Lincoln Electric to invest $30 million to build Welding Technology Center
November 2, 2015
Source:
The Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, Ohio, announces that it is investing approximately $30 million in a new Welding Technology Center on its campus in Euclid, Ohio. The new 130,000-ft.2 center will double Lincoln's welding education capacity to 180 welding booths, and will include high-tech classroom and seminar spaces. It will also showcase and integrate Lincoln Electric's latest technologies and solutions into a comprehensive welding curriculum.
The Center will focus on the training of welding educators and industry leaders to address the rising demand for welding education and career pathways in welding and advanced manufacturing. Construction is expected to begin in early 2016 with an opening anticipated in 2017 – marking the centennial anniversary of Lincoln's legacy welding school, the longest-running welding school in the United States.
"This investment reflects our commitment to being at the forefront of welding innovation and education," says Christopher L. Mapes, Lincoln Electric's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The increased demand from customers, the skilled trades, and technical schools to help develop the next generation of industry-ready welders has accelerated our investment in education."
The Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, Ohio, announces that it is investing approximately $30 million in a new Welding Technology Center on its campus in Euclid, Ohio.
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., displayed the Titan 2.0 heat treating vacuum furnace and PdMetrics software platform for predictive maintenance at ASM International's Heat Treat 2015 conference. PdMetrics helps optimize operations while avoiding unnecessary costs and unplanned downtime. Ipsen also featured the Atlas batch atmosphere furnace line, which provides intelligent interfaces, advanced controls, and ease of integration.
The Titan 2.0 vacuum furnace incorporates years of customer feedback to deliver improved, user-friendly features, all while maintaining a global platform, small footprint, and short delivery times. It features intelligent silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCR) for efficient heating control with enhanced communication and diagnostic features. It also utilizes an integrated framework with a rigid, all-metal design that protects equipment from the surrounding work environment and provides a versatile platform for mounting accessories.
PdMetrics software platform for predictive maintenance utilizes proprietary sensors and control algorithms to determine the appropriate timing for replacing parts and servicing equipment. By monitoring critical data and key parameters such as temperature, vibrations, and pressure, users are able to improve the health and integrity of several systems: the hot zone, pumping system, cooling system, and vacuum integrity.
The stand-alone interface screen is capable of integrating with multiple furnaces; Furnace part replacement notifications are based on usage and wear characteristics; Smart connectivity allows users to receive alerts via email and/or text message; Diagnostic Helper provides access to weather station, leak diagnostics, vacuum level and more; Technical support via Ipsen's Service Cloud allows Ipsen experts to quickly access the necessary data
Two Ipsen experts presented papers at the conference. Aymeric Goldsteinas, Product Development Manager, presented "Growth of Predictive Maintenance and its Effect on Future Furnace Performance." Nathan Durham, Electrical Solutions Manger, presented "Obtaining Nadcap Accreditation: Helping You Pass Your Audit." Read the full technical papers at www.IpsenUSA.com/Articles.
Engineers at Ohio State University, Columbus, report that they have developed vaporized foil actuator (VFA) welding, a technique that consumes 80% less energy than conventional techniques, yet produces bonds that are 50% stronger. In VFA, a high-voltage capacitor bank creates a very short electrical pulse inside a thin piece of aluminum foil. Within microseconds, the foil vaporizes, and a burst of hot gas pushes two pieces of metal together at speeds approaching thousands of miles per hour.
The pieces don't melt, preventing the formation of a seam of weakened metal between them. Instead, the impact directly bonds the atoms of one metal to atoms of the other. Seen under a high-powered microscope, the bond often features delicate curlicues in spots where veins of both materials extend outward and wrap around each other.
The technique needs less energy because the electrical pulse is so short, and because the energy required to vaporize the foil is less than that required to melt the metal parts.
So far, the engineers have successfully bonded different combinations of copper, aluminum, magnesium, iron, nickel, and titanium. They have created strong bonds between commercial steel and aluminum alloys--a feat which is impossible normally. Also, high-strength steel and aluminum join together with weld regions that are stronger than the base metals.
