motions. He is responsible for all Nixon Gear Division Operations including Manufacturing, Quality, and Engineering. Pastore previously served as Director of Finance for Cascade & Maverik Lacrosse, and Vice President of Finance of the Produce and Technology Division at Agway.
  • Worthington Industries, a metals manufacturing firm based in Columbus, Ohio, announced today that Mark Russell, president and COO is retiring. Andy Rose has been named president and will continue as chief financial officer (CFO). Geoff Gilmore has been named vice president and chief operating officer (COO) and will also continue to lead the Pressure Cylinders business.

Equipment Chatter

  • An electric box furnace has been supplied to a plant located in Louisiana that is a global supplier of large industrial valves for various industries. L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., shipped this furnace, which is the fifth supplied by the company to this facility. The furnace is used to both heat treat and temper various rings and seals deployed in the manufacturing of valves used in the power-generation field. It is also used for general heat treating of various steels prior to machining.
  • Two furnaces have recently been shipped to customers from Grieve Corporation. No. 1040 is a 2200°F (1204°C), inert atmosphere pit furnace, currently used for heat treating automotive parts in baskets at the customer’s facility. No. 989 is an electrically heated, 2,000°F (1,093°C) inert atmosphere furnace from Grieve, used to process fabricated parts at the customer’s facility.
  • A leader in the technology industry recently purchased an electrically heated enhanced duty walk-in oven from Wisconsin Oven Corporation to be used for composite curing small parts. The batch oven has the capability to heat 16,000 pounds of a composite material from 70° F to 350° F within 6-7 hours.

Kudos Chatter

  • Akron Steel Treating celebrated its 75th anniversary August 31, 2018, with guests, officials, employees, customers, and suppliers in attendance, as well as the deputy mayor for economic development, Samuel D. DeShazior, who presented AST president Joseph Powell with a letter of congratulations from Mayor Daniel Horrigan. Joe’s grandfather, Prosper P. Powell, founded the company in 1943, and his daughter, Christina Somogye, recently purchased a 10% interest in ASTC and is an integral part of the succession plan.
  • For the second year in a row, GKN Aerospace has received a supplier award from Spirit AeroSystems. Spirit recognized GKN Aerospace with a Collaboration Values Partner award for superior performance at the 2018 Spirit AeroSystems supplier recognition banquet in Wichita, Kansas. In addition, GKN Aerospace also recently announced via Stratasys that the company is improving production times and removing design constraints for multiple tooling applications since integrating additive manufacturing at its Filton manufacturing site in the UK.
  • Retech Systems, a SECO/WARWICK company based in Mendocino County, California, recently won North Bay Maker Award for “best manufacturing process innovation”.
  • Induction heating company Ambrell Corporation is the honoree for the Global Advancement Award and Ambrell President Tony Mazzullo is a finalist for CEO of the Year at the Technology and Manufacturing Awards, created by the Rochester Business Journal and Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association. The Global Advancement Award is given to a company that demonstrates dynamic growth through expansion of export opportunities and participation in new global markets. The CEO of the Year demonstrates leadership in the industry, commitment to staff development, and dedication to the Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes Region. Tony Mazzullo is one of two finalists and the winner will be announced on October 23rd.

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 »

A Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

 

