Kaiser Aluminum Corporation

14 News Chatter to Keep You Current

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry. Enjoy these 14 news items, including OTTO JUNKER‘s induction furnace installation supporting low-carbon foundry operations, IperionX‘s collaboration with Carver Pump Company to strengthen domestic titanium manufacturing, Solar Atmospheres of Michigan earning its Nadcap 18-month Merit Status for heat treating and brazing, and more!

Equipment

1. OTTO JUNKER has equipped Eisengießerei Th. Schultz with a MONOMELT coreless induction furnace, replacing a cupola and converting the foundry to electric melting. The system significantly cuts energy use and CO₂ emissions while demonstrating how induction technology is helping foundries transition to more efficient, low-carbon production.

2. A global drivetrain technology leader has selected NUTEC Bickley to supply a CQI-9–compliant isothermal annealing line for automotive component production. The new equipment strengthens heat treat quality and consistency, reflecting the industry’s continued investment in advanced thermal processing to support higher-performance drivetrains.

3. Newton Heat Treating has completed a major equipment upgrade, replacing steam accumulators that had been in service for 20 years in its uphill quenching/cold stabilization operation. The upgrade directly impacts the company’s aerospace processing capabilities, with many parts destined for optical components in space applications undergoing this critical heat treatment process.

4. Kaiser Aluminum Corp., a producer of heat treated, flat-rolled aluminum products, has completed a $25 million expansion and upgrade of its Trentwood rolling mill in Spokane Valley. This marks the latest phase of the company’s long-term strategy to increase heat treatment throughput for aerospace, automotive, and general engineering markets.

5. ArcelorMittal is advancing a major expansion in electrical steel production that includes a preparation line, a continuous annealing and varnishing line, and a slitting line — developments that reflect ongoing job growth and investment in industrial heat treating processes worldwide.

6. A United States military base will receive an electrically heated draw batch oven from Wisconsin Oven Corporation for use in heat treating aerospace components. The industrial oven was engineered to meet critical safety requirements and the stringent demands of aerospace heat treating.

7. JSW Vijayanagar Metallics, a subsidiary of JSW Steel, has commissioned a new 350-ton RH (Ruhrstahl Heraeus) unit, the world’s first operational combination of an RH Ladle Rocker technology with Fast Vessel Exchange from SMS Group. This represents a major advancement in secondary metallurgy and plant efficiency.

8. PROENERGY has ordered four Ipsen vacuum furnaces for its new Houston location, expanding heat treating capacity to support growing demand for fast-start gas turbines and lifecycle maintenance services. The investment strengthens PROENERGY’s ability to manufacture, repair, and overhaul high-quality turbine components while reducing lead times.

Deslagging of the melt
Example of a customized isothermal annealing furnace by NUTEC Bickley, engineered for the auto manufacturing industry
Upgraded Newton steam accumulators
The expanded horizontal heat treat furnace at Kaiser’s Spokane Valley plant
Entry zone to ArcelorMittal’s continuous annealing and varnishing line
Electrically heated draw batch oven to heat various steel parts for aerospace components
First heat of the 350-ton RH plant, equipped with a Ladle Rocker and Fast Vessel Exchange
Line of Ipsen TITAN furnaces

Company & Personnel

9. SMS Group’s South Africa-based Metix brand and Magmec signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a magnesium metal production facility in the United Arab Emirates utilizing advanced reduction furnace technology. The facility will be designed to process magnesium oxide originating from feed sources such as dolomite or brine. The partnership aims to establish a regional, sustainable supply of magnesium for strategic industrial users.

10. Carlos Carrasco has joined the SECO/WARWICK USA sales team as regional manager for Mexico, bringing more than 11 years of experience with the company as a sales representative. In his new role, he will support customers across the region in addressing their heat treatment challenges.

11. IperionX is working with Carver Pump Company to advance domestic titanium manufacturing and thermal processing capabilities in a recent commitment to reduce long lead times for critical pump components used for naval shipbuilding. This addresses supply chain constraints that have slowed ship construction and maintenance. By shortening production timelines, the initiative supports improved fleet readiness while reinforcing domestic manufacturing capacity for mission-critical naval systems.

Metix and Magmec representatives at the signing of an MOU to advance a magnesium metal production facility
Carlos Carrasco taking on the new regional manager for Mexico role at SECO/WARWICK USA

Kudos

12. Solar Atmospheres of Michigan has earned Nadcap 18-month Merit Status for heat treating and brazing, marking a significant quality milestone, bringing every Solar Atmospheres facility nationwide to merit standing. The achievement reflects three consecutive years of audits with zero major findings, underscoring the company’s disciplined process control and commitment to specification compliance while serving industries including aerospace, defense, and medical manufacturing.

