Aalberts Surface Technologies publishes new white paper on bainitic bearings

November 4, 2024
Source: ASM International

Aalberts Surface Technologies publishes new white paper on bainitic bearings

Aalberts Surface Technologies, Livonia, Mich., announced the release of a new white paper focused on bainitic bearings, authored by Jeremy Lipshaw, Kathy Hayrynen, and Steve Metz. This white paper complements the company’s recent ASTM publication, “A Review of Austempering for Bainitic Bearings,” providing an in-depth look at innovative techniques and advancements in the field of bainitic bearings.

In this latest work, Aalberts experts explore the applications, benefits, and advancements in materials science related to bainitic bearings, highlighting the company’s ongoing commitment to excellence in surface technologies and precision engineering. The white paper expands on research presented in the conference paper, “A Review of Austempering for Bearing Applications,” which appears in the ASTM International book Bearing and Transmission Steels Technology.

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Solar atmospheres South Carolina facility earns approval from Parker Aerospace


Source: ASM International

Solar atmospheres South Carolina facility earns approval from Parker Aerospace

Solar Atmospheres, Greenville, SC, announced that its facility has received approval from Parker Aerospace, further expanding the company’s capabilities to meet aerospace industry demands. With this new certification, Solar Atmospheres now operates five locations capable of fulfilling Parker Aerospace’s specific thermal processing requirements.

Steve Prout, president of Solar Atmospheres’ Greenville site, highlighted the value this approval brings to customers in the Southeastern U.S., providing them with a local, efficient option for aerospace and defense thermal processing services. He noted that this addition will help customers reduce costs and lead times while ensuring the high quality that Solar Atmospheres consistently delivers. Solar Atmospheres offers comprehensive vacuum thermal processing services, handling loads up to 50,000 pounds and temperatures reaching 2400°F. With AS9100 and Nadcap accreditations, the company maintains rigorous standards to ensure reliable and precise heat treatments, meeting the exacting requirements of the aerospace sector.

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One Minute Mentor: Distortion of High-Speed Steels

September 30, 2024
Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Distortion of High-Speed Steels

High-speed steels show a typical distortion behavior depending on the heat treatment parameters. The figure shows the change in length of cylindrical bars (diameter = 20 mm, or 0.8 in.) and length = 140 mm, or5.5 in.), with rolling direction longitudinal to the sample) for various heat treatment conditions with austenitizing, salt bath quenching, and double tempering.

Quenching and tempering up to 500 °C (930 °F) results only in very small changes in length (either growth or shrinking). Higher tempering temperatures lead to a transformation of the retained austenite into martensite and a corresponding growth in length. For typical tempering temperature of 560 °C (1040 °F) changes in length of about 0.2% take place. Additional alloying with Co (5%) leads to slightly higher changes in length. The effect of an additional third tempering shifts the curve slightly to the left, whereas oil quenching leads to a slight reduction of the change in length.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 9. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980

Wisconsin Oven ships electrically heated drop bottom furnace to the aerospace industry

July 28, 2024
Source: ASM International

Wisconsin Oven ships electrically heated drop bottom furnace to the aerospace industry

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, WI, announces that it has shipped an Electrically Heated Drop Bottom Furnace with a traveling quench tank and maintenance platform to the aerospace industry. This system will be used for the solution heat treatment of aluminum parts.

The drop bottom furnace has a maximum operating temperature of 1,100°F and effective workspace dimensions of 3’6” W x 3’6” L x 4’0” H. An OSHA-compliant maintenance platform provides ease of access for personnel to service the equipment. The quench tank has a capacity of approximately 1,700 gallons and includes fluid level control (low, fill, high), a lockable water drain port at the bottom of the tank, and an agitator for water circulation. The traveling quench tank is enclosed with safety fencing for added safety during operation.

This drop bottom furnace is designed with sufficient capacity to heat 600 pounds of aluminum per load and provide a quench delay that does not exceed 5 seconds. The system also includes a slow drop speed program for heating applications that do not require a quench. A video of this system in operation can be viewed online.

“This drop bottom furnace was designed with a 5-second quench delay and a temperature uniformity of +/- 5°F at the set points 850°F and 1,100°F. Additionally, the system was tested to be in compliance with AMS 2750F, Class 1 furnaces, and Instrumentation Type C prior to shipment from our manufacturing facility,” said Mike Grande, Vice President of Sales.

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Harper International Receives Order for Scientific Line for Pitch Carbon Fiber


Source: ASM International

Harper International Receives Order for Scientific Line for Pitch Carbon Fiber

Harper International, Buffalo, NY, announces that it has been awarded a contract to engineer and manufacture a Scientific Line for the production of Bitumen Pitch Carbon, which will be installed at Alberta Innovates, located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The facility will be operated by InnoTech Alberta, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alberta Innovates. The equipment delivery and start-up services are scheduled for 2025.

This pilot-scale equipment will be used by researchers as part of the Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge launched by Alberta Innovates. The challenge aims to accelerate the development of large-scale production pathways for short and continuous carbon fiber from bitumen-derived feedstocks. Phase III of the competition will allow projects to demonstrate, in a repeatable manner, the ability to manufacture carbon fiber, incorporate it into prototypes, and understand the techno-economics associated with the designed process.

“Harper is pleased to support Alberta Innovates Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge to successfully create an alternative carbon fiber precursor with our customized Scientific Line. Carbon fiber from bitumen-derived precursor will significantly lower the price and have a smaller environmental impact,” says Briana Tom, Harper Sales Engineer.

Harper International is a world leader in thermal processing solutions for advanced materials. This latest contract highlights their commitment to innovation and supporting sustainable advancements in material science.

