Atmosphere control system enables oxide-free annealing of steel, copper, brass
June 27, 2016
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Linde LLC, Murray Hill, N.J., introduces the Hydroflex atmosphere control system, a universal solution for clean and bright oxide-free annealing of steel, stainless steel, copper, bronze, and brass with high reliability and repeatability. Applications include automotive; aerospace and military components; construction and industrial equipment; and electrical systems.
"The Hydroflex atmosphere control system (ACS) can use one or more carrier gases – nitrogen or argon – to maintain the furnace pressure while a controlled ratio of hydrogen helps prevent oxidation," explains Akin Malas, Head of Application Technology, Metals & Glass Market.
With this technology, many annealing tasks can be completed with non-flammable gas mixtures containing less than 5% H2. This contributes to fire safety while optimizing the use of H2 in the process.
"Uses go beyond annealing," says Grzegorz Moroz, Program Manager, Heat Treatment and Atmospheres. "This control system can help optimize your process efficiency and enhance productivity of your process regardless of whether you are annealing, sintering, or brazing copper, steel, stainless steel, bronze, or brass."
Hydroflex ACS features and benefits include a precisely controlled atmosphere; improved heat transfer; uniform heat distribution with faster cooling rate; automatic safety purging with nitrogen; and storage of process data history.
For flammable atmospheres, system installation may include a furnace safety solution developed by Linde to satisfy National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 86) "Standard for Ovens and Furnaces." The furnace safety/protective atmosphere solution includes a nitrogen supply system with integral alarm panel, used to purge flammable atmosphere furnaces in emergencies.
Linde offers a variety of advanced gas control technologies and engineering services for heat treatment furnaces, including the Carbojet gas-injection technology for improving production by up to 20%. In addition, engineers at Linde Application Technology Centers can develop new gas supply systems for heat treatment processes and improve the control systems of existing processes. Metallography laboratory services include material analyses, scanning electron micrography (SEM), and a variety of hardness tests.
www.lindeus.com
Linde LLC, Murray Hill, N.J., introduces the Hydroflex atmosphere control system, a universal solution for clean and bright oxide-free annealing of steel, stainless steel, copper, bronze, and brass with high reliability and repeatability.
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Can-Eng installs 6000 lb/hr continuous mesh belt heat treating furnace
June 22, 2016
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Can-Eng Furnaces Intl. Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has installed and commissioned a 6000 lb/hr continuous mesh belt atmosphere furnace system for the hardening and tempering of high-volume fasteners at Metex Heat Treating Ltd., Brampton, Ontario.
This new system includes a computerized loading system, mesh-belt controlled atmosphere hardening furnace, oil quench system, mesh-belt tempering furnace, and pre- and post-wash systems. Its supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system integrates enhanced features to support compliance with CQI-9 guidelines. The continuous quench and tempering system incorporates enhanced energy-reduction design features that are achieved through the benefits of recuperative burner technology, providing improved system efficiencies and reduced emissions.
Metex Heat Treating Ltd. serves high-volume, Tier 1 automotive manufacturers of stampings, fasteners, and final assemblies in the Ontario, Quebec, Ohio, and Michigan markets. From its three plants in Brampton, Metex processes over 60 million pounds of heat treated products each year.
Can-Eng is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company that focuses on the development of high-volume continuous industrial furnaces for challenging applications.
www.can-eng.com
Can-Eng Furnaces Intl. Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has installed and commissioned a 6000 lb/hr continuous mesh belt atmosphere furnace system for the hardening and tempering of high-volume fasteners at Metex Heat Treating Ltd., Brampton, Ontario.
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Brembo builds $100 million cast iron foundry in Michigan
June 15, 2016
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Brembo Brake Systems, Plymouth, Mich., announces that it has conducted the first pour at its new $100 million, 266,000 square-foot cast iron foundry, during which the furnaces were charged and molten iron was poured into molds for the first time. The first pour is a preliminary test that ensures all systems are functioning properly, and is the first step before production ramp-up begins.
Located in Homer, Michigan, the cast iron foundry is the fourth in Brembo's worldwide foundry network, and the first Brembo cast iron foundry in North America. The foundry is also the third manufacturing facility that Brembo has expanded or built at the Homer manufacturing site. At full capacity, it will produce an annual output of 80,000 tons of brake disk castings.
Construction began in 2015, and the foundry is expected to be fully operational in 2017. The foundry is adjacent to Brembo's 440,000 square-foot facility in which disks and drums are machined for the original equipment market. Brembo also operates a caliper and corner-module assembly facility at the same location.
