Ipsen USA receives orders for nine Titan vacuum furnaces and seven others in October
November 11, 2018
Source:
Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, secured multiple vacuum furnace orders last month, ending with a total of 16 new orders, including nine Titan vacuum furnaces, a record month in the 10-year production of the global platform product. Titan is known for its versatility and these furnaces continue to prove that, as they will be shipped worldwide for use in a variety of applications for companies in aerospace, automotive, and commercial heat-treating industries.
Titan furnaces:
--Are available in several sizes with horizontal or vertical configurations, nitrogen or argon quench and graphite or all-metal hot zone construction
--Incorporate a high-definition display with a touch screen
--Support a variety of standard processes, including hardening, annealing, tempering and brazing
--Are capable of meeting applicable AMS 2750, Nadcap and MedAccred requirements
--Maintain tight temperature uniformity of ±10 °F (±5 °C) from 1,000 °F to 2,400 °F (540 °C to 1,320 °C)
--Use approximately 40% less floor space¹, and its compact design allows for ease of installation
In addition to the strong bookings for the Titan product line, Ipsen also sold seven custom units, including MetalMaster, TurboTreater, and vacuum aluminum brazing furnaces.
www.ipsenusa.com
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Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, secured multiple vacuum furnace orders last month, ending with a total of 16 new orders, including nine Titan vacuum furnaces, a record month in the 10-year production of the global platform product.
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GKN to build functional metal parts for Volkswagen with HP Metal Jet 3D printer
November 3, 2018
Source: ASM International
GKN Powder Metallurgy, Cinnaminson, N.J., announces a strategic collaboration with HP Inc. in which GKN will be the first to deploy the just-launched HP Metal Jet, based on binder jetting technology, into its factories to produce functional metal parts for auto and industrial leaders, including Volkswagen and Wilo, and for companies around the world.
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SSAB to increase capacity to make quenched and tempered steels in its Alabama plant
November 2, 2018
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Swedish steelmaker SSAB says it plans to invest about $110 million in its steel plant in Mobile, Ala., to increase capacity to make quenched-and-tempered (Q&T) steels and other products. The company says it is planning a number of targeted improvements to its formatting, blasting and painting, and shipping operations to boost its Q&T capacity.
The upgrades would eliminate production bottlenecks and lift capacity by 33% to about 440,000 tons annually. Additionally, SSAB is planning a parallel project in which it will install a new, accelerated cooling system on the rolling mill. The investment has been designed to include the potential to build additional Q&T capacity through direct quenching similar to the technology currently used at SSAB’s production facilities in Finland and Sweden.
“With this planned investment, we not only increase our production, but also improve our quality and efficiency performance as well,†said SSAB Americas president Chuck Schmitt.
“Over the past 20 years, we have increased Q&T volumes by an average of 7% a year,†said SSAB president and chief executive Martin Lindqvist. “There is great market potential as Q&T penetration is still relatively low, for example in North and South America, where we now plan to increase capacity.â€
https://www.aist.org/news/steel-news/2018/october/29-october-2-november/ssab-looks-to-increase-q-t-capacity-through-us$110
www.ssab.com
Swedish steelmaker SSAB says it plans to invest about $110 million in its steel plant in Mobile, Ala., to increase capacity to make quenched-and-tempered (Q&T) steels and other products.
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Novelis to build Solution Centers near auto makers to accelerate aluminum applications
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Novelis Inc., Atlanta, plans to establish a global network of Customer Solution Centers (CSCs) to accelerate collaborative innovation between Novelis and automakers for the next generation of vehicle design. Novelis will work with OEMs to determine how to maximize lightweight, high-strength aluminum to design the best solutions for specific applications at the right cost to better compete against steel and other materials.
The facilities will be led by teams of industry-leading researchers, designers and engineers located in close proximity to manufacturing sites in North America, China, and Europe. In addition, Novelis CSCs will provide an environment to demonstrate product concepts, simulate customer processes and performance, and leverage data to educate stakeholders throughout the supply chain about elements ranging from forming to costing.
The first center is scheduled to open in Novi, Michigan, with China and Europe to follow.
Customer Solution Centers will bring research and technical platforms, operations and commercial development together to increase collaboration and innovation. Each center will include high-tech development machinery ranging from computer-aided design (CAD) software to virtual collaboration capabilities and visualization technologies.
As the facilities come online, cross-regional teams will be in place to ramp up product development in critical stages for the auto industry.
www.novelis.com
Novelis Inc., Atlanta, plans to establish a global network of Customer Solution Centers (CSCs) to accelerate collaborative innovation between Novelis and automakers for the next generation of vehicle design.
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Carpenter acquires U.K. powder manufacturer for its additive manufacturing capability
November 1, 2018
Source:
Carpenter Technology Corp., Philadelphia, has acquired LPW Technology Ltd. for its advanced metal powders and lifecycle management solutions for metal additive manufacturing.
