Heat Treat Industry Supplier News

15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

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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

  • Thomas Persson recently joined Therma-Tron-X Inc. as their newest HTF (Heat Treat Furnace) sales engineer.
  • Chromalox has announced the opening of its new sales and operations office in Korea.
  • Thomas “Tucker” Hamling II was recently appointed to the position of sales manager with ZIRCAR Refractory Composites, Inc., responsible for domestic technical sales while also providing technical guidance to the company’s customers.
  • A definitive agreement has been reached between Tenaris S.A. and PAO TMK, a Russian company and manufacturer of steel pipe, to acquire 100% of the shares of PAO TMK’s wholly owned U.S. subsidiary IPSCO Tubulars, Inc.
  • Beaumont Machine has relocated to a new larger manufacturing facility, still in the Cincinnati area, to expand the machine line for components for new markets such as semiconductor materials processing and land-based power generation, particularly turbine blades.
  • The American Foundry Society is pleased to welcome Tom Dore as Technical Director. Formerly a vice president at AFS Corporate Member Alu-Bra Foundry, Dore has years of hands-on experience in foundry operations, including plant engineering, heat treating, sand casting, customer quality, and sales.
  • Mike Winkelmann, an industry veteran, has been appointed the new General Manager of the fast-growing Mechanical Services division of Plibrico Company, LLC.
  • Paulo recently announced three leadership changes to the Operations team. Kyle Moore has been promoted to Plant Manager of the St. Louis Division, Tim Mohr has been promoted to Director of Strategic Programs, and Tee Rassieur has been promoted to Vice President Operations.

 Equipment Chatter

  • A Tier 1 automotive manufacturer recently chose Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd to design and commission a high-capacity, heat-treatment system, providing T-6 and T-7 processing capabilities for lightweight aluminum High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) automotive components.
  • A medical device manufacturer required an oven to preheat an aluminum mold for a silicone part that was to be filled and cured in the next manufacturing step and contracted with Despatch. The company develops innovative products that improve patient outcomes by enabling minimally invasive surgery.
  • A company that requires the heat treating of automotive parts in baskets recently purchased the No. 1040, a 2200°F (1204°C), inert atmosphere pit furnace, from Grieve Corporation.

Kudos Chatter

  • Dr. Valery Rudnev, FASM IFHTSE Fellow, the Director of Science & Technology at Inductoheat Inc., was recently appointed this year’s speaker at the Woodside Lecture of the Detroit Chapter of ASM. The Woodside Lecture is named for William P. Woodside, the founder of ASM in Detroit (1913). Dr. Rudnev will be discussing “Recent Theoretical and Practical Novelties in Induction Heat Treatment.”
  • Saint-Gobain recently announced that Neha Dave, business manager of Specialty Materials at Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, has been named a 2019 STEP Ahead Emerging Leader by The Manufacturing Institute. Additionally, the institute is recognizing Silham El Kasmi, operational director for Saint-Gobain Crystals in France, as a 2019 STEP Ahead Award Honoree. Dave and El Kasmi were recently honored during an Awards Dinner Gala in Washington, D.C.
  • The world’s largest wind-turbine blade—351 feet (107 meters) long—has been manufactured by LM Wind Power in Cherbourg, France, as part of a GE Renewable Energy Haliade-X 12-MW offshore turbine. The blade is comprised of multiple thin layers of glass-and-carbon fibers with wood, fused together with resin.
  • In addition, the largest rotary tilting furnace in the world has been manufactured and supplied by GHI Smart Furnaces, in a project subsidized by the Basque Government in which the company has worked together with Befesa and Tecnalia. This is the second time the company has reached a world record.
  • 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 & a Half Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

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A Dozen & a Half 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

