Wind turbine gearbox bearings improve 415% after cryogenic processing
October 9, 2014
Source:
300 Below, Decatur, Ill., has pioneered an ultra-low temperature cryogenic process that the company says increases lifespan for 52100 stainless steel bearing components by an average 415% over current durability and wearability. Cryogenic processing reportedly goes beyond the typical heat treatment to affect molecular integrity throughout the metal component. It permanently rearranges molecular structures to prevent galling and spalling, while ultimately mitigating stress crack propagation.
The cryogenic process for bearings improves wearability and contact fatigue, and reduces failure while limiting the effects of surface wear and scuffing. The company has recently renewed its partnership with Millikin University to research additional maintenance improvements for wind power generation equipment.
Megawatt-class wind turbines subject tribology components such as bearings and gears to increasing demands for renewable electricity generation, creating operation and maintenance costs that are more than double the cost for natural gas-powered generation. Corrosive deterioration is also reduced as a result of the tighter grain structure and precipitation of micro-fine eta carbides following 300 Below's two-part cryogenic tempering process. High contact stresses from unsteady wind gusts, impact loads, and bearing skidding are significantly mitigated following the changes from cryogenics.
http://www.300below.com
300 Below, Decatur, Ill., has pioneered an ultra-low temperature cryogenic process that the company says increases lifespan for 52100 stainless steel bearing components by an average 415% over current durability and wearability.
Continue reading
Alcoa to produce third-generation aluminum-lithium alloys in Lafayette plant
Source:
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is opening the world's largest aluminum-lithium plant in Lafayette, Indiana, where it produces advanced, third-generation aluminum-lithium alloys for the aerospace industry. To keep pace with demand, the company has expanded its aluminum-lithium capabilities at the Alcoa Technical Center outside Pittsburgh, at its Kitts Green facility in the United Kingdom, and in Lafayette. Already, Alcoa has contracted $100 million in aluminum-lithium revenues for 2017.
"This state-of-the-art facility positions Alcoa as the world's premier aluminum-lithium supplier, offering the broadest portfolio of aluminum-lithium components for next generation aircraft," said Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Alcoa's Lafayette cast house, located next to its extrusion plant, can produce more than 20,000 metric tons (44 million pounds) of aluminum-lithium annually—making it the largest facility of its kind in the world. The Company offers the most complete portfolio of aluminum-lithium products, including extruded, forged and rolled parts. It has the number one market position in aluminum-lithium extrusions and a significant position on the Airbus A380, Airbus A350, Boeing 787, and Gulfstream G650.
Alcoa produces single-piece wing skins, including for wide-body airplanes, fuselage skins, wing stringers, floor beams, seat tracks and other components. The company also is developing the first ever aluminum-lithium forging for a front fan blade for Pratt & Whitney's PurePower engines.
The Lafayette facility is uniquely capable of making the world's largest aluminum-lithium ingots—approximately 50 percent larger than the nearest competitor, and big enough to make any single-piece component on today's aircraft. Complementing that capability, Alcoa operates the world's widest, 220 in. rolling mill at its facility in Davenport, Iowa, making it the only company capable of producing single-piece aluminum-lithium wing skins for the largest commercial airplanes. Single-piece parts make structures stronger, lighter and less expensive because they minimize the number of complex joints.
www.alcoa.com/lafayette
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is opening the world’s largest aluminum-lithium plant in Lafayette, Indiana, where it produces advanced, third-generation aluminum-lithium alloys for the aerospace industry.
Continue reading
Reducing machining time for aerospace aluminum parts
October 2, 2014
Source:
A new 5-axis, 5-spindle XP aerospace profiler by Fives Cincinnati, Heburn, Ky., lives up to its name— delivering "X-treme Productivity" in machining of structural aluminum parts. With doubled spindle speeds, greater horsepower and higher feedrates on all axes, the purpose-designed machine delivers 50 to 80% percent faster cycle times than prior models, while cutting multiple parts each cycle.
The XP profiler's modular design uses many features incorporated into Cincinnati's record-setting XT titanium profiler. It carries from one to five A/B-axis spindle heads in a traveling-gantry or traveling-table design, allowing it to complete up to five parts per cycle.
