TimkenSteel to invest $40 million in continuous heat-treating facility
July 23, 2014
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TimkenSteel Corp., Canton, Ohio, announces plans to invest $40 million to build an additional continuous heat-treating facility in the United States. The company is evaluating locations and plans to make that decision in the third quarter of 2014. The facility would be fully operational within two years, and would have capacity for 50,000 tons annually of 4-inch to 13-inch bars and tubes. It would be larger than any of the company's three existing thermal treatment facilities in Canton.
TimkenSteel serves global equipment manufacturers and service companies with customized products and services for their most demanding applications in down-hole tools and top-of-hole infrastructure. The company's integrated supply chain combines high-performance material, industry-leading thermal treatment, proprietary machining processes, and responsive delivery capabilities.
"Many of the applications require higher-performance steels that give our customers confidence as they push the limits of what's possible. This investment is foundational to our ability to grow some of our most unique and sophisticated product lines to meet those needs," said Shawn J. Seanor, executive vice president of Energy and Distribution. "Additional continuous heat-treat capabilities provide the flexibility to create more customized steels to serve energy and other markets that have a strong long-term outlook. That continuous innovation is a key part of our unique business model."
http://www.timkensteel.com
TimkenSteel Corp., Canton, Ohio, announces plans to invest $40 million to build an additional continuous heat-treating facility in the United States.
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Phased-array wheel probe designed for ultrasonic inspection without immersion
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Olympus America, Center Valley, Pa., introduces the RollerForm, a new phased -array wheel probe designed for ultrasonic inspection of composites and other smooth-surfaced materials. The unique tire material has been specifically developed to guarantee high-quality, immersion-like ultrasonic testing. Minimal couplant and pressure is required for the RollerForm to provide excellent coupling and a strong signal, even in difficult scanning positions.
An affordable and easy-to-implement replacement for full 2-D encoding systems, the RollerFORM also offers a viable alternative to immersion techniques.
In addition to providing exceptional coupling, the tire of the RollerFORM wheel is made of a unique material that closely matches the acoustic impedance of water. This design feature permits the efficient transmission of energy to the part without unwanted echoes, obtaining an optimum 1 mm near-surface resolution in composites when using the 5-MHz phased array probe model.
The 3.5-MHz phased array probe model is better suited for certain thicker, more attenuating materials. Since the tire is transparent, it is easy to identify the presence of air bubbles or contaminants within the water chamber.
The RollerForm, combined with a phased array instrument such as an OmniScan or the Focus LT, uses zero-degree ultrasonic beams for manufacturing and maintenance inspections. Common applications include delamination sizing and porosity quantification in composite core material, as well as wall-loss monitoring in aluminum panels. With its integrated indexing button, the ergonomically designed it enables mapping the surface of an inspected material by acquiring multiple one-line C-scans and combining them in real time into a single image. The built-in laser guide facilitates straight and precise one-line scans.
http://www.olympus-ims.com/en/rollerform/
Olympus America, Center Valley, Pa., introduces the RollerForm, a new phased-array wheel probe designed for ultrasonic inspection of composites and other smooth-surfaced materials.
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Sciaky’s electron beam additive manufacturing systems now available for purchase
Source: ASM International
Sciaky Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, Chicago, will now offer its electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) systems for purchase, with accelerated delivery opportunities available as early as Sept. 1.
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ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe invests $121 million to modernize Duisburg continuous caster
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ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, Germany, is investing $121 million to modernize continuous caster 1 in Duisburg-Beeckerwerth to improve slab quality and widen the product range. It is scheduled to go back into operation in just under eight weeks. The work is being carried out in parallel with the reline of blast furnace 2 in order to minimize production losses.
Continuous caster 1 is designed for steel slabs with widths between 1000 and 2150 millimeters and a thickness of up to 257 millimeters. The rebuild of the two-strand bow-type caster includes a new ladle turret and an 80-ton tundish including car, the replacement of the casting machine itself, and the installation of new measuring systems. A key element of the modernization is a new cooling system. Previously slabs were sprayed with water across their full width. A new air-water cooling technology will permit gentler, more accurate cooling of the hot strand.
In the future it will be possible to switch individual nozzles on and off, so allowing targeted cooling of defined zones across the width of the strand. "Thanks to air-water cooling we will have next to no edge defects in slabs anymore," explains Dr. Arnd Köfler, Head of Crude Steel at ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe. "This will significantly improve the surface quality of the steel, particularly the higher-strength grades our customers are increasingly requesting."