  • Mike Woolery has recently joined Plibrico Company, LLC,  as its purchasing manager. Woolery will report directly to the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Rob Wasieleski.
  • The recent acquisition of the SME Group by Dana Incorporated, as well as the Drive Systems segment of Oerlikon Group, including the Graziano and Fairfield brands, has resulted in the addition of five facilities throughout China.
  • Gasbarre Industrial Furnace Systems is pleased to announce the promotion of Mike Harrison to Engineering Manager for Gasbarre (formerly J.L. Becker), in Plymouth, MI.
  • A global investment firm recently announced that it has closed its purchase of StandardAero. The Carlyle Group completed the purchase from Veritas Capital. StandardAero is a global provider of repair and maintenance services to the aviation industry.
  • R. Joseph Stratman, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President of Nucor Corporation, recently announced plans to retire on June 8, 2019, after more than 29 years of service with Nucor. Effective May 19, 2019, MaryEmily Slate will be promoted to Executive Vice President and will assume responsibilities for the Tubular Products Group, logistics and certain joint ventures.
  • Saint-Gobain Coating Solutions, Amherst, N.Y., has recently appointed Tim Vitorino, a member of the ASM Thermal Spray Society, to the position of Product Manager for Thermal Spray Powders. In this role, he will have global responsibility for the current TSP portfolio and for new product development.

Equipment Chatter

  • A modified shelf oven, No. 879 from Grieve Corporation, heats to 350°F (177°C) and is currently used for pre-heating bulk friction material in trays at the customer’s facility.
  • A continuous annealing and chemical pretreatment line for processing strip coils for the aluminum market has been contracted by Henan Tongren Aluminum Co. Ltd, which specializes in aluminum products. Tenova will deliver the new line, which will process automotive and aircraft aluminum alloys, family series 2XXX, 5XXX, 6XXX and 7XXX.
  • A new 12’ long car-bottom vacuum furnace with advanced pumping system and rapid cooling capability has been ordered for Solar Atmospheres’ Greenville, South Carolina, facility. The horizontal vacuum furnace has been manufactured by sister company Solar Manufacturing; installation is scheduled for early 2020.
  • Two CaseMaster Evolution® (CMe) vacuum furnaces have recently been delivered to an aerospace components manufacturer, and an additional CMefurnace has gone to a performance automotive manufacturer, from SECO/WARWICK Group.
  • A Gruenberg explosion resistant truck-in oven has been shipped to the defense security industry by Thermal Product Solutions.
  • An electrically heated horizontal solution treat system with a maximum oven operating temperature of 1,100°F and a chiller system has been shipped to a manufacturer in the aerospace industry by Wisconsin Oven Corporation. Guaranteed temperature uniformity of ±10°F at set points of 870°F, 920°F, & 985°F was documented with a twelve (12) point profile test in an empty oven chamber under static operating conditions and was performed in accordance with BAC 5621F specifications.
  • A 2012°F (1100°C) crucible furnace has been shipped to a research and development laboratory in the nuclear industry by Lindberg/MPH. This crucible furnace will be used for a wide variety of laboratory melting applications, including annealing, ashing, carbon firing, ceramic firing, hardening, melting, nitriding, normalizing, sintering, solution treating, and stress relieving.

 

Kudos Chatter

StandardAero recently celebrated the delivery of the company’s 500th CFM International CFM56-7B turbofan engine from its overhaul facility in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. This milestone engine powered a Boeing 737 Next Generation passenger jet operated by a major North American airline supported by StandardAero via offload agreements with its valued partner GE Aviation. StandardAero launched its CFM56-7B program in June 2009,

Precision Micro is now certified to ISO 13485 – the internationally recognized quality management system for medical device manufacturers. The accreditation was awarded following a successful site audit conducted by the British Standards Institution (BSI), the national standards body of the United Kingdom.

Stratolaunch Systems Corporation recently completed the first flight of the world’s largest all-composite aircraft, the Stratolaunch. With a dual fuselage design and wingspan greater than the length of an American football field, the Stratolaunch aircraft took flight at 0658 PDT from the Mojave Air and Space Port. Achieving a maximum speed of 189 miles per hour, the plane flew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet. As part of the initial flight, the pilots evaluated aircraft performance and handling qualities before landing successfully back at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

JTEKT North America (JNA), a supplier of steering systems, driveline components and bearing technologies was recognized with an Excellent Award in Technology & Development from Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMNA) at its Annual Supplier Business Meeting (ABM) in March.

The leading producer of flat-rolled aluminum products recently hosted a ribbon cutting celebration to commemorate a $4.5 million investment at its facility in Warren, Ohio. Through this investment, Novelis, Inc., will provide greater versatility for pretreatments, improves operational efficiency and reduces costs over time.

 

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 & a Half Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

Heat Treatment Gases Supplier Expands in U.S. with Acquisitions, New Construction

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A global industrial gases company, which supplies specialty gases used in heat treatment, recently announced expansions in its U.S. investments through acquisitions and new construction.