The rail-type design allows any practical x-axis length for carrying multiple gantries and creating multiple work zones. The new XP profiler is fully compatible with existing Cincinnati gantry profiler installations. It can use existing Cincinnati profiler beds or X-axis rails, or be installed on independent X-axis rails. X-axis length can be expanded anytime in the field with additional 12' (3.66 m) rail segments. Rail-type machines use dual servo planetary gearbox drives on both sides of the X axis. Y-axis drives can be linear-motor or rack-and-pinion driven.
The new high-speed rotary spindle heads are individually supported and independently driven in A/B axes for increased stiffness, accuracy and dynamic performance. Rotary axis feedrates have been increased to 2400 dpm, more than 400% higher than the prior design, to support higher tool path velocities in 5-axis contouring.
This is complemented with matched feedrates of 1000 ipm (25 mpm) on the X/Y/Z axes for consistently higher path velocities, regardless of the direction of cut. The simple, compact spindle head utilizes individual ballscrew drives for the A and B axes, while the 134-hp (100 kW), 18,000-rpm or 114-hp (85 kW) 20,000-rpm spindles outperform A/C type heads in 5-axis processing of plate parts. The ballscrew drives are completely field-serviceable, an advantage over most A/C head designs.
Multiple spindle configurations are available: three spindles with 1 m center distance, three spindles with 2 m center distance, and five spindles with 1 m center distance. There is also a choice of options in CNC controls, scales/encoders, toolchangers, perimeter guarding, spindle probes, video systems, tool-ID systems, spindle enclosures, mist collection systems and other features.
In first-article cutting tests on a machine recently delivered to a Tier One aerospace supplier, an upper wing skin panel approximately 31 ft. x 8.85 ft. (9.5 x 2.7 m) with a min/max thickness of 0.062 in./0.4 in. (1.57 mm/10.16 mm) and tolerance of +0.000 in./-0.005 in. (+0.000/-0.127 mm) was machined. According to the customer, surface finish was excellent and the part measured within tolerance after checking 2200 points with a CMM.
A new 5-axis, 5-spindle XP aerospace profiler delivers “X-treme Productivity” in machining of structural aluminum parts.
Continue reading
ASM International partners with AQM to offer classes overseas
Source:
ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announced a new education collaboration agreement with AQM, a primary technical services center in northern Italy. Through this new partnership, AQM is now an educational support location in Europe for ASM International. Starting this fall, multiple metallurgical blended and online courses are planned using the metallurgical laboratories and the metallography and the heat treatment schools of AQM and will be taught by ASM International instructors.
"We hope this partnership will help extend our global reach, fuel a passionate sense of community, energize members to aspire to new levels of success, and advance the development of materials," said Thom Passek, managing director of ASM. "AQM has a similar mission and the goal of our collaboration is to ultimately elevate the importance of materials professions. European metallurgical students will be able to lower their costs of training by traveling to a local destination and we hope that provides an extra incentive to take a course with us."
"AQM has always supported the training and growth of technical competence in the field of metallurgy, believing that this is one of the key factors for competitive growth of enterprises," says Gabriele Ceselin, CEO of AQM. "This collaboration will provide an additional impulse in this direction, promoting an approach at the highest level, and the access to innovative international relations."
Topics of the educational courses include:
-
Metallurgy for Non-Metallurgist
-
Practical interpretation of Microstructures
-
Corrosion
-
Principle of Failure Analysis
-
Failure Analysis in the Oil and Gas Industry
-
Metallographic Interpretation
Students will receive a complimentary one year ASM International membership, allowing them to share ideas and solutions with other members about technologies and application processes while building personal and professional networks around the world. They will also have free access to online journals and technical publications, as well as access to special offers available only to members.
The new ASM International-AQM training offer is intended to complement and reinforce the AQM Expertise Center's "Materials and Quality Control of Products," which already has a full calendar of courses through the School of Metallography.
Do you belong to an ASM European chapter? Contact them directly for a special promotional code and save on registration!
