Metallurgy Europe initiates a 180-company, billion-euro effort to develop advanced metals
September 24, 2014
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The European Space Agency, Paris, has joined forces with other leading research institutions and more than 180 European companies in a billion-euro effort to develop new types of metals and manufacturing techniques. 
Known as Metallurgy Europe, the seven-year international program goal is to develop the technical foundations for the discovery of new materials – metallic compounds, alloys, composites, superconductors, and semiconductors. The photo shows a bismuth crystal, such as those used in thermoelectric compounds and special bearing alloys.
The various branches of the metals-related industry today account for 46% of the EU's manufacturing value and 11% of its total Gross Domestic Product – equivalent to $1.7 trillion annually or $4.5 billion daily. Metallurgy Europe is conservatively projected to create at least 100,000 new jobs, based on the ten million people today employed by the metals and end-user industries across the EU plus Switzerland and Norway.
Organized along 13 topics, the potential results include novel heat-resistant alloys for space and nuclear systems, high-efficiency power lines based on superconducting alloys, thermoelectric materials converting waste heat into power, new catalysts for the production of plastics and pharmaceuticals, bio-compatible metals for medical implants, as well as high-strength magnetic systems.
The Metallurgy Europe program is being organized as a 'Cluster' of the EUREKA network. EUREKA is a long-established intergovernmental organization uniting more than 40 governments, including virtually all the member states of the EU.
EUREKA Clusters are long-term, strategically significant public-private partnerships, working with Europe's leading companies to develop competitiveness-boosting technologies.
More than 180 industrial partners have signed up, including some of the largest engineering companies in the continent: Airbus Group, BP, Siemens, Daimler, Rolls-Royce, Thales, AvioAero, BAE Systems, Philips, Ruag, Bombardier, Linde Group, Rolex, Richemont, ArcelorMittal, Sandvik, Bruker, Johnson Matthey, Tata Steel, Boston Scientific, ThyssenKrupp, Outokumpu, Hydro Aluminium and Fiat, along with small and medium firms.
www.esa.int
The European Space Agency, Paris, has joined forces with other leading research institutions and more than 180 European companies in a billion-euro effort to develop new types of metals and manufacturing techniques.
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Europe’s new age of metals
September 18, 2014
Source: ASM International
The European Space Agency has joined forces with other leading research institutions and more than 180 European companies in a billion-euro effort developing new types of metals and manufacturing techniques for this century.
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Vac Aero to commission horizontal vacuum furnace in Mexico
September 16, 2014
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Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, announces that it will soon complete installation and commissioning of a large 2-bar external gas quench horizontal vacuum furnace at an aerospace manufacturing facility in Mexico. The external recirculating inert gas quenching system distributes quench gas through circumferentially located internal nozzles for rapid, uniform cooling of the work load. The unit has a work area of 48 x 48 x 60 in., with a 4000-pound gross loading capacity.
The furnace is designed to have fast heating rates to very uniform temperatures at high vacuum levels. Standard units are equipped with a gas quench system capable of cooling the load rapidly from processing temperatures at quench pressures up to two bar.
The furnace is equipped with a Honeywell HC900 computer control system. Control systems can be integrated with internal networks and offer extensive data collection capabilities. Vac Aero also manufactures auxiliary equipment for quench gas storage and furnace cooling requirements.
The standard VAH Series Horizontal, Front-loading, Vacuum Heat Treating and Brazing Furnace can be customized to suit unique applications such as high pressure gas quenching, high temperature heat treating, ultra-clean processing, and more.
www.vacaero.com
Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, announces that it will soon complete installation and commissioning of a large 2-bar external gas quench horizontal vacuum furnace at an aerospace manufacturing facility in Mexico.
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International Molybdenum Association reports on global molybdenum market
August 25, 2014
Source: ASM International
The International Molybdenum Association, London, reports that global use of molybdenum in the first quarter of 2014 decreased to 136.1 million pounds, down 2% from 138.2 million pounds in the previous quarter, but 7% higher than the same quarter in 2013.
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Questek Ferrium M54 qualifies for Navy T-45 hook shank production
Source: ASM International
Questek Innovations LLC, Evanston, Ill., announces that its Ferrium M54 steel has qualified for Navy T-45 aircraft hook shank production.
