Retech Systems develops hybrid plasma arc melting system for titanium aluminides
May 10, 2017
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Retech Systems LLC, Ukiah, Calif., reports that, after years of research and development between Retech and partner Ti-Solutions GmbH of Germany, Retech has been granted patents for a hybrid plasma-arc melting plus cold-wall induction system for titanium aluminides. The single-operation process converts raw materials into ingots that exhibit excellent homogeneity and a fine crystalline structure. This system solves a number of the typical issues associated with conventional melting and, ultimately, the atomization of titanium aluminide powders.
On May 18 at the ITA Europe 2017 conference in Amsterdam, Retech engineers will present "Advances in the Systems and Processes for the Production of Gamma Titanium Aluminide Bars and Powder." The paper will focus on the successful system and process development for ingots with lengths up to 1000 mm and diameters 53, 80, 100, and 200 mm. Additionally, the company's experience with powder production equipment and associated processes for selected gamma titanium aluminide alloys will be presented.
All developments have focused on cost-effective production for both product forms and, as such, an economic analysis will also be discussed.
"This is another example of Retech's commitment to developing real, viable solutions to the problems of today while being focused on tomorrow," says Rob Haun, Director of Product Development. "These systems and the process knowledge further support our efforts to facilitate the continued implementation of titanium aluminides in markets from jet engines to automotive turbochargers."
Retech, a Seco Warwick Group company, actively works with partners and customers to develop equipment and process solutions to meet and exceed expectations; this includes upstream elements as well as downstream components.
www.retechsystemsllc.com
Retech Systems LLC, Ukiah, Calif., reports that, after years of research and development between Retech and partner Ti-Solutions GmbH of Germany, Retech has been granted patents for a hybrid plasma-arc melting plus cold wall induction system for titanium aluminides.
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Braidy Industries to invest $1.3 billion to build aluminum rolling mill in Kentucky
May 1, 2017
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Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Kentucky, announces that it will spend $1.3 billion to build an auto body sheet and aerospace plate aluminum rolling mill, the nation's first greenfield aluminum rolling mill in over three decades. The goal of the mill is to become the nation's low-cost producer of high quality auto body sheet aluminum, plate, and ultra-high strength alloys for the aerospace industry.
The mill will open with capacity of 370,000 tons per annum, producing series 5000, 6000, and 7000 aluminum sheet and plate products. Braidy is also exploring new scientific nano-crystalline technical advances capable of improving molten metal-based manufacturing.
"By combining an advanced production capability with advanced metallurgical science, there is a great opportunity to reinvigorate metals manufacturing in United States," said ASM member Christopher Schuh, MIT metallurgist and member of the Braidy board of directors.
Ground will be broken at the 370-acre South Shore site in the first quarter of 2018. Over $1.3 billion will be spent on the mill, which is located in Greenup County Kentucky, close to the city of Ashland. The mill will be 2.5 million square feet under roof, with an ideal location on the great Ohio River, and already-permitted barge capacity. The CSX railroad runs through the property, and highway I-64 connects the mill site to some of the nation's largest auto-making and aerospace customers. The State of Kentucky exports more than $10 billion per year in aerospace products, ranking it second among all states in the United States.
www.braidyindustries.com
Braidy Industries Inc., Ashland, Kentucky, announces that it will spend $1.3 billion to build an auto body sheet and aerospace plate aluminum rolling mill, the nation’s first greenfield aluminum rolling mill in over three decades.
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ALD SyncroTherm compact heat treating system supports manufacture of aerospace parts
April 21, 2017
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ALD Vacuum Systems Inc., Wixom, Mich., has received a purchase order from a North American based aerospace manufacturer for a SyncroTherm brand, fully integrated vacuum heat treating system. This system will primarily carry out low pressure carburizing (LPC), and is the direct replacement for two vintage batch IQ atmosphere carburizing furnaces. Other operations of the system will include austenitizing, vacuum brazing, gas quenching, cryogenic treating, and tempering. This fully integrated, compact heat treating cell will be among the first known captive LPC operations west of the Mississippi.
