Stack Metallurgical Group

Increased HIP on the Horizon: Kittyhawk Expands with Stack HIP Acquisition

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

Kittyhawk, Inc., backed by the Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital, has acquired Stack HIP, LLC from Stack Metallurgical Group (SMG). The acquisition represents a significant expansion of capacity and capabilities in hot isostatic pressing (HIP) for aerospace, space, defense, and medical applications.

Operating from its facility in Albany, OR, Stack HIP provides HIP services to aerospace, defense, and medical clients by operating the largest high-pressure HIP vessels in North America. This enables them to process large, complex castings and additively manufactured metallic parts. Post-closing, SMG will continue to operate its classical heat treatment and aluminum special processing facilities in Portland, OR, Spokane, WA, and Salt Lake City, UT.

Brandon Creason
President
Kittyhawk

“We’re excited to welcome Stack HIP customers, employees, and suppliers into the Kittyhawk family,” said Brandon Creason, president of Kittyhawk. “Stack HIP will allow Kittyhawk to service mission critical parts up to 63” in diameter, enabling us to process the full array of components for our customers. At Kittyhawk, we commit every day to providing the best service and quality to our customers, and we’re thrilled to now do that with the added capabilities and dedicated employees of Stack HIP.”

Doug Puerta
CEO
Stack Metallurgical Group

Doug Puerta, CEO of SMG commented, “We look forward to continued collaboration with Kittyhawk to deliver a differentiated level of service, quality, and value to our shared customers. This transaction will allow both companies to further drive capacity, quality, and capabilities in our respective services to best serve the PNW market.”

“This is an important step in growing the platform specialized in this highly-differentiated HIP capability. [Kittyhawk] continues to benefit from strong industry tailwinds, and we are excited to support our customers by investing in capacity,” said David Stinnett, partner at Trive.

This press release is available in its original form upon request.

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This Week in Heat Treat Social Media

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

Welcome to Heat Treat Today's second installment of This Week in Heat Treat Social Media. As you know, there is so much content available on the web that it's next to impossible to sift through all of the articles and posts that flood our inboxes and notifications on a daily basis. So, Heat Treat Today is here to bring you the latest in compelling, inspiring, and entertaining heat treat news from the different social media venues that you've just got to see and read!

If you have content that everyone has to see, please send the link to editor@heattreattoday.com.

1. Plibrico Company Sponsors Project for Shriner's Hospitals for Children

The Plibrico Company recently sponsored a Happy Craft Day for Shriner's Hospitals for Children, during which many locations took part in assembling craft kits for kids needing a smile.

2. Innovations and Services on the Front Line

During this difficult and uncertain time, many companies are offering support to fight the spread of COVID-19, and some have come up with unique innovations.

Stack Metallurgical Group has announced its support for manufacturers in fighting the pandemic:

Similarly, Inductoheat has made a statement in the same vein:

ION HEAT has come out with the first prototype of its mechanic lung ventilator:

And Proceq USA Sales Manager Tom Ott demonstrates how to recharge a Proceq UT8000 flaw detector using a common USB power pack:

3. Good Friday Furnace Repair

Capital Refractories' Research & Development Manager Julie Hardy shared images of a 12 ton holding furnace repair that took place on Good Friday:

4. Reading and Podcast Corner

You may have a bit more time to catch up on the reading and podcast listening you've been yearning to do. May we recommend two brief written items of interest and an informative podcast.

Park Ohio Turns 100

Ipsen USA recommends their paper on vacuum furnace maintenance

And, for your listening pleasure, be sure to download the latest Heat Treat Radio episode entitled, Heat Treat Modeling with Justin Sims.

5. 101 Uses for Heat Treat Today Tape

Roseanne Brunello of Mountain Rep came up with a festive use of Heat Treat Today packing tape:

"Heat Treat Today comes through again..."

6. Launch into Your Socially Distanced Weekend with the Family Lockdown Boogie

No explanations necessary. Happy Friday, everyone!

 

This Week in Heat Treat Social Media Read More »

Stack Metallurgical Group Adds Vacuum Furnace to its Capabilities

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

Stack Metallurgical Group, a Nadcap accredited and Northwestern U.S. commercial heat treater, recently installed  a TITAN® vacuum furnace at its location in Spokane Valley, Washington. Formerly known as Inland NW Metallurgical Services, Stack Spokane is one of the company’s four locations offering metal processing services such as vacuum heat treating, induction heat treating, aluminum chemical processing, and ion nitriding. Ipsen USA  completed the installation.

Ron Decker,
General Manager, Stack Metallurgical Services, Inc.