"Having our own dedicated foundry in the United States allows us to have maximum control over our process and costs," says Dan Sandberg, president and chief executive officer, Brembo North America. "Our customers benefit by having a dedicated, fully integrated manufacturing process for their brake components."
Since purchasing the Homer disk plant in 2007, as part of the acquisition of Hayes Lemmerz's brake business, Brembo has continuously expanded its footprint in Michigan. Brembo built its North American headquarters and R&D Center in Plymouth in 2009. The following year, the company built the Homer caliper assembly building. Since 2009, the Homer disk plant has been expanded three times.
www.brembo.com
Brembo Brake Systems, Plymouth, Mich., announces that it has conducted the first pour at its new $100 million, 266,000 square-foot cast iron foundry, during which the furnaces were charged and molten iron was poured into molds for the first time.
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Nucor and JFE Steel to build $270 million sheet steel plant in Mexico
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Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces a 50-50 joint venture with JFE Steel Corp. of Japan to build and operate a plant that will produce 400,000 tons per year of galvanized sheet steel in central Mexico. The plant is expected to have a cost of $270 million, and will supply the Mexican automotive market.
"JFE Steel is a natural partner for us. They are a premier supplier of high-quality products to the automotive industry and share our focus on long-term growth," says John Ferriola, Chairman, CEO, and President of Nucor. "This joint venture builds on our efforts to increase our production of differentiated and value-added products. Continued growth in Mexico's automotive production presents an opportunity for Nucor to increase our sales to this important market."
Automotive production in Mexico is projected to increase from 3.4 million vehicles to 5.3 million by 2020. The joint venture positions Nucor with improved geographic reach and expanded product offering to address this roughly 50% growth. Nucor and JFE will each supply an equal amount of substrate to be further processed at the new facility.
The companies are currently working to secure required conditions to move to completion, including but not limited to regulatory approvals. Operations are expected to begin in the second half of 2019.
www.nucor.com
Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces a 50-50 joint venture with JFE Steel Corp. of Japan to build and operate a plant that will produce 400,000 tons per year of galvanized sheet steel in central Mexico.
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Bodycote sponsors Periodic Table of Fictional Metals
June 8, 2016
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Bodycote, Macclesfield, England, has produced the Periodic Table of Fictional Metals, elements that have appeared in classical myths, books, films, comic books, and computer games for many years, as creative people invented metals with mythical or magical qualities.
Bodycote has a long history of working with real metals to increase their performance and meet customer requirements. Sometimes, though, in the myriad worlds of fiction, real metals just don't do what the author needs.
Popular culture has given us an extensive list of metals and alloys with fantastical qualities. In addition to Marvel Comics, whose ‘vibranium' and ‘adamantium' are probably some of the best known due to recent cinematic releases, fictional metals have appeared in popular science fiction movies such Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who; TV shows such as Game of Thrones and the X Files; literature such as The Lord of The Rings; and video games such as the popular Minecraft franchise.
For example, the Bodycote table reveals that Greek mythology introduced adamantine (Adt), a strong hard metal that made a "sickle or sword used by the hero Perseus to decapitate the Gorgon Medusa while she slept."
Rearden Metal (Rem) was invented by Hank Rearden, the protagonist in Atlas Shrugged. "This greenish-blue metal is lighter and stronger than steel. The first product made from the metal was a bracelet, then railway tracks for the Rio Norte Line."
Explore all these fascinating materials and many more in the interactive Periodic Table of Fictional Metals.
http://www.bodycote.com/fictional-metals
Bodycote, Macclesfield, England, has produced the Periodic Table of Fictional Metals, elements that have appeared in classical myths, books, films, comic books, and computer games for many years, as creative people invented metals with mythical or magical qualities.
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Al-Ce-Mg alloys enable easier casting, higher temperatures for engine parts
June 7, 2016
Source: ASM International
Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Eck Industries announce that they have developed aluminum-cerium alloys that are lower in cost, easier to cast, and more resistant to high temperatures than existing products.
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Novelis commissions $120 million aluminum finishing line in Oswego
June 1, 2016
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Novelis, Atlanta, Ga., has commissioned its third and newest automotive aluminum finishing line in Oswego, N.Y., where it will produce high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy sheet for the body and cargo box of the all-new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty lineup, helping to reduce overall vehicle weight by up to 350 pounds.
The line represents its latest investment of $120 million to expand the high-strength aluminum alloy supply for Ford F-Series trucks, America's best-selling truck for 39 years and best-selling vehicle for 34 years.
