Alcoa invests $16.7 million in Thermatech coating plant
December 16, 2014
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, reports that Alcoa Power and Propulsion, Whitehall, Mich., will invest $16.7 million in a 7700 sq. ft. building expansion to double coating capacity at its Thermatech Coatings plant in Whitehall. Thermatech specializes in the coating of hot-section components cast in nickel-based alloys via equiax directional solidification. A new electron beam physical vapor deposition machine enables faster production by combining two processes: the bond coat and the top coat.
The combination of advanced coatings and internal cooling schemes makes it possible for investment-cast airfoils to operate in an environment that reaches temperatures much higher than their melting point. In addition to jet engines, the coating process is applied to parts for industrial gas turbines.
The expansion supports Alcoa's strategy of profitably growing its aerospace business, which achieved revenues totaling $4 billion in 2013. Itis in line with company strategy to build its value-add businesses to capture profitable growth in high-growth industries.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, reports that Alcoa Power and Propulsion, Whitehall, Mich., will invest $16.7 million in a 7700 sq. ft. building expansion to double coating capacity at its Thermatech Coatings plant in Whitehall.
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Alcoa to acquire TITAL for titanium aircraft structures
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has agreed to acquire privately held TITAL, a German producer of titanium and aluminum investment castings for aircraft engines and airframes. The acquisition will establish titanium casting capabilities in Europe for Alcoa, while expanding its aluminum casting capacity. TITAL's strong connections to European engine and aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, SNECMA, and Rolls-Royce, will enhance Alcoa's customer relationships in the region and beyond.
This transaction will further position Alcoa to capitalize on strong growth in the commercial aerospace sector. Alcoa projects a compounded annual commercial jet growth rate of 7% through 2019, and sees a current 9-year production order book at 2013 delivery rates.
Almost 70% of TITAL's revenues are expected to come from commercial aerospace sales in 2019. In 2013, the company generated revenues of approximately $96 million, more than half of which came from titanium products.
TITAL's engineers are known and highly respected experts in manufacturing advanced, single-piece components, often delivered ready for the customer to install. These products, such as engine gearboxes, nacelles, and fan frames, are used on current and next-generation jet engines and airframes. TITAL will add capabilities in casting titanium airframe structures, such as titanium castings for pylons.
In addition, TITAL is a leader in process technology. Its engineers have developed advanced techniques to manage titanium's reactive properties, including cold hearth melting and centrifugal and gravity casting. Its teams also use 3D-printed prototypes, enabling customers to test designs and bring a finished product to market faster.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has agreed to acquire privately held TITAL, a German producer of titanium and aluminum investment castings for aircraft engines and airframes.
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Ipsen ships vacuum furnaces to aerospace companies
December 10, 2014
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that three separate companies recently purchased different Ipsen furnace models, all of which are for the aerospace industry. Ipsen shipped two of the heat-treating vacuum furnaces to Texas; the third furnace was shipped to the United Arab Emirates. While all of these furnaces will be used to process parts for the Aerospace industry, they all varied in size and model, as well as the type of parts they will produce.
The Horizontal TurboTreater with 6-bar partial pressure will be used to process fasteners. This specific furnace features a 36 x 36 x 48 in. all-metal hot zone with a 3000-pound load capacity. It operates at temperatures of 1000 to 2400°F, with ±5°F temperature uniformity.
The Horizontal Metal Master with 2-bar partial pressure will be used to process engine parts. This specific furnace features 24 x 24 x 40 in. all-metal hot zone with a 1500-pound (680 kg) load capacity. It operates at temperatures of 1,000 °F to 2,200 °F (538 °C to 1,204 °C) with ±10 °F temperature uniformity.
The Titan H4 with 2-bar absolute pressure will be used to process parts for gas turbines. This specific furnace features 24 x 28 x 48 in. all-metal hot zone with a 2000-pound load capacity.
www.IpsenUSA.com
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that three separate companies recently purchased different Ipsen furnace models, all of which are for the aerospace industry.
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Composite materials replace titanium on Orion space capsule
December 5, 2014
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TenCate Advanced Composites North America, Fairfield, Ca., developed a heat resistant composite for the heat shield and backshell structure of the Lockheed Martin Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle. The vehicle was successfully launched in December. The suite of advanced materials in the space capsule replace the traditional titanium solution for re-entry and splashdown requirements and also reduce weight and cost. The heat shield design allows very large composite structures to be fabricated out of autoclave.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Orion thermal protection group worked closely with TenCate Advanced Composites to develop a special heat resistant composite resin for the 16.5 ft (5 m) diameter heat shield and the crew vehicle backshell structure of the Orion space capsule.
The successful launch of NASA's Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle represents the efforts, innovation, and teamwork of many individuals and companies involved. Steve Mead, VP of marketing & sales at TenCate Advanced Composites says: "This week's flight represents the culmination of a five year development and qualification effort for a suite of materials used in this extreme application. Further, as a result of the heat shield's large size and thickness, the advanced composites used had to achieve high consolidation using only a low pressure vacuum bag only process. TenCate is honored to be one of Lockheed's partners on this important space program."