A 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

  • Italy-based ICMI Forni Industriali has installed and launched its third heat treatment chamber furnace. The company specializes in the design and construction of plants for heat treatment and heating. The furnace has an internal dimension of approximately 7 ft 10 in x 7 ft 10 in x 7 ft 3 in (2,400 x 2,400 x 2.220 m), and can load a weight up to 3 tonnes.
  • A Southbridge, Massachusetts, heat treating company recently received approval of a tax deal from the town council for the expansion of space and equipment of its facility. Hardline Heat Treating Inc. manufactures thermal processing units and lines for the automotive and firearms industries and hopes this expansion will open up the aerospace market.
  • US Representative Mike Kelly (PA District 3) recently toured Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. The congressman, a leading supporter to small business, was able to observe and hear firsthand how tax reform has influenced Solar’s future and was extremely pleased to hear how the tax reform bills that he supported have spurred tremendous private investment and job creation within the Hermitage PA facility. Congressman Kelly stated, “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Solar Atmospheres in Hermitage last week. It is truly a world-class facility that I’m proud to represent right here in the Shenango Valley. It was fascinating to learn more about what they are producing, and just as importantly, how they are producing it. I was particularly glad to speak with Solar’s dedicated professionals about the specific policies I can support to help them thrive in our community, including tax reform and the revival of the Export Import Bank.”
  • Robert S. Wetherbee has been appointed by the Board of Directors of Allegheny Technologies Incorporated to become ATI’s President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2019, succeeding Richard J. Harshman as ATI’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Harshman will remain Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer until January 1, 2019, following which he will continue to serve as Executive Chairman of the Board until his retirement in conjunction with ATI’s May 9, 2019, Annual Meeting. The Board has elected Diane C. Creel, who has served as ATI’s Lead Independent Director since 2011, to become Board Chair effective immediately following Mr. Harshman’s May 2019 retirement. Wetherbee will also join the ATI Board.
  • Thomas Kubera has been named to the position of Chief Financial Officer with SIFCO Industries, Inc., effective August 7, 2018. Kubera has been with the Company since May 2014.
  • Jennifer Howe was recently hired by Michigan-based Premier Thermal Solutions as Regional Sales Manager, responsible for all aspects of sales within her territory of Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Canada.

Equipment Chatter

  • A Midwestern engine manufacturer recently received an electric box furnace for the purpose of heat treating larger structures and running batches of multiple parts. The furnace is in use for hardening and annealing of many varieties of components. L&L Special Furnace Co, Inc., supplied the 22″W x by 18″H x 22″D unit, which has an alloy fan that provides uniformity (±10°F) from 300°F to 1,800°F. The alloy roller hearth and movable load table allow for larger heavy parts to be easily moved in and out of the furnace manually.
  • A 250°F (121°C), special electrically heated oven (No. 861), sold by Grieve Corporation, has been installed for drying small parts in a tray at an unnamed customer’s facility.

Kudos Chatter

  • ASM International recently announced a new entity, the ASM Materials Solutions Network, “to serve as an extension of [ASM]’s R&D capacity by leveraging the ASM network to provide collaborative and scalable solutions.” Announced at the AeroMat Conference in May 2018, the network serves multiple industries including Aerospace, Automotive, Oil & Gas, Materials Processes, and Medical Devices. Founding Provider Members have been announced: Battelle, ESi, Granta, IMR Test Labs, NSL Analytic Services Inc., QuesTek Innovations, Solar Atmospheres. In addition, Parker Hannifin Corporation officially became the Founding Client Member of ASM’s Materials Solutions Network.
  • A global manufacturer of engineered fasteners, shims and installation equipment has announced that two of its manufacturing facilities have recently been certified to IATF 16949:2016: SPIROL Industries in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, which manufactures roll formed tubular products including dowel bushings, spring dowels, ground hollow dowels, compression limiters and spacers; and SPIROL International Corp. in Stow, Ohio, which manufactures disc springs, precision shims, custom washers and spacers.  In addition to IATF 16949, SPIROL Ohio also holds AS9100 Rev D (aerospace) and NADCAP (aerospace and defense) quality system certifications.
  • Twelve teachers from across North America, including one from Canada, and three Temple University students were hosted by Solar Atmospheres Inc. at its Souderton, Pennsylvania, facility as part of their participation in the ASM International Teachers’ Camp. The camp was sponsored by the ASM Philadelphia Liberty Bell Chapter and was located at Temple University’s Ambler campus where participants spent a week learning the basics of Materials Science Technology (MST) as taught at the high school level. For its part, Solar Atmospheres gave a brief overview of vacuum heat treating furnaces, processes, and metallurgy pertinent to the teachers’ curriculum, followed by a tour of the facility.

 

In Memoriam . . . 

Professor Hans Tensi, formerly of the Technical University of Munich, recently died following a lengthy illness. As related by George Totten of GE Totten and Associates, “As all of you know, Professor Tensi made vital, influential and lasting contributions to the fundamental understanding of quenching technology as we understand it today. Much of his work and that of his contemporaries has been memorialized in Theory and Technology of Quenching, an authoritative handbook co-edited by B. Liscic, H.M. Tensi, and W. Luty. . . . Prof. Tensi was recognized for his numerous contributions by his election as a Fellow of ASM International and the International Federation for Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering (IFHTSE). Professor Tensi is survived by his wife Ingrid, his son Thomas, and his three grandchildren Elina, Nelia and Jannis.”

