Alcoa to invest $60 million to develop its Ampliforge 3D-printing plus forging process
September 9, 2015
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is investing $60 million in its R&D center to accelerate the development of advanced 3D-printing materials and processes. Its Ampliforge process combines advanced materials with additive and traditional manufacturing processes. For example, Alcoa engineers could design and 3D-print a nearly complete part, then increase the strength of the final part with a traditional manufacturing process such as forging.
The company says that the process can enhance the properties of 3D-printed parts by adding such properties as higher toughness and strength, versus parts made solely by additive manufacturing. Furthermore, the Ampliforge process is said to significantly reduce material input and to simplify production compared with traditional forging processes. Alcoa is piloting the technique in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Alcoa will produce materials designed specifically for a range of additive technologies to meet increasing demand for complex, high-performance 3D-printed parts for aerospace and other high-growth markets such as automotive, medical, and building and construction. The $60 million expansion is under construction at the Alcoa Technical Center near Pittsburgh.
Alcoa's materials scientists will produce proprietary aluminum, titanium, and nickel powders designed specifically for 3D-printing. These powders will be tailored for various additive manufacturing processes to produce higher-strength 3D-printed parts, and to meet other quality and performance requirements.
With the industry's longest-running history of certifying aerospace components and qualifying processes, Alcoa will use its testing and process control expertise to overcome challenges with certifying new 3D-printed parts, starting with aerospace applications.
Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016. The project will create more than 100 full-time positions—including materials specialists, design experts, and process and inspection technologists—by 2017, and approximately 45 temporary jobs during construction.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is investing $60 million in its R&D center to accelerate the development of advanced 3D-printing materials and processes.
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“The Heat Is On:” New social event at Heat Treat 2015
August 26, 2015
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The ASM Heat Treating Society, Materials Park, Ohio, is pleased to announce that a new social event will be held at Heat Treat 2015 in Detroit.
This party overlooking the waterfront will feature dinner, an open bar, "hot" fire-related entertainment, and much more. It will take place on Wednesday, October 21st from 7-10 pm. Cost will be $60 per person, and tickets are available to purchase when you register.
Kelly Thomas, Senior Manager of Global Events at ASM International, is looking forward to a memorable evening. "Since the Heat Treating Society started in Detroit, it's only fitting that we present the first Heat Treat Conference networking event there."
To register for "The Heat Is On," simply add it to your conference registration.
Organized by ASM International, the biannual Heat Treat Conference is recognized by industry, academia, and government professionals as the premier heat treating gathering in North America. This year it is taking placing in Detroit, a city with deep roots in heat treating and the birthplace of the ASM Heat Treating Society.
To register for Heat Treat 2015 and "The Heat is On," visit asminternational.org/heattreat
About ASM International
As the world's largest association of materials-centric engineers and scientists, ASM International is dedicated to informing, educating, and connecting the materials community. A member and volunteer based organization, ASM serves as a central resource that gathers the latest applied information from the field and disseminates it back to industry, academia, and government through published content, classes, conferences, expositions, and local chapter engagement.
To learn more about ASM International, visit www.asminternational.org.
About The ASM Heat Treating Society
HTS, an Affiliate Society of ASM International formed in 1994, is the world's largest network of heat treaters. HTS members work to provide events and services to serve their worldwide membership of captive and commercial heat treaters, equipment manufacturers, researchers, governments and technicians. HTS members have their own unique leadership and agenda to serve the global heat treating community, and are dedicated to: Bringing heat treaters together to discuss heat treating challenges; providing the technical information, knowledge and education needed by all heat treaters; serving as a central clearinghouse for information of value to heat treaters; and interfacing with all organizations that serve heat treaters.
To learn more about HTS, visit www.asminternational.org/hts3-new
The ASM Heat Treating Society, Materials Park, Ohio, is pleased to announce that a new social event will be held at Heat Treat 2015 in Detroit.