Continuous caster 1 was built in 1974 and has been modernized twice since. The revamp is therefore essential. Alongside this unit there is a second continuous caster in Beeckerwerth and another one in the Bruckhausen plant. The capacity of continuous caster 1 is around 2.3 million tons per year. Since it began operation 40 years ago it has produced more than 80 million tons of steel, enough to build almost 1,100 copies of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The two continuous casters in Beeckerwerth provide work for roughly 170 employees. They produce high-quality slabs for special steels, mainly for the auto industry, as well as tinplate for the packaging industry, high-strength steels, skelp and quarto plate.
www.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com/en
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, Germany, is investing $121 million to modernize continuous caster 1 in Duisburg-Beeckerwerth to improve slab quality and widen the product range.
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Stratasys acquires Solid Concepts for its 3D printing of medical and aerospace parts
July 16, 2014
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Stratasys, Minneapolis, announces the acquisitions of Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies, which will be combined with RedEye, its existing digital manufacturing service business, to establish one additive manufacturing services business unit. Stratasys acquired Solid Concepts because of its deep knowledge of manufacturing and vertical focus, such as medical and aerospace. Stratasys expects to complete its acquisition of Harvest Technologies by the end of July.
David Reis, chief executive officer of Stratasys, stated, "We look forward to enhancing our customer offering with the completion of this transaction. With Solid Concepts' deep knowledge of manufacturing and vertical focus, such as medical and aerospace, Stratasys will be even better positioned to meet our customers' evolving additive manufacturing requirements. We are delighted to welcome the talented employees of Solid Concepts to the Stratasys family and look forward to completing the acquisition of Harvest in order to form a leading strategic platform to better meet customers' needs."
Stratasys expects to update its financial guidance to reflect both the Solid Concepts and Harvest transactions in conjunction with its second quarter 2014 financial results.
www.stratasys.com
Stratasys, Minneapolis, announces the acquisitions of Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies, which will be combined with RedEye, its existing digital manufacturing service business, to establish one additive manufacturing services business unit.
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Alcoa forged aluminum fan blade to fly on P&W jet engine
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announced at the Farnborough Air Show that it has signed a ten-year, $1.1 billion agreement with Pratt & Whitney for state-of-the-art jet engine components. Alcoa will supply key parts for Pratt & Whitney's engines, including the forging for the first ever aluminum fan blade for jet engines.
Its advanced gear system allows the fan to rotate at a slower speed and the hot section to operate at higher speeds, optimizing the running conditions of both. The large, lightweight fan moves more than 90% of the air around the core, delivering a very quiet engine with very low fuel burn. The larger fan diameter also opens the door to materials beyond titanium and composites.
The forging was developed for Pratt & Whitney's PurePower engines using an advanced aluminum alloy and a proprietary manufacturing process. Also for the PurePower engines, Alcoa is developing a fan blade forging using its most advanced aluminum-lithium alloy.
Alcoa plans to use aluminum and aluminum-lithium from its facilities in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Lafayette, Ind., for the front fan blades, which will be produced via proprietary manufacturing processes at its plant in Cleveland, Ohio. Several of Alcoa's facilities, including La Porte, Indiana; Whitehall, Michigan; Dover, New Jersey; and Wichita Falls, Texas, will supply the blades, vanes, and structural components, produced using nickel-based superalloys and titanium as well as aluminum.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announced at the Farnborough Air Show that it has signed a ten-year, $1.1 billion agreement with Pratt & Whitney for state-of-the-art jet-engine components.
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Alcoa to acquire Firth Rixson for its aerospace forging capabilities
July 9, 2014
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Firth Rixson, a global leader in aerospace jet engine components, from Oak Hill Capital Partners, for $2.85 billion in cash and stock. Firth Rixson currently holds the number one global position in seamless rolled jet engine rings, engineered from nickel-based superalloys and titanium, and is a major supplier of jet engine forgings. Through Firth Rixson, Alcoa enters into a highly specialized segment of jet engine forgings that require isothermal forging technology.
Isothermally forged parts are increasingly required in jet engines that use elevated turbine temperatures to maximize power output, drive fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Demand for large isothermal aerospace engine disks is expected to triple in the next eight years driven by strong aerospace build rates.
Firth Rixson has a strong portfolio of world-class assets that complements and deepens Alcoa's penetration of the growing aerospace market. Firth Rixson has gained share in each successive generation of engine platforms through its strong market position in rings and significant investment in isothermal forging. It is also one of the world's leading suppliers of vacuum melted superalloys used to make aerospace, industrial gas turbine, oil and gas products, and structural components for landing gear applications.
Firth Rixson recently entered this segment with the development of the state-of-the art Savannah, Georgia facility, which includes a 19.5k ton isothermal press and a 33k ton conventional forge press for other large aerospace components.
