Solar Atmospheres adds Boeing approval

September 6, 2023
Source: ASM International

Solar Atmospheres adds Boeing approval

Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA, has announced the addition of Boeing BAC-5613 approval for the processing of titanium for Boeing aircraft. With this approval, all five Solar Atmospheres facilities are approved to process Boeing end-use titanium components requiring vacuum heat treatment.

Mike Moyer, vice president of sales for Solar Atmospheres of Eastern Pa facility said that “We are proud to announce this addition to our scope of approvals for Boeing. Solar has unique expertise and capabilities in the realm of processing titanium, and we are happy to gain Boeing’s confidence in that regard. This new approval opens the door for Solar Atmospheres to better serve Boeing’s suppliers in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, as well as provide overflow capacity for other Solar facilities nationwide.”

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Nitrex strengthens global presence in extrusion


Source: ASM International

Nitrex strengthens global presence in extrusion

Nitrex, Quebec, successfully commissioned two nitriding systems for Alumil S.A., Greece’s largest extrusion company and the leading producer of architectural systems, with an international sales network in over 60 countries worldwide. 

With this collaboration, Nitrex further strengthens its global presence in extrusion profile manufacturing, demonstrating the industry’s confidence in Nitrex’s expertise to optimize die performance, increase the throughput of extruded profiles, and reduce overall tooling costs.

Catering to various sectors, including construction, automotive, energy, and more, and serving as a key exporter to Europe, the Middle East, and the USA, Alumil has recently started up two pit-type nitriding systems installed at separate locations. The first system, an NX-1215 model with a 3-ton load capacity, is operational at Alumil’s facility in Greece. The second system, an NX-620 furnace model with a 1.2-ton load capacity, is located at the company’s operation in Serbia.

The turnkey solution provided by Nitrex includes the exclusive Nitreg® technology, ensuring consistent and superior nitriding results. In anticipation of Alumil’s plans to expand manufacturing capacities in Greece, the system installed at this location has been specially sized up to accommodate future growth.

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Nitrex strengthens global presence in extrusion


Source: ASM International

Nitrex strengthens global presence in extrusion

Nitrex, Quebec, successfully commissioned two nitriding systems for Alumil S.A., Greece’s largest extrusion company and the leading producer of architectural systems, with an international sales network in over 60 countries worldwide. 

With this collaboration, Nitrex further strengthens its global presence in extrusion profile manufacturing, demonstrating the industry’s confidence in Nitrex’s expertise to optimize die performance, increase the throughput of extruded profiles, and reduce overall tooling costs.

Catering to various sectors, including construction, automotive, energy, and more, and serving as a key exporter to Europe, the Middle East, and the USA, Alumil has recently started up two pit-type nitriding systems installed at separate locations. The first system, an NX-1215 model with a 3-ton load capacity, is operational at Alumil’s facility in Greece. The second system, an NX-620 furnace model with a 1.2-ton load capacity, is located at the company’s operation in Serbia.

The turnkey solution provided by Nitrex includes the exclusive Nitreg® technology, ensuring consistent and superior nitriding results. In anticipation of Alumil’s plans to expand manufacturing capacities in Greece, the system installed at this location has been specially sized up to accommodate future growth.

Read further here

Constellium’s leadership development program receives Silver Award


Source: ASM International

Constellium’s leadership development program receives Silver Award

Constellium, Paris, has received the Brandon Hall Group Silver Award in the “Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Development Program” category. 

This award recognizes the excellence of the Leadership Development Program, a  global learning and development initiative aimed at giving mid-level leaders a broader vision of the business outside of their functions and local market, and to equip them with tools to reflect on their leadership style and inspire their teams. 

The leadership program is a nine-month journey that includes a combination of in-person sessions, virtual individual coaching, team pod sessions, and a 360-degree assessment. 

Entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts, and executives based on these criteria: 

The 2023 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards recognizes best practices for initiatives in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and the Future of Work.

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One Minute Mentor: Salt Bath Furnaces

August 15, 2023
Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Salt Bath Furnaces

The salt bath method of hardening is predominant with high-speed steel tools. With correct operating conditions, tools can be heat treated without carburization, decarburization, and scaling. The surface will be fully hard with a minimum of distortion. The four types of salt baths generally used are preheating baths, high-temperature baths, quenching baths, and tempering baths.

Molten salts of various compositions are well adapted to all operations in the heat treatment of tool steels. For tools that cannot be ground after hardening or for tools that require an excellent surface condition and the maintenance of sharp edges, salt bath heating provides excellent results. These salt baths contain different compositions of BaCl2, NaCl2, and KCl as well as additional additives to avoid decarburization. The higher the working temperature, the higher the content of BaCl2 usually is. Higher additions of CaCl2 are typically used in salt baths for the quenching step.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 2.