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Vac Aero ships vacuum furnace to aerospace manufacturer in Mexico
August 20, 2014
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Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, has shipped a VAH 6660 HV-2 horizontal vacuum furnace to an international company's plant in Mexico to process aerospace parts. This customer has a long history with Vac Aero, having purchased many vacuum furnaces for its plants all over the world over the last few decades. The furnace features an all-metal hot zone with a work chamber of 48 x 48 x 60 in., with a 4000-pound load capacity.
It utilizes gas cooling to 2-bar absolute pressure and operates at temperatures of 1000 to 2200°F. The furnace is also equipped with a 35-in. diffusion pump and Vac Aero's HC900 control system. A key control feature is the ability to independently control the work chamber zones for optimal work-load uniformity, as well as the ability to program heat-treatment cycles that can then be run automatically and accurately allowing the operator to achieve the specific structure and properties required for their application.
www.vacaero.com
Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, has shipped a VAH 6660 HV-2 horizontal vacuum furnace to an international company’s plant in Mexico to process aerospace parts.
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SSAB merges with Rautaruukki to form a global steel company
August 13, 2014
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SSAB, Stockholm, Sweden, announces that Rautaruukki became part of SSAB on July 29, 2014. Together, the two create a Nordic and U.S.-based steel company that is a leading producer on the global market for advanced high-strength steels, quenched & tempered steels, standard strip, plate, and tubular products, as well as construction solutions.
The preliminary combined net sales for the companies during 2013 amounts to approximately SEK 56 billion (EUR 6.4 billion), and SSAB and Rautaruukki combined have around 17,300 employees. The company has an annual steel production capacity of 8.8 million metric tons. tonnes.
The merger of SSAB and Ruukki creates a global steel company that offers value-added products and services developed in close cooperation with its customers. The new company has five divisions: SSAB Special Steels –advanced high-strength steels and quenched and tempered steels; SSAB Europe – a Nordic-based steel producer of high quality strip, heavy plate and tubes; SSAB Americas – a North America-based steel producer of high quality heavy plate; Tibnor – a Nordic full-service steel distribution partner; and Ruukki Construction – a European provider of energy-efficient building and construction solutions.
http://www.ssab.com/
SSAB, Stockholm, Sweden, announces that Rautaruukki became part of SSAB on July 29, 2014.
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SSAB incorporates Rautaruukki to create a global steel company
August 12, 2014
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SSAB, Stockholm, announces that Rautaruukki became part of SSAB on July 29, 2014. Together, the two create a Nordic and U.S.-based steel company that is a leading producer on the global market for advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) and quenched & tempered steels (Q&T), standard strip, plate, and tubular products, as well as construction solutions.
The preliminary combined net sales for the companies during 2013 amounts to approximately SEK 56 billion (EUR 6.4 billion), and SSAB and Rautaruukki combined have around 17,300 employees. The company has an annual steel production capacity of 8.8 million metric tons.
The merger of SSAB and Ruukki creates a global steel company that offers value-added products and services developed in close cooperation with its customers. The new company has five divisions: SSAB Special Steels –advanced high-strength steels and quenched and tempered steels; SSAB Europe –Nordic-based steel producer of high quality strip, heavy plate and tubes; SSAB Americas –North America-based steel producer of high quality heavy plate; Tibnor –Nordic full-service steel distribution partner; and Ruukki Construction –European provider of energy-efficient building and construction solutions.
http://www.ssab.com/
SSAB, Stockholm, Sweden, announces that Rautaruukki became part of SSAB on July 29, 2014.
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ASM Fellow Paul Bania receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Titanium Association
August 4, 2014
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ASM Fellow Dr. Paul J. Bania, titanium metallurgist, researcher, and inventor, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Titanium Association during the organization's 30th annual conference in Chicago, September 21-24, 2014. The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the advancement of titanium applications and technology, while celebrating colleagues who have made a positive impact on the industry.
While serving at TIMET as VP, Quality and Technology, he invented a simple, extremely effective method of reducing low-density inclusions in rotating-grade aerospace alloys, by shearing sponge to a small size that prevented the defects from surviving the VAR melting process. He also worked on the formulation of a new generation of oxidation-resistant, high-temperature beta alloys that were first used by Boeing for aerospace gas turbine engine components.