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Lake City acquires new vacuum furnace from VFS
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Lake City Heat Treating Corp., Warsaw, Ind., announces that it has acquired a new vacuum furnace, bringing the company's vacuum heat treating line to seven. The furnace features 6-bar capabilities, with a variable-speed 200 HP cooling blower. The VFS Model HIQ3836-6 furnace can achieve vacuums of 10−6 torr and process temperatures up to 2400°F with a work load size up to 24 x 24 x 36 in.
With this new furnace, LCHT now offers nitrogen as well as argon quench. These capabilities allow the company to process customer requirements to exact specifications. Lake City provides heat treating services for the aerospace, medical, and other quality-critical industries. It specializes in bright aging, hardening, annealing, and stress relieving of many different alloys, including nickel, cobalt, and titanium.
It provides aerospace heat treating, medical heat treating, and other state-of-the-art vacuum heat treating services for quality critical industries. Stainless steel tempering and other bright processing technologies are also available.
www.lakecityheattreating.com
Lake City Heat Treating Corp., Warsaw, Ind., announces that it has acquired a new vacuum furnace, bringing the company’s vacuum heat treating line to seven.
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Vac Aero launches series of articles on vacuum pump technology
August 16, 2015
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Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, announces that it will publish a new monthly column on vacuum pump technology in its "What's Hot" newsletter. It will be written by vacuum heat treating expert Dan Herring, The Heat Treat Doctor, in collaboration with Edwards Vacuum, and will offer helpful tips and techniques on vacuum pumping systems.
Titled "Practical Vacuum Pump Practice with Dan Herring," the purpose of this column is to inform, educate, and answer questions for anyone who owns and operates vacuum equipment or is thinking of doing so. Dan will draw upon his vast experience as well as work with leading Edwards' experts in the field of vacuum technology to provide examples of the concepts being discussed.
It will focus on commercial and captive heat treaters; engineers, metallurgists, maintenance personnel, supervisory staff, heat treat operators, quality control and quality assurance personnel, and anyone else who is interested in the subject of vacuum pumping and vacuum processing.
The first article will appear in the September 15th "What's Hot!" newsletter. This exclusive publication was launched back in September 2007. It contains hundreds of archived articles that can now be found in the "Resources" section of the Vac Aero website, where anyone can sign up for the monthly newsletter.
www.vacaero.com
Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, announces that it will publish a new monthly column on vacuum pump technology in its “What’s Hot” newsletter.
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Berkshire Hathaway to acquire Precision Castparts in cash transaction
August 12, 2015
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The boards of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Omaha, Neb., and Precision Castparts Corp., Portland, Ore., have unanimously approved a definitive agreement for Berkshire Hathaway to acquire all outstanding PCC shares for $235 per share in cash. PCC will remain headquartered in Portland as a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, and will continue to do business around the world under the Precision Castparts name. The transaction is valued at approximately $37.2 billion, including outstanding PCC net debt.
"I've admired PCC's operation for a long time," says Warren E. Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and chief executive officer. "For good reasons, it is the supplier of choice for the world's aerospace industry, one of the largest sources of American exports. Berkshire's Board of Directors is proud that PCC will be joining Berkshire."
"We are very pleased to be joining forces with Berkshire Hathaway," says Mark Donegan, PCC's chairman and chief executive officer. "We see a unique alignment between Warren's management and investment philosophy and how we manage PCC for the long-term.
"We believe that as part of Berkshire Hathaway, PCC will be exceptionally well-positioned to support our customers into the future. This transaction offers compelling and immediate value for our shareholders, and allows PCC's employees to continue to operate in the same manner that has generated many years of exceptional service and performance."
The transaction requires approval by a majority of PCC's outstanding shares. Closing is expected during the first quarter of calendar 2016, subject to customary closing conditions, including clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and competition clearance in certain foreign jurisdictions.
Precision Castparts Corp. is a worldwide, diversified manufacturer of complex metal components and products. It serves the aerospace, power, and general industrial markets. PCC is a market leader in manufacturing complex structural investment castings and forged components for aerospace markets, machined airframe components, and highly engineered, critical fasteners for aerospace applications, and in manufacturing airfoil castings for the aerospace and industrial gas turbine markets. PCC also is a leading producer of titanium and nickel superalloy melted and mill products for the aerospace, chemical processing, oil and gas, and pollution control industries, and manufactures extruded seamless pipe, fittings, and forgings for power generation and oil and gas applications.
www.berkshirehathaway.com
http://www.precast.com/investors/press_release/?id=666
The boards of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Omaha, Neb., and Precision Castparts Corp., Portland, Ore., have unanimously approved a definitive agreement for Berkshire Hathaway to acquire all outstanding PCC shares for $235 per share in cash.