Image caption — NASA's Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts further into space than ever before using a module based on Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV). The ATV-derived service module, sitting directly below Orion's crew capsule, will provide propulsion, power, thermal control, as well as supplying water and gas to the astronauts in the habitable module. The first Orion mission will be an uncrewed lunar flyby in 2017, returning to Earth's atmosphere at 11 km/s—the fastest reentry ever.
TenCate Advanced Composites North America, Fairfield, Ca., developed a heat resistant composite for the heat shield and backshell structure of the Lockheed Martin Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle.
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Tungsten-chromium-iron PM alloy has hardness of 21 GPa
December 3, 2014
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that researchers have developed a tungsten-chromium-iron powder metallurgy alloy that could replace depleted uranium in armor-piercing projectiles. The W-7Cr-9Fe alloy is significantly stronger than commercial tungsten alloys. Tests show a nanoindentation hardness of 21 GPa, about double the nanoindentation hardness of nanocrystalline iron-based alloys or coarse-grained tungsten.
The material is made by a powder metallurgy process of high-energy ball milling. This process involves repeated shearing of the metal powders, with the shearing driving the alloying elements to intermix while competing thermally activated recovery processes allow the alloy to return to its equilibrium state.
"So there is this competition between these two processes," says materials science and engineering graduate student Zachary C. Cordero. He reported results in a paper with senior author and Department of Materials Science and Engineering head Christopher A. Schuh and colleagues in the journal Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A.
His paper proposed a simple model to predict chemistries in a given alloy that will form a solid solution, and validated it with experiments. The improvement was achieved by compacting metal powders in a field-assisted sintering hot press, with the best result, measured by the fine grain structure and highest hardness, achieved at a processing time of one minute at 1200°C. Longer processing times and higher temperatures led to coarser grains and weaker mechanical performance.
"The way that I make my materials is with powder processing, where first we make nanocrystalline powder and then we consolidate it into a bulk object. But the challenge is that consolidation requires exposing the material to higher temperatures," Mr. Cordero says. Heating the alloys to high temperatures can cause the grains within the metal to enlarge, which weakens them. Cordero was able to achieve ultrafine grain structure of about 130 nanometers in the W-7Cr-9Fe compact, confirmed by electron micrographs.
"Using this powder processing route, we can make big samples up to 2 centimeters in diameter, or we could go bigger, with dynamic compressive strengths of 4 GPa. The fact that we can make these materials using a scalable process is maybe even more impressive," he says.
http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/alloying-tougher-tungsten-zack-cordero-1202#.VH5Abu6skNM.email
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that researchers have developed a tungsten-chromium-iron powder metallurgy alloy that could replace depleted uranium in armor-piercing projectiles.
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3D printer builds first object in space
December 2, 2014
Source: ASM International
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., announces that an object has been additively manufactured in space for the first time.
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Alcoa acquires Firth Rixson for its isothermal forging and ring production
November 26, 2014
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that it has completed the acquisition of Firth Rixson, a global leader in aerospace jet engine components. Accelerating Alcoa's transformation to a multi-material enterprise, the acquisition increases its offerings made of nickel-base superalloys, titanium, stainless steel, and advanced aluminum alloys, all produced by the most advanced isothermal forging technology and ring production capabilities.
Firth Rixson strengthens Alcoa's robust aerospace portfolio and positions the company to capture greater profitable growth from its expanding value-added business. The transaction doubles Alcoa's average revenue content on high-growth engine programs.
The company closed the transaction, which was announced in June, after receiving all of the required global regulatory approvals, and arranging financing for the deal.
With this acquisition, Alcoa's revenues are expected to increase by $1.6 billion with an additional $350 million EBITDA in 2016, and to increase by $2 billion in revenues by 2019. Approximately 70% of this growth is secured by long-term agreements.
A majority of these new revenue streams come from aerospace sales, enabling Alcoa to further capitalize on strong growth in the commercial aerospace sector. Alcoa projects a compounded annual commercial jet growth rate of 7% through 2019, and sees a current 9-year production order book at 2013 delivery rates.
Alcoa is implementing a robust integration plan to realize significant synergy cost savings, primarily driven by purchasing and productivity improvements, optimizing internal metal supply, and leveraging Alcoa's global shared services. These cost savings are expected to reach approximately $100 million annually by year five. The transaction is expected to be neutral to earnings the first year and accretive thereafter, and will generate a return in excess of cost of capital. Firth Rixson's businesses will be integrated into Alcoa's Engineered Products and Solutions (EPS) segment.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that it has completed the acquisition of Firth Rixson, a global leader in aerospace jet engine components.