Read here Joe Powell’s reflection on the role Professor Tensi played in the development of the heat treating metallurgy industry.

 

 

 

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 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

  • Advanced Heat Treat Corp (AHT), which provides heat treat services and metallurgical solutions, announced today the addition of three new sales and marketing employees: Vasko PopovskiJason Taylor, and Lindsey Newcomb. Popovski will focus on heat treat needs in the Great Lakes area. Taylor will cover sales in the southeast region of the country. Newcomb, Marketing Manager in the corporate office located in Iowa
  • Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt, who is a member of the Managing Board of SMS group GmbH, is the new President of METEC, the International Metallurgical Trade Fair and Congresses from 25 to 29 June 2019. He was elected unanimously at the recent meeting of the steering committee of the four trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST. The election was necessary because the former METEC President Marcel Fasswald had left SMS group to join Thyssengroup Industrial Solutions AG as Chief Operating Officer.
  • Giantonio Toldo, Operations Manager for Element Materials Technology (Element) Padova laboratory in Limena, Italy, has been appointed as the Vice President of the Italian Association for Metallurgy’s (AIM) Technical Committee for the Control and Characterization of Materials.
  • OMG Inc. recently announced four promotions in supply-chain management and operations: Wayne Ringenbach was promoted to director of Manufacturing, which includes heat treating; Brad Bedard was promoted to director of Supply Chain Management;  Chris Mowatt was promoted to director of Manufacturing Engineering; and Geri McCarthy was promoted to director of Operations.
  • Samuel, Son & Co., Mississauga, Ontario, has acquired Sierra Aluminum, Riverside, California. Sierra is a supplier of aluminum extrusions and related products to a number of end markets, including construction and transportation. Sachin Shivaram has been named president of Sierra Aluminum Group, following Ed Harris’s decision to retire from the company.

Equipment Chatter

  • A heat treating equipment supplier based in Plymouth, Michigan, recently shipped a pair of 36” x 48” x 36” electrically heated temper furnaces to a major drive supplier in the Southeast. Gasbarre Furnace Group/J. L. Becker designed the furnaces, which operate from 300°F to 850°F with a temperature uniformity of ±5°F, to preheat workloads prior to hardening and temper workloads after hardening.
  • An India-based conglomerate recently contracted Can-Eng Furnaces International Limited to design, manufacture, install, and commission an aluminum automotive casting heat treatment system for its new greenfield North American expansion in South Carolina. The new system will service three distinct aluminum product groups with unique treatment cycles.
  • A global manufacturer of thermal-processing equipment recently shipped a custom Gruenberg bench oven to the movable machinery industry. The bench oven is rated for Class B operation per the NFPA 86 specifications. Thermal Product Solutions (TPS) designed this bench oven to be used in the customer’s testing and product development department to process various mechanical apparatuses affixed to a Ling Dynamic Electronic Shaker. The maximum temperature rating of this Class B oven is 1022°F (550°C) and the work chamber dimensions are 36” W x 36” D x 36” H. In addition, TPS delivered a Gruenberg cabinet oven to the research and development industry. This Class B oven will process up to 5 gallons of water per batch from 1500 lbs of metal powder. The maximum temperature rating of this Class B cabinet oven is 250° F and the work chamber dimensions are 48” W x 48” D x 48” H. Both Gruenberg ovens are constructed from a structural steel frame that supports the fully welded 304 stainless steel chamber liner and the exterior sheet metal.
  • Grieve has built a 1,250°F, horizontal airflow cabinet oven used for heat treating at the customer’s facility. With workspace dimensions of 38" by 38" by 38", it has 12"-thick insulated walls comprising 2" of 2,300°F ceramic blanket and 10" of 10 lb./cu. ft. density Rockwool.
  • A vacuum space simulation system was recently shipped to a company that manufactures equipment for space. Tenney Environmental designed this system to test ionic thruster chips for space vehicle systems. The simulator will allow the customer to test their products in-house, while replicating outer space conditions. The dual cryopump vacuum system is sized specifically to maintain the high vacuum while the thrusters are firing inside the vessel.
  • An industrial manufacturer recently purchased a custom car bottom furnace from LEWCO, based in Sandusky, Ohio. The electrically heated oven, which is rated for a maximum temperature of 1,300°F., is used for annealing steel parts, featuring a workspace of 72”W x 140”D x 90”H, and manufactured and designed to NFPA 86 “Class B” standards.