According to Tony R. Thene, Carpenter’s President and Chief Executive Officer, “Our aggressive development in key aspects of additive manufacturing demonstrates our commitment to build on our industry-leading position in this space. The acquisition combines LPW’s metal powder lifecycle management technology and processes, with our technical expertise in producing highly engineered metal powders and additively manufactured components.â€
Carpenter says that lifecycle management technology is becoming increasingly important to understanding how materials behave before, during, and after production in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Understanding powder behavior will continue to be critical as AM becomes more widely adopted and implemented across various industries.
“LPW’s innovative platforms and enabling technology further solidify Carpenter’s position as a preferred provider of end-to-end next generation additive manufacturing solutions,†commented Phil Carroll, LPW’s founder.
Carpenter’s AM portfolio also includes recent investments in Puris, a titanium powder producer; CalRAM, a leader in Electron Beam and Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion AM services; and the construction of an Emerging Technology Center in Athens, Alabama.
www.cartech.com
Carpenter Technology Corp., Philadelphia, has acquired LPW Technology Ltd. for its advanced metal powders and lifecycle management solutions for metal additive manufacturing.
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Nucor to invest $650 million in Gallitin flat-rolled sheet steel mill to expand production
October 21, 2018
Source:
Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces that its Board of Directors has approved an investment of $650 million to expand the production capability of Nucor Steel Gallatin, the company's flat-rolled sheet steel mill located in Ghent, Ky. This investment will increase the production capability from 1,600,000 tons to approximately 3,000,000 tons annually, and will increase the maximum coil width to approximately 73 inches. The project is expected to create 70 full-time jobs.
This expansion complements the $176 million investment currently under way to construct a hot band continuous pickle galvanizing line at Nucor Steel Gallatin. The pickle galvanizing line is expected to be operational in the first half of 2019 and will produce approximately 500,000 tons per year of galvanized hot band steel. Nucor continues to evaluate additional expansion projects as part of the company's initiative to further grow its sheet business.
“This investment is another major component of our planned strategy for long-term profitable growth,†said John Ferriola, chairman, CEO & president of Nucor. “Together with the new galvanizing line, this expansion increases our presence in the important Midwest market, specifically in the automotive, agriculture, heavy equipment, and energy pipe and tube sectors.â€
Nucor acquired the former Gallatin Steel Company in late 2014 for a purchase price of approximately $780 million.
www.nucor.com
Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces that its Board of Directors has approved an investment of $650 million to expand the production capability of Nucor Steel Gallatin, the company’s flat-rolled sheet steel mill located in Ghent, Ky.
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U.S. Department of Energy grant to advance electrolysis process for copper production.
October 4, 2018
Source:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that associate professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore has received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to run larger scale tests of a new way to produce copper using electricity to separate copper from melted sulfur-based minerals, which are the main source of copper.
In June 2017, researchers in Prof. Allanore’s lab identified how to selectively separate pure copper and other metallic elements from sulfide mineral ore in one step. Their molten sulfide electrolysis process eliminates sulfur dioxide, a noxious byproduct of traditional copper extraction methods, instead producing pure elemental sulfur.
“We think that with our technology we could provide these copper wires with less energy consumption and higher productivity,†Prof. Allanore says. It may be possible to cut the energy needed for making copper by 20 percent.
In earlier research, postdoc Sulata K. Sahu and graduate student Brian J. Chmielowiec decomposed sulfur-rich minerals at high temperature into pure sulfur and extracted three different metals at very high purity: copper, molybdenum, and rhenium. The process is similar to the Hall-Héroult process, which uses electrolysis to produce aluminum, but operates at a higher operating temperature to enable production of liquid copper.
Currently, it takes multiple steps to separate out copper, first crushing sulfide minerals, and then floating out the copper-bearing parts. This copper-rich material — copper concentrate — is next partially refined in a smelter, and further purified with electrolytic refining.
“Professor Allanore’s approach would work on the copper concentrate and has the potential to produce copper rod in a single operation while separating unwanted impurities and recovering valuable byproducts that are also in the concentrate,†says Hal Stillman, director of technology development and transfer for the International Copper Association. “Professor Allanore’s approach is a big step; it allows a completely new approach to refining copper.â€
The three-year, $1.89 million DOE award will allow Allanore’s group to make a larger reactor, producing about 10 times as much liquid copper per hour, and to run the reactor for a longer time, enough to identify what happens to the other metals accompanying copper, which are also commercially important.
http://news.mit.edu/
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that associate professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore has received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to run larger scale tests of a new way to produce copper using electricity to separate copper from melted sulfur-based minerals, which are the main source of copper.
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AIST names flash bainite, nanotexturing, and steel foam as T.C. Graham Prize finalists
Source:
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology, Warrendale, Pa., has disclosed the three finalists for the third annual T.C. Graham Prize, which was established in 2014 through an endowment from one of the steel industry’s most successful and innovative executives, Tom C. Graham Sr. The purpose is to recognize innovative applications for steel that may lead to the development of new markets. The winning entry will receive $20,000.