ALD continues to expand the SyncroTherm presence in the heat treating world with applications for the automotive drivetrain, consumer tool, textile, bearing, commercial heat treating, hydraulics, aerospace and fuel systems markets. This will be the third SyncroTherm to support the needs of NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program). It will be comprised of five independently controlled hot zones, each rated for load sizes of 24x20x9 inches and up to 110 pounds.
SyncroTherm systems operate using recipe-selectable high pressure gas quench, and they incorporate support processes such as cryogenic and temper sequences in a fully automated, lights-out fashion. Individual part tracking and complete process history retention are key functions within the system, along with a consistent process cadence.
www.ALDvac.com
ALD Vacuum Systems Inc., Wixom, Mich., has received a purchase order from a North American based aerospace manufacturer for a SyncroTherm brand, fully integrated vacuum heat treating system.
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QuesTek CEO & ASM Fellow Aziz Asphahani elected to National Academy of Engineering
April 20, 2017
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QuesTek Innovations LLC, Evanston, Ill., announces that Dr. Aziz Asphahani, Questek President & Chief Executive Officer and a Fellow of ASM International, has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. This is in recognition of his distinguished contributions to engineering: "for executive leadership in STEM education, integrated computer design of materials, and innovation and production of corrosion-resistant alloys." He will be honored at a formal induction into the Academy in October, hosted by the President and Council in Washington, D.C.
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions given to an engineer. It offers the opportunity to serve the nation through participation in National Research Council workshops and report generation on engineering issues of importance (e.g., national security, energy distribution, and education of the engineers of the future).
Dr. Asphahani received his Engineering Diploma in Physics from Ecole Centrale de Paris, and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from MIT. He began his career at Haynes International, where he held positions of increasing responsibility as Corrosion Engineer, Director of Research & Development, Haynes Vice President, and CABVAL President. Afterwards, he served as President & CEO of CARUS Chemical Co. prior to retiring.
His work led to the granting of eight patents, one notable example being the patent for a corrosion resistant, high performance nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy, Hastelloy C-22 (US Patent #4,533,414). Alloy C-22 alloy was extensively evaluated as the outer canister material to contain the nuclear waste for storage in the Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Furthermore, Hastelloy C-22 alloy was used in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty in the 1980's as flat-beams to support the seven spokes of Lady Liberty, ensuring durability and resistance to corrosion.
Dr. Asphahani is the recipient of numerous prestigious honors and awards, including the ASM Medal for the Advancement of Research, the French SF2M Gold Medal, the NACE Education Foundation Founders Award, the ASM Education Foundation Roberts Award, and election as a Fellow in ASM, NACE, and NCER/University of Akron.
His active participation in the ASM Materials Camp initiative, engaged in getting students interested in science and engineering careers, has impacted over 11,000 students and 9,000 school science teachers.
Dr. Asphahani came out of retirement in 2013 to join QuesTek, where he has ensured sustained profitable growth through leveraging core competencies in novel Materials by Design methodologies and Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) technologies. Under his leadership, QuesTek more than doubled its business and expanded into the European market through the establishment of QuesTek Europe AB (a joint company with ThermoCalc Software AB, based in Stockholm, Sweden).
www.questek.com
QuesTek Innovations LLC, Evanston, Ill., announces that Dr. Aziz Asphahani, Questek President & Chief Executive Officer and a Fellow of ASM International, has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
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AFC-Holcroft provides roller hearth annealing furnace to automotive systems producer
April 12, 2017
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AFC-Holcroft, Wixom, Mich., announces that a leading global supplier of automotive systems and components has purchased a new roller hearth annealing furnace to be installed at a plant in the Southeast region of the United States. The same plant has been running production operating two Holcroft roller hearth annealers since the late 1990's.The new roller hearth furnace will be similar to the existing installation in design, but updated with modern control systems and features.
The roller hearth design offers more flexibility than other types of thermal processing technology such as induction. A roller hearth furnace can produce a larger volume of parts, change recipes easily, provide long cycle times, and offer the flexibility of batch-style processing in a continuous type design.