Kudos Chatter

  • Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS, center of excellence for aerospace air management systems within the Liebherr Group, has obtained accreditation from NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) for its Materials Testing Laboratory.
  • A leading provider of vacuum impregnation technology, Godfrey & Wing, passed its transition audit for ISO 9001:2015/IATF 16949 certification from Smithers Quality Assessments (SQA), an accredited third-party registrar. The IATF 16949:2016 certification is the recently published revision to ISO/TS 16949: 2009, one of the most widely used international standards in the automotive industry. The standard acts as a supplement to ISO 9001: 2015 for automotive quality management systems.
  • Bonnell Aluminum, a subsidiary of Tredegar Corporation also recently announced that its aluminum extrusion manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia, has achieved certification under IATF 16949:2016.
  • In January of 2018, Logik Precision Inc. (LPI), a CNC machining, water jet, EDM and welding/fabrication service provider primarily operating in the oil & gas industry, selected QMSC, which provides quality management consulting services and is the developer of QMS, to provide professional consulting services to transition the organization from ISO 9001:2008 to the current revision of 2015. QMSC performed gap audit, completed revisions to the quality management system, performed employee training, and represented LPI during the registrar audit which was conducted on July 11th and 12th. Logik Precision successfully demonstrated compliance and commitment to its quality program. The audit was closed with zero findings and no observations. QMSC will provide ongoing fractional Quality Director services to assist LPI with continuous improvement.

 

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 »

A Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

A 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

  • Richard Cammarano has been selected as president and CEO of Plymouth, Massachusetts-based Tech-Etch Inc., which produces precision components and parts.
  • With KKR’s recent acquisition of Hyperion from Sandvik, Ron Voigt will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer of Hyperion, responsible for the strategic direction and operating performance of the company. Mr. Voigt succeeds Johan Israelsson, who is transitioning into a newly created role as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Alliances.
  • Boeing and Embraer recently announced a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a strategic partnership which proposes the formation of a joint venture comprising the commercial aircraft and services business of Embraer that would strategically align with Boeing’s commercial development, production, marketing and lifecycle services operations. Under the terms of the agreement, Boeing will hold an 80 percent ownership stake in the joint venture and Embraer will own the remaining 20 percent stake.
  • With the construction of an 85,000-square-foot facility, Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc., which produces investment castings for the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries, is expanding its New Hampshire operations .

Equipment Chatter

  • Four electrically heated enhanced duty walk-in ovens have been shipped to an automotive parts manufacturer by Wisconsin Oven Corporation, to be used for aging aluminum parts. In addition, Wisconsin Oven shipped an electrically heated three drawer oven to a supplier of the oil and gas industry. The custom drawer oven will be used for preheating tubes and cores.
  • Eighteen furnaces have been shipped to companies in six states in the U.S. and two companies overseas by Ipsen USA during the second quarter. These shipments included multiple atmosphere furnaces, plus the shipment of one of the largest vacuum furnaces Ipsen has ever built, featuring a 210,000-pound (95,254 kg) load capacity. Ten atmosphere box furnaces were shipped to a company in the aerospace industry, while one temper furnace went to a U.S.-based commercial heat treater. Other shipments included three TITAN H2 2-bar furnaces and three TITAN H6 2-bar furnaces.
  • A major US manufacturer of electronic components has placed an order for Despatch PND inert atmosphere ovens with FLW Southeast.
  • Two electric box furnaces have been supplied by L&L Special Furnace Company to a Midwestern machine manufacturer that builds high-speed cutting equipment, tools, and supplies for various industries, including industrial manufacturing, automotive, metal materials, and aerospace.
  • A 950°F (510°C) belt conveyor oven from Grieve, No. 831, has been supplied to a company to be used for heat treating springs.