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Seco Vacuum delivers Vector Furnace to major automotive supplier in Mexico


Source: ASM International

Seco Vacuum delivers Vector Furnace to major automotive supplier in Mexico

Seco Vacuum, Meadville, PA, announces that an international Tier 1 automotive supplier headquartered in the USA has ordered a Vector vacuum furnace for one of their facilities in Mexico.

The Vector 15VP furnace is capable of a variety of thermal processes. Its hot zone measures 36x36x48 inches (900x900x1200 mm) and has a 3,300 lb. (1500 kg) capacity. It features convection heating and a mechanical vacuum pump system, meeting or exceeding the specifications necessary for the production line’s brazing process.

Typically, SECO/VACUUM furnaces are custom-engineered; however, this particular furnace was fabricated ahead of time as a stock item to meet the contingency of a customer requesting immediate delivery. This strategic move allowed the heat treat partner to quickly and seamlessly ramp up production capacity. Additionally, if production demand shifts, the new Vector vacuum furnace can be easily repurposed for other heat treat processes, offering significant versatility.

“We built this furnace to be ready to be shipped and put into operation very quickly, which is just the solution they were looking for,” said SECO/VACUUM Managing Director Piotr Zawistowski.

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Solar Manufacturing receives US patent for a control thermocouple for vacuum heat treating furnaces

July 1, 2024
Source: ASM International

Solar Manufacturing receives US patent for a control thermocouple for vacuum heat treating furnaces

Solar Manufacturing,Sellersville, PA, announced that it has received US Patent #11,815,403 for an innovative control thermocouple design for vacuum heat treating furnaces. This new thermocouple offers a significant advantage in controlling operating temperatures from ambient up to 1200°F (649°C), particularly in smaller diameter hot zones of 36 inches (91.44 cm) or less.

In conventional control thermocouple designs, the outer ceramic protection tube acts as a heat sink under these conditions. This thermal conduction, or heat loss, is compounded by the shorter length of the thermocouple assembly, causing it to operate at a lower temperature. As a result, the furnace’s heating elements increase power output to maintain the set-point temperature, leading to a hotter workload temperature than the furnace temperature. This issue is more pronounced at lower processing temperatures below 1200°F (649°C).

The newly patented thermocouple configuration addresses these undesirable thermal conduction losses. It has demonstrated improvements in temperature uniformity survey results. Meeting AMS 2750 standard temperature uniformity specifications requires control thermocouples to be properly located within the hot zone for accurate survey thermocouple measurements without correction factors.

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One Minute Mentor: Process Control in Nitriding Systems

June 11, 2024
Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Process Control in Nitriding Systems

Modern gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing furnaces are equipped with sensor systems and a process control unit that allow the measurement and automatic control of the nitriding potential (KN). The figure shows an example of how the process control can be carried out. 

Defined amounts of ammonia, nitrogen, and—for nitrocarburizing processes—carbon dioxide, can be chosen for each step in the program and fed into the furnace via mass flow controllers. The gas composition in the retort is measured via a nitriding probe. For the measurement of nitrocarburizing processes two different probes are needed. The control unit calculates the nitriding potential according to the measured values and controls the mass flow of ammonia to meet the requested set point of KN. During the nitriding process the gasifying amount of ammonia can just be reduced to a certain limit. To keep the KN value low, therefore, precracked ammonia must be added. It must be mentioned that there are some more simple control systems available, which also produce good results.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 25. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Steel Dynamics announces leadership appointments


Source: ASM International

Steel Dynamics announces leadership appointments

Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., announced leadership appointments for James Anderson and Chad Bickford. Mark D. Millett, Chairman and CEO, expressed his excitement, praising their leadership qualities and positive influence within the company. Millett highlighted their commitment to the company’s core values of safety, performance, and innovation, and their focus on prioritizing personnel.

James Anderson has been named Senior Vice President of the Long Products Steel Group, effective May 1, 2024. Anderson, who will report to Barry Schneider, President and COO, brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles, including leading the Steel Fabrication business and serving as COO of New Millennium Building Systems. His new role will see him overseeing operations that include four EAF long product steel mills and various smaller facilities, together capable of shipping nearly five million tons of steel annually.

Chad Bickford will take over Anderson’s former position as Vice President of the Steel Fabrication Group, New Millennium Building Systems. Bickford, who also reports to Schneider, transitions from his recent role managing the Butler Flat Roll Steel Division. His extensive background in steel fabrication operations and leadership, including a stint as General Manager at the Virginia steel fabrication facility, prepares him well for his new responsibilities overseeing seven manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Mexico.

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One Minute Mentor: Gas Nitriding Equipment

May 22, 2024
Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Gas Nitriding Equipment

Gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing can be processed in horizontal or vertical chamber furnaces with refractory insulation. However, to allow a quick change of the atmosphere and to avoid influences resulting from previous processes in the same furnace, retort furnaces are preferred.

To enable an acceptable production capacity, large vertical retort furnaces are used. Figure 23 shows a schematic sketch of a vertical retort furnace with a compensator for sealing against atmosphere. Nowadays large horizontal retort furnaces are also used. Horizontal retort furnaces of different size and execution are preferred for nitrocarburizing processes. Figure 24 shows a schematic of a typical horizontal retort furnace. Similar to the vertical execution, a good circulation of the process gas is needed to get uniform results, which can be reached by the use of a muffle and a high circulation rate. Indirect cooling is performed with an external cooling fan, blowing cold air along the retort. Other designs allow direct cooling of the process gas with an external heat exchanger.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 23. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958