The United States Navy has partnered with VRC Metal Systems, a Box Elder, S.D.-based company that specializes in cold-spray technology, to create “pop-up” production cells within 90 days, which will be located near ports.
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The Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office Advanced Manufacturing Program Office’s Part Assessment and Cost Tool officially went live on Air Force Cloud One, the first Advanced Manufacturing application to do so.
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Motion control is necessary to ensure operator safety and coating quality. Although handheld spraying has been carried out for nearly a century, it is not the preferred or safest means of spraying. The thermal spray environment is harsh and not suited for handheld operations.
Safety has become more of an issue as HVOF and plasma energies and velocities have continued to increase. Operator fatigue (typical surface speeds are 30 m/min, or 1200 in/min) and inconsistency also affect coating uniformity. Part- and gun-handling equipment is required to eliminate the operator from the process. Commercially available, off-the-shelf motion-control equipment usually takes the form of turntables, x–y manipulators, and six-axis robots.
Where the production volume of a specific part warrants the investment, specialized tooling is often used. The disadvantage of using manipulators is in spraying small numbers of complex parts. In limited production runs, programming the manipulation equipment can be more expensive and time-consuming than spraying the part. There are many applications where handheld spraying seems to be the only practical approach to the problem, for example, bridges, boilers, architecture, artwork, one-of-a-kind parts, and so forth.
High-volume production spraying dictates that ancillary processes such as surface cleaning, masking, and grit blasting also be automated. Coating process cells, which represent the highest level of automation, may include pick-and-place robots to handle part loading and unloading.
The figure shows an automated thermal spray cell for coating aircraft engine components. In this plasma spray cell, the operator loads and unloads parts, and the spray cell does all of the operations, including process control, statistical process control, quality inspection for thickness, and final processing. Although expensive, such equipment is justified for coating applications where consistency is critical.
Image – Advanced thermal spray cell. Courtesy of Sulzer Metco.
This information is from ASM Handbooks Online, Vol. 5A: Thermal Spray Technology, Coating Structures, Properties, and Materials. To find this information (subscription required), click on the link below and scroll down to Figure 11.
Florida International University, Miami, Fla., introduced its new Cold Spray and Rapid Deposition Laboratory, a facility that will advance techniques in the repair, design and durability of high-performance materials. The lab is supported by a five-year, $22.9 million grant from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory.
The lab will advance additive manufacturing techniques such as cold spray, a technique where particles are blasted onto a material surface at low temperatures. The techniques are highly relevant to 3D printing, the rapid repair of machinery, and the coating of materials to make them stronger. The research stands to benefit the manufacturing of next-generation vehicles and munitions while also boosting workforce development and activity across the economy.
“FIU’s commitment to innovation and impact is on full display today as we celebrate the opening of this lab,” said Kenneth A. Jessell, president of FIU. “We show the world today that we are a leader for Army Research Lab Cold Spray Technology and an influential partner, together with our congressional delegation, in building up Miami’s tech, innovation and manufacturing ecosystem.”
The lab will be led by Distinguished University Professor Arvind Agarwal, chair of FIU’s department of mechanical and materials engineering at the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and a renowned expert on advanced additive manufacturing techniques.
“From developing antibacterial coatings for biomedical use to assisting in environmental corrosion prevention in coastal communities, these technologies promise to deliver solutions to a myriad of real-world problems, while helping to train the next generation of researchers, technologists and STEM professionals in the fields of robotics, advanced manufacturing, aerospace technologies and machine learning,” Agarwal said.
The opening of the lab positions FIU as a key provider of research and talent for the Department of Defense and industry partners, particularly due to the increase demand for electronics and the expansion of both the aerospace and defense industries.
Image – Cold spay lab. Courtesy of: FIU.
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Florida International University
YouTube Video – First large scale cold spray facility in a Florida university
Sensiworm (Soft ElectroNics Skin-Innervated Robotic Worm), a highly intelligent, acutely sensitive soft robot from GE Aerospace, Niskayuna, N.Y., could serve as extra sets of eyes and ears for aerospace service operators, enabling less invasive inspection and repair of jet engines on wing to reduce downtime.
