Evraz North America, Chicago, announces Board approval of its plan to expand heat treat and threading capacity at its tubular facility in Calgary, Alberta. The multimillion dollar project, which will commence next month, includes expanding heat treat capacity by over 150% and threading capacity by about 40%. Work is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014.
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What if you could reach through a microscope to touch and feel the microscopic structures under the lens? In a breakthrough that may usher in a new era in the exploration of the worlds that are a million times smaller than human beings, researchers at Université Pierre et Marie Curie in France have unveiled a new technique that allows microscope users to manipulate samples using a technology known as “haptic optical tweezers.
Continue readingA temperature sensor developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK, could improve the efficiency, control, and safety of high-temperature engines. The new sensor, or thermocouple, reduces drift by 80% at temperatures of 1200°C, and by 90% at 1300°C, potentially doubling the lifespan of engine components. The thermocouple withstands oxidization and minimizes any contamination to the wires from the metallic sheath.
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Hardide Coatings Ltd., UK, has developed a TSP (thermally stable polycrystalline) diamond coating to extend the life and improve the performance of drilling tools operating in extremely abrasive environments. This is the first successful high-performance coating that can withstand the higher temperatures associated with TSP brazing, extreme loads, and aggressive media.
Continue readingDow Corning, Midland, Mich., announces that it is among the newest members of Imec, San Francisco. One of the key challenges is the bonding of the device wafer to a carrier wafer prior to wafer thinning, and the safe debonding of the thin wafer after completion of backside processing. This was Dow Corning’s goal when designing its temporary bonding solution, aimed at simple processing with a bi-layer concept comprising an adhesive and a release layer.
Continue readingDow Electronic Materials, Marlborough, Mass., announces availability of its Solderon BP TS 6000 tin-silver plating chemistry for lead-free solder bump plating applications. In copper pillar capping applications, it forms a smooth, micro-void free interface post reflow. It features enhanced plating performance, bath stability, and ease of use, thereby enabling the industry’s widest process window with the most robust process flexibility and a competitive cost of ownership.
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The Linde Group, Munich, Germany, will invest more than $ 200 million to build a large, state-of-the-art air separation unit (ASU), a new gasification train, and supporting equipment and facilities in La Porte, Texas. The ASU will be the largest operated by Linde in the U.S. and the addition of a new gasification plant will create the world’s largest natural gas based partial oxidation complex for the production of syngas products for petrochemicals.
Continue readingScientists and engineers from the Materials and Surface Science Institute (MSSI) at the University of Limerick, Ireland, invented a new metal that will make medical devices inside the body more visible under x-ray. Many medical devices, such as stents and valves, are placed in the body through minimally invasive surgical procedures that are usually performed with the help of medical imaging such as x-ray fluoroscopy. Current materials used to make these devices do not show up well under x-ray.
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A synthetic material that mimics the brightest and most vivid colors in nature and changes color when twisted or stretched was developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK. It could have important applications in the security, textile, and sensing industries. Instead of through pigments, these “polymer opals” get their color from their internal structure alone, resulting in pure color which does not run or fade.
Continue readingASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announces that the ASM HTS/Surface Combustion Emerging Leader Award has been established to recognize an outstanding early-to-midcareer heat treating professional whose accomplishments exhibit exceptional achievements in the heat treating industry. The award was created in recognition of Surface Combustion’s 100-year anniversary in 2015.
Continue readingIn 1969, ASM established the honor of Fellow of the Society to provide recognition to members for their distinguished contributions to materials science and engineering and to develop a broad based forum of technical and professional leaders to serve as advisors to the Society. We are pleased to announce the following TSS members will be among the 2013 inductees. Mr. Timothy McKechnie, President, Plasma Processes, Inc.
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Boeing, Chicago, and Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announce that they have formed a closed-loop program to significantly increase the recycling of internal aluminum aerospace alloys. The program calls for recycling of 2XXX and 7XXX-series aluminum alloys used in the production of wing and fuselage components of Boeing airplanes. The forms will include aluminum extrusions, sheet, and plate products. At the outset, approximately eight million pounds of aluminum is expected to be recycled annually.
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Royal DSM, the Netherlands, is reducing the weight of the Peugeot 508 with the use of oil sumps injection molded in Akulon Ultraflow polyamide 6. The grade used for the application is Akulon Ultraflow K-FHG7, a 35% glass reinforced, heat stabilized polyamide 6 with good flow properties. It offers significant processing advantages compared to standard polyamide 6 products, while maintaining the required mechanical properties.
Continue readingAleris International Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, has developed 5083-H128, an aluminum alloy temper for marine applications. Exposure to elevated temperatures can increase the susceptibility of aluminum alloys to corrosion, but the new process enables improved resistance in these conditions. It meets the new standards for marine plate as specified in ASTM’s B928-13 standard.
Continue readingIBM, Armonk, N.Y., has completed the acquisition of SoftLayer Technologies Inc., Dallas, Texas. SoftLayer joins IBM’s new cloud services division, which combines SoftLayer with IBM SmartCloud into a global platform. The new division, led by General Manager James Comfort, will provide a broad range of choices to both IBM and SoftLayer clients, ISVs, and channel and technology partners.