Over the past five years, Novelis has installed and commissioned three automotive finishing lines in Oswego, creating more than 460 jobs. This $400 million investment also includes the world's largest closed-loop recycling program, which processes roughly 25 million pounds of automotive aluminum scrap per month.
www.novelis.com
Novelis, Atlanta, Ga., has commissioned its third and newest automotive aluminum finishing line in Oswego, N.Y., where it will produce high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy sheet for the body and cargo box of the all-new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty lineup, helping to reduce overall vehicle weight by up to 350 pounds.
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Magna to build high-pressure aluminum diecasting plant in England
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Magna International of America Inc., Troy, Mich., announces plans to build a new world-class aluminum casting facility in Telford, England, to support Jaguar Land Rover, the country's leading vehicle manufacturer. Once production begins in 2018, Magna's high-pressure vacuum die casting process will be used to produce advanced lightweight aluminum castings — key building blocks in the next generation all-aluminum and multi-material vehicle architectures.
The new facility is expected to be approximately 225,000 square feet, and will create up to 295 jobs at full capacity. The UK Trade & Investment and the Automotive Investment Organization, along with financial support from the UK Government's Regional Growth Fund, helped to secure this project.
"We are excited to work closely with Jaguar Land Rover in the development of this project, which will bring the most advanced structural casting technologies to the UK," said John Farrell, President of Cosma International, an operating unit of Magna International. "As lightweighting continues to be a key technology driver, we are uniquely positioned to help automakers achieve optimal weight savings throughout the vehicle architecture."
Construction is expected to start in the autumn of 2016.
Magna, through its Cosma International operating unit, is one of the world's premier suppliers providing a comprehensive range of body, chassis, and engineering solutions to automakers around the world.
www.magna.com
Magna International of America Inc., Troy, Mich., announces plans to build a new world-class aluminum casting facility in Telford, England, to support Jaguar Land Rover, the country’s leading vehicle manufacturer.
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Can-Eng installs T7 heat treatment system for HPDC aluminum auto structures
May 21, 2016
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Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has completed the installation and commissioning of a T7 automated furnace line for the heat treatment of HPDC aluminum automotive structural components for an innovative all-electric automobile manufacturer located in California. The T7 system was designed for the thermal processing of components related to a family of parts for the launch of a new model.
The high-volume T7 roller hearth heat treating system includes a solution furnace with customized structural product fixtures, the Can-Eng Precision Air Quench (PAQ) system, an artificial aging system, and controls integrated into a Level II SCADA system. The PAQ system integrates a unique combination of recirculating air chambers, distribution nozzles, dampers, and directional ductwork that uniformly delivers conditioned quench media, leading to repeatable and uniform property and dimensional results. Quench parameters were developed for each component, as part of the component family, and once validated were integrated as part of the product recipe.
Can-Eng was chosen for this new light-weighting project because its flexible, cost effective heat treatment technology allows manufacturers to integrate new state-of-the-art processing systems into existing manufacturing cells, avoiding prohibitively expensive large-scale continuous processing systems capital costs.
Can-Eng focuses on the development of high volume continuous industrial furnaces for challenging applications and is the industry leader in the development of automated heat treating systems for the processing of thin-walled, lightweight aluminum automotive structural components.
www.can-eng.com.
Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has completed the installation and commissioning of a T7 automated furnace line for the heat treatment of HPDC aluminum automotive structural components for an innovative all electric automotive manufacturer located in California.
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Bodycote to open new heat treatment facility In Mexico
May 16, 2016
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Bodycote, Macclesfield, England, announces that the company will open a new, 100,000-sq.-ft. state-of-the-art heat treatment plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Mexico is one of the largest automotive manufacturing countries in the western hemisphere, with many of the world's leading car manufacturers investing in manufacturing and assembly plants.
Bodycote's latest investment, established to serve the country's extensive and growing automotive supply chain, will be capable of supporting large automotive projects and providing the necessary heat treatment services for technologically advanced components such as complex transmissions.
The plant will be TS 16949 certified, and holds all required OEM quality approvals. It will offer a wide range of heat treatment processes, including low-pressure carburizing, ferritic nitrocarburizing, and Bodycote's proprietary Corr-I-Dur process.
The San Luis Potosi facility will be Bodycote's third plant in Mexico, including the existing Silao and Empalme plants, and will be able to provide customers with complementary services and qualified backup to the existing sites, if needed. It is scheduled to be fully operational by fourth quarter.
www.bodycote.com
Bodycote, Macclesfield, England, announces that the company will open a new, 100,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art heat treatment plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
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