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Wisconsin Oven builds horizontal quench furnace for heat treating facility
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Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, announces the shipment of a horizontal quench system for solution heat treating of forged aluminum gun parts. Two total solution heat treating ovens were purchased along with three total aluminum aging ovens. The solution heat treat system has a maximum temperature rating of 1250°F and a work chamber of 4 x 4 x 4 feet, and is designed to heat a 1000-lb load of aluminum to 950°F.
The system is electrically heated with 144kW of heat input and zero-fired SCR power control. The recirculation system utilizes a 15,000 CFM blower with combination air flow design to maximize temperature uniformity. This horizontal quench system features guaranteed temperature uniformity (+/-10°F at 800°F and 1100° F) and meets the requirements of AMS 2750E Class 2.
The quench tank is a 12 gauge 304 stainless steel construction, 304 stainless steel removable quench tank covers (utilized to minimize heat loss), and utilizes a pneumatically actuated quench elevator with 304 stainless steel wheel rollers and lift structure. The tank has a 2,400 gallon capacity and agitation pump rated for 200 gallons per minute with galvanized steel distribution piping and horizontal style water agitation design. The tank volume is designed for a 15°F maximum water temperature rise (when load is quenched). The tank water temperature capability is rated for 140°F to 180°F normal use (with a 210°F maximum temperature capability).
The customer provides heat treating services to a large gun manufacturer. Prior to purchasing the solution heat treating system, they were outsourcing the work to a commercial heat treating company. The yearly cost savings they realized by bringing the heat treating process in house was well worth the investment in the equipment.
www.wisoven.com
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, announces the shipment of a horizontal quench system for solution heat treating of forged aluminum gun parts.
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Aerojet Rocketdyne partners with NASA to advance copper 3D printing
November 19, 2014
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NASA, Washington, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp company, Sacramento, Calif., successfully completed a series of hot-fire tests on an advanced rocket engine Thrust Chamber Assembly (TCA) using copper alloy additive manufacturing technology. The hot-fire tests used Aerojet Rocketdyne's proprietary Selective Laser Melting copper-alloy enhanced-heat-transfer design chamber, which demonstrated a significant increase in performance over traditional combustion chamber designs and material systems.
"In all, NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne conducted 19 hot-fire tests on four injector and TCA configurations, exploring various mixture ratios and injector operability points. At the conclusion of the tests, the injector and chamber hardware were found to be in excellent condition, and test data correlated with performance predictions," said Lee Ryberg, lead project engineer on Aerojet Rocketdyne's Additive Manufacturing development team.
This testing, conducted for the first time in the industry, was done with cooperation between Aerojet Rocketdyne, NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate Game-Changing Development Program, and NASA Glenn Research Center, under a Space Act Agreement.
"This work represents another major milestone in the integrated development and certification of the materials characterization, manufacturing processes, analysis and design-tool technologies that are required to successfully implement Selective Laser Melting for critical rocket engine components," said Jay Littles, director of Advanced Launch Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne.
"Aerojet Rocketdyne continues to expand the development of novel material and design solutions made possible through additive manufacturing, which will result in more efficient engines at lower costs. We are working a range of additive manufacturing implementation paths - from affordability and performance enhancement to legacy products such as the RL10 upper stage engine. We also are applying the technology to next-generation propulsion systems, including the Bantam Engine family, as well as our new large, high-performance booster engine, the AR1."
www.Rocket.com and www.GenCorp.com.
NASA, Washington, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp company, Sacramento, Calif., successfully completed a series of hot-fire tests on an advanced rocket engine Thrust Chamber Assembly (TCA) using copper alloy additive manufacturing technology.
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Solar Atmospheres extends contract to inspect Boeing 787 titanium seat tracks
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Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, Hermitage, announces that it has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with RTI Claro, a business unit of RTI International Metals Inc., to extend its contract for the vacuum stress-relieving and fluorescent liquid penetrant inspection of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner titanium seat track system until December 2021. Solar Atmospheres anticipates the agreement will include work on more than 1000 of the Boeing 787 aircraft.
Fluorescent liquid penetrant inspection (FPI) is a low-cost inspection method used to locate surface-breaking defects in metals. The technology is based on capillary action, in which low-tension dye penetrates into clean and dry surface-breaking discontinuities. The part is placed under ultraviolet light, where the developed dyes emit a brilliant yellow-green light that contrasts strongly against the dark background. Solar Atmospheres of Western PA is capable of inspecting product that is up to 40 feet in length.
"RTI Claro's decision to continue our relationship for another seven years can be attributed to the extraordinary past performance of our employees, plus our overall corporate commitment to supply RTI Claro and Boeing with the straightest, cleanest, and most defect-free seat tracks in the industry," says Robert Hill, President of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA.
www.solaratm.com
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, Hermitage, announces that it has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with RTI Claro, a business unit of RTI International Metals Inc., to extend its contract for the vacuum stress-relieving and fluorescent liquid penetrant inspection of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner titanium seat track system until December 2021.
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