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SAKOR Technologies, Inc., Okemos, Mich., launched AccuDyne AC Dynamometer system for wind power testing applications. The system can be used by multiple engineering groups to test and verify designs, as well as for quality control testing after manufacturing. It can be used to test both active and passive wind power driveline components- turbines and their associated blade pitch control motors, generators, and wind-sensing devices and motors, and transmissions.
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Kennametal Stellite, Goshen, Ind., offers UltraFlex hardfacing technology for parts with complex geometries, inner diameters, and other non-line-of-sight features. The UltraFlex treatment deposits a high-quality superalloy or tungsten carbide composite onto substrates with complex geometries without the problems common with welding. The coating easily conforms to intricate shapes and reaches remote locations.
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, and Rusnano, Russia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to produce oil and gas aluminum drill pipe finished with a nanotechnology-based antiwear coating. The coating is expected to extend the life of the aluminum pipe by approximately 30% to 40% in aggressive and corrosive drilling environments compared to uncoated aluminum pipe.
Continue readingFort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne, Ind., manufactures premium medical grade Nitinol ASTM F2063 cold drawn coil into finished discrete lengths of superelastic bar typically 6 ft. long. Diameters range from 2.28 to 4.75 mm with either a natural forming oxide, or centerless ground and polished surface. Its Nitinol chemistry exceeds the governing standard. Each medical grade of Nitinol material is comprised of near-equal atomic weight percentage of nickel and titanium.
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FEI Company, Hillsboro, Ore., introduced in July 2013, two new DualBeam systems that feature innovative detection suites that provide high-quality imaging and fast analysis over the broadest range of samples. The new Scios DualBeam is specifically positioned for fast two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) characterization. The Helios NanoLab 660 DualBeam adds capabilities for specialized applications, such as the fabrication of prototypes for nanometer-scale devices.
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Alloy Heat Treatment Limited, UK, which says that it is the largest subcontractor for aluminum heat treatments in the country, announces that it has received its first order from South Korea. The order is one of several export orders within the past six months, from new customers in France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.
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Using a few tiny liquid bubbles to bend light beams could open the doors for next-generation, high-speed circuits and displays, according to new research at Penn State, State College. To combine the speed of optical communication with the portability of electronic circuitry, researchers use nanoplasmonics-devices that use short electromagnetic waves to modulate light on the nanometer scale, where conventional optics do not work.
Continue readingEvans Analytical Group (EAG), Santa Clara, Calif., has launched a comprehensive electronics system failure analysis service. It is now one of the only companies to focus on the entire system, from electronics to materials, all the way down to failure mechanisms at the IC transistor level. The service includes both electrical testing and materials characterization, using the latest high-resolution imaging and electrical localization tools.
Continue readingResearchers from the Institute of Biomaterial Science of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Germany, have developed shape-memory polymers that can repeatedly change from one shape to another and then back again when temperatures fluctuate within a selected range. This enables their use as actuators. Until now, polymers with temperature-controlled shape memory could change form only once.
Continue readingIndium Corp., Utica, N.Y., announces that Dr. HongWen Zhang, Research Metallurgist, will present “Reliability and Corrosion Resistance of Lead-Free BiAgX Pastes for High-Temperature Die Attach Applications,” at the ASM International Materials Science and Technology Conference October 27-31 in Montreal, Canada. The presentation explains the research involved in identifying lead-free alternatives for high-melting, high lead-containing solder alloys.
Continue readingThe Steel Tube Institute (STI), Chicago, launched a newly remodeled website to encourage more visitors to learn more about steel tubular products and its member producers who are featured on the main STI site, as well as individual product sites. Still active at its original domain, the updated website features all the products that STI represents including Drawn Over Mandrel (DOM), Hollow Structural Sections (HSS), Mechanical Tubing, Standard Pipe, and Steel Conduit.
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Stratasys Ltd., Minneapolis, a leading manufacturer of 3D printers and production systems for prototyping and manufacturing, announced that remote control systems manufacturer, Survey Copter, is successfully using its 3D printing technology to produce prototype and short-run component parts for mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, also known as drones. France-based Survey Copter, a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V.
Continue readingAir Liquide, Houston, Texas, has finalized its acquisition of Voltaix Inc., Branchburg, N.J., an electronics materials company. This acquisition complements the Air Liquide ALOHA product line of advanced precursors, and brings together synergies in molecule discovery and scale up, contributing to accelerate the introduction of a broader portfolio of new high-tech materials to semiconductor manufacturers.
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Outokumpu Oy, Finland, is expanding its product range with two new high-chromium stainless steel grades, ferritic grade EN 1.4622 and austenitic grade EN 1.4420. The ferritic grade Outokumpu 4622 is its first high-chromium ferritic grade, while the new austenitic Outokumpu 4420 grade is completely new in the market. Both grades are said to offer benefits in corrosion resistance, strength, and formability.
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Air Products, Lehigh Valley, Pa., announces that Tom Philips, senior metallurgical engineer at Air Products, will present “Atmosphere Troubleshooting and Solutions to Common Heat Treating Problems” at the Heat Treating Solutions Center on Tuesday, September 17, at 11:00 a.m. This troubleshooting guide will review years of field experience with nitrogen- and hydrogen-based atmosphere systems.
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