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Rolled Alloys celebrates 70 years in the thermal processing industry


Source: ASM International

Rolled Alloys celebrates 70 years in the thermal processing industry

Rolled Alloys, Windsor, Conn., is celebrating 70 years in the thermal processing industry. 

The company was founded in 1953 by introducing RA330 as a wrought replacement to cast HT.

Due to RA330’s versatility and availability, it remains the most widely used wrought alloy by commercial heat treaters. Although RA330 exhibits excellent features, there may be better choices for an application. With this being the case, we offer a wide range of heat-resistant alloys to best suit the needs of your application.

Besides this, RA 602 CA is an alloy developed specifically for the highest temperature process, requiring strength and resistance to atmospheres. 

One last alloy worth discussing is RA253MA. RA253MA is a lean, heat-resistant stainless steel with high strength and oxidation resistance. With excellent high-temperature properties and low nickel content, RA253MA is a cost-effective material that thermal processors frequently utilize for open-air applications.

https://www.rolledalloys.com/70-years-in-the-thermal-processing-industry/

Steel Dynamics named one of America’s best employers for women by Forbes


Source: ASM International

Steel Dynamics named one of America’s best employers for women by Forbes

Steel Dynamics, Fort Wayne, Ind., has been named one of America’s Best Employers for Women for 2023 by Forbes. Steel Dynamics was the only steel producer receiving this designation.

“We are appreciative and honored by this recognition,” said Mark D. Millett, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our people are the foundation of our success and our most important resource. We strive to create a welcoming, open, and inclusive environment. We value our team members, creating meaningful opportunities for growth, leadership development, and career advancement. We believe empowering our people and providing them with the necessary tools for success creates significant value for everyone and will drive our continued success.”

Forbes partnered with Statista to compile the list of America’s Best Employers for Women. Statista surveyed over 60,000 U.S. employees working for companies with a minimum of 1,000 employees. More than 40,000 women were asked to rate their company in areas such as working environment, salary and employee diversity, and then whether they would recommend their company to a friend or family member.

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Wisconsin Oven ships curing conveyor oven to aerospace industry


Source: ASM International

Wisconsin Oven ships curing conveyor oven to aerospace industry

Wisconsin Oven Corporation, East Troy, Wis., has announced the shipment of one belt conveyor oven that will be used for curing polystyrene on aluminum parts for the aerospace industry.

This industrial conveyor oven has a maximum temperature rating of 300° F and interior chamber dimensions of 5’4” W x 8’4” L x 6” H. The recirculation system is designed with a top-down airflow configuration and utilizes a 10,000 CFM @ 10 HP blower. Guaranteed temperature uniformity of ±10° F at 210° F was documented with a temperature uniformity test.

The conveyor system is a continuous belt style and utilizes an Allen-Bradley variable frequency drive that allows for speed adjustments. A digital screen on the control panel door displays the conveyor speed during operation. The oven temperature and conveyor speed are controlled by a Watlow F4T digital controller located on the control panel door with PID control and adaptive turning.

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One Minute Mentor: Distortion in Tool Steels

August 7, 2023
Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Distortion in Tool Steels

Distortion in tool steels encompasses all irreversible dimensional changes. There are two main types: size distortion and shape distortion. Size distortion involves expansion or contraction in volume or linear dimensions without changes in geometrical form. Shape distortion entails changes in curvature or angular relations, as in twisting, bending, and/or nonsymmetrical changes in dimensions. In most cases both types of distortion occur during a heat-treatment operation.

Some of the main interactions occur between temperature, microstructure, and stress/strain. Especially for tool steels these interactions are mainly influenced by the carbon content in the steel matrix, the types and relative amounts of the alloying elements, and the carbide formation/transformation/precipitation characteristics of the alloy system.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 1..

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

One Minute Mentor: Plasma Nitriding Equipment

August 2, 2023
Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Plasma Nitriding Equipment

Cold-walled (double-walled water-cooled) systems were the first generation of plasma nitriding furnaces. This technology is also a vacuum-based process but employs the principle of glow discharge to provide energy for heating and nitriding at one time. Therefore, the independent control of the temperature stability and the nitriding intensity is not possible because both processes are using the same energy source—the plasma.

The hot-wall plasma nitriding furnaces, the next generation of cold-wall ion nitriding systems, are mainly used and built now. This system ensures optimal nitriding quality by fulfilling the highest demands on temperature and nitriding process control. The big advantage of this technology is the separation of the control of the heating and the plasma nitriding parameters. 

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 26

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; H. Altena; T. Müller; P. Seemann, Processes and Furnace Equipment for Heat Treating of Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958