Dr. Bania has participated in the invention of eight titanium alloys and received four patents for melting and production advances. "Many times you get ideas that become patented but don't become large or commercial successes," he said upon learning of the award. "Some of my greatest satisfaction has come from a couple of patents that were put into commercial use."
Dr. Bania has worked with titanium for more than three decades, and was chosen from a field of eight nominees for his outstanding efforts in developing new alloys and improving melting and mill processes.
"Paul's whole body of work — not only his innovations, but also his ability to make those innovations applicable to production — set him apart," explained Edward Sobota Jr., TSI Titanium and ITA Achievement Award Committee Chair. "It was his practical research that really made a difference."
In 1998, Dr. Bania formed TiPro Corporation to supply titanium to the auto racing industry, acting as both metallurgist and supplier to firms manufacturing valvetrain parts. By buying and re-selling downgraded aerospace engine alloys, he enabled mill product manufacturers to profit from material that would have otherwise been scrapped, and racing part manufacturers to source higher grade metal. "The manufacturers were able to sell material that was still acceptable for my market and my customers got higher quality metal to make stronger, more fatigue-resistant parts. It was a win/win," he said. Dr. Bania now runs a consulting company, PJBTiPro LLC.
"I was stunned," Dr. Bania stated about winning the ITA Achievement Award. "If you look at the list of the people who've won this, many were my mentors. It's an extreme honor to be recognized with those folks. I was very humbled."
The Achievement Award has been given to 17 people since its inception in 2000. The Award Committee was made up of eight of those individuals, plus Edward A. Sobota Jr., whose father, the late Edward Sobota Sr., was also a recipient of the award. "These people are very knowledgeable about who has made contributions to the betterment of the industry. It is a very highly regarded honor for those who've received it," Mr. Sobota commented.
Founded in 1984, the ITA is a membership-based international trade group dedicated to the titanium metal industry. Its focus is to promote industry growth as well as educate the public on titanium's benefits. Current membership includes more than 200 organizations and over 1500 individual members worldwide. Jennifer Simpson is the executive director.
www.titanium.org
ASM Fellow Dr. Paul J. Bania, titanium metallurgist, researcher, and inventor, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Titanium Association during the organization’s 30th annual conference in Chicago, September 21-24, 2014.
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GE Aviation to mass-produce fuel nozzle via additive manufacturing at Alabama facility
July 30, 2014
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GE Aviation, Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced plans to bring high-volume additive manufacturing to its facility in Auburn, Alabama. GE will manufacture its jet engine fuel nozzle at the site, becoming the first company to mass-produce additive components for the jet propulsion industry. By the end of 2015, the plant could have as many as ten AM machines, with the potential to grow to more than 50 machines and occupy a third of the facility at full capacity.
GE will invest $50M in the existing 300,000 ft² facility to prepare for the additional work. Equipment installation will begin in late 2014 and production will begin in 2015.
The AM fuel nozzle will be used in GE's LEAP engine, with every engine requiring 19 fuel nozzles. Once manufacturing begins, GE will ramp up production quickly, starting with 1000 fuel nozzles produced annually, to more than 40,000 by 2020.
GE also reported that it is developing 3D-printed parts for the GE9X engine, the world's largest jet engine, which will be installed on the next-generation Boeing 777X long-haul passenger jet.
"We spent years proving out this technology for a critical component in the heart of the engine, the combustion chamber," stated Greg Morris, General Manager, Additive Technologies. "Now we are well positioned to apply this technology to other components in the same harsh environment. AM could prove to be game-changing for future engine programs and designs."
Auburn will have capacity to take on additional component work when new technologies are developed. All development of additive components will remain in GE Aviation's Additive Technology Center (ATC) in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is also expected to grow over 300% in size in the coming year. The ATC will demonstrate a component's manufacturing readiness before needing to scale for full rate production.
With more than 6700 orders from 20 countries, adding up to nearly $96 billion (U.S. list price), the LEAP is GE Aviation's best-selling engine in history.
www.geaviation.com
GE Aviation, Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced plans to bring high-volume additive manufacturing to its facility in Auburn, Alabama.
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