Stefan Messer, owner and CEO of Messer Group GmbH

Messer Group GmbH, based in Bad Soden, Germany, and CVC Capital Partners Fund VII (London, UK) completed the acquisition of certain gases businesses in North and South America from UK-based Linde plc, launching a new name in the Americas market: Messer Americas, offering largely the same products and services.

“In creating this strategic partnership, we are seizing a unique opportunity to return to the North and South American markets,” said Stefan Messer, owner and CEO of Messer Group GmbH. “This will turn Messer into a global player in this sector and consolidate its position as the largest family-run industrial gases specialist worldwide. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We intend to fully integrate the joint venture into the family-run Messer Group within a few years. In the medium term, we want to use the merger of the two companies to become a global player again with a presence in the relevant industrial gases markets.”

In addition, Messer is investing in the construction of a new CO2 plant in Keyes, California. With an output of 450 tons of carbon dioxide a day, the plant will supply numerous companies in northern California and surrounding areas. Start-up is planned for the end of 2019.

Jens Luehring, President and CEO of Messer Americas

“This investment represents our commitment to strategic US expansion to meet growing market demand,” said Jens Luehring, President and CEO of Messer Americas. “We’re dedicated to providing a reliable supply of industrial gases to our customers and look forward to breaking ground on this plant to further meet that need.”

Messer currently operates two CO2 plants and two air separation units in California.

 

 

 

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A Dozen & a Half Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

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A Dozen & a Half 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

  • Dustin Lawhon was recently promoted to Regional Sales Manager at Paulo, responsible for establishing relationships with new customers in the Great Lakes Region.
  • A manufacturer of metal components for the automotive industry recently inaugurated its new plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Gestamp‘s new plant for manufacturing chassis parts will be equipped with state-of-the-art machinery for hot stamping and hydroforming, among other technologies.
  • A large oil pipeline project in South America will have its nickel-based, flat-rolled products supplied by Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI), with shipments beginning in second quarter 2019 and scheduled to be completed by year-end.
  • A company providing machine safeguarding solutions announced that it has launched a new Combustion Safety division that provides turnkey solutions for organizations that use thermal processes in their operations. Rockford Systems LLC‘s new expanded division will be led by Robert Sanderson P.E. who has been appointed to the position of Director of Business Development.
  • A mutual cooperation has been declared for the realization of a revolutionary concept for a significantly CO2-reduced steel production, commonly developed by two companies: Tenova–a company of the Techint Group specialized in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries–and Salzgitter AG– among the leaders in innovative and sustainable steel and technology products. The name of the concept is SALCOS (SAlzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking) and its aim is to undergo a stepwise transformation process of the integrated steelmaking route, moving from carbon-intensive steel production based on Blast-Furnaces towards a Direct Reduction and Electric Arc Furnace route, including the flexible incremental utilization of hydrogen. This concept is capable of reducing CO2 emissions up to 95% with respect to the entire steel production route.
  • Vacuum heat treating has been added to Paulo’s Monterrey Division plant which has been focusing on stress relieving and ferritic nitrocarburizing since startup. Since startup processing has been focused on stress relieving and ferritic nitrocarburizing.  Adding vacuum equipment is the first step to expanding critical aerospace brazing to include both argon and nitrogen quenching.  The working zone measures 48”x48”x48” with a 3500lb capacity and a maximum temperature of 2400F. The installation will include tempering and testing equipment to support both annealing and hardening processes for a variety of materials.
  • Timothy J. Harris will join ATI as Senior Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer, effective May 6, 2019.
  • A Cleveland-based distributor of heat treat furnaces, pumps, and products, Mountain Rep, has partnered with RÜBIG, an Austrian industrial furnace manufacturer.
  • Andrew Yazot will move from his position as International Sales Manager for Ipsen to Midwest Regional Sales Owner, effective immediately. In this position Yazot covers nine states in the Midwest, replacing former Midwest Regional Sales Owner Matt Clinite, who was promoted to Ipsen Customer Service Sales Manager last month. Yazot, who joined the company in 2009, holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has worked in technical sales for more than two decades.

