GKN Hoeganaes, a division of GKN Powder Metallurgy, England, and one of the largest iron powder producers globally, announced a strategic collaboration with First Phosphate, Canada, marking a significant step toward establishing a North American supply chain for lithium iron phosphate batteries, a critical component for the electric vehicle and energy storage industries.
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This overview presents 20 historical studies on suspension plasma spray methods, including research by Podlesak et al. that examines the effects of spray distance and plasma power level on the microstructure of suspension plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite (HA).
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Cornell University researchers, Ithaca, N.Y., in collaboration with a team at the Polish Academy of Sciences, have developed the first dual-sided – or “dualtronic” – chip that combines photonic and electronic functions simultaneously, an innovation that could shrink the size of functional devices, make them more energy efficient and reduce manufacturing costs.
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Lindberg/MPH, Mich., has announced the shipment of a gas-fired reverberatory aluminum melting and holding furnace equipped with a preheat hearth. The furnace, designed for manufacturing aluminum parts, boasts a melt rate of 10,000 pounds per hour and a maximum temperature rating of 1450°F. It has a holding capacity of 85,000 pounds, based on 155 pounds per cubic foot of molten aluminum.
The furnace features a vertically rising air-operated door for loading the preheat hearth and a full-width cleanout door at the rear for unloading. Designed with an elevated base, it includes a bottom-mounted magnetic stirring mechanism and an air pressure pump well for dispensing molten aluminum. This configuration allows the furnace to remain idle for extended periods without significant temperature variation.
Temperature control is managed by three controllers, while flame supervision equipment ensures safety, including forced-air purging and automatic shutdown in case of system failures.
Integer, Plano, TX, announced that its Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors had the honor of ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
The event marks a significant moment for Integer as the company continues its growth trajectory, focused on better serving customers and improving patient outcomes worldwide. The recognition reflects Integer’s commitment to innovation and progress in the medical device industry.
Constellium, based in Paris, announced that its collaborative research project, Aluminium Intensive Vehicle Enclosures (ALIVE), has achieved weight savings of 12 to 35 percent for electric vehicle (EV) battery enclosures. The project, led by Constellium’s University Technology Center at Brunel University London, focused on optimizing the design and manufacturing processes for structural aluminum enclosures in EVs.
Launched in 2020, the £15 million initiative was partially funded by the UK government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The project involved six industrial partners, including BMW, Volvo, and Innoval Technology, along with university technology partners from Brunel University London and the University of Warwick.
The ALIVE team developed new aluminum designs using Constellium’s high-strength alloys, HSA6® and HCA6®, while implementing advanced joining and forming technologies. Full-scale prototypes were produced and successfully passed rigorous testing for performance, safety, and fire resistance. The project also generated cost models to support future industrialization of the designs.
Constellium, Muscle Shoals, AL, announces that its facility has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for a $23 million investment under Title III of the Defense Production Act to rebuild its Direct Chill aluminum casting center.
The funding was awarded via the Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI) Program, overseen by the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Program (MCEIP) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. Constellium will use the funds to install state-of-the-art casting equipment on the site of a dismantled casting center, adding up to 300 million pounds of annual casting capacity. With this added capacity, the plant expects to increase its recycled input, reduce its use of primary metal, and provide the U.S. industrial base with an additional, self-reliant domestic source of supply for aluminum rolling ingot.
“This investment under the Defense Production Act will enable our industry to meet the rapidly increasing demand for the aluminum products needed not only for our national security but also necessary for the overall U.S. manufacturing sector and a healthy economy,” commented Buddy Stemple, President of Constellium Muscle Shoals. “We are very excited to have this opportunity to partner with the DoD to help strengthen our industrial base.”
Constellium Muscle Shoals is a major aluminum sheet supplier for the packaging and automotive markets. The plant has the capacity to produce over 1 billion pounds per year of finished aluminum coils. Muscle Shoals also operates a world-class recycling center able to recycle the equivalent of 20 billion aluminum cans per year.
Norman Noble, Highland Heights, OHIO, has been awarded the Superior Safety Award by the National Tooling & Machining Association (NTMA) for its performance in 2023. The award recognizes Norman Noble’s outstanding safety record, which is among the best in the industry according to Gillen Young, NTMA Chairman of the Board.
Norman Noble uses Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in their Daily Management System to track progress towards health, safety, and environmental goals. These KPIs include the number of lost time claims, recordable injuries, first aid incidents, days of restricted work activity, and near misses.
