Developers of Constellium Airware aluminum-lithium alloys receive award
December 7, 2016
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Constellium N.V., Amsterdam, announces that three of its researchers were awarded the Medal of the Academy by the Air and Space Academy for their achievement in developing groundbreaking Airware aluminum-lithium alloys: ASM member Timothy Warner, Knowledge Director and Metallurgy Group Manager; Alireza Arbab, Project Manager; and Bruno Chenal, Strategic Innovation Director. They received the medal at the annual Solemn Session held by the AAE on November 25 in Toulouse, France.
"We are particularly proud that Airware is now flying on the most prestigious aircraft and space programs, such as the Airbus A350 XWB, Bombardier's CSeries, the SpaceX Falcon Launcher, and Lockheed Martin's Orion Capsule," said Mr. Chenal.
Airware is a major component in the advanced materials portfolio of the A350 XWB manufactured by Airbus. At the same session, Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO of Airbus, received the Academy's Grand Award for his decisive role in the success of the A350 XWB program.
Constellium's Airware was launched in 2010 as a group of high-performance aluminum-lithium alloys suitable for applications in all parts of the primary aerostructure. Airware's lower density and improved properties allow optimization of structural designs, which leads to an overall weight reduction and a drop in CO2 emissions. Airware guarantees higher durability due to its greater resistance to fatigue and corrosion, which enables airlines to target extended intervals of heavy maintenance. Airware is endlessly recyclable without any loss of properties. The technology contributes to the development of a sustainable aerospace industry.
www.constellium.com
Constellium N.V., Amsterdam, announces that three of its researchers were awarded the Medal of the Academy by the Air and Space Academy for their achievement in developing groundbreaking Airware aluminum-lithium alloys: ASM member Timothy Warner, Knowledge Director and Metallurgy Group Manager; Alireza Arbab, Project Manager; and Bruno Chenal, Strategic Innovation Director.
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Ipsen announces 2017 heat treating courses scheduled for United States
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it will begin 2017 by hosting another series of Ipsen U classes, with courses available February 7-9, April 4-6, June 6-8, August 1-3, and October 3-5. The newly remodeled, state-of-the-art space offers an ideal arena for attendees to build and refresh their knowledge of heat-treating equipment, processes, and maintenance through applied learning. For those that prefer to stay close to home, Ipsen will also be providing additional one-day trainings throughout the United States. Specific topics that will be covered during these local seminars include:
Vacuum and atmosphere furnace maintenance best practices
Optimizing operations with predictive maintenance
Achieving and maintaining Aerospace compliance
Overall, both training opportunities will teach best practices for regaining control of your equipment and offer expert insight into specific maintenance issues you might be experiencing on a daily basis. Reflecting on past courses, attendees commented that "staff and facility are top notch and very knowledgeable in the heat-treating process."
Register today for an upcoming 2017 Ipsen U course, and stay tuned for local seminars that may be coming to your area.
www.IpsenUSA.com/Seminar-Registration-Form
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it will begin 2017 by hosting another series of Ipsen U classes, with courses available February 7-9, April 4-6, June 6-8, August 1-3, and October 3-5.
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Seco Warwick jet cooling chambers cut heat treating costs and emissions
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Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that it has completed the installation of two replacement jet cooling chambers at Worthington Industries in Jefferson, Ohio. To provide Worthington with the most cost-efficient system upgrade, the cooling chambers were supplied so that the existing components such as rolls, bearings, gaskets, sprockets, and chain were used from the old chambers. The contract included removal of the faulty cooling chambers, and installation and start up of the updated system.
According to Jim Williams, Group Leader at Worthington Industries, ʺWe accomplished this project by partnering with the Seco Warwick team. It was a coordinated effort to establish lead-times for all of the necessary components as well as offsite fabrication of the two jet cooling sections. We then identified a two-week window for the demolition of the ‘old' cooling zones, and installation of the ‘new' jet cooling zones. The project was completed with minimal issues; as we continued to operate our usual production schedule."
The goal of this new design was to lower the product temperature while reducing the volume of water to achieve this result. Worthington now runs a continuous 10,000 pounds per hour of production through the system, lowering the temperature by utilizing a state of the art jet cooling system.
"Seco Warwick has the technical expertise to perform modernizations that are not only cost-effective, but also provide the newest technology available for the application," says Jonathan Markley, Managing Director of Seco Warwick USA ʺOur goal is to enable customers to extend the useful service life of their equipment and meet performance specifications at the lowest possible capital cost. We call this process of partnering with our customers to achieve the best result, Seconomy."
The Seconomy service package is geared toward companies that are searching for savings and want their facility to be environmentally friendly. It is a program of heat treatment equipment modernization through upgrades designed to meet the needs of customers and comply with strict environmental regulations. These packages are designed specifically for heat treatment equipment that has been in operation for over ten years, requiring updates to reduce production costs and emissions while increasing process efficiency.
www.secowarwick.com
worthingtonindustries.com
Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that it has completed the installation of two replacement jet cooling chambers at Worthington Industries in Jefferson, Ohio.