13. Tenova hosted Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Industry, Faisol Riza, at its global headquarters to showcase sustainable steelmaking technologies, following an initiative led by Indonesian steel producer PT Tata Metal Lestari. The visit highlighted collaboration among Tenova, TML, and the Indonesian government to advance low-emission steel production, energy efficiency, and industrial innovation.

14. Bodycote has achieved Nadcap accreditation for heat treating, vacuum brazing, and TIG welding at its new 55,000-square-foot facility in Fairfield, Ohio. The milestone strengthens Bodycote’s North American presence and expands capacity to meet growing demand for high-specification thermal processing in aerospace, defense, and industrial manufacturing sectors.

Solar Atmospheres heat treating facility
Indonesian Vice Minister of Industry, Faisol Riza, and delegation with Tenova leadership team at Tenova headquarters
Bodycote’s 55,000-square-foot Nadap-accredited facility in Fairfield, Ohio

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Kaiser Completes $25M Heat Treat Expansion at Trentwood

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS

Kaiser Aluminum Corp., a producer of heat treated, flat-rolled aluminum products, has completed a $25 million expansion of its Trentwood rolling mill in Spokane Valley. This marks the latest phase of the company’s long-term strategy to increase heat treatment throughput for aerospace, automotive, and general engineering markets.

The original source was published in Spokane Journal of Business, and the following content has been adapted for our Heat Treat Today audience.

The project, which is part of more than $415 million invested in the facility over the past 20 years, extends one of the mill’s major heat treat furnaces, increasing plate-processing output by approximately 5 percent. For in-house heat treaters, the upgrade reflects a continued industrywide push toward higher-capacity, efficiency-driven thermal operations as demand for tight chemistry and reliable mechanical properties climbs.

Kaiser Aluminum has completed a $25 million project at its Spokane Valley plant that includes an expansion of its horizontal heat treat furnace.
Source: Kaiser Aluminum Corp.

According to Kevin Barron, vice president of manufacturing, the expansion enhances the mill’s ability to heat treat and stretch large-format aluminum plate products without altering staffing levels at the 1,000-employee site. The project was completed within the plant’s existing footprint with support from regional contractors and furnace supplier Otto Junker USA.

The Trentwood mill, one of only three U.S. sites capable of producing heat treated aerospace-grade plate, has undergone seven phases of reinvestment since 2005. Recent work builds on earlier additions to the facility’s furnace lineup, along with upgrades to hot rolling, homogenizing, and casting capacity — areas closely linked to the performance and consistency of downstream heat treating.

Kaiser paused expansion activities during the pandemic, storing some equipment purchased pre-COVID. With the current project complete, the company has reestablished its pattern of continuous, phased improvements intended to keep pace with global aerospace and defense demand.

For manufacturers with in-house heat treat operations, Kaiser’s latest phase underscores a broader trend: large producers are expanding thermal processing capability not only to increase volume but to ensure uniformity, cleanliness, and repeatability at scale. As aerospace OEMs tighten specifications, upstream suppliers are reinforcing their heat treatment infrastructure to meet rising expectations for precision and throughput.

Kaiser Aluminum, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, operates 13 facilities across the U.S. and Canada. The Trentwood site remains a key supplier to Boeing and other aerospace manufacturers, continuing a relationship that dates back to World War II.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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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

  • The purchase of a producer of fixtures and parts in refractory alloys for heat treatment, steel, incineration, power generation, automotive, and aerospace industries was recently announced. The Safe-Cronite business unit of the Safe Group was purchased by its CEO Pierre Wittmann and a group of managers in partnership with investment funds driven by CICLAD.
  • The central laboratory of H.C. Starck, known until recently as H.C. Starck Analytical Services, announced it became an independent company with the name ChemiLytics GmbH & Co. KG. The new company will remain part of the H.C. Starck Group. The company is presented on its new webpage www.chemilytics.com to provide interested customers with an overview of the company, its core competencies, and service range.
  • Paulo, a supplier of heat-treating services for a wide range of industries headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, officially inaugurated its first plant outside the U.S., located at the GP Escobedo industrial park in the municipality of Escobedo, Nuevo Leon. The facility started operations earlier this year providing proprietary heat-treatment processes for the automotive industry in a 50,000 square-feet footprint which is expected to expand up to 110,000 sq.-ft as new equipment keeps coming into the plant in order to serve manufacturers of aerospace components and agriculture equipment, among others.
  • A leading producer of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum products Kaiser Aluminum Corporation recently announced that it has acquired Imperial Machine & Tool Co., a leader in multi-material additive manufacturing and machining technologies for aerospace and defense, automotive, high-tech, and general industrial applications.