“It was an easy choice adding another Ipsen furnace to our offering,” said General Manager Ron Decker. “We count on Ipsen for a versatile product that delivers great results.”

Installation of the TITAN® H6 2-bar vacuum furnace was completed in late 2019 and will be used to process aerospace components. Stack operates four Ipsen furnaces in Spokane and a dozen more in Portland.

 

 

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Heat Treat Provider Expands HIP Capabilities to Serve Quality-Critical Industries

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS

A heat treating and metal processing services provider in the Pacific Northwest recently increased its hot isostatic pressing (HIP) capabilities with the purchase of new equipment to enable the company to process a broad range of materials and lot sizes for quality-critical industries, such as energy, aerospace, and medical.

Doug Puerta, CEO, Stack Metallurgical Group

Stack Metallurgical Group has doubled its HIP processing with the addition of a model QIH 122 M URC® from Quintus Technologies following the recent installation of a high-capacity Mega-HIP, the QIH286 M URC®; both combine HIP and heat treatment in a single process and are located at Stack’s recently completed facility in Albany, Oregon.

“We’ve been extremely happy with the market response as we have expanded our service offerings to include HIP,” said Doug Puerta, CEO, Stack Metallurgical Group. “The massive size of our first unit enables us to process larger castings and/or powder metal components. The new unit now allows us to process all ranges of materials and lot sizes and is ideal for moderately sized components. The capabilities and capacity offered by these two units further strengthen the value proposition that Stack facilities provide their clients.”

Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies

“We see opportunities not only in traditional markets such as castings but also in emerging markets, with additive manufacturing being the most notable,” added Puerta.

“Stack’s decision to invest in a second Quintus HIP is a tribute to our leadership position in the industry,” said Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies. “As the need for hot isostatic pressing steadily increases, we are very pleased with this next step in our relationship.”

 

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15 Quick Heat Treat News Chatter Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

Personnel and Company Chatter

  • TimkenSteel has announced that Ward J. “Tim” Timken, Jr. has stepped down as CEO and president and as chairman of the TimkenSteel board of directors. Effective immediately, the Board of Directors has appointed Terry L. Dunlap as the company’s interim CEO and president. John P. Reilly, the current lead director of the TimkenSteel board of directors, will immediately assume the role of chairman of the board.
  • Rick Merluzzi has been promoted to the position of CEO at Metal Exchange Corporation. Mike Lefton, current chairman and CEO, will assume the title of executive chairman. Merluzzi oversees all their businesses, including Metal Exchange Trading, Pennex Aluminum Company, Continental Aluminum and Electro Cycle, Inc.
  • Platte River Equity has sold its portfolio company PRV Metals to Tinicum LP. PRV Metals, a leading supplier of specialty forged titanium and high-performance steel products to aerospace, defense, medical, energy, and industrial sectors, operates through two subsidiaries Sierra Alloys and TSI Titanium. 
  • US aviation group Collins Aerospace has extended the contracts for the supply of thrust reverser housings for the engine gondolas of the Airbus A350 XWB and Boeing 787 aircraft. The order includes the delivery of the engine cowlings into the next decade. This contract renewal is a major contribution to strengthening FACC’s position as an international partner in the Engines & Nacelles segment.
  • Bodycote Thermal Processing Inc has announced it will spend $15.3 million to renovate and equip a dilapidated, 58,000-square-foot building in Geddes, New York, to replace the company’s facility that burned down in Van Buren, New York, in 2018. Equipment will be purchased that will allow the company to perform heat treatment processes not currently available in the United States.
  • Element Materials Technology has announced that its new aerospace materials testing laboratory in Shanghai, China, is now open for business. Element confirmed it has completed a number of accreditations including ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and Nadcap, with OEM audits underway. The new laboratory specializes in a comprehensive range of services that include: chemical analysis; fatigue testing; failure investigation; mechanical testing; metallurgical analysis, and on-site testing at client sites. Customers will also benefit from pre-testing services, including a full machine shop and heat treatment furnaces for the treatment of materials prior to testing.
  • Construction is moving forward at a brisk pace at Stack Metallurgical Group‘s new Albany, Oregon site, where the company will offer both Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) and vacuum heat-treating services.