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Ames and Oak Ridge awarded $5 million to improve metal powders for 3D printing
December 5, 2016
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Ames Laboratory, Iowa, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., have been awarded $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office to improve the production and composition of metal alloy powders for additive manufacturing.
"A lot of intense interest is focused on additive manufacturing with metal alloys, because there are so many potential applications," says ASM Fellow Iver Anderson, who is project leader and senior metallurgist at Ames Lab, as well as adjunct professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State. "Industry has demands for prototyping parts, design development, reducing waste of expensive materials, and efficiently producing custom and legacy components for their customers."
Because metal alloy powders are the raw materials for additive manufacturing, the ability to control the properties and quality of those powders becomes paramount to the quality of the final product. The goal is to achieve properties equal to those of cast and machined parts, or especially cast/forged and machined parts.
"Today, if engineers went to metal powder producers with a shopping list of the alloys and powder specifications needed, they very likely would not find what they want," says Prof. Anderson. "The customization capabilities are just not there, and we need to get there. That is going to be the key to commercially competitive additive manufacturing processes."
The goal of the project is to improve powder production by improving the high-pressure gas atomization process pioneered at Ames. Engineers and scientists will design and customize alloys specifically for additive manufacturing processes. Modeling and simulation of gas atomization process stages will be based on a flow-simulation code developed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory for part of the work.
Experimental gas atomization work and alloy design calculations/verification also will be done in the powder synthesis facilities at Ames. Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (ORNL-MDF) will conduct the corresponding additive manufacturing experiments.
https://www.ameslab.gov/news/
Ames Laboratory, Iowa, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., have been awarded $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office to improve the production and composition of metal alloy powders for additive manufacturing.
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Metalysis produces high-entropy metastable powder metals via solid state process
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Metalysis Ltd., England, has produced niobium-containing high entropy alloy (HEA) powders for high-temperature applications by means of its patented solid-state electrolysis process. HEAs are metastable materials in which five or more metals from the periodic table are combined. Niobium-containing HEAs, being refractory, are particularly suitable for high-temperature applications. These include future applications within the aerospace and gas turbine markets.
The Metalysis process is theoretically capable of producing the niobium-containing HEA, among others, at industrial scale. It is the latest achievement to utilize Metalysis' patented, scalable, solid state technology to produce new, high-demand metal powder products.
The company has raised substantial funds to increase productivity and carry out its Generation 4 ("Gen 4") expansion. Because it is modular, Gen 4 has the potential to be scaled up to provide hundreds of tons per annum of valuable specialty metal alloy powders. Efforts are ongoing to develop commercial applications across a range of producible HEAs and metal powders, as the Gen 4 project heads toward commissioning. These should prove the next step in the Metalysis roadmap for scalability of technology.
Metalysis Ltd. is committed to transforming the metals industry through the commercial exploitation of its patented process for producing titanium, tantalum, other metals, and innovative alloy powders.
www.metalysis.com
Metalysis Ltd., England, has produced niobium-containing high-entropy alloy powders for high-temperature applications by means of its patented solid-state electrolysis process.
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Lindberg MPH melting/holding furnace prepares aluminum for die casting
December 2, 2016
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Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has shipped a gas-fired aluminum stack melting and holding furnace to a manufacturer of recreational vehicles. The equipment provides efficient melting and holding of aluminum for a new die casting machine installation as part of a fully automated cell.
The melt zone consists of a sloped charging stack that helps to minimize impact damage from ingot. The gondola system weighs each ingot load and automatically lifts and dumps material down the stack for melting. The two doors on adjacent sides of the furnace allow for easy access to the melting chamber for cleaning. A laser charge stack level control monitors the material level in the stack for maximum efficiency. The advanced process controller provides temperature control, charging control, data logging, and alarm history.
"This melting and holding furnace was designed with features that improved efficiency in the customer's die casting operation," says Andrew Paul, Sales Engineer. "From the automated gondola system to the advanced controls system, this unit provides the customer with efficient and easy operation."
Unique features of this Lindberg/MPH furnace::
Rugged steel plate furnace construction
Impact-resistant castable lining
Two side access cleaning doors
Integrated programmable logic process controller
Laser charge stack level control
Pneumatically actuated cover
www.lindbergmph.com
Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has shipped a gas-fired aluminum stack melting and holding furnace to a manufacturer of recreational vehicles.
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Nitrogen monitoring system for heat treating furnaces reduces fire hazards
December 1, 2016
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Linde LLC, Bridgewater, N.J., has developed a protective-atmosphere safety monitoring system that can be installed on new or existing nitrogen supply systems for all common types of heat treatment furnaces, and can be tailored to the unique needs of the operation.
The system helps companies operating heat treatment furnaces to improve safety by installing a protective-atmosphere monitoring system in compliance with the National Fire Protection Association's "Standard for Ovens and Furnaces" (NFPA 86).
Heat treating furnaces depend on a nitrogen supply to help operators initiate a safety purge with inert gas of the flammable atmosphere, and NFPA 86 requires proper monitoring and controls to reduce fire and explosion hazards.