Fall metallurgical class schedule available for new Italy location
Continue reading
ArcelorMittal and partner to increase Calvert steel production to 5.3 million metric tons
October 1, 2014
Source:
ArcelorMittal, together with joint venture partner Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals Corp. (NSSMC), announces two important investment projects that will further enhance the capabilities of the AM/NS steel finishing facility in Calvert, Alabama. A $40m slab yard expansion project is underway to increase slab staging capacity and efficiency. An additional $6.7m will be invested in the existing number four continuous coating line.
The slab yard expansion will include the addition of overhead cranes, along with foundation work and structural steel erection, to increase the staging and storage capacity in support of achieving the full 5.3 million metric tons capacity of the hot strip mill. The mill currently consists of three bays, with the capacity to stage around 335,000 metric tons of incoming slabs, significantly less than the staging capacity required to achieve the 5.3 million metric ton target.
The improved number four continuous coating line will significantly increase ArcelorMittal's North American capacity to produce press hardenable steels. One such steel is Usibor, a type one aluminum-silicon coated (Al-Si) high strength steel. AM/NS Calvert will also be capable of producing Ductibor, an energy-absorbing high strength steel grade designed specifically to complement Usibor and offer ductility benefits to customers.
The modifications are expected to be complete by the end of the year and the first coil is targeted for production in January 2015. The aluminum-silicon coated steels provide high-temperature corrosion resistance ideally suited for heat exchangers, hot stamping, and exhaust parts for the automotive, HVAC and aftermarket exhaust, and tubing markets.
Currently, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor is the only ArcelorMittal facility in the western hemisphere producing Usibor and Ductibor.
Number four continuous coating line currently operates two coating pots: one to produce galvanized steel, or zinc-coated steel which helps resist corrosion; and the second to produce galvalume steel, steel coated with both aluminum and zinc to improve weather resistance. Modifications made to an existing third pot include a welder, snout articulation and pumps, pot refractory and equipment, drossing robot and coating knife and will allow AM/NS Calvert to produce aluminum-coated conventional and press hardenable steels such as Usibor® and Ductibor®.
www.usa.arcelormittal.com
ArcelorMittal, together with joint venture partner Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals Corp. (NSSMC), announces two important investment projects that will further enhance the capabilities of the AM/NS steel finishing facility in Calvert, Alabama.
Continue reading
Seco-Warwick earns ASME Code pressure vessel certification
Source:
Seco-Warwick Corp., Meadville, Pa., has been awarded ASME pressure vessel certification, earning both an "R" and "U" stamp, enabling the facility to produce vacuum furnace shells and provide a wide variety of pressure vessel manufacturing services. Scopes offered by the ASME BPVC Certification Program vary, and include but are not limited to: power boilers, heating boilers, pressure vessels, fiber-reinforced plastic vessels, transport tanks and valves. The Meadville manufacturing plant, an ISO 9001 certified facility since 1994, is a fully equipped 110,000 ft2 facility.
According to Andrew Paris, COO, "ASME certification is a confirmation of the quality and capability of our team here in Meadville. We have some of the most talented fabricators and welders in the industry and this certification gives us the opportunity to provide our customers more workmanship that showcases that talent."
The ASME BPVC Certification Program conforms to the rules governing the design, fabrication, assembly, and inspection of boiler and pressure vessel components during construction. In 1916, shortly after the first publication of the "Rules for the Construction of Stationary Boilers and for Allowable Working Pressures" (known today as the ASME BPVC), ASME began offering certification to companies in the pressure equipment industry to certify their quality control systems comply.
Products manufactured by ASME BPVC Certificate Holders are certified and stamped with the Certification Mark in accordance with the applicable ASME BPVC Section. Today there are more than 6,500 Certificate Holders in the ASME BPVC Certification Program.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco-Warwick Corp., Meadville, Pa., has been awarded ASME pressure vessel certification, earning both an “R” and “U” stamp, enabling the facility to produce vacuum furnace shells and provide a wide variety of pressure vessel manufacturing services.