Approximately 75 percent of Firth Rixson's revenues in 2013 were from the aerospace industry, with the balance split between other markets such as industrial gas turbine, commercial transportation and oil and gas, complementing Alcoa's growth markets.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Firth Rixson, a global leader in aerospace jet engine components, from Oak Hill Capital Partners, for $2.85 billion in cash and stock.
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CMI Industry to provide furnace to develop new heat treatments for aerospace alloys
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CMI Industry Groupe, Belgium, parent company of CMI Industry Americas, Salem, Ohio, announces that it will provide a heat treatment furnace at the Advanced Forming Research Center in Glasgow, Scotland, to carry out a range of combustion tests to develop new metal processing techniques for aerospace alloys. A single furnace can be equipped with multiple atmospheres to allow processing of many products in a single furnace. The furnace can be heated by various means: direct gas fired, gas-fired radiant tubes, or electric elements. It can be equipped with jet cooling to allow for varied control of cooling rates required for different processes.
The Advanced Forming Research Center was founded by global aerospace companies such as Boeing, Rolls Royce, and Timet. The objectives are to develop methods of fabrication and processing that will improve the performance of aerospace structures.
CMI Industry has also been chosen by Areva for the modernizing of the heat treatment line of CEZUS Rugles (Eure, France), dedicated to zirconium metallurgy. CMI intervention will increase the performance of the line, especially at the cooling chamber. CMI Industry is supporting the design and implementation of this modernization and relies on teams from CMI Services for dismantling and reassembly of equipment. The upgraded line will begin in August 2014.
http://www.cmigroupe.com/en/contact ; [email protected]
CMI Industry Groupe, Belgium, parent company of CMI Industry Americas, Salem, Ohio, announces that it will provide a heat treatment furnace at the Advanced Forming Research Center in Glasgow, Scotland, to carry out a range of combustion tests to develop new metal processing techniques for aerospace alloys.
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25th AeroMat Conference Features Tuskegee Airman
June 27, 2014
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The 25th AeroMat Conference and Exposition, held June 16-19 in Orlando, Fla., featured a theme of "the latest word in aerospace materials." The well attended conference offered forward looking plenary sessions, multiple presentations about additive manufacturing, and more than 200 papers on topics ranging from aluminum, magnesium, and titanium to high-strength steels, high-temperature alloys, and thermomechanical processing.
As part of the festivities, ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, and Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI), Pittsburgh, partnered to put on an outstanding VIP reception featuring Lieutenant Colonel Leo Gray, one of 27 remaining Tuskegee Airmen from World War II. Gray shared some very interesting, funny, and personal stories from his time flying P-51 Mustangs over Germany, during nearly four years of active duty. Several tales involved combat missions, downing of German aircraft, and the oppressive racial prejudice so prevalent during the 1940s. Many audience members asked questions and encouraged Gray to keep telling stories, which he gladly did. As a parting gift, ASM and ATI gave away custom prints of a P-51 aircraft drawing made by aviation artist Ernie Boyette and signed by Lt. Col. Gray.
The catered event was enjoyed by all attendees and serves as a stark reminder of why aerospace innovation remains such an important endeavor. For more information, visit asminternational.org and atimetals.com.
Image caption - Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Leo Gray (left) with Phil Morton of ATI.
The 25th AeroMat Conference and Exposition, held June 16-19 in Orlando, Fla., featured a theme of “the latest word in aerospace materials.”
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Alcoa to expand investment casting of superalloy jet engine blades
June 25, 2014
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that it is investing $25 million at its Alcoa Power and Propulsion facility in Hampton, Virginia, to scale up its enhanced equiax investment casting technology. Alcoa will add equipment for a new production line and modify existing machinery at the Hampton facility to produce nickel-base superalloy jet-engine blades that weigh 20% less and significantly improve aerodynamic performance.
Alcoa developed this enhanced equiax investment casting following five years of research and development. The technology involves preheating the ceramic molds to a temperature below the metal solidification temperature, so that when the mold is filled the solidification rate can be controlled. Made primarily of nickel-based superalloys, the lighter and more aerodynamically efficient blades can be used to retrofit existing or build next-generation aircraft engines. The casting facility in Hampton is the leading producer of complex investment cast turbine airfoils for the industrial gas turbine industry, as well as large nickel and titanium structural castings for aerospace engines.
The Company will use the latest in advanced manufacturing technology such as robotics and digital x-ray for enhanced product inspection. The expansion will begin this month and is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2015. The Company expects to add at least 75 new, full-time employees over three years.
http://www.alcoa.com/hampton
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that it is investing $25 million at its Alcoa Power and Propulsion facility in Hampton, Virginia, to scale up its enhanced equiax investment casting technology.
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