general Archives - Page 6 of 93

Outokumpu U.S. stainless steel bar operations receive LCS approval for aerospace

Outokumpu Oy, Finland, has received Pratt & Whitney’s LCS (laboratory control at source) approval for its stainless steel bar products manufactured at its Richburg mill in South Carolina.

Ames Lab hot-shot pour tube produces titanium powder ten times more efficiently

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, Iowa, announces that one of its research teams has won an award for the development of a “hot-shot pour tube” technology that can produce titanium powder approximately ten times more efficiently than traditional methods.

One Minute Mentor: Nitrocarburizing in a Carrier Gas

Nitrocarburizing in a carrier gas to which (initially solid) urea was added led to a fast growth of the expanded austenite zone. The gaseous decomposition products of urea that develop in the furnace are highly activating, which means that activation and nitrocarburizing are achieved simultaneously.

Alumina-forming high temperature steels offering new opportunities in heat treatment

Two novel alumina-forming steels, Kanthal APMT and Nikrothal PM 58, have corrosion resistance based on the formation of an adherent alumina layer.

Auto parts manufacturer orders Lucifer ceramic-fiber-lined box furnace

Lucifer Furnaces Inc., Warrington, Pa., has received an order for an electric, ceramic-fiber-lined box furnace from a leading U.S. manufacturer of stamped automotive products.

Ipsen’s strategic organizational changes designed to strengthen leadership for growth

Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that several strategic changes will be made in the company’s organizational structure to strengthen its position as the leading global provider of integrated heat treatment solutions.

Solar Manufacturing receives U.S. patent for vacuum furnace hot zone improvement

Solar Manufacturing, Souderton, Pa., announces that it has been awarded a patent for an innovation in vacuum furnace hot zone design.

Total Eclipse by Southern Research Institute’s Telescopes

A visible-light image of the Sun captured during the total eclipse by Southern Research Institute’s telescopes.
The imagery was captured by two NASA high-altitude research aircraft as the total solar eclipse unfolded over the United States.
The goal of the eclipse mission, led by NASA and supported by Southern Research Institute, was to gather visible-light and infrared images of the solar corona and collect extensive data on the temperature of Mercury’s surface.

Spinning magnesium billets during extrusion enables higher ductility and lower cost

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Wash., announces that its researchers have developed a method of extruding magnesium alloys that greatly improves their energy absorption by creating novel microstructures that are not possible with traditional extrusion methods.

Four projects selected for R&D of cost-effective recovery of rare earth elements from coal

The U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, has selected four projects to move on to a second phase of research in their efforts to advance recovery of rare earth elements (REE) from coal and coal byproducts.

ATI to supply isothermal forgings and nickel-base powder alloys to Pratt & Whitney

Allegheny Technologies Inc., Pittsburgh, announces that it has signed a new Long-Term Purchase Agreement (LTPA) with Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies company, to supply isothermal forgings and nickel-base powder alloys for next-generation jet engines.

Constellium high-strength machinable aluminum alloys for autos resist corrosion

Constellium N.V., New York, introduces HSA6, a new generation of high-strength 6000-series alloys for extrusion-based automobile crash management systems, body-in-white structural components, and battery enclosures.

Fast silicon drift detector combined with EDS analysis software enables real-time imaging

Oxford Instruments, Concord, Mass., introduces a real-time navigation and imaging system for the SEM that helps users interactively explore samples based on video-rate X-ray maps colored by element rather than the black and white electron image alone.

Magnetic/electrostatic compound lens enables FIB/SEM to image sub-nanometer features

Hitachi High-Technologies Corp., Tokyo, announces the development of an all-new high-performance Ethos FIB-SEM based on a newly developed magnetic/electrostatic compound lens that enables it to deliver advanced imaging performance resolving sub-nanometer features in high contrast for low-voltage SEM applications.

Jeol InTouchScope SEM offers high sensitivity and high spatial resolution at faster speed

Jeol USA, Peabody, Mass., introduces the newest addition to the Jeol InTouchScope series SEMs, the JSM-IT500HR, which features a high-brightness, long-life emitter with stable probe current.

Coventor adds automated process analysis to semiconductor virtual fabrication platform

Coventor Inc., Cary, N.C., announces the availability of SEMulator3D 6.1, the latest version of its semiconductor virtual fabrication platform.

Micron’s new facility nearly doubles cleanroom space for memory storage R&D

Micron Technology Inc., Boise, Idaho, has opened a new facility that will nearly double the cleanroom space dedicated to research and development, and will support a significant expansion of the company’s overall R&D capabilities.

One Minute Mentor: Residual Stress Profiles as Determined by X-Ray Diffraction

For nitrocarburizing or consecutive carburizing and nitriding, the typical stress profile is smoother than for nitriding only.

Special 50th Anniversary IMS Symposium at MS&T17

The 2017 MS&T conference will feature a special symposium honoring the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Metallographic Society. This symposium was created to recognize previous IMS award recipients.

Can-Eng mesh-belt furnace system enables both neutral hardening and carburizing

Can-Eng Furnaces Int.l, Niagara Falls, Ontario, has received an order for a mesh belt furnace system for heat treating automotive thrust races, retainer/cages, and washers.

Ipsen USA ships 15 atmosphere and vacuum heat treating furnaces around the world

Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that it shipped 15 atmosphere and vacuum furnaces last quarter, all in support of the aerospace, commercial heat treating, and MIM industries around the world.

Nucor acquires St. Louis Cold Drawn for its cold finished bar products

Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., has agreed to acquire St. Louis Cold Drawn Inc., a manufacturer of cold drawn rounds, hexagons, squares, and special sections that mainly serves the United States and Mexico automotive and industrial markets.

Seco Warwick controlled atmosphere brazing system treats variety of aluminum alloys

Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that one of its controlled atmosphere aluminum brazing (CAB) systems has been installed by Mainstream Engineering for brazing a wide assortment of very large cold plates and heat exchangers made of a variety of aluminum alloys.

Software enables SEM analysis of multi-layer structures without cross-sectioning

Bruker Nano Analytics, Oak Park, Ill., introduces XMethod, the world’s first software package for the analysis of composition and thickness of single or multiple layers, based on data obtained by sample excitation with the XTrace micro-focus X-ray source for scanning electron microscopes.

Imaging instrument for electronics combines thermal camera, temperature measurement

Flir Systems, Wilsonville, Ore., introduces the ETS320, a thermal imaging and temperature measurement instrument for electronic components and printed circuit boards.

Mid-year global semiconductor sales up 21% compared to 2016

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), Washington, reports that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $97.9 billion during the second quarter of 2017, an increase of 5.8% over the previous quarter and 23.7% more than the second quarter of 2016.