The Linde safety solution is designed to monitor nitrogen supply levels, and it signals operators at low conditions with an audible alarm and strobe. To help ensure availability of supply for the flammable-atmosphere nitrogen purge, the integral alarm panel provides indicators for low liquid-nitrogen level, low nitrogen pressure, and low nitrogen-supply temperature.
The Linde furnace safety solution can be installed on new or existing nitrogen supply systems for all common types of heat treatment furnaces, and can be tailored to the unique needs of the operation. Safety monitoring systems are a standard part of Linde heat treatment technology upgrades.
With every installation, Linde application engineers conduct safety training that covers the properties of nitrogen, storage tank fundamentals, material compatibilities, and emergency procedures.
Linde offers decades of experience in heat treatment across all common furnace types from continuous to batch type furnaces, including roller hearth, pusher, pit or rotary-retort. Expertise spans all typical protective atmospheres – from pure nitrogen, pure hydrogen, nitrogen/hydrogen, nitrogen/hydrocarbon type atmospheres to endothermic gas, exothermic gas and monogas atmospheres.
www.lindeus.com
Linde LLC, Bridgewater, N.J., has developed a protective-atmosphere safety monitoring system that can be installed on new or existing nitrogen supply systems for all common types of heat treatment furnaces, and can be tailored to the unique needs of the operation.
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Seco Warwick to install 265-foot aluminum brazing line for auto radiators
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Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., reports that it will install a 265-foot controlled-atmosphere aluminum brazing line at Banco Products Ltd., an Indian manufacturer and supplier of original equipment for commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles, and industrial products. The line is designed for a production capacity of 400 automotive radiators per hour, with a high-speed conveyor belt.
"CAB brazing is the preferred process for manufacturing aluminum heat exchangers in the automotive industry," says Seco Warwick VP Piotr Skarbinski. "We continue to improve this technology to achieve greater equipment efficiency and faster cycle times, while reducing capital expenses."
"Our experience of working with Seco Warwick in the past was extremely positive," says Yogesh Shah, Banco Vice President of Engineering. "We could achieve the required quality and performance set from the installation, resulting in our decision to go with them again for this new installation, the largest controlled atmosphere brazing continuous production line."
www.secowarwick.com
Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., reports that it will install a 265-foot controlled-atmosphere aluminum brazing line at Banco Products Ltd., an Indian manufacturer and supplier of original equipment for commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles, and industrial products.
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Aerobraze to overhaul USAF F-16 jet fighter heat exchangers via furnace brazing
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Wall Colmonoy's Aerobraze Engineered Technologies, Oklahoma City, announces that it has won a multi-year, multi-million dollar United States Air Force contract for the overhaul of the F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighter primary and secondary heat exchangers. Wall Colmonoy developed high-temperature furnace brazing and pioneered the first heat exchanger overhaul procedures. The company continues to deliver significant cost savings and performance improvements to the United States Air Force. The F-16 has dominated the skies for over 30 years as a multirole and air superiority fighter in service in over 25 countries.
According to Brian Martin, General Manager for Aerobraze Oklahoma City, "As a major manufacturer and overhauler of heat exchangers for the USAF for over 33 years, it is with great pride that we continue to provide support to the United States Air Force. This new award demonstrates our ongoing commitment to increasing efficiency and cost savings for our customers, through extending the life of critical components for the aerospace industry."
The division meets aerospace quality standards in processes for brazing, surfacing, welding, thermal processing, fabricating, machining, and overhauling. Quality standards include ISO9100, AS9100 Revision C, EASA.145.6085, Nadcap approvals for brazing, heat treat, welding, coating, NDT, and chemical processing, along with FAA-Repair License. An FAA-DER is on staff to support customer engineering requirements.
www.wallcolmonoy.com/aerobraze.
Wall Colmonoy’s Aerobraze Engineered Technologies, Oklahoma City, announces that it has won a multi-year, multi-million dollar United States Air Force contract for the overhaul of the F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighter primary and secondary heat exchangers.
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One Minute Mentor: The Passive Layer in Stainless Steels
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The presence of chromium causes the buildup of a chromium oxide layer that is impermeable and adherent to the alloy substrate, protecting it from any further oxidation or corrosion. Any scratch on this protective layer exposes the substrate to oxygen, and a new protective oxide layer is produced.
One important aspect of this layer is that it must be homogeneous throughout the surface of the alloy. Any differences from place to place could generate a difference of electrochemical potential, which could trigger a corrosion process.
Under normal conditions, the thickness of the protective passive layer is in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 nm, composed mostly of chromium oxide/hydroxide and iron/iron oxide. The strong affinity of chromium for oxygen promotes a very stable compound (Cr2O3) that suppresses any other reactions and thus stops corrosion.
The chemical stability of the passive layer depends on the type of surface-finishing treatment. Processes such as electrochemical polishing increase the surface concentration of chromium, promoting a thicker and more stable passive layer when compared to mechanically processed surfaces
Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels ⇒ Heat Treated High-Alloy Steels ⇒ Nitriding of Stainless Steels ⇒ Stainless Steels
The presence of chromium causes the buildup of a chromium oxide layer that is impermeable and adherent to the alloy substrate, protecting it from any further oxidation or corrosion.
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