Julie Bennett Lowry, Director of Facilities and Environmental Health & Safety at Norman Noble, highlighted the company’s commitment to employee health and safety. “The Norman Noble team has made tremendous progress over the past 20 years in Environmental, Health, and Safety fields. Achieving zero lost time claims in 2023 led to this recognition by the NTMA for Superior Safety Performance. As of May 9, 2024, Norman Noble has achieved over 736 days without a lost time claim.”
Norman Noble, Inc., established over 75 years ago, is family-owned and specializes in ultra-precision micromachining of medical implants. The company is renowned for producing nitinol-based implants with sub-miniature precision. They comply with FDA regulations and ISO 13485, offering advanced processes like athermal laser machining, laser welding, Swiss turning and milling, and more.
Lindberg/MPH, Riverside, MI, announced the shipment of a rod overbend box furnace with an automated load transfer table to the aerospace industry. This furnace will heat-treat parts under an inert atmosphere.
The heat-treating furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 2,000°F and a load capacity of 6,000 lbs. It features a workspace of 36” W x 96” D x 36” H and is designed for a nitrogen atmosphere. A nitrogen gas flow meter controls the atmospheric conditions.
The box furnace includes an automated load transfer table. Under the table, five fans with a variable-frequency drive provide accelerated cooling. The load table utilizes a pusher/puller mechanism to move parts trays in and out of the furnace.
The furnace’s radiant heating system uses heavy-gauge alloy rod over-bend heating elements mounted along the side walls and the floor. Two Watlow F4T controllers control and record the furnace temperature, allowing for seven zones of heating. The box furnace also meets Class 3 temperature uniformity of ±15°F at 1,000°F – 1,800°F.
Ipsen, Kleve, Germany, has been honored with the prestigious German Innovation Award 2024 by the German Design Council for its Ipsen ATLAS Green furnace. In a competitive field of 520 submissions from 23 countries, Ipsen’s innovative approach stood out, earning accolades from an interdisciplinary jury of experts for its user-centric design and significant added value.
The Ipsen ATLAS Green furnace represents a new standard in quality and innovation, addressing the dual challenge of high-quality heat treatments and low CO2 emissions. The furnace’s unique ability to operate using both hydrogen and green electricity ensures a 100% CO2-neutral process, offering an environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution for customers.
This award highlights Ipsen’s commitment to intelligent innovations that meet the evolving needs of its customers while promoting sustainability. The recognition of the Ipsen ATLAS Green furnace underscores the company’s dedication to delivering advanced, user-focused technologies that contribute to a greener future.
Ma-tek, Japan, invites research proposals centered around the development of high-tech products and themes related to manufacturing, packaging, testing, and systems, utilizing advanced analytical and diagnostic techniques for the 113th year of the “MA-tek Industry-Academia Collaboration Program”.
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Strong, lightweight materials that can tolerate very high temperatures have the potential to improve existing technologies, pave the way for the creation of novel biomedical imaging or hydrogen storage applications, or even usher in the next generation of spacecraft.
To do this, researchers at Rice University working with Angel Martí’s lab have discovered a novel method for creating high-purity boron nitride nanotubes, which are hollow, cylindrical structures that are stronger by weight than steel and can tolerate temperatures as high as 900 degrees Celsius (~1652 Fahrenheit).
In a study, Rice researchers found that by utilizing phosphoric acid and fine-tuning the process, they could eliminate stubborn contaminants from boron nitride nanotubes.
Boron nitride cages, which are hollow sphere-shaped structures that enclose boron particles, are the “extra stuff” that often degrades the quality and use of the nanotubes. The researchers looked into the possibility of using phosphoric acid to dissolve the cages after discovering in a study that the acid functioned as a boron nitride wetting agent.
Nothing occurred at normal temperature. However, the researchers were taken aback when they heated things up.
Martí further added, “When we looked through the microscope, we saw no tubes and no cages. Instead, there were pyramids.”
After discovering that the high temperatures and acid concentrations were harmful to the boron nitride, the researchers changed their original plan of action to modify the reaction so that it would only destroy the material’s undesirable structures.
Shumard noted, “Through a lot of experimentation, we developed a completely new direction for purification of nanotubes. I have spent a lot of time in front of an electron microscope and have read a lot of papers with images of boron nitride nanotubes. The material that we can make is by far the purest tubes that I have seen when compared to others.”
The researchers intend to keep working to increase reaction yields to generate enough nanotubes to create fibers, which could serve as a good and more environmentally friendly substitute for steel.
“Nitrogen makes up 70% of our atmosphere, and boron is highly abundant in rocks. This work could be a stepping stone to much better building materials both in terms of strength and in terms of sustainability,” Shumard added.
Both the tensile strength and thermal conductivity of boron nitride nanotubes, as well as their structure, are remarkably similar to those of carbon nanotubes. Nevertheless, compared to their carbon counterparts, boron nitride nanotubes exhibit enhanced resilience and some complementary features.