"The customer's team recognized and acknowledged the strength and flexibility of the original roller hearth design for its application," said Ron Graham, Sales Engineer at AFC-Holcroft. "Engineers provided vital feedback to us on areas of potential improvement, which allowed us to provide the optimal solution by combining the known functionality of the existing design with identified areas of improvement based on decades of in-plant experience."
www.afc-holcroft.com
AFC-Holcroft, Wixom, Mich., announces that a leading global supplier of automotive systems and components has purchased a new roller hearth annealing furnace to be installed in a plant in the Southeast region of the United States.
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Seco Warwick enables constant control of temperature in multi-chamber heat-treat furnaces
March 14, 2017
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Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that its engineering team has designed an innovative way to continuously control the heating and cooling of the entire cycle in multi-chamber heat treating furnaces. The company says that this is a unique technological solution on a global scale that could revolutionize the heat treatment process and exceed the aerospace sector's standards.
"All of our customers set the bar high," says Katarzyna Sawka, Global Marketing Director. "Nevertheless, the aerospace industry sets the bar the highest."
The patented solution, designed to meet the highest AMS standard, is based on thermocouples that move between chambers during the heat treatment cycle. Temperature control is achieved based on a special construction that allows the operator to monitor the temperature in both chambers. This provides full temperature control of the processed parts in multi-chamber vacuum furnaces during the entire process.
The technology has already been successfully implemented in a two-chamber vacuum furnace, the CaseMaster Evolution, which enables precise vacuum case-hardening for the most challenging industries. It has been successful in applications for aerospace, automotive, machinery, wind energy, and commercial heat treating facilities.
In 2016, Seco Warwick received a number of prestigious awards and nominations. The company won the Symbol of Innovation 2016, for implementing research and development projects with technical universities, and for developing an innovative graphene production line. Seco Warwick was also one of the first companies in the world to introduce augmented reality technology into heavy industry (SECO/LENS).
www.secowarwick.com
Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that its engineering team has designed an innovative technology for continuous control over the heating and cooling of the entire cycle in multi-chamber furnaces.
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Dynacast to acquire Signicast, the world’s largest investment casting manufacturer
March 9, 2017
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Dynacast International, Charlotte, N.C., has signed a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire Signicast LLC, a highly automated and vertically integrated manufacturer of precision investment cast parts. The company is the largest commercial investment casting manufacturer in the world, and is respected for its superior product quality and value, speed and flexibility, and customer services.
Combining the companies' offerings will provide customers even more design freedom, with expanded choices of materials, part complexity, and volume. As part of the merger, Signicast will remain as a separate operating division, ensuring business as usual for customers.
"Given Signicast's complementary manufacturing technology, this acquisition will expand our existing customer offerings and accelerate our strategic vision for growth," says Simon Newman, Dynacast's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "I look forward to working closely with the Signicast team to ensure that the combined company continues to provide our customers with unparalleled technology, quality, and service."
Once the transaction is closed, the acquisition is expected to add over 800 employees from Signicast's two campuses in Wisconsin. This addition will expand Dynacast's footprint to more than 9500 employees in 27 locations. The merger will allow Dynacast to continue growing both businesses, with intentions to globalize the Signicast division in the coming years.
This transformative acquisition is the next step of Dynacast's strategic vision toward becoming a $1 billion-plus organization over the next two to three years, and furthers Dynacast's position as the foremost global manufacturer of precision metal components.
www.dynacast.com
www.signicast.com
Dynacast International, Charlotte, N.C., has signed a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire Signicast LLC, a highly automated and vertically integrated manufacturer of precision investment cast parts.
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Meridian, Birmingham City U. partner to cut cost of diecast magnesium parts
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Birmingham City University, England, has signed an exclusive partnership with Meridian Lightweight Technologies, Plymouth, Mich., to showcase magnesium diecast components as viable alternatives for luxury car makers and the aerospace industry.
As part of the new partnership with Meridian, academics from Birmingham City University's Faculty of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment, and personnel from the company, will be investigating new ways to offer more sustainable goods for low-volume manufacturers, while making production financially viable for Meridian and its potential clients.
The two organizations will work together in the education, research, and development of magnesium applications that will improve fuel efficiency through weight savings and sustainability. At 1.8 g/cm³, magnesium is the lightest of all structural materials, 75% lighter than steel and 33% lighter than aluminum.