Glenn Daehn, a Fellow of ASM and professor of materials science and engineering at Ohio State, who helped develop the new technique, explained the new process in a keynote address at the ASM Materials Science & Technology 2015 meeting recently in Columbus.
Engineers at Ohio State University, Columbus, report that they have developed vaporized foil actuator (VFA) welding, a technique that consumes 80% less energy than conventional techniques, yet produces bonds that are 50% stronger.
Praxair Inc., Danbury, Conn., has signed an agreement with Atmosphere Engineering that will allow customers to access Praxair's industrial gases, application technologies, and supply systems, as well as Atmosphere Engineering's furnace control systems and sensors.
The combined capabilities of the two companies cover a broad spectrum of batch and continuous heat-treating processes such as carburizing, carbonitriding, neutral hardening, annealing, gas quenching, and heat treatment under vacuum.
"The automotive and aerospace industries are expanding technology and material requirements in the heat-treat market," said Steve Mueller, business development manager for Metals and Materials Processing in Praxair's U.S. industrial gases business. "Our team approach will better enable heat-treaters to meet high-quality product needs and reproducible standards in their furnace operations."
"This collaboration with Praxair will help us to build on our global presence while providing our customers with the best solutions to meet their heat-treating requirements," said Eric Jossart, vice president of sales for Atmosphere Engineering.
Praxair Inc., Danbury, Conn., has signed an agreement with Atmosphere Engineering that will allow customers to access Praxair’s industrial gases, application technologies, and supply systems, as well as Atmosphere Engineering’s furnace control systems and sensors.
Bodycote, England, is expanding its high pressure hot isostatic pressing (HIP) capability with the addition of a new mid-range vessel to increase its volume capacity.
The new HIP system, scheduled to enter service in 2015, will be focused on high- pressure developments in aerospace and advanced materials. Located in the eastern United States, it will be capable of processing at pressures up to 30,000 psi and temperatures up to 3632°F. This vessel added to the fleet is complementary to the company's extensive range of installed capacity across North America and Europe.
This new capacity further enhances the company's ability to respond to future market requirements, particularly those needing high-pressure processing. The new unit complements the company's extensive line of high-pressure equipment serving the medical, aerospace & defense, consumer products, and sputtering targets markets, and strengthens Bodycote's position as the world's leading provider of HIP services.
Bodycote operates a global HIP business with the largest equipment network in the world and continues to invest in greater capacity in recognition of growing demand for HIP technology. Having established HIP expertise over decades, Bodycote has over 50 HIP vessels of varying sizes in multiple locations.
Processing capability can accommodate components which are nominally up to 2 m diameter by 3.5 m high; and weighing 0.1 kg to over 30,000kg. In addition to standard quality and environmental accreditations, Bodycote's HIP facilities hold ASTM, NORSOK, and Nadcap accreditations.
Bodycote, England, is expanding its high pressure Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) capability with the addition of a new mid-range vessel to increase its volume capacity.
AMI Metals to provide flat-rolled aluminum plate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Source:
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., Los Angeles, announces that its subsidiary AMI Metals Inc., headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, has been awarded a multi-year contract by Lockheed Martin to provide aluminum flat rolled plate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The five year contract, with an estimated value of $300 million, runs January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021. The contract requirements include value-added, just-in-time, cut-to-size and cut-to-shape processing of aluminum plate for all F-35 aluminum flat rolled requirements.
"We are very excited and proud that AMI Metals' experience and expertise in value-added aluminum supply will strategically support the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program," said Gregg Mollins, Reliance's President and Chief Executive Officer.
According to Scott A. Smith, President of AMI Metals, "We are proud of our long-term relationship with Lockheed Martin and of our ability to assist them going forward with the aluminum products and services needed for the manufacture of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter military aircraft. AMI Metals and Lockheed Martin have worked together for the past 30 years on numerous programs that have resulted in on-time delivery of high quality products. We look forward to continuing to support Lockheed Martin and the full supply chain behind the F-35."