Equipment Chatter

  • A 2200°F (1200°C) crucible furnace was shipped to a company in the energy industry by Lindberg/MPH. The crucible furnace may be used for a number of applications and processes, including annealing, ashing, carbon firing, ceramic firing, hardening, melting, metalizing, normalizing, sintering, solution treating, and stress relieving.
  • A southeastern US manufacturer of various items used in the production of heavy equipment and transportation devices has purchased a dual chamber heat treating furnace from L&L Special Furnace Co, Inc. The furnace will be used to heat treat the tooling used to manufacture these items.
  • A cooling chamber is currently being used for cooling oven trucks of steel parts at the customer’s facility. The No. 807 was supplied by Grieve Corporation.
  • A manufacturer in the composite industry has purchased a natural gas-fired heavy duty walk-in furnace from Wisconsin Oven Corporation.

Kudos Chatter

  • An aerospace maintenance and heat treatment manufacturer based in Elizabeth, Indiana, has launched a new website in order to reach clients across the U.S. and internationally. SAS-INC. is made up of Simpson Alloy Services Inc. and Simpson Aerospace Services.
  • GE Aviation was selected by Aviation Week & Space Technology as a winner of the 62nd annual Laureate Awards, honoring extraordinary achievements in aerospace.
  • PhoenixTM Ltd has been accredited in accordance with recognized International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017, general requirements for competence in testing or calibration laboratories.
  • Aleris has been recognized for the second consecutive year with the accredited supplier award by Airbus at a Supply Chain and Quality Improvement Program (SQIP) event in Toulouse, France.
  • Cambridge Heat Treating Inc. CFO Cheryl Mortimer is the recipient of the Women Entrepreneurship Fund and was recognized at an event with Ontario MP Bryan May. Cambridge Heat Treatment Inc. was selected to receive a contribution of up to $100,000 through the WEF program.

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 & a Half Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

Meet the Consultants: John Tartaglia

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Heat Treat Consultants is a comprehensive listing of heat treat industry consultants offered as part of Heat Treat Today’s efforts to help minimize the effects of heat treat “brain drain.” In this occasional feature, “Meet the Consultants”, we will introduce you to the experts listed in this growing directory. Today, learn more about John Tartaglia of Element Materials Technology and then click through to the page to read more details about each consultant. We are adding more regularly. Contact them directly, or call us and we’ll introduce you to them. Whether it’s a technical process question, a safety concern, a compliance issue, or a business related question, one of our heat treat consultants will be able to help. If you are a consultant and would like to be listed, please contact Doug Glenn. 

Name: John Tartaglia
Company Name: Element Materials Technology
Location: Wixom, Michigan
Years in Industry: 30+
Consulting Specialties:

  • Metallurgy
  • Failure Analysis & Mechanical Testing
  • Material Engineering
  • Superalloys

 

Send an email | Website | Phone: 248-960-4900

Briefly:

Dr. John M. Tartaglia, a Senior Metallurgical Engineer and the Engineering Manager at Element Wixom, has been performing failure analyses and materials characterization for more than 30 years. He holds B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. Tartaglia’s doctoral thesis concerned the elevated temperature fatigue behavior of superalloys, and he is an expert in mechanical testing, wrought steels, aluminum, magnesium, fatigue, failure analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy.

 Dr. Tartaglia is a Key Reader for Materials and Metallurgical Transactions, a member of the editorial committee for Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, chapter writer for an ASM Handbook, a member of several ASTM committees, a Fellow of ASM International and an award-winning author for the American Foundry Society. (see more: https://www.element.com/about-element/experts/t/john-tartaglia-phd#)

Publications or Significant Accomplishments

  1. Engineering Manager and Senior Metallurgical Engineer, Element Materials Technology, formerly known as Stork Climax Research Services, a division of Stork Materials Technology (Element: December 2011 to present; Stork Climax: 1994-2011)