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Spee3D, Australia, partnered with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to introduce its innovative cold spray additive manufacturing technology to Japan.
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Gasbarre, Dubois, PaA, announced that Mark Saline, president of Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems, is a recipient of the 2023 MPIF Distinguished Service to Powder Metallurgy (PM) Award that recognizes individuals who have actively served the North American PM industry for at least 25 years.The award is selected by the Metal Powder Industries Federation’s (MPIF) Awards Committee.
Over 70 nominated individuals were on the ballot for review by the past 10 years of Distinguished Service Award recipients, as well as the MPIF Board of Governors and Boards of Directors of the MPIF trade associations. Mark Saline will receive his award during PowderMet 2023 in Las Vegas. Mark has been well established in the Powder Metallurgy industry for many years. His PM involvement includes teaching students at the PM Sintering Seminar, sitting on the MPIF Program Committee, judging the PM Design Excellence Awards, he has written several publications on processing in continuous furnaces, and he provides input in organizations such as the Center for Powder Metal Technology, Powder Metal Equipment Association, and the Association for Metal Additive Manufacturing. Mark will also serve at the Conference Technical Chair-Person for PowderMet 2024 in Pittsburgh.
An MIT-led team reports a simple, inexpensive way to strengthen a material key to applications in aerospace and nuclear energy generation.
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The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is conducting innovative research on advanced materials and manufacturing technologies that will play a vital role in both civilian and military applications.
Continue readingConfluent Medical Technologies, Scottsdale, Ariz., has announced the grand opening of the latest addition to their large scale manufacturing center of excellence in Alajuela, Costa Rica, expanding their capacity for Nitinol processing and catheter manufacturing.
This new facility will be co-located with the existing Confluent Costa Rica facility and will add an additional 66,000 square feet to this location. The new site greatly expands Confluent’s capacity to process Nitinol components, as well as produce complex catheters using a combination of clean rooms and white-space manufacturing.
“Confluent has experienced consistent and strong growth in recent years,” said Confluent president & CEO, Dean Schauer. “This expansion supports our new product pipeline which continues to grow at a rate greater than Confluent has previously experienced.”
Confluent supports some of the fastest growing medical device markets such as interventional neurovascular, electrophysiology, structural heart, and peripheral vascular. As a result of the double-digit growth of these currently served markets, a substantial number of new products are coming into production and will utilize this new facility space immediately. Additionally, Confluent is considering additional expansion options beyond this new facility.
Kennametal Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., added the Blast Ninja to its leading portfolio of abrasive blast nozzles for advanced surface preparation delivering improved productivity and enhanced hearing protection.
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Ametek Germany, part of Ametek Inc., inaugurated a new, state-of-the-art Customer Center of Excellence in Weiterstadt, Germany, that will provide enhanced support to its customers through in-person demonstrations of Ametek innovations and solutions across major industries.
The new facility features the latest products from numerous Ametek businesses, including SPECTRO, Taylor Hobson, Solartron Metrology, Creaform, MOCON, Reichert, Atlas, Brookfield, Zygo, Dunkermotoren, EGS, Motec, Powervar, SurgeX, Precitech and TMC. Service capabilities for Ametek products will also be provided.
Ametek Germany started its operations in 1973 in Meerbusch near Düsseldorf and continues to grow. In 2015, it opened the location in Weiterstadt, and since then, increasing customer demand has required an expansion to a larger facility. This new space will serve as an Ametek hub of innovation for numerous industries including aerospace & defense, automotive, food, pharma and packaging, high precision metrology, material analyses, oil and gas, and power.
It held a private grand opening event held in January where Ametek employees were on-hand to provide customers, distributors, and partners with dynamic and interactive technology demonstrations.
“We are thrilled to take this next step in expansion to solve our valued customers’ complex challenges using Ametek’s differentiated technology solutions,” said Wiebke Rumpf, Ametek Germany Country Manager. “This Customer Center of Excellence represents a significant milestone for Ametek’s operations in Germany, and its location near Frankfurt is perfect for customer events, distributor meetings, customer demos and much more.”
