ASM Fellow Dr. Pradeep Rohatgi elected Fellow of Wisconsin Academy of Sciences
May 13, 2014
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Pradeep Rohatgi, Fellow of ASM International and Distinguished Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, has been elected Fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences Arts and Letters.
Prof. Rohatgi is internationally recognized as a world leader on solidification synthesis of metal matrix composites. He has made fundamental contributions on the interaction between solidifying interfaces and particles, nucleation and growth, and micro-segregation in solidifying alloys in the presence of reinforcements. He also established the mechanisms of solid lubrication by incorporating solid lubricant particles, leading to self-lubricating metal matrix composites.
He followed this basic research with synthesis of several new metal matrix composites, conducting technology and product development that resulted in widespread use of these composites in the transportation sector, electromechanical machinery, and thermal management applications.
www.wisconsinacademy.org
Pradeep Rohatgi, Fellow of ASM International and Distinguished Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, has been elected Fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences Arts and Letters.
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Severstal to sell its steel plants in Michigan and Mississippi
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Severstal, Russia, reportedly plans to sell its North American steel operations in Mississippi and Michigan for about $1.5 billion. According to the Wall Street Journal, at least two potential buyers have expressed interest. U.S. Steel is said to be most interested in Severstal's Dearborn mill, which supplies long steel coils to auto makers in Detroit.
Severstal bought the Dearborn plant in 2003 from Rouge Industries for $285.5 million. It has spent over $1 billion upgrading the facility. Severstal's plant in Columbus, Miss., is a minimill that makes steel from scrap.
Brazil's CSN, which recently lost a bid to buy a plant in Alabama from ThyssenKrupp AG, has reportedly expressed interest in buying both assets.
A successful sale of the two plants would leave no Severstal plants in the United States. In 2011, Severstal sold three unprofitable U.S. plants—in Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia—to family-owned Renco Group Inc.
Severstal, Russia, reportedly plans to sell its North American steel operations in Mississippi and Michigan for about $1.5 billion.
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Ipsen to provide advanced heat treating equipment to new Mexican automotive plant
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it is working with Imesaza, Spain's largest heat treatment company, to provide advanced heat treating equipment for its new production center in Mexico. Ipsen will also provide innovative process management and control systems. Called Imexaza, the new facility is near the famous "Carrerra Panamericana" transcontinental highway, which runs from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. The location makes it a close neighbor to primary customer facilities, whose supporting shells for bearings are heat treated by Imexaza in Ipsen-manufactured furnaces.
Along with supplying the Mexican operations of Audi, VW, and Mercedes, Imexaza also works with renowned suppliers CIE Automotive and ZF, as well as the turbocharger expert ITP.
Marcos Garcia Jimenez, Ipsen Sales Manager for Spain and Mexico, adds his own perspective – which results from extensive experience in both markets – on this phenomenon: "Mexico is becoming more and more important for established companies in the automobile industry. It has long ago made the transition from manufacturing cheap components to high-tech production. Our catalog of the most sophisticated heat treatment equipment in the world, combined with our on-site service, allows us to offer proactive support and help the automobile industry produce top-quality components directly in Mexico."
www.ipsenusa.com
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it is working with Imesaza, Spain’s largest heat treatment company, to provide advanced heat treating equipment for its new production center in Mexico.
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Siemens and Mitsubishi to form joint venture for production of iron, steel, and aluminum
May 7, 2014
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Siemens AG, Germany, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Japan, have agreed to form a joint venture to provide plants, products, and services for the global iron, steel, and aluminum industries. Siemens technology strengths are in iron and steel production, casting, automation, environmental technologies, and lifecycle services. MHI's technology competence is primarily focused on hot and cold rolling and processing, as well as production expertise.
By combining both portfolios, the joint venture can offer its customers the entire value chain in iron, steel and aluminum production, from technologies for processing raw materials to surface finishing at the end of the production process, as well as the related lifecycle service competencies.
According to the agreement, MHI will hold a 51% and Siemens a 49% stake in the joint venture. Subject to approval of the relevant authorities, the joint venture will start operations in January 2015.
The new joint venture will integrate Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery, Inc. (MH) – an MHI consolidated group company with equity participation by Hitachi, Ltd. and IHI Corporation. Siemens and MHI ideally complement one another with regard to their product portfolios, production know-how and geographical spread. The new joint venture with approximately 9000 employees will focus fully on business with iron, steel and aluminum-producing industry. The bundling of competencies will result in a powerful joint venture that is better able to compensate for market fluctuations.
The company's headquarters will be located in the United Kingdom. The joint venture includes supply agreements for Siemens' Industry Automation and Drive Technologies Divisions.
Regionally, the steel market has strongly shifted to Asia. Over 50% of the world's steel production now takes place in China, with growing competition also through local technology providers. Drawing on the centers of competence of Siemens Metals Technologies in Central Europe and those of MHI in Asia, the new joint venture has a very solid regional set-up.
www.siemens.com/metals
Siemens AG, Germany, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Japan, have agreed to form a joint venture to provide plants, products, and services for the global iron, steel, and aluminum industries.
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Lucifer delivers single-chamber bench furnace for power-generation parts
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Lucifer Furnaces Inc., Warrington, Pa., recently delivered a single-chamber bench model box furnace to Power Plant Services, an ISO 9001certified provider of parts and repairs for the power-generation and steel mill industries. Model RD7-KHE24 has a 12 by 14 by 24 in. heating chamber lined with 4.5 in. of multilayer firebrick and mineral wool insulation. Heating elements on the side walls provide 7 kW of power capable of heating to 2200°F.
Heating element coils are equally spaced and fully supported in easy-to-replace element holders to provide uniform heat and long life. Element lead wires are insulated by