One of the three finalists is Flash Bainite, a heat treating technology developed by Gary Cola of the Flash Bainite Co., Washington Twp., Michigan. Said to be capable of producing 1600 MPa sheet in just five seconds, Flash 1600 has reportedly been proven in automotive OEM test labs to reduce mass by 20 to 58 percent, while maintaining performance and reducing cost. This process is an entirely new field of ferrous metallurgy that leverages the natural heterogeneity of steel to create a highly complex, nanorefined microstructure with unparalleled mechanical properties.
The second finalist is Nanotexturing Stainless Steel, developed by Professors Julie Champion and Dennis Hess of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Creation of nanotexture on stainless steel by electrochemical etching decreases attachment of bacteria and kills bacteria, while simultaneously improving corrosion resistance. The goal is to scale up and establish the feasibility of translating electrochemical etching as a method of creating nanotexture on stainless steel food and beverage equipment, biomedical devices, and a variety of surfaces to prevent bacterial infection.
The third finalist is Steel Composite Metal Foam, developed by Prof. Afsaneh Rabiei of North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Steel-steel composite metal foam is a low weight, high-strength metal foam manufactured using hollow steel spheres embedded in a steel matrix. This material has shown superior mechanical properties under loading, fire, radiation and even blast and fragments impact. Such properties have made steel-steel composite metal foams strong candidates for applications in structural components.
www.flashbainite.com
www.ncsu.edu
www.gatech.edu
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology, Warrendale, Pa., has disclosed the three finalists for the third annual T.C. Graham Prize, which was established in 2014 through an endowment from one of the steel industry’s most successful and innovative executives, Tom C. Graham Sr.
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Braidy Industries acquires nanostructured aluminum producer NanoAl
September 23, 2018
Source:
Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Ky., announces that it has acquired NanoAl LLC, a world leader in the science of nanocrystalline strengthening technology applied to sheet aluminum, as a third wholly owned subsidiary. NanoAl will join the Braidy Atlas aluminum rolling mill and Veloxint in the Braidy Industries company portfolio of holdings.
NanoAl was founded out of the Department of Materials Science at Northwestern University to commercialize the science of developing stronger aluminum alloys through control of key structural features at the nanoscale. Braidy believes the technology has the potential to significantly enhance the specific strength of aluminum to be produced by its Braidy Atlas mill, creating a competitive advantage within the automotive and aerospace OEM marketplace.
“We believe NanoAl’s innovative approach will enable sheet aluminum 20 percent stronger than conventional grades, while maintaining lower cost. The technology also applies to powder metallurgy, including 3D printing applications, allowing additional synergies between the Braidy Atlas mill and Veloxint,†said Dr. Alan Lund, Veloxint CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Braidy,. “This is another step towards our goal of rebuilding Appalachia with cutting edge technology focused on lightweighting solutions.â€
According to Dr. Nhon Q. Vo, Chief Executive, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of NanoAl, “Our new partnership with Braidy Industries and Veloxint provides the opportunity to scale our research and development capabilities and become the innovation leader in nano-science technology of light metals.â€
Craig T. Bouchard, Braidy Industries Chairman and Chief Executive said, “We have the opportunity to grow our powder metallurgy business via acquisition. And, we have been approached by numerous parties to consider building our second rolling mill. We intend to pursue these opportunities.â€
www.braidyindustries
Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Ky., announces that it has acquired NanoAl LLC, a world leader in the science of nanocrystalline strengthening technology applied to sheet aluminum, as a third wholly owned subsidiary.
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Nanosteel spins out 3D printing business to commercialize steel alloy powders
September 21, 2018
Source:
Nanosteel Corp., Providence, announces the spinout of its additive manufacturing business unit into a new corporation named Formetrix. Led by an industrial leader in additive manufacturing and including investors Cycad Group and SPDG, Formetrix closed its Series A capital raise to accelerate the commercialization of Formetrix steel alloys for 3D printing processes.
Over the past four years, the team has developed novel alloys with exceptional material properties that current 3D printable or metal injection molded alloys do not offer. Leveraging NanoSteel’s decade long expertise in patented steel alloy design, Formetrix metal powder portfolio provides an attractive combination of benefits such as higher hardness, higher ductility, and higher wear resistance than existing alternatives.
The company’s initial industry focus is on materials for hot and cold forming tool and dies (i.e. molding, casting and stamping) within the automotive, oil and gas, and heavy machinery markets. Formetrix patented BLDRmetal powders use conventional steel alloying elements in novel ratios to create a powder platform well suited to the stresses experienced in most additive manufacturing processes.
“Formetrix was formed to provide new, high performance steel alloys to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing within the tool and die and aluminum die cast industries,†says NanoSteel President and CEO David Paratore. “Growth in these sectors has been limited in part to the lack of suitable materials, and we believe we have developed excellent new options.â€
www.nanosteelco.com
Nanosteel Corp., Providence, announces the spinout of its additive manufacturing business unit into a new corporation named Formetrix.
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