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AMETEK
SPEE3D, Australia, announced its WarpSPEE3D printer will be hosted at Nupress headquarters in Australia. Meaning local Australian manufacturers and businesses will be able to access the machine through a subscription without having to lease or purchase it.
This unique subscription model will provide Nupress’s existing clients in the mining, building, aerospace, defense, and medical industries, and other Australian manufacturers’ access to SPEE3D’s patented cold-spray technology. It will provide them the opportunity to source parts locally and quickly from a selection of 12 different metals.
Nupress is a leading manufacturer of precision machined components and assemblies with over 50 years of expertise. Together with SPEE3D, the game-changing subscription service will enable Nupress clients and other Australian manufactures to produce parts at the time of need, rather than waiting weeks or months via other supply chains. Because metal parts can now be sourced locally, this will help manufacturing companies improve their operations and reduce costs – many of which have been impacted negatively due to ongoing global supply chain issues. The subscription model offers one to six slots, each delivering 25 hours per month of printing for 12 months.
“Democratizing access to SPEE3D’s WarpSPEED printer will help solve real-world problems around broken supply chains, manufacturing challenges, and massive delays for some of the world’s most significant industries. Local Australian companies can now access our technology thanks to Nupress, enabling smaller production runs, prototyping needs, material developments, and other advanced manufacturing capabilities,” said Steven Camilleri, Co-Founder, and CTO of SPEE3D.
Image – WarpSPEE3D, the technology that will be available at Nupress on a subscription-based service for local Australian organizations.
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Nupress
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Researchers in Drexel University’s College of Engineering have developed a thin film device fabricated by spray coating that can block electromagnetic radiation with the flip of a switch. The breakthrough, enabled by versatile two-dimensional materials called MXenes, could adjust the performance of electronic devices, strengthen wireless connections, and secure mobile communications against intrusion.
The team previously demonstrated that two-dimensional layered MXene materials – discovered just over a decade ago – when combined with an electrolyte solution, can be turned into a potent active shield against electromagnetic waves. This latest MXene discovery, reported in Nature Nanotechnology, shows how this shielding can be tuned when a small voltage – less than that produced by an alkaline battery – is applied.
MXene is a unique material in that it is highly conductive making it perfectly suited for reflecting microwave radiation that could cause static, feedback, or diminish the performance of communications devices. But its internal chemical structure can also be temporarily altered to allow these electromagnetic waves to pass through.
This means that a thin coating on a device or electrical components prevents them from both emitting electromagnetic waves, as well as being penetrated by those emitted by other electronics. Eliminating the possibility of interference from both internal and external sources can ensure the performance of the device, but some waves must be allowed to exit and enter when it is being used for communication.
The key to eliciting bidirectional tunability of MXene’s shielding property is using the flow and expulsion of ions to alternately expand and compress the space between material’s layers, like an accordion, as well as to change the surface chemistry of MXenes.
With a small voltage applied to the film, ions enter – or intercalate – between the MXene layers altering the charge of their surface and inducing electrostatic attraction, which serves to change the layer spacing, the conductivity and shielding efficiency of the material. When the ions are deintercalated as the current is switched off, the MXene layers return to their original state.
The team tested 10 different MXene-electrolyte combinations, applying each via paint sprayer in a layer about 30 to 100 times thinner than a human hair. The materials consistently demonstrated the dynamic tunability of shielding efficiency in blocking microwave radiation, which is impossible for traditional metals like copper and steel. And the device sustained the performance through more than 500 charge-discharge cycles.
These results indicate that the MXene films can convert from electromagnetic interference shielding to quasi-electromagnetic wave transmission by electrochemical oxidation of MXenes. The MXene film can potentially serve as a dynamic EMI shielding switch.
For security applications, the team suggests that the MXene shielding could hide devices from detection by radar or other tracing systems. The team also tested the potential of a one-way shielding switch. This would allow a device to remain undetectable and protected from unauthorized access until it is deployed for use.
The next step for the team is to explore additional MXene-electrolyte combinations and mechanisms to fine-tune the shielding to achieve a stronger modulation of electromagnetic wave transmission and dynamic adjustment to block radiation at a variety of bandwidths.
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Drexel University