Kudos Chatter

  • ThermoFusion is the only heat treater in Northern California to maintain Supplier Procedure Approval Requests (SPAR) for carbonitriding, nitriding, malcomizing, and general quench and temper work for Northrop Grumman.
  • Fluxtrol Inc. presented two awards during TPiM 2018. The Student Research Award was presented to Virginia Judge from the Colorado School of Mines, whose research was deemed by judges to be of extraordinary quality and impact to the field of thermal processing. The Academic Research Award/Scholarship was awarded to Professor Bob Cryderman and the Colorado School of Mines for excellence in academic research in the field of thermal processing.
  • Sciaky, Inc., a leading provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, recently announced that it achieved qualification with its Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM®) process, stemming from the completion of qualification testing performed by Lockheed Martin Space on a multi-year development program to create giant, high-pressure tanks, which carry fuel for satellites.

 

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 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 & Company Chatter

  • Professor Chris Sutcliffe, Director of Research and Development (R&D) at Renishaw‘s Additive Manufacturing Products Division (AMPD), was awarded a prestigious Silver Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), recognizing his role in driving the development of metal 3D printed implants for use in human and veterinary surgery and celebrating his successful commercialization of additive manufacturing products as part of his work with Renishaw, the University of Liverpool, Stryker Orthopaedics and Fusion Implants Ltd.
  • Michael Handscombe joins UK-based Phoenix Temperature Measurement as National and International Sales Manager to support PhoenixTM temperature monitoring solutions used in industrial heat treatment and furnace surveying and other industries.
  • One of five new vacuum furnaces, with an all-metal hotzone and 15 bar Argon quenching with an 8,000lb capacity, have been delivered to the Cleveland division of Paulo and will be ready for production late July. This represents the first step of a larger expansion that includes a new building.
  • Two large heat-treating furnaces were recently rebuilt and upgraded at Metlab, a heat treatment and surface enhancement company located in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. The furnaces, designated P-1 and P-2, are believed to be the largest atmosphere-controlled pit furnaces in North America and are used to neutral harden, carburize and harden, nitride, anneal, and stress relieve large components or multiple quantities of parts.
  • A 20-foot long car bottom air furnace capable of handling a workload up to 30,000 lbs will be installed at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA during July 2018 and surveyed in accordance with AMS2750. With a maximum operating temperature of 1400°F, this furnace will accommodate not only the tempering of large tool steel components but also age hardening of 15-5 PH, 17-4 PH, and nickel-based alloys. Although Solar is typically known as a “vacuum only” heat treater, the company notes the need for heat treating non-finished parts and materials in accordance with the same specifications (AMS, MIL, Boeing and Airbus) within different atmospheres where surface oxidation is permissible.
  • Robrecht Himpe retired from his position as CEO of ArcelorMittal North America and CEO of AM/NS Calvert on July 1, as well as his duties with ArcelorMittal’s executive management team. He has been with the group for 37 years and will be succeeded as ArcelorMittal North America CEO by Brad Davey, who has been serving as chief marketing officer of ArcelorMittal North America and head of global automotive.
  • Team, Inc., an industrial services company based in Houston, Texas, recently announced that Arthur F. Victorson, President of the Inspection and Heat Treating segment, will retire from the company on September 30, 2018. In connection with his retirement, Mr. Victorson will transition from his current role, effective July 15, 2018, and serve as a special advisor to Amerino Gatti, Team’s Chief Executive Officer, to ensure a seamless transition. Team anticipates naming a successor to Mr. Victorson in the near future.
  • A partnership has been formed between Plibrico, based in Northbrook, Illinois, and Upstate Refractory Services, headquartered in Newark, New York.
  • John Hynes has been promoted at Paulo to Director of Information Systems from his previous role as Manager of Information Technology.  John has been with Paulo for just over one year, strengthening the company’s IT position.