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Argonne receives patent for ultra-fast boriding process, Bodycote acquires license
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Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Ill., announces that it has been granted a patent for its ultra-fast boriding process. In this technology, parts are dipped into a molten borax-based solution that converts a metallic surface into a hard, durable boride layer 100 micrometers thick in half an hour. Bodycote Thermal Processing, Dallas, Texas, has obtained an exclusive license for Argonne's development.
The patent covers the ultra-fast nature of the technology, the range of materials that can be treated, and several specific steps in the process. Developed by Distinguished Fellow Ali Erdemir and his team at Argonne, the process reportedly saves time, money, and energy. Because boron is supplied so quickly, the layers are more uniform and dense than those produced by conventional pack boriding, while using 80% to 90% less energy.
Not only is ultra-fast boriding faster, but also it reportedly creates tougher layers than any existing option for surface hardening, including the use of carbon or nitrogen in place of boron.
"The application conditions for all kinds of machinery are getting harsher," says Dr. Erdemir. "The conventional approach to surface hardening is just not enough to sustain these machines." This includes automobiles, with parts that bear the burden of heavy loads, erosion, and corrosion. In the aerospace industry, many components are made of titanium, which would be more resilient if treated with ultra-fast boriding.
The three-year project was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office.
www.anl.gov
Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Ill., announces that it has been granted a patent for its ultra-fast boriding process.
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Vertical vacuum heat treating furnace processes flowformed components
July 31, 2015
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PMF Industries, Williamsport, Pa., has expanded its flowforming capabilities with the addition of a new vacuum furnace that allows vertical heat treating of flowformed and machined shafts up to 80 in. long. The vertical-loading vacuum furnace also processes combustor cases, diffusers, seals, and bearing sets for aerospace engines; parts for ground-based turbine systems used in the energy sector; and cylinders for the commercial food and beverage industry.
Flowformed and machined shafts must be heat-treated vertically rather than horizontally to ensure that they remain straight throughout the thermal process. Although PMF's capabilities have long included the heat treatment of flowformed parts and products produced through other metal processing techniques, all of the company's previously existing furnaces feature horizontal loading and are able to accommodate heat treating of shafts only up to 34 inches in a vertical condition.
PMF's new vacuum heat treatment system provides a clean manufacturing environment that offers uniform cooling and features a 46 x 80 inches all-graphite hot zone with a 6000-lb. load capacity. It provides gas cooling to 2 bar absolute pressure, and operates at temperatures of 1000 to 2400°F.
Flowforming is a cold-extrusion, metal-forming process that produces seamless, high-precision, rotationally symmetrical cylindrical, conical, or contoured shapes. The process offers design flexibility and has the ability to produce complex, near-net-shaped components from preforms or blanks, resulting in significant material savings and dramatically lower costs than other metal-forming techniques. Many flowformed parts subsequently undergo heat treating to provide them with additional material properties or physical features required of the finished component.
www.pmfind.com
PMF Industries, Williamsport, Pa., has expanded its flowforming capabilities with the addition of a new vacuum furnace that allows vertical heat treating of flowformed and machined shafts up to 80 in. long.
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Buffering planes from luggage bombs
July 30, 2015
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A bomb-proof lining has successfully contained blasts in a series of controlled explosions in the luggage hold of a Boeing 747 and an Airbus 321. Researchers tested the Fly-Bag, which lines an aircraft's luggage hold with multiple layers of novel fabrics and composites, under increasing explosive charges on disused planes at Cotswolds Airport, near Cirencester, England this week.
Using this technology, tests demonstrate that a plane's luggage hold may be able to contain the force of an explosion should a device concealed within a passenger's luggage be detonated during a flight. This would mitigate damage to the plane and help keep passengers safe. After the tests, explosives were placed in the aircraft without the lining to show the damage that could be caused.
