Bodycote, U.K., has invested more than $30 million across two facilities in Ohio, expanding its capacity and capabilities in response to growing demand from aerospace and defense manufacturers in the region.
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W1 steels are capable of hardening to high surface hardness and soft core, which is useful in some shock applications. They are low-cost tool steels with fair to good wear resistance as carbon content increases. As they are water quenched and have poor dimensional stability, their use is limited to fairly uniform sections with a minimum amount of stress risers; in other applications quench cracking can occur. Figure 1 shows an isothermal transformation diagram for a W1 steel.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 1.Rafael Agnelli Mesquita; Reinhold Schneider; Cristiane Sales Gonçalves, *Heat Treating of Cold-Work Tool Steels — Low- and Un-Alloyed Water and Oil Hardening Steels*, ASM International, 2014 [https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005972](https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005972)
When producing ultra-strong steel parts for vehicles, military gear, and heavy manufacturing, even minor cracks or distortions during heat treatment can cause significant delays and material waste. Dr. Kingsley Amatanweze, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, has developed new methods to reduce these costly issues by improving the induction melting, pouring, and cooling processes of steel.
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Metex Heat Treating, Mississauga, ON, has announced the acquisition of Exactatherm Ltd, a specialist in heat treating for the aerospace, stainless, and tool steels industries. This acquisition is a key part of Metex’s strategy to expand its capabilities and provide comprehensive solutions to clients across the automotive, aerospace, nuclear, commercial, and tool and die sectors.
With this acquisition, Metex will leverage Exactatherm’s industry expertise alongside its own advanced technologies, further strengthening its market position. Exactatherm will continue to operate as a separate entity under the Metex group, maintaining its established reputation for delivering high-quality services.
“This acquisition reinforces our commitment to providing unmatched solutions to our customers,” said Surjit Bawa, President of Metex Heat Treating Ltd. “Together, we will build on our shared strengths and create new opportunities for growth.”
Metex Heat Treating was founded in 1983 and has grown to be the largest heat treater in Canada, specializing in various heat treatment process
Liebherr-Aerospace Saline, Inc., Saline, Mich., has celebrated the groundbreaking of a new 33,000 ft² building at its Michigan campus, set to enhance testing, repair, overhaul, and reconditioning capacities for its OEM heat transfer equipment, with operations expected to commence in late 2025.
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Fractures in the sixth-stage compressor wheel triggered a catastrophic engine failure and caused the April 2022 fatal crash of a Kestrel Helicopters 1981 Hughes 369D during long-line slinging operations in British Columbia, according to a recently released report from Canada’s Transportation Safety Board.
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A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory and Texas A&M University developed a new way to predict metal ductility.
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Researchers from Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., sent an investigation to the space station to leverage microgravity to improve the synthesis of materials for photovoltaic devices designed to convert sunlight into electricity for solar energy applications.
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Solar Atmospheres, Fontana, Calif., has announced that they are now Airbus approved for heat treating.
Frank Trujillo, director of Sales for Solar Atmospheres of California, stated that, “Many Airbus suppliers were in need of a heat treater in the West that could process parts, plates and bars in support of increased Airbus production rates. SCA is proud to be a partner on the Airbus Team!”
With our wide range of furnaces, we are capable of processing very small pieces or loads of 50,000 pounds and up to 24 feet in length. This approval will translate into improved lead-times and greater efficiencies for all Airbus suppliers that require heat treat services in the Western Region.
Nitrex Vacuum, Quebec, has installed a turnkey nitriding system at Akademi Metalurji, a full-service commercial heat-treating solutions provider located in Turkey. The project includes a mid-sized pit-type furnace, advanced controls, three process technologies along with accelerated cooling.
The decision to invest in a new nitriding system was driven by the company’s objective to overcome efficiency and quality challenges faced with their previous furnace at the Gebze facility. The prior system consumed excessive amounts of process gases and yielded inconsistent nitriding results. With the addition of a Nitrex NX-1015 pit furnace, Akademi Metalurji can now save on process gases and production time, while also expanding their heat treatment capabilities to accommodate wider-dimensioned parts. The nitriding furnace offers an effective work zone of 39” diameter by 59” high (1000 x 1500 mm) and can handle a load of up to 4400 lbs. (2000 kg). The supplied library of Nitreg-based recipes is tailored to meet different application requirements, resulting in a hardened surface that is highly wear-resistant. For applications like machinery components, tooling, dies, and molds, where Akademi Metalurji specializes, Nitreg delivers improved tooling performance, ensuring longer service life and higher throughput. Ultimately, this leads to tool cost savings for their customers.
The system was successfully installed at the Gebze facility, located southeast of Istanbul, and commenced operations in April 2023. Since then, it has been running smoothly, delivering excellent results.
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.
Researchers have now developed a technique that utilizes a molecule-thin protective layer to control how the flame’s heat interacts with the material – taming the fire and allowing users to finely tune the characteristics of the processed material.
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Constellium, Paris, announced that it signed a binding agreement with Vaessen Aluminium for the sale of three of Constellium’s soft alloy extrusion facilities located in Landau, Crailsheim and Burg in Germany for a total cash consideration of €48.8 million.
With nearly 450 employees, the three Constellium plants specialize in soft alloy extruded products for the Building & Construction, Transportation and Industry markets in Europe.
Vaessen Aluminium belongs to a longstanding family-owned industrial group, headquartered in Belgium, active in aluminum billets and profiles (E-Max), in lighting and ceiling (Kreon) and in wall cladding (Limeparts Drooghmans).
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2023 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval.