Meridian opened its UK facility in July 2003. Today, its Nottinghamshire plant produces around 5000 net metric tons of diecast products annually, serving automotive clients such as Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Ford, Honda, and Volvo. However, current magnesium manufacturing processes create the same amount of waste as product, resulting in high cost.
To address this issue, the University has established the Magnesium Innovation Group to investigate ways to add value to the excess material. Some ideas being considered include reacting magnesium with oxygen and water to create hydrogen, which can be used in the fledgling fuel cell industry to power cars and smartphones going forward. Although magnesium is 100% recyclable, currently no plants in the UK can process the waste.
Research findings will be published ahead of a major international magnesium conference, which will be held at Birmingham City University in July this year.
"The strategic partnership we have signed with Birmingham City University is very much a first for us," says Meridian's Randy Chalmers, "but is one which we hope will pave the way for future expansion with the institution as we seek to work together on our shared strengths in fuel efficiency and sustainability."
www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/magnesium
www.meridian-mag.com
Birmingham City University, England, has signed an exclusive partnership with Meridian Lightweight Technologies, Plymouth, Mich., to showcase magnesium diecast components as viable alternatives for luxury car makers and the aerospace industry.
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Immersion-tube lead holding/melting furnaces designed for auto battery plates
March 1, 2017
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Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has shipped two 18-tube gas-fired immersion tube lead melting and holding furnaces to a supplier of the battery industry. The immersion tube furnaces will be used in the production of lead plates for automotive batteries.
The maximum temperature rating for each furnace is 900°F. The front process wells are 30 in. x 15 ft 2 in. x 39 in. The carbon-steel plate welded design of this system facilitates energy-efficient melting and holding of the lead, and precise temperature control of the casting process.
Each furnace incorporates eighteen immersion tubes, each with its own burner and ratio regulator control. The molten lead capacity is equivalent to 290,000 pounds, and the system is rated at 6,000,000 BTU/hr. Each furnace is controlled by a programmable logic controller and includes a touchscreen HMI. These furnaces include a sow platform for safe loading of the lead ingots and sows into the bath.
"We designed these immersion tube furnaces to give the customer precise temperature control over the process and to run efficiently to save on energy costs," says Andrew Paul, Sales Engineer.
Each burner has its own gas/air ratio regulator, assuring the correct air and gas mixture for dependable ignition and efficient combustion. On-off firing allows for a wide input range, virtually eliminating temperature creep. The sow cradle protects the immersion tubes from possible damage from charging of large and heavy lead hogs. The hog ramp feeding onto the sow cradle allows for automatic loading of lead hogs and gently slides the pigs into the bath.
www.lindbergmph.com
www.thermalproductsolutions.com
Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has shipped two 18-tube gas-fired immersion tube lead melting and holding furnaces to a supplier of the battery industry.
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SecoWarwick brazing system to produce aluminum heat exchangers for race cars
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SecoWarwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that a complete controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) system will be installed in a C & R Racing (USA) facility for the production of high-performance aluminum heat exchangers.
"The addition of this equipment is an important step in PWR Performance Products' global strategy to expand our reach into the North American market with the new C & R Racing technology," says Kees Weel, CEO and Managing Director, PWR Performance Products. "We purchased our first SecoWarwick brazing line 15 years ago for our facility in Australia as part of our overall manufacturing strategy to keep all operations in house for optimum quality control over all of our products. The Seco Warwick brazing technology has operated with the reliable performance that we demand to produce high quality product."
SecoWarwick will provide a complete CAB manufacturing cell that will include an inline dry-off oven and a radiation braze CAB furnace system equipped with patented Accubraze process control technology. Installation is scheduled for the third quarter of 2017.
A SecoWarwick Radiation CAB System is an ideal method for brazing similar size products in a continuous flow environment. The furnace is designed to use a stainless steel muffle to contain the nitrogen atmosphere and provide uniform heating of the products. The heat input into the furnace chamber is proportionally controlled to heat the muffle, which in turn heats the products. Product results are consistently high, and fully automated material handling provides maximum efficiency with minimal operator intervention.
www.secowarwick.com
SecoWarwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that a complete controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) system will be installed in a C & R Racing (USA) facility for the production of high-performance aluminum heat exchangers.
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