Equipment Chatter

  • A natural gas-fired, enhanced-duty, walk-in oven was recently shipped to the technology industry by Wisconsin Oven Corporation for use in post-curing refractory material. With a maximum operating temperature of 300°F, the oven was designed with the capacity to heat 8,000 pounds of steel and 4,000 pounds of refractory material from 70° to 150° F within 180 minutes.
  • A 1400°F electric, inert atmosphere tempering furnace from Grieve Corporation, No. 885, is currently being used for heat treating weldments at a customer’s facility.  
  • An India-based conglomerate recently commissioned an aluminum automotive casting heat treatment system from CAN-ENG Furnaces International Limited for its new greenfield North American expansion in South Carolina.

Kudos Chatter

  • The F-35 Joint Program Office of The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin delivered the 300th production F-35 aircraft, a US Air Force F-35A, to be delivered to Hill Air Force Base, Utah. “The F-35 weapons system is a key enabler of our National Defense Strategy and is providing our warfighters the combat-proven, advanced capabilities they need to meet mission requirements,” said Vice Admiral Mat Winter, program executive officer for the F-35 Joint Program Office. The first 300 F-35s include 197 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variants, 75 F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variants, and 28 F-35C carrier variants (CV) and have been delivered to U.S. and international customers. More than 620 pilots and 5,600 maintainers have been trained, and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 140,000 cumulative flight hours.
  • The first Future Aluminum Forum was held on 8th & 9th May 2018 in Milan, Italy, with more than 150 delegates from across the aluminum manufacturing and processing industries gathering to hear from technical experts and uncover the myths behind Industry 4.0 and what this means for the manufacturing value chain. An Advisory Board was established to develop a strategic approach towards integrating Industry 4.0 across the aluminum manufacturing and processing sectors.
  • A center for aerospace air management systems, Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS, in Toulouse, France, recently obtained accreditation from the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) for its materials testing laboratory. This accreditation follows an audit conducted in early March 2018 by the Performance Review Institute (PRI), which focused on both the overall quality system of the laboratory and the practice of static and dynamic mechanical tests.

 

 

Heat Treat Today celebrates with our heat treatment industry partners by highlighting their accomplishments and announcements 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 »

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

  • Based in Lima, Ohio, Heat Treating Technologies recently installed its third heat treating furnace as the final step of a $3 million expansion project, to be used to process parts for agriculture and automotive industries.
  • Mark Hemsath has been hired as director of nitriding and special vacuum furnaces at SECO/VACUUM Technologies, LLC. Hemsath has previously worked with SECO/WARWICK Corp. and Advanced Heat Treat Corporation in Waterloo IA, and operated his own heat treat furnace manufacturing and alloy fabricating company. He will be the primary contact for gas nitriding furnace applications in North America and will handle special vacuum furnace products throughout North America.
  • The new president and chief executive officer of Norsk Titanium AS, an aerospace-grade titanium components manufacturer based in Plattsburgh, New York, will be Michael J. Canario.
  • A company that manufactures high-temperature refractories and specializes in the toll firing business serving a variety of industries such as aerospace, automotive and petrochemical recently completed the task of relining the bricks on one of their roller hearth kilns, which can now reach greater operating temperatures – up to 2,650 ºF (1,454ºC). In addition, Ipsen Ceramics has also announced a collaboration with ceramics distributor, Carpenter Brothers, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Equipment Chatter

  • PJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works’ (“MMK”) most powerful unit, hot-rolled products Mill 2000, produced 527,500 tonnes of metal in May 2018, setting an all-time record for monthly output. It was the highest production volume at the mill since its commissioning in 1994, beating the previous monthly record of 526.2 ths tonnes set in January 2015.
  • Solar Atmospheres of Western PA recently continued its merit status for NADCAP Nondestructive Testing for penetrant inspection. Solar Atmospheres specializes in Method A (water washable) Fluorescent Penetrant inspection and is able to accommodate parts of varying sizes in their world class NDT cell. Solar has its own in-house Level 3 inspector as well as six Level 2 inspectors and one Level 1 inspector.
  • Professional fastener manufacturer ARP is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018. “It was 1968 when Gary Holzapfel—whose background was in aerospace fastener manufacturing—developed some bolts and studs for his racer friends that were a marked improvement over what was available at the time. This lead to the founding of Automotive Racing Products Inc. … ARP proudly does everything in-house, which includes engineering, R&D, forging, heat-treating, machining, finishing, packaging and distribution in its ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100 registered California facilities.”