  2. Holds patents for:
    • “Wrought Aluminum Eutectic Composites,” U.S. Patent No. 4992110, Issued February 12, 1991
    • “Production of Aluminum-SiC Composite Using Sodium Tetraborate as an Addition Agent,” U.S. Patent No. 4713111, Issued December 15, 1987
  3. Fellow of ASM International, 2009
  4. Member of American Foundry Society, author and co-author of multiple papers and studies, and awarded for Best Paper, Cast Iron Division, American Foundry Society (January 2011).
  5. Awarded the American Foundry Society 2013 Howard F. Taylor Award for his paper examining a strain-life fatigue database for cast irons, which he developed using funding from the AFS and the United States Department of Energy (DoE) (2013)
  6. Member, chairman, and secretary for several committees:
    • Member – TMS Committee
    • Member – MRS Committee
    • Member – ASTM Metallography, Mechanical Testing, & Fatigue Committee
    • Member – Editorial Committee, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
    • Chairman and Secretary – Detroit Section, Metallurgical Society of AIME
  7. Industrial Educator on subjects including, but not limited to:
    • Metallurgical Testing
    • Fatigue & Fracture Toughness
    • Electron Microscopy & Microanalysis
    • Selected Wrought Alloys
  8. Member of the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Editorial Committee
  9. Co-authored and authored numerous articles, chapters, conference presentations, and white papers in publications such as The Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention, ASM International, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, including:
    • “The Effects of Martensite Content on the Mechanical Properties of Quenched and Tempered 0.2%C-Ni-Cr-Mo Steels”
    • “Satisfactory Case Hardened Part Performance Requires Proper Hardness and Microstructural Specifications” with A. H. Griebel (conference paper presented at 25th ASM Heat Treating Society Conference, Indianapolis, IN, September 14-17, 2009)
    • “Monotonic and Cyclic Property Design Data for a 25% Cr Abrasion – Resistant Cast Iron,” with B. T. Hodge and R. B. Gundlach, (conference paper 10-128, AFS Cast Expo 2010, Atlanta, GA, March 22, 2010)
    • “Analysis of Pearlitic Ductile Iron with Enhanced Mechanical Properties,” with Rick Gundlach (presented at Keith Millis Symposium on Ductile Cast Iron, Nashville, TN, October 16, 2013)
    • “The Background, Use and Application of the Cast Iron Strain Life Fatigue Database” (presented at CAST EXPO and Metalcasting Congress, Minneapolis, MN, April 17, 2016)
    • “Effects of Inhibited Acid Cleaning of Steel Fracture Surfaces for Failure Analyses” with M. J Mullen and A. H. Griebel
    • “Fracture Structure Analyses” with M. J. Mullen and A. H. Griebel

Links to Other Resources from This Consultant

References (more available upon request from the Consultant)

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Heat Treat Today’s Aerospace Digital Edition Goes Live

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Heat Treat Today has launched Aerospace Heat Treating special edition in print and digital form, the second print magazine and the first in a series of industry-specific quarterlies.

The print edition of Aerospace Heat Treating entered the mail stream on March 27 and landed in the mailboxes of 6,000 aerospace manufacturing suppliers and OEMs. The digital edition is available by clicking here or on the image to the right.

In this special magazine, Heat Treat Today delivers quality content both new and original as well as a round up of past aerospace-related news, technical articles, and tips, including:

  • “Airplanes Don’t Fly Without Heat Treating” / An introduction to vacuum heating, the unsung hero of commercial and military aviation.
  • “Not Your Grandfather’s Heat Treat Shop” / What has changed in the heat treat industry over the last few decades?
  • “The Heat Treatment of Aerospace Fasteners” / The critical issue of strength-to-weight in fastener applications and materials.
  • “What To Do With All the Data?” / Data capture and management are the topic of this abridged transcription of a recent Heat Treat Radio interview.
  • “Diffusion Bonding in Vacuum Furnaces” / In aerospace heat treating, one application many manufacturers turn to is diffusion bonding.
  • A whirlwind tour of a heat treat shop from the perspective of an industry safety consultant.
  • “How Much Does Poor Quality Cost?” / There’s good quality cost and poor quality cost – and one will cost your bottom line more than the other.
  • “In-Situ Hardness Testing of Large Aerospace Structures: A Case Study” / How a custom-designed fixture and hardness testing unit solved a major aerospace engine manufacturer’s hardness testing dilemma.

In June, Heat Treat Today will be publishing another special edition, this time focusing on the automotive industry. It will be sent to 6,000+ automotive industry contacts. If you have automotive-related editorial content or if you would like to have your promotional message in this issue, please email doug@heattreattoday.com or editor@heattreattoday.com as soon as possible.

If you haven’t done so already, you might want to join Heat Treat Today’s “Leaders in Aerospace Heat Treat” LinkedIn Group. Click here or on the image to the left to be taken there. You’ll need to sign in to LinkedIn before you can join the group.