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., is the largest metals service center company in North America. Through a network of more than 300 locations in 39 states and twelve countries outside of the United States, the company provides value-added metals processing services and distributes a full line of over 100,000 metal products to more than 125,000 customers in a broad range of industries.
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., Los Angeles, announces that its subsidiary AMI Metals Inc., headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, has been awarded a multi-year contract by Lockheed Martin to provide aluminum flat rolled plate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Norsk Titanium orders three more machines to build titanium parts by Rapid Plasma Deposition
Source:
Norsk Titanium USA, New York, has contracted with Norway-based Tronrud Engineering AS to produce three additive manufacturing machines to support higher-than-forecast demand for aerospace-grade titanium components made by its patented Rapid Plasma Deposition process. The company has received orders from a number of the world's leading commercial and Aerospace and Defense (A&D) manufacturers.
Norsk says that its proprietary plasma arc Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) technology is the ultimate in 3D additive printing. Titanium wire is melted in a cloud of argon gas and precisely and rapidly built up in layers to a near-net-shape (up to 80% complete) that requires very little finish machining. Production cost is 50% to 75% less than legacy forging and billet manufacturing techniques.
"We are pleased to contract with Tronrud to build our exclusive technology for the production of aerospace-grade titanium structures," said NTi President & Chief Executive Officer Warren M. Boley, Jr. "These 3D additive manufacturing machines will further boost our customer response time and expand manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand for titanium components from the global aerospace industry."
Mr. Boley, Former President of Aerojet Rocketdyne, took the helm of NTi in July of this year to oversee the transformation of the company's manufacturing process to deliver titanium parts for A&D applications, while leading the groundbreaking program to establish the world's first industrial-scale 3D additive manufacturing facility in the United States. The contract with Tronrud represents one of NTi's key supplier partnerships aimed at supporting the company's rapid expansion plans.
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., Los Angeles, announces that its subsidiary AMI Metals Inc., headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, has been awarded a multi-year contract by Lockheed Martin to provide aluminum flat-rolled plate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
NMSU's UAS FTC provides direct access to more than 15,000 m2 of airspace, and was the first civil UAS test facility that provided direct, available access to restricted airspace—a must for testing developmental aircraft or multi-aircraft scenarios. Henry Cathey, interim deputy director of NMSU's Physical Science Laboratory, was honored at NMSU's Scholarly Excellence Rally Friday, Oct. 9.
"The Flight Test Center in Las Cruces has been operating for a number of years, and it's not only a unique resource for the state of New Mexico, but it is a unique resource for the entire country," Cathey says. "It's state-of-the-art, cutting-edge, and it's very exciting that New Mexico is leading the way in this area."
In May 2015, the FAA announced that the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) would operate a new National Center of Excellence for UAS. NMSU is a core member-university on a team, which is comprised of 15 universities and six affiliates.
As a core university of ASSURE, NMSU is helping lead the partnership of academic and industry members that will begin a new era of commercial unmanned aircraft research, development and integration into the nation's airspace. Dallas Brooks, NMSU UAS research and development strategic manager, is the principle investigator on the ASSURE project and co-chairs the Federal UAS Science and Research Panel, which oversees and coordinates UAS research conducted by the FAA, NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security.
The center of excellence will supply research to the FAA and UAS industry to increase the potential uses of unmanned systems with minimal changes to the current system regulating manned aircraft. The center of excellence research areas include detect and avoid technology; low-altitude operations safety; control and communications; spectrum management; human factors; compatibility with air traffic control operations; and training and certification of UAS pilots and other crewmembers.
"We are supporting and trying to make the skies safer for using things like UAS or unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace," Cathey says. "We have been tasked to look at detect and avoid technology on how we can integrate things from small UAS up to things with a 15- to 20-foot wingspan into national airspace safely.
"The detect and avoid research area focuses on issues related to the detection of potential threats to remain well clear and avoid collisions. It explores sensors, the data produced from sensors, the management and use of that data, and the operational outcome that is considered safe and acceptable," he said.
