Constellium to sell three german extrusion plants to Vaessen Aluminium

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.

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Lehigh’s summer engineering institute students tour Solar Atmospheres

Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., hosted over 40 high school students enrolled in the Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) at Lehigh University. The SEI program, under the guidance of Director Dr. Laura Moyer, is a two-week residential program, running two sessions back to back. 

Students are nominated by faculty of local high schools, and the program specifically targets under-represented groups including girls, first-generation students, and students who might otherwise have limited opportunities to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Solar Atmospheres provided a tour of the campus, exhibiting materials and processes for intriguing applications in a variety of markets. The students experienced a manufacturing setting encompassing related topics from their curriculum, gaining a better understanding of heat treating and manufacturing, and how cutting edge technology reshapes centuries-old processes.

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Evolution on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a new multicomponent near-Alpha Titanium Alloy after rolling and heat treatments

Beijing University of Technology, China, presented the microstructure and mechanical properties of a new type of multi-component near-α titanium alloy sheet after rolling, 700°C aging, and 800°C aging in a new paper.

 The results show that the strength of the alloy after aging at 700°C increases from 1156 MPa to 1304 MPa, respectively, but decreases to 1246 MPa with the aging temperature increasing. The ductility of the alloy aged at 700°C is lower than that of the rolled state, but the ductility increases slightly with the aging temperature increasing. The effect of aging heat treatment on the microstructure and precipitation behavior of alloy plates has been studied and compared with alloys before aging. 

After heat treatment, the content of primary α decreases from 25% to 5%, respectively. Two kinds of silicide precipitate at different positions, with the large-size spherical silicide being (Ti, Zr, Nb)5Si3, and the small-size fusiform silicide being (Ti, Zr, Nb)6Si3, respectively. Ti3Al was precipitated in the primary α phase, during the aging process. The silicides exhibit the strengthening effect on the alloy, but the effect weakens when the silicides grow up. The loss in ductility is mainly attributed to the precipitation of the α2 phase after aging treatment. However, ductility is improved after applying higher aging temperatures as the size of the α2 phase becomes smaller, and the distribution of them tends to become dispersed.

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Mark Saline receives MPIF distinguished service award

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.

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Solar Atmospheres of California adds Airbus approval

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.

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Nitrex installs nitriding system at Akademi Metalurji

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.

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Wisconsin Oven ships electrically heated horizontal quench system

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, announced the shipment of an Electrically Heated Horizontal Quench System to a manufacturer of products for the automotive industry. This system will be used for the solution treatment of aluminum.

The maximum temperature for this horizontal quench furnace is 1200°F and interior chamber dimensions of 2′ wide x 2′ high x 2′ long. The system has the capacity to heat 450 pounds of aluminum parts and the steel basket within 60 minutes. Temperature uniformity of +/- 10°F at set points 850°F and 1050° F was verified with a nine point profile test prior to shipment.

This horizontal quench system provides a 15 second quench delay from when the door begins to open until the load is fully submerged in the tank. The quench is manual, where the operator pulls the load out of the oven and onto the quench elevator using a hook. The quench delay time is recorded and enforced using sensors to detect the start and end of the quench operation, and to stop the process if the quench delay time expires.

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