Heat Treat Today celebrates with our heat treatment industry partners by highlighting their accomplishments and announcements 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 »

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

You don't want to miss out on the latest news from your fellow heat treaters, suppliers, or specialists! That's whereHeat Treat Today's News Chatter feature can come in handy, highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

Personnel and Company Chatter

  • Edwards Vacuum, a leading manufacturer of vacuum and abatement solutions which offers heat treating, recently broke ground on a new 75,000 square foot Technology Innovation Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, to serve as the U.K.-based company's North American semiconductor headquarters.
  • A joint project between global steel producer The SMS Group and Arkansas Northeastern College will result in the opening of the Arkansas Steelmaking Academy (ASA), to be housed in the College's Center for Allied Technology, which is slated to open in August 2018 with ASA offerings to begin in 2019.
  • Mariya Trickett, who serves as senior vice president of Human Resources for Dana Corporation was recently honored as one of the Top 15 Business Women by the Ohio Diversity Council, recognizing outstanding women in leadership who are respected, successful leaders within their organization.

Equipment Chatter

  • A Tier 1 automotive supplier recently purchased batch ovens custom engineered for aging aluminum structural components. Epcon Industrial Systems manufactures indirect gas-fired aluminum aging oven systems for the automotive and aerospace parts manufacturers and supplied the units.
  • Lindberg/MPH announced the recent shipment of an electrically heated rod overbend atmosphere box furnace to the aerospace industry. The box furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 2000°F and work chamber dimensions of 24" wide x 36" deep x 24ʺ high and will perform a heat treatment on parts within the work chamber under a reducing atmosphere generated from a nitrogen methanol panel.
  • A Midwest U.S. titanium manufacturer and fabricator recently received shipment of a large horizontal front loading vacuum furnace designed for processing titanium alloys for the aerospace, medical, and other industries. Fully compliant to aerospace specification AMS2750E, the furnace, supplied by Solar Manufacturing, includes a molybdenum shielded hot zone and heating elements, with a work zone size of 54" (1.37m) wide x 54" (1.37m) high x 144" (3.66m) deep and a weight capacity of 7,500 pounds (3,400 kg), and is capable of precise temperature control up to 2400° F (1316° C).
  • A special universal air flow oven from Grieve Corporation, the No. 1043, a 500°F (260°C), has been delivered to a customer to be used to post-cure hose lengths. Workspace dimensions measure 12” W x 30” D x 12” H.

Kudos Chatter

  • Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc. was named the 2018 Powertrain Supplier of the Year at the FCA US LLC Supplier of the Year awards at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit last month. Hitchiner was one of 16 companies recognized by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles at the annual awards for quality and excellence.
  • AK Steel Research and Innovation employees Yu-Wei Wang, Feng Zhu, Wei Wu, Panagiotis Makrygiannis, and Chao Pu were recognized with the Team Award by the Auto/Steel Partnership for their innovation and collaboration in developing pre-competitive solutions enabling steel execution in future vehicles. The award selections were based on project work completed in 2017 and were unanimously chosen by the Auto/Steel Partnership’s Joint Policy Council. Through the Auto/Steel Partnership, automakers and steel companies collaborate to drive improvements through projects focused on new steels, manufacturing processes and design challenges, including steel lightweighting solutions.
  • Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) announce that all four of its facilities (both Waterloo, Iowa locations, Monroe, MI, and Cullman, AL ) have recently gone through the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949 automotive transition audit and have become IATF 16949 certified. IATF 16949 is the automotive Quality Management System developed by the “Big Three” automotive companies. It was recently updated from ISO/TS 16949 due to a change in the ISO 9001 Standard.