Continue reading
FASM Rick Sisson to chair Heat Treat 2015
Source:
The Chair for Heat Treat 2015 will be ASM Fellow Rick Sisson, Director of the Center for Heat Treating Excellence at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and WPI Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
To be held October 20-22 in Detroit, Heat Treat 2015 is sponsored by the ASM Heat Treating Society and the American Gear Manufacturers Association. They are partnering to create a solid mix of education, technology, networking, and exposition opportunities. Those interested are encouraged to submit 150-200 word technical abstracts by January 26, 2015.
wpi.edu/+chte
The Chair for Heat Treat 2015 will be ASM Fellow Rick Sisson, Director of the Center for Heat Treating Excellence at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and WPI Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
Continue reading
CoorsTek, Coors family announce $27 million investment in Colorado School of Mines
Source:
Colorado School of Mines and CoorsTek, both of Golden, announce a nearly $27 million commitment by CoorsTek and the Coors family. Together with a $14.6 million grant from the state of Colorado, the funding enables the construction of the 95,000-ft2 CoorsTek Center for Applied Science and Engineering. This facility will support a broad range of academic and research activities on the Mines campus, and will serve as a focal point for the CoorsTek-Mines research partnership.
The CoorsTek Center will support the College of Applied Science and Engineering and the highly collaborative partnerships between its four departments and two interdisciplinary programs: the Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, the Department of Physics, the Materials Science Program, and the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program.
Planning for the $45 million CoorsTek Center is now underway. Building features will include flexible laboratories, customizable classrooms for hands-on learning, and centralized teaching and research space. The facility will be located on and around the site of the current physics building, Meyer Hall, at 15th and Arapahoe streets in Golden.
www.mines.edu
Colorado School of Mines and CoorsTek, both of Golden, announce a nearly $27 million commitment by CoorsTek and the Coors family.
Continue reading
Ipsen to ship VFS furnaces for heat treating medical devices and aerospace equipment
Source:
Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it will ship four VFS furnaces from its facility in Souderton, Pa., to sites in Washington, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina, primarily for heat treating medical devices and aerospace structures. Valued at more than $4.7 million, these furnaces include HIQ (Horizontal Internal Quench), HEQ (Horizontal External Quench), and the specialized VDS (Vacuum Debind and Sinter) system capable of high-efficiency binder- and contaminate-trapping.
The HEQ and HIQ models represent the latest vacuum furnace innovations and designs. Overall, the VFS series provides consistent performance and reliability, all while staying committed to supplying maintenance-friendly designs that reduce downtime.
Ipsen designs and manufactures industrial vacuum furnaces, atmosphere furnaces, and supervisory control systems for a wide variety of thermal processing markets, including: Aerospace, Commercial Heat Treating, Medical, Energy and Automotive.
www.ipsenusa.com
Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it will ship four VFS furnaces from its facility in Souderton, Pa., to sites in Washington, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina, primarily for heat treating medical devices and aerospace structures.
Continue reading
3D printing wear materials
September 24, 2014
Source:
The NanoSteel Company, Providence, R.I., successfully expanded their engineered powders business into additive manufacturing. By leveraging its uniform metal matrix microstructures in the laser- sintering process, the company was able to build a crack-free, fully dense bulk sample. Initial additive manufacturing focus supported the market need for on-demand, on-site wear parts while addressing current challenges in 3D printing of high-hardness parts.
This breakthrough overcomes one of the major hurdles to achieving a high-hardness metallic part through additive manufacturing—the tendency to develop cracks during part builds. A global process development partner helped optimize processing of a proprietary alloy with a high volume fraction of borocarbide phases. This successfully produced a fully dense (99.9%) crack-free part with hardness values over 1000 HV, wear resistance comparable to conventionally manufactured M2 tool steels, and a uniform microstructure. Importantly, these properties were achieved without the need for post-processing such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP) or further heat treatment, reducing production cost and lead times.
"Currently, the material options to produce highly wear-resistant parts through additive manufacturing are limited" said Harald Lemke, NanoSteel's General Manager of Engineered Powders. "By extending the reach of steel into markets currently served by WC-Co, ceramics, and other non-ferrous metal matrix metal composites, NanoSteel has the potential to generate cost-efficient wear parts to serve the tooling, mining, energy, and transportation industries in applications such as pumps, bearings, and cutting tools."
The company is currently extending this breakthrough into more complex geometries and broadening its property sets to fully validate the market potential for 3D-printed steel components. Learn more about NanoSteel engineered powders for additive manufacturing.
High-hardness ferrous metal matrix products now achievable through a one-step 3D-printing process
Continue reading 