Equipment Chatter

  • Three intelligent waste heat recovery systems have been awarded by Tangshan Zhengfeng Iron & Steel Co., LTD, in Hebei Province, China, to Tenova, a Techint Group company specializing in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries.
  • A contract to supply on-site nitrogen to Samwha Capacitor’s new multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) plant being built adjacent to its existing plant in Yongin, South Korea, has been awarded to Air Products. Under the new contract, Air Products will expand its nitrogen capacity to support the increasing demand from Samwha Capacitor’s existing and new plants.
  • Advanced soft magnetic expertise and ultra-efficient electrical components will be provided by Carpenter Technology to multiple OEMs to progress their electric aircraft aspirations.  Carpenter Technology will provide advanced soft magnetic expertise and ultra-efficient electrical components to be used in R&D and demonstrator motors and engines, leading to construction of lighter-weight, longer-lasting electric propulsion systems.
  • Two reheating furnaces to reheat blooms and billets have been delivered to Shijiazhuang Iron & Steel Company within China’s HBIS Group by Fives.

Kudos Chatter

  • Element Materials Technology has been awarded the 2018 Gold Boeing Performance Excellence Award (BPEA) for its Huntington Beach, California, laboratory, while the Element Los Angeles laboratory won Silver. The annual award recognizes superior performance in the highest tiers of Boeing’s supply chain. This is the second year Element Huntington Beach has achieved the Gold award and the first year that Element Los Angeles has achieved Silver status.
  • Plibrico Corporation has awarded employees Joe Feldhacker, a project manager from Plibrico’s Omaha, Nebraska location, and Lou Calderon, refractory CAD designer in the company’s engineering department in Northbrook, Illinois, API 936 Refractory Personnel Certification. Both demonstrated advanced knowledge of installation, inspection, testing and repair of monolithic refractory linings, passing the rigorous API 936 exam administered by the American Petroleum Institute (API), a national trade association representing all facets of the natural gas and oil industry.
  • Spirit AeroSystems was recognised at the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) with the Award for Composite Excellence (ACE) in Manufacturing: Material and Process Innovation. Spirit received the award for its development of the Advanced Structures Technology and Revolutionary Architecture (ASTRA) demonstrator aircraft panel, which was displayed at the CAMX conference in Anaheim, California.
  • The 100th nacelle system for Airbus’ A330neo wide-body jetliner has been delivered by Safran Nacelles.

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 Chatter Items to Keep You Current Read More »

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

10 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

  • Julien Noel has been named Vice President / General Manager of the Buehler worldwide division. ITW Test and Measurement Group President, Yahya Gharagozlou, made the announcement. Buehler is an ITW Company which manufactures scientific equipment and consumables for materials analysis.
  • A fourth vacuum aluminum brazing (VAB) furnace has been purchased by California Brazing, a Newark, California, heat treating company in order to expand the capability to service the aerospace sector.
  • Solar Atmospheres recently awarded the title of CEO Emeritus to Roger A. Jones, FASM. The honorary title was conferred by the company and announces his semi-retirement as Solar Atmospheres’ CEO, the culmination of 45 years of leadership and service to the vacuum heat treating industry.
  • A refractories supplier’s recently established partnership will result in the full-service distribution of the company’s products and services throughout several European countries. The Plibrico Company and Pli Group Europe GmbH, a highly experienced refractory distributor contractor based in Vienna, Austria, have entered into a new value-added distribution partnership will cover Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.
  • The world’s largest aerospace company, the Boeing Company recently acquired Embraer SA, the commercial aircraft arm of a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, in a new $4.75 billion joint venture.

Equipment Chatter

  • Seven Gruenberg Glassware drying ovens were recently shipped to a university in the U.S. Midwest by Thermal Product Solutions, a manufacturer of thermal-processing equipment based in New Columbia, Pennsylvania.
  • A furnace equipment company based in Erie, Pennsylvania, recently designed and manufactured a front-loading forge furnace for a leading North American forging company. The furnace built by Onex, Inc., is one of the largest of its kind in North America with workspace dimensions measuring 26ft (W) x 20ft (D) x 14ft (H).
  • A heat treating services provider in the U.S. Northwest recently purchased a Meg-HIP hot isostatic press for heat treating and metal processing. Västerås, Sweden-based, Quintus Technologies installed the system at Stack Metallurgical Group in Albany, Oregon.

Kudos Chatter

  • Thermal-Vac Technology, Inc. has been awarded a 2018 Top Workplaces honor by The Orange County Register. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.
  • AK Steel recently announced that it has accepted an award of up to $1.2 million from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office program to investigate novel low-density steels in the laboratory, which could ultimately be used in automotive structural applications. The three-year project will be conducted in collaboration with DOE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Materials Science and Technology Division, and the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center in the Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.  The objective of the project is to conduct alloy design, laboratory validation, and testing of low-density steels that are alternatives to currently available advanced high strength steels and other lightweight metals.

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.

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