 

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

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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

  • Kestrel Company, an investment corporation founded by Shelby Ray, has purchased the remaining assets of Eagle Steel Products from Shirley Ohta, who founded Eagle in 1982. The new ownership, led by Ray, expects to maintain its woman- and minority-owned business status. Eagle operates a steel and metal products warehousing and distribution facility in Louisville, Kentucky.Kestrel Company will be doing business as Eagle Steel & Metal Products.
  • Jerram Dawes has recently joined Phoenix Temperature Measurement (PhoenixTM) as Sales Manager, bringing 20 years experience of working for a well-known temperature profiling equipment supplier.
  • Kimberly A. Fields recently joined Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) as Executive Vice President with full P&L responsibility for the Flat-Rolled Products Group, succeeding Robert S. Wetherbee, who held this role until becoming ATI’s President and CEO. Ms. Fields brings 20 years of global experience with a focus on growth and operational excellence.
  • After almost 9 months away from the company, Ed Valykeo has recently returned to Pelican Wire as the company’s thermocouple specialist. With almost four decades of experience in the wire manufacturing space, Ed is recognized as an industry expert within the thermocouple wire manufacturing world. In his career, Ed has been an active member of ASTM for over twenty-five years and spent almost two decades in various technical positions at Hoskins Manufacturing, an industry pioneer.
  • American Posts LLC has acquired Ohio-Kentucky Steel, which provides slitting of steel and aluminum. American Posts, LLC was established in March 2005 and is the last manufacturer of steel u-posts in the United States.
  • Brelie Gear Co, Inc. has announced plans to build a new 36,800 sq. ft. facility on a recently purchased 4.3-acre site in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Brelie will be moving from their current plant in Milwaukee to the new, larger plant. The new larger space will continue to run as a full-service gear manufacturing facility that houses the latest in equipment technology and automation.
  • Sage Metals Private Ltd., a portfolio company of Delos Capital and a manufacturer of specialty metal products, has acquired Jayco Manufacturing. Based in Grand Prairie, Texas, Jayco is involved in the assembly, integration, and production of precision custom metal-formed components for a variety of industrial and consumer end markets.

 

Equipment Chatter

  • A 2-zone indirect gas-fired heavy duty walk-in furnace was recently shipped to a global manufacturer in the composite industry. Wisconsin Oven Corporation announced that this project passed the stringent temperature uniformity requirements to meet BAC 5621 Class 1 Furnaces and Instrumentation Type D specifications.
  • A vacuum purge semi-continuous Active Only® CAB furnace was recently commissioned by SECO/WARWICK for a North American automotive aftermarket manufacturer.
  • Nucor Steel Marion, Inc., based in Marion, Ohio, granted SMS group the Final Acceptance Certificate (FAC) of the supplied walking beam furnace shortly after successful commissioning. The NOx content of this furnace is close to 25 parts per million. The furnace is designed according to innovative pre-fabrication methods and features proprietary SMS ZEROFlame burners.
  • Five Blue M Standard mechanical convection ovens were recently shipped to a global manufacturer of automotive parts by Thermal Product Solutions.

Kudos Chatter

  • The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) recently introduced the third video in the Powder Coating, A Better Kind of Paint consumer video series. Powder Coating: A Stronger Kind of Paint rounds out the “Stronger, Greener, Better” portion of the series. PCI also introduced a PCI Certification Program promotional video, which features three PCI certified companies sharing the benefits of certification and their experience with the process.
  • The HPC4Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) Program recently awarded nearly $3.8 million for thirteen projects designed to stimulate the use of high-performance supercomputing in U.S. manufacturing. These projects will address key challenges in U.S. manufacturing proposed in partnership with companies and improve energy efficiency across the manufacturing industry through applied research and development of energy technologies. Each of the thirteen newly selected projects will receive up to $300,000 to support work performed by the national lab partners and allow the partners to use HPC compute cycles. Awardees include: (1) Arconic Inc. will partner with ORNL to model rolling processes to observe the evolution of porosity in a project titled “Computational Modeling of Industrial Rolling Processes Incorporating Microstructure Evolution to Minimize Rework Energy Losses”. (2) United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) will partner with ORNL to understand microstructure evolution during heat treatment of additively manufactured parts in a project titled “Predictive Tools for Customizing Heat Treatment of Additively Manufactured Aerospace Components”. (3) Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC) and ArcelorMittal USA will partner with ANL to improve the efficiency of the reheat furnace process in steel manufacturing in a project titled “Application of High-Performance Computing (HPC) to Optimize Reheat Furnace Efficiency in Steel Manufacturing”.