Martí stated, “For example, carbon nanotubes can be electrical conductors or semiconductors, while boron nitride nanotubes are insulators. The science on boron nitride nanotubes is not as well developed as the science on carbon nanotubes ⎯ a gap we were hoping to address in our research because we think the ability to produce pure boron nitride nanotubes efficiently and reliably could be important for a wide range of industries.”
For more information: Chemistry of Materials
Image: Scanning electron microscopy images of the starting material (from left), the material resulting from the high-concentration phosphoric acid treatment and the purified boron nitride nanotubes.Image courtesy of the Martí group/Rice University
Norman Noble, OH. has been recognized as a 2023 Class Silver Level Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) award winner by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The E3 awards recognize an organization’s exceptional achievements in environmental stewardship.
On Monday, September 18, 2023, Director of Facilities & Environmental Health and Safety at Norman Noble, Julie Bennett Lowry accepted the E3 award from the Ohio EPA Director, Anne Vogel. Under Julie Bennett Lowry’s direction, Norman Noble implemented a recycling program for the spent mixed methanol and sulfuric acid waste which is 100% repurposed at a glycerin manufacturer. Over 125,000 pounds of this material is repurposed each year. In addition, the Norman Noble Team initiated a spent methanol reuse program that has allowed them to reduce methanol purchases by 37%. They have also implemented a range of energy efficiency upgrades, including transitioning to LED lighting, installing occupancy sensors, and installing daylight sensors, among other improvements.
Johnson Matthey, London, has joined the UK’s Critical Mineral Association (CMA), a leading organisation that connects the critical minerals industry with the UK Government.
As the world’s largest recycler of platinum group metals (PGMs) and a leader in PGM catalytic applications, JM will bring its deep expertise to help inform critical minerals policy development and drive positive change across the critical mineral value chains.
PGMs are industrially extremely powerful and will play a key role in the net zero transition, with applications ranging from hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysers to production of sustainable aviation fuel. And with limited quantities of these critical minerals available, circularity is essential for securing the metal to meet existing and future demand.
JM will leverage its membership of the CMA to educate regulators and other industry leaders about the strategic importance of PGMs and help them navigate the existing PGM supply chain and future landscape. Following publication of the UK Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy, JM will help the government understand the strength of the UK’s position in PGM circularity and the wider network.
Scientists at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have discovered new physics in graphite through the application of twistronics, revealing a 2.5-dimensional mixing of surface and bulk states. The research opens new possibilities in controlling electronic properties in both 2D and 3D materials.
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Cirtec Medical Partner, South Burlington, Vt., and wireless charging leader Resonant Link have announced a strategic partnership to power the future of implantable medical devices.
By combining Resonant Link’s next generation wireless power with Cirtec Medical’s expert product design, development, and manufacturing services, this partnership is expected to deliver medical device makers the best technology, fully integrated components, and faster time to market.
Cirtec Medical’s neuromodulation platforms give medical device makers a path to
reduce development costs and accelerate time to market. Whether bringing a novel therapy to
market or rapidly moving to a next-generation design suitable for high-volume manufacturing,
Cirtec Medical and Resonant Link have the expertise and resources to help medical device
teams deliver smaller, smarter, and scalable devices that clinicians want and patients need.
Scientists combined artificial intelligence and microscopy to accelerate data collection and protect sample integrity.
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CFN and Northrop Grumman researchers bring an innovative way to store and process information up to room temperature.
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University of Missouri researchers are using a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to launch a doctoral training program for future material scientists and engineers.
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Distortion in tool steels encompasses all irreversible dimensional changes. There are two main types: size distortion and shape distortion. Size distortion involves expansion or contraction in volume or linear dimensions without changes in geometrical form. Shape distortion entails changes in curvature or angular relations, as in twisting, bending, and/or nonsymmetrical changes in dimensions. In most cases both types of distortion occur during a heat-treatment operation.
Some of the main interactions occur between temperature, microstructure, and stress/strain. Especially for tool steels these interactions are mainly influenced by the carbon content in the steel matrix, the types and relative amounts of the alloying elements, and the carbide formation/transformation/precipitation characteristics of the alloy system.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 1..
R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958
Sulzer, Switzerland, with expertise in rotating equipment retrofits and abrasive services, has helped a Philippines petrochemical plant solve a persistent reliability issue and prepare for a 64% increase in capacity by replacing critical pump components with new parts made from high-chromium C6 steel with an abrasion resistant coating applied using a high HVOF process.
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QuesTek offers cloud-based software-as-a-service to organizations that want to enable digital transformation of materials engineering.