In this research area, NMSU is evaluating the requirements for an airborne or ground-based Detect and Avoid system compatible with small UAS (55 pounds and less) operating in limited portions of the National Air Space to comply with the regulations and not increase the risk to other aircraft or people on the ground, beyond what is currently in effect. Additionally, NMSU is accessing the requirements for software along with what are the most feasible airborne or ground-based sensors.
ASSURE will form teams between its member universities, government agencies and industry partners to address both government and commercial UAS challenges. "Each of those universities has specific skills and abilities, and the idea is to marry all of the technical expertise to provide real research answers for flight safety in the National Air Space," Cathey said.
Established in 2007, the New Mexico State University Physical Science Laboratory’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Center is the first of its kind.
The Boeing Co., Seattle, released a video showcasing the lightest metal structure ever, called Microlattice—"the world's lightest material."
Sophia Yang, a research scientist at HRL Laboratories, Malibu, Calif., who worked with Boeing on the creation of the material, says the metal is 99.99% air. She compares the material to bone, which has a rigid outside and mostly hollow inside, creating an open-cellular structure, which means it's remarkably strong and light. The structure is composed of a network of super thin, hollow struts. The struts are around 100 μm in diameter and have walls just 100 nm thick. It's this design that makes Microlattice 10 times lighter than Styrofoam. However, despite it being extremely light, it is also tremendously strong.
Yang also highlights the material's ability to absorb high levels of impact. Using the "egg challenge" as an example, she says: "You need to drop an egg from 25 stories and protect that egg ... What we can do is design the microlattice to absorb the force that the egg feels. So instead of having an egg that's wrapped in three feet of bubble wrap, now you have a much smaller package that your egg can sit in."
The material has been made primarily for use in in aerospace engineering. Engineers intend to use the microlattice for plane interiors in places such as side panels, overhead cabins, or walkway areas. This would dramatically reduce the weight of the aircraft, making it more fuel-efficient and cheaper to run.
Microlattice was first announced in 2011 when a nickel-phosphorous alloy prototype was developed in collaboration between University of California, Caltech, and HRL Laboratories—the Boeing-owned lab that built the first laser in 1960. As the video explains, this development has many possibilities, ranging from use in aerospace, high-performance vehicles, as well as shock absorption and vibration insulation.
Lockheed Martin awards Alcoa titanium supply contract for Joint Strike Fighter
October 14, 2015
Source:
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that Lockheed Martin has awarded it a contract to supply titanium plate and billet for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft program, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter. Under the contract, Alcoa becomes the titanium supplier for airframe structures for all three variants of the F-35 over nine years, from 2016 to 2024. At current projected build rates, the contract has an estimated value of approximately $1.1 billion.
"Through our expansion in titanium, Alcoa is sharpening its leadership edge on state-of-the-art aircraft, including the most advanced fighter jet in the world—the F-35," said Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld. "We are expanding Alcoa's range of multi-material offerings for this program while helping Lockheed Martin meet aggressive weight, range, and fuel efficiency targets."
The titanium will be used to manufacture airframe structures for all three F-35 JSF variants: The F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) aircraft, the F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft, and the F-35C Carrier Variant (CV). Under a different existing contract, Alcoa will use the metal to forge all of the largest titanium bulkheads—the "backbone" of the aircraft structure—for the CTOL variant at its Cleveland, Ohio operations. Approximately 75 percent of all F-35s produced are CTOLs.
"This contract with Alcoa is a key element in securing our supply chain with a strong U.S. partner for a critical, strategic raw material," said Dan Pleshko, vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' Enterprise Supply Chain Management.
The F-35 Lightning II is an advanced fighter aircraft combining stealth, speed and agility, designed for many kinds of missions. Lockheed Martin's full-rate production goal is 13 aircraft a month by the mid-2020s, up from an average of three aircraft delivered per month in 2014.
Alcoa has been growing its multi-material aerospace business to capture growth in the global aerospace market in support of its broader transformation. Alcoa recently acquired global titanium leader RTI International Metals, aerospace components manufacturer Tital, and global jet engine parts leader Firth Rixson.
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that Lockheed Martin has awarded it a contract to supply titanium plate and billet for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft program, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter.