 

 

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 »

World-Scale Hydrogen Plant To Be Built in Louisiana

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An industrial gas company that produces atmospheric, process and specialty gases for a wide range of industries with heat treat capabilities recently announced it has received authorization to begin construction on a world-scale hydrogen plant in Louisiana that will be the one of the largest in the U.S.

Dan Yankowski, president, Global Hydrogen

Praxair Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde plc, secured the plan under a long-term contract with a major refinery in the area, integrating the new plant with the company’s already extensive Louisiana production network via its Mississippi River Corridor hydrogen pipeline system. Praxair will build, own and operate the steam methane reformer (SMR), which will have a capacity in excess of 170 million standard cubic feet per day of high-purity hydrogen. The new plant, which is planned to start up in 2021, will be one of the largest hydrogen production units in the U.S., along with the SMR recently announced by Praxair in Texas.

Linde Engineering has been selected to provide a state-of-the-art process design and to fabricate the core components and modules of the plant. Once complete, this project will increase Praxair’s U.S. Gulf Coast hydrogen capacity to more than 1.7 billion standard cubic feet per day.

“Praxair is committed to be the preferred hydrogen supplier in the U.S. Gulf Coast and this investment further reinforces our strategy to support industrial growth in this vibrant region,” said Dan Yankowski, president, Global Hydrogen. “We understand that hydrogen is a critical requirement for our customers and are committed to providing long-term reliability.”

 

Photo Credit: The Advocate, Baton Rouge

World-Scale Hydrogen Plant To Be Built in Louisiana Read More »

15 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

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

  • Leroy M. Ball has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors at Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI). Ball, 50, is president and CEO of Koppers Holdings Inc.
  • Heat Treat Today 2018 40 Under 40 recipient Matt Clinite of Ipsen USA has recently been promoted from Midwest Regional Sales Owner to Customer Service Sales Manager, effective immediately. Clinite joined the company in June 2014 as a Sales Engineer.
  • Vesuvius plc recently announced that it has acquired CCPI Inc., a specialty refractories producer focused on tundish (steel continuous casting) applications and aluminum. Based in Ohio, CCPI will become part of Vesuvius’ Advanced Refractories business unit.
  • Gasbarre has announced that the company will no longer be using the J.L. Becker name, but instead, are transitioning to its new name, Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems. Thermal Processing Systems is one of the three new business units that now comprise Gasbarre Products, Inc. The other two units are Powder Compaction Solutions and Manufacturing Technologies.
  • Marisa A. Oeltjen has been added to the Bluestreak I Bright AM™  team as customer success support specialist. Ryan Wenzel, working from Bluestreak I Bright AM™’s Northeast Ohio location, serves as a database analyst and key member of the tech support group.
  • Howard Kimberley has joined Aeromet International as Chief Executive Officer. Kimberley has extensive experience in the aerospace industry including senior executive positions at GKN and Hampson Industries, and most recently as CEO of international aerospace group Shimtech since its formation in 2011.
  • Abbott Furnace Company recently announced it will be hosting its Fifth Annual Continuous Brazing Symposium in Mexico this spring in Puebla, Mexico from May 21 – 23, 2019.

  • Equipment Chatter

  • A European manufacturer of investment castings for the medical industry recently purchased a gas-fired pusher furnace from Armil CFS, Inc. The 2-row pusher furnace will be used for the burnout and pre-heating of investment casting molds.
  • A midwestern facility of a US-based manufacturer of safety-critical fasteners and assembly solutions has purchased a new MB48-120 mesh belt furnace from AFC-Holcroft, replacing an older AFC-Holcroft installation. The new mesh belt furnace will be used in the production of metal fasteners.
  • Several orders have been met by SECO/WARWICK for various equipment and systems: 1) An American manufacturer of flat rolled aluminum sheet recently added a new SECO/WARWICK sow and T-bar preheat furnace system 2) The main producer of forgings in Central Europe for strategic markets recently invested in a single-chamber furnace type PEK. 3) A manufacturer of high quality matrix forgings, construction connectors and manual tools purchased a CaseMaster AFS – a multipurpose Sealed Quench chamber furnace, intended for thermal and thermo-chemical treatment in a controlled endothermic atmosphere.  4) SECO/WARWICK provided an additional atmosphere generator system to a supplier of engineered carbon and graphite solutions for severe service lubrication applications in the aerospace, petrochemical, energy, industrial, and defense sectors. 5) The company updated and simultaneously extended a box furnace’s productive longevity for a leading international participant in the field of precious metals and advanced materials. 
  • Lindberg/MPH announced the shipment of a single-zone tube furnace to an engineering company in the nuclear power industry.