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Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) researchers have developed one of the world’s smallest, most intense and fastest refrigeration devices, the wearable thin-film thermoelectric cooler (TFTEC), and teamed with neuroscientists to help amputees perceive a sense of temperature with their phantom limbs.
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Researchers from Tohoku University, Japan, used sputtering to fabricate large-area 2D vdW tetra-chalcogenides and identified an exceptionally promising material ー niobium telluride ーthat exhibits an ultra-low melting point, opening up new possibilities for developing high-performance phase change memories.
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Lindberg/MPH, Mich., has announced the shipment of an electrically heated, full muffle, mesh belt conveyor furnace. This furnace is designed for treating pressed powdered material.
The furnace is designed for applications with a maximum process temperature of 1000° C (1832° F) that utilize a nitrogen or clean dry filtered air process atmosphere. The unit is configured with 9 temperature control zones and includes a water-cooling section. The conveyor system features a 14 inch wide mesh belt with belt stop alarm to provide an audible and visual indication in case of a conveyor stoppage.
There are purge chambers at the entrance and exit of this conveyor furnace. In these chambers purge gas flows from perforated plenum chambers above and below the belt and exhaust stacks with adjustable butterfly valves are located at the inner ends of each chamber. Load and unload tables at the entrance and exit of the conveyor provide ease of product transfer for the operator.
The furnace zone temperatures are controlled by Eurotherm controllers. These controllers have advanced PID control with variable overshoot inhibition. A hi-limit Eurotherm controller guards against over temperature conditions in each zone of temperature control. A visual and audible alert and removal of power to the heating element occur in the event the monitor temperature exceeds a desired set point.
Ipsen, Tainan City, Taiwan, has announced the installation of a TurboTreater vacuum furnace for a customer in Southeast Asia. Established in 2002, Taiwan Hodaka Technology Co., Ltd. is an aluminum extrusion supplier, specializing in high-end aerospace aluminum alloys.
They also produce products used in the sporting goods, consumer electronics and automotive industries. The TurboTreater boasts a work zone size of 36” (914 mm) x 36” (914 mm) x 48” (1219mm) with a weight capacity of 3000 lb (1360 kg) and normal operating temperature up to 2400 °F (1315 °C). The furnace was designed with convection heating, allowing for more uniform processing of large cross-section parts and dense loads. It is also capable of quenching at up to 12 bar positive pressure in nitrogen.
Hodaka chose Ipsen for their positive brand reputation, technical capabilities and process know-how.
The demands on vacuum-hardening technology have changed in recent decades. One of the most important considerations that must be met is the accomplishment of highest dimensional stability with optimal microstructural properties and minimal change of the surface of the workpieces.
Minimizing exposure to air during the heat treatment by reducing the quantity of oxygen in a heat treatment furnace, as with creating a vacuum, is an excellent method for preventing changes in surface appearance and chemical composition.
Suppliers of modern vacuum furnaces are further faced with new demands, such as increasing quenching speed to improve microstructural and mechanical properties by reducing grain size, and enhancing hardness and toughness and/or reducing distortion due to the hardening process. Furthermore, quality standards such as AMS 2750d or North American Die Casting Association (NADCA), which describe temperature homogeneity or quenching speeds and resulting and needed workpiece properties, had a significant effect on furnace design and process control.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 14
R Schneider ; R. Mesquita ; H. Altena ; T. Müller ; P. Seemann,Processes and Furnace Equipment for Heat Treating of Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958
Cirtec Medical Corp., Lowell, Mass., has acquired QMD Precision Components, a business that specializes in the development and manufacturing of silicone, polyisoprene, and other custom elastomeric components, tubing, and subassemblies.
Cirtec is a strategic outsourcing partner of complex medical devices, including minimally invasive and active implantable devices. The acquisition will enable Cirtec to provide customers with advanced expertise in medical silicone molding and extrusion. The integration of Precision Components within the Cirtec brand will offer comprehensive, integrated solutions based on decades of silicone experience. The acquisition will also strengthen Cirtec’s platform for growth in existing markets such as active implantables, interventional, and minimally invasive surgical devices. Precision Components consists of Centers of Excellence in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, and Rock Hill, South Carolina, and engineering and manufacturing capabilities will remain at the facilities, along with current leadership.
Shape Memory and Superelasticity was pleased to be a part of virtual IMAT by hosting a session on Tuesday, October 27, 2020. The session was hosted by journal editor-in-chief, Huseyin Sehitoglu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and included six prerecorded presentations, each followed by a live question and answer session with the presenter.
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Christopher C. Berndt, FASM, TSS-HoF, has been selected to lead the new Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM).
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