Equipment Chatter

  • Ipsen USA recently announced several furnace shipments, including several TITAN® vacuum furnaces from the platform product line, several custom horizontal and vertical vacuum furnaces and multiple atmosphere box furnaces all designed to meet customers’ specifications. Many of these shipments also included PdMetrics® software for predictive maintenance.
  • Gasbarre recently designed, manufactured, and commissioned a large capacity gas-fired temper furnace for a major specialty alloy manufacturing company located in the Northeastern portion of the United States. The furnace is designed to temper workloads that are 32 feet wide by 6 feet long by 4 feet high and weigh up to 40,000 lbs. The furnace utilizes the latest design and control technologies to achieve excellent temperature uniformity (±10°F) across a wide temperature range (800°F to 1400°F)
  • A new Hot Isostatic Press will soon be in operation at Lake City Heat Treating, expanding their Hot Isostatic Press capabilities for the aerospace and medical industries. With a much larger capacity of 2,000 pounds per load, Lake City will be able to expand load sizes and meet customer turnaround requirements. The new press will be housed in their new 6,000 square foot addition.
  • Solar Atmospheres of Western PA recently commissioned a new 20-foot car bottom furnace that has a total load capacity of up to 30,000 pounds. The Class 2 furnace, built by John Becker’s Heat Treat Equipment Inc., located in Canton, Michigan, was installed and fully tested for the first time in Hermitage, PA. This new piece of equipment will serve to compliment Solar’s lower temperature work – especially where surface oxidation is of little concern. It will also be used to economically process many “downstream” processes, including multiple tempering operations, which typically follow vacuum austenitizing treatments.
  • Quintus Technologies supplied a hot-isostatic press to a Chinese manufacturer to complement the additive manufacturing capabilities at Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies Co., Ltd. BLT produces 3DP parts in titanium and aluminum alloys, superalloys, and stainless, die, and high-strength steels, for a range of industrial applications, including automotive engine and structural parts, aircraft engine and structural components, mold/die, energy, electronics, and other customer segments.

Kudos Chatter

  • Materion Corporation recently announced that the Society of Automotive Engineers – Aerospace Material Specification Nonferrous Alloys Committee (SAE-AMS) has approved AMS4369 specification for SupremEX® 225XF metal matrix composite (MMC) and AMS4379 for SupremEX 225XE MMC. This represents the second AMS specification for SupremEX 225XE and applies to the extruded form of the material. With the two recently added specifications, the company now has a total of four AMS specifications for its SupremEX line of products, allowing engineers to reference a national standard for material properties.
  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute recently presented its 2018 Innovator of the Year Award to metallurgical pioneer Diran Apelian. The first WPI faculty member to receive the honor, Apelian is the founding director of WPI’s Metal Processing Institute, an internationally recognized researcher and educator, and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
  • ASM International recently recognized several members for achievement at its ASM Awards Banquet, held in Columbus, OH on October 16, 2018. In addition, ASM International Trustee-Elects have been selected to serve on the 2018-2019 ASM Board of Trustees. ASM International’s trustees are charged with acting in the best interests of the society’s membership and help to lead the governance of the society. The ASM officers and trustees were officially installed in office at ASM’s Annual Meeting on October 15, 2018, also in Columbus, OH. Details can be found at ASM International’s website: https://www.asminternational.org/membership/awards/photos
  • Kanfit Ltd., a leading manufacturer of assemblies and subassemblies for the aerospace industry, announced today that it has recently achieved Nadcap re-certification for chemical processing and heat treatment following thorough audits of the Performance Review Institute. Kanfit was awarded recertification of Chemical Processing and is qualified for full Nadcap merit status of 24 months. This means that the frequency between audits has been increased from 18 months to two years. Kanfit has been Nadcap accredited for chemical processing since 2013 and has been accredited by Nadcap for heat treating since 2008.
  • GE Aviation recently produced 30,000th 3D printed fuel nozzle at its Auburn, Alabama, plant.
  • Surface Combustion Inc., Maumee, Ohio, has recently updated its website, which provides details about its standard atmosphere and vacuum furnace designs. Not only is the website mobile friendly, but also thermal processing solutions on the product, industry, and process pages are easier to navigate.

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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