Kudos Chatter

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (PA) meets with Onex Inc and members of NWIRC
  • U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (PA) recently met with Onex Inc and members of NWIRC with the purpose of hearing firsthand from Onex employees about NIST MEP’s impact on Pennsylvania’s manufacturing industry.
  • Dana Incorporated‘s motor and inverter joint venture, TM4, recently announced it has reached a major milestone with the production of its 12,000th TM4 SUMO™ electric powertrain for buses and commercial vehicles in China.
  • For the ninth time, The Timken Company, a world leader in engineered bearings and power transmission products, has been recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. Ethisphere Institute is a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

 

Special Mention

On Valentine’s Day, Thermcraft lost its founder, Mr. Morris L. Crafton, at 93. In 1971, Mr. Crafton and his wife Clara founded Thermcraft on the principle of providing the best customer service available in the thermal processing industry.

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Mr. Crafton grew up in North Carolina and served in the US Navy during WWII, and then after college, he was called again to serve his country during the Korean War. After his military service, Mr. Crafton  moved his family to Washington, PA, where he ran a popcorn business and, in time, became a partner in a business that manufactured replacement heating elements for industrial and laboratory furnaces.

After returning to North Carolina, he decided to start his own company. With the full support of his wife Clara, they secured a small warehouse in downtown Winston Salem and began making replacement heating elements for industrial and laboratory furnace applications.

Thermcraft was moved to its current facility in 1979, just a few miles south to the edge of Winston Salem. Through new product development and various acquisitions, the Craftons began to grow Thermcraft into the company it is today.

Mr. Crafton lost Clara to cancer in 1995. He eventually turned the reigns of Thermcraft over to his son Tom, but that didn’t stop Mr. Crafton from being involved in the day-to-day business. He continued to drive himself to work well into his 92nd year, making mail runs and performing various other tasks. He enjoyed a daily walk through the factory, talking to his employees and staying on top of what was going on within his company.

Mr. Crafton will be missed by all who knew him. He will be remembered as a strong leader who was kind and generous to those around him. He had a great sense-of-humor and often left those he met with the saying, “glad you got to see me.”

“We are certainly glad we had the opportunity to meet you, Mr. Crafton,” is the sentiment of all at Thermcraft.

Heat Treat Today offers its condolences to the family of Mr. Morris Crafton and the team at Thermcraft.

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.

 

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NDT Services Provider Expands Capabilities in Europe

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

A global provider of materials and product qualification testing, inspection and certification services recently opened a new 20,700-square-foot testing laboratory in Sheffield, UK.

Charles Noall, President & Chief Executive of Element

Element announced that the new center of excellence for non-destructive testing and inspection is strategically located close to Sheffield’s successful Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) and will give customers within the aerospace and oil & gas industries the benefit of new equipment, expertise, and technical support all within one site. The facility complements the existing Magna Way laboratory which offers a well-equipped machine shop with up to date CNC machining facilities, and sample heat treatment capabilities, mechanical, chemical analysis, metallurgical testing and force calibration services.

Element has invested in equipment for immersion ultrasonic testing (IUT), as well as dye penetrant inspection, eddy current inspection, magnetic particle inspection, and on-site positive material identification. In preparation for the opening of the laboratory, the company, in partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield, has trained five new engineering support and machinist apprentices. The apprentices will work closely with the skilled on-site technical team and will all be based in the new facility.

“I am delighted to open this new facility which is part of the new industrial revolution within the Sheffield region,” said Charles Noall, President & Chief Executive of Element, in remarks at the opening of the center. “It greatly expands the range of equipment and skills we have to offer customers in the aerospace and oil & gas sectors. This superb site complements our existing NDT capabilities across Europe and North America and enables our highly experienced team to deliver a first-class experience for our customers using the latest testing techniques and equipment.”

 

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