 

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

A Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

A 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

  • Lars Jonsson has been appointed new employee representative to the Bulten AB board for a term of office of three years. Lars has been employed at Bulten’s plant in Hallstahammar since 1984 where he has worked as a machine operator until two years ago when he switched to tool maker. Bulten is a supplier of fasteners to the international automotive industry.
  • Paulo’s Cleveland division is expanding to add 50,000 sq ft, allow for the installation of more vacuum heat treatment furnaces, and provide optimized flow of work through the facility. The Cleveland plant primarily serves the aerospace, power generation, and agriculture industries and specializes in precise high-temperature vacuum heat treatment and brazing of nickel-based superalloys.
  • James R. Darsey, executive vice president of raw materials for Nucor Corporation announced his upcoming retirement after more than 39 years of service with Nucor.  Effective June 10, 2018, Craig A. Feldman will be promoted to the role of executive vice president of raw materials.  Mr. Feldman began his career with the David J. Joseph Company (DJJ) in 1986 and stayed with the company, becoming president of DJJ in 2013. When DJJ was acquired by Nucor in 2008, Feldman became a vice president and general manager of Nucor Corporation.  Upon his promotion to EVP, Mr. Feldman will retain his role as president of DJJ.
  • Dr. Steve Offley recently joined Phoenix Temperature Measurement as Product Marketing Manager, bringing over 21 years of experience in the industrial process temperature monitoring industry. Besides promoting and marketing PhoenixTM’s temperature monitoring productions, Dr. Offley will focus on development of new and innovative processes temperature-monitoring solutions.
  • Solar Atmospheres of Western PA recently installed a second machining center to support its newest service for customers – tensile testing. By adding a brand new fully programmable 8100 RPM Haas VF2 milling center, Solar is now able to support the machining of flat tensile specimens. This machining ability fully complements the function of the 10,000 PSI hydraulic jaw that is an integral component of the Tinius Olsen 300SL tensile machine. These massive hydraulic jaws can grip either threaded round or flat specimens.

Equipment Chatter

  • A 750°F (399°C), gas-fired cabinet oven was recently supplied by Grieve Corporation to be used for baking radiator cores at the customer’s facility. The workspace dimensions of this oven, the No. 1046, measure 80″ W x 88″ D x 18″ H, with a 76″ wide x 76″ long, 750 lb. capacity pneumatic operated rollout shelf with an insulated plug to seal doorway opening.
  • An intermediate-sized front-loading box furnace was recently delivered to the Canadian Government Forestry Division. L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., equipped the furnace, which meets Canadian electrical standards, with an atmosphere-sealed case for use with inert gas to displace oxygen and minimize surface de-carb. It is purged with inert gas prior to loading and the parts are then heated under a controlled atmosphere. There is a 1″ NPT survey port located on the right side of the furnace employed for calibration and uniformity surveys.
  • An aerospace and defense company recently purchased a rotary hearth furnace to heat treat state-of-the-art equipment, specifically to process specialized gears for helicopters. Ipsen plans to deliver the rotary hearth furnace early next year.

Kudos Chatter

  • Advanced Heat Treat Corp. recently reported that its Iowa (MidPort-Corporate Office and Burton Ave, Waterloo) and Michigan locations have successfully transitioned from ISO/TS 16949:2009 to ISO 9001:2015 / IATF 16949:2016.
  • Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) has also announced that it meets all certification requirements of the new ISO 9001:2015 + AS9100D standard, maintaining processes that provide superior components and assemblies with detailed quality reporting.
  • Harbison Walker International (HWI), based in western Pennsylvania, adds its announcement to the mix, reporting that its Thomasville, Georgia, monolithic/precast facility recently became the first of the company’s North American locations to earn ISO 9001:2015 certification, followed by HWI’s South Shore, Kentucky, plant becoming the first refractory brick manufacturing plant in North America to achieve the same status. Both plants achieved this quality system recognition based on the recommendation of SRI Quality System Registrar.
  • Rio Tinto celebrates the distinction of being the first company in the world to receive certification under the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), the highest internationally recognized standard for robust environmental, social and governance practices across the aluminum lifecycle of production, use, and recycling. The certification follows an independent third party audit and covers a range of operations, from bauxite mining to alumina refining, aluminum smelting, the creation of value-added products, transformation and recycling, and associated activities. Rio Tinto’s five aluminum smelters, the Vaudreuil refinery, casting and spent potlining treatment centers, and associated infrastructure such as power, port and railway facilities in Quebec, Canada, have been certified, along with the Gove bauxite mine in Australia.

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

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