Disasters such as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 drove the need for this kind of invention, as well as the incident in which a printer cartridge bomb was found on-board a cargo plane at East Midlands Airport in 2010. Fundamental to the design of the bag is a combination of fabrics which have high strength and impact and heat resistance. The fabrics include Aramid, which is used in ballistic body armor.
"Key to the concept is that the lining is flexible and this adds to its resilience when containing the explosive force and any fragments produced," says Andy Tyas of the department of civil and structural engineering, who is leading the research at the University of Sheffield. "This helps to ensure that the Fly-Bag acts as a membrane rather than as a rigid-walled container which might shatter on impact. The purpose of the testing was to see how the concept works in the confines of a real aircraft," says Tyas, who calls the results "extremely promising."
Hardened luggage containers (HULD) have been developed to deal with bombs hidden in passenger luggage, but these containers are heavier and more costly than conventional equivalents. A European consortium working on the Fly Bag project includes Blastech, a spin-off company from the University of Sheffield, as well as partners from Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
The technology could either be something that becomes compulsory for all airlines to use if the law was changed or could be used by airlines responding to particular threats. It has also been adapted for use in cabin holds within the plane if the airline crew spot something they think might be a threat and could be a risk to passengers.
Image caption — Damage to a plane following a final test without the Fly-Bag lining in the luggage hold. Courtesy of U. Sheffield.
A bomb-proof lining has successfully contained blasts in a series of controlled explosions in the luggage hold of a Boeing 747 and an Airbus 321.
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RTI International partners with Norsk Titanium for DMD technology
July 29, 2015
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Norsk Titanium AS (NTi), Norway, announces that RTI International Metals Inc., Pittsburgh, has become a strategic investor and minority partner with the company. RTI made an investment of an undisclosed amount for strategic cooperation projects surrounding Norsk's Direct Metal Deposition technology, which is the basis for its patented process for the manufacture of premium quality titanium components.
NTi's patented plasma-arc based Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) technology is the first globally and commercially available technology of its kind. The technology enables large-scale, fully programmable means of achieving large and complex near-net-shape parts for industrial applications.
By melting wire, metal is deposited directly onto a substrate, building up a near-net-shape component with greatly reduced need for machining. This method provides substantially lower material waste, greater production flexibility, reduced costs, and greater environmental benefits than traditional production methods
NTi has achieved technology readiness level six (TRL6), which demonstrates its ability to meet stringent A&D material requirements. NTi expects to achieve technology readiness level eight (TRL8) by the fourth quarter of this year. The A&D industry is the largest and most demanding segment for titanium components. In addition, oil & gas, automotive and other industries require high quality, complex titanium component.
Watch a video of the process here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHfFERy6294
http://www.norsktitanium.no/
Norsk Titanium AS (NTi), Norway, announces that RTI International Metals Inc., Pittsburgh, has become a strategic investor and minority partner with the company.
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Bodycote opens new greenfield facility in France
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Bodycote, U.K., recently opened a new greenfield facility in France, and completed another round of expansion at its site in London, Ohio. Another greenfield plant will open in 2016 in Germany. Bodycote's specialty stainless steel process (S3P) technologies are proven solutions dedicated to the treatment of stainless steel, nickel-base alloys, and cobalt-chromium alloys to improve resistance against surface wear such as galling, cavitation erosion, and abrasion.
Bodycote's S3P processes are a unique proven solution for galling in stainless steel. Essentially, S3P makes stainless steel (including martensitic and precipitation hardened stainless steel materials) fit for purpose. It offers customers a significant competitive advantage.
Many surface treatments negatively affect stainless steel's inherent corrosion resistance. Uniquely, Bodycote's S³P process imparts increased mechanical and wear properties without adversely affecting corrosion resistance, presenting engineering benefits for industries such as medical/pharmaceutical, automotive and chemical engineering.
www.bodycote.com
Bodycote, U.K., recently opened a new greenfield facility in France, and completed another round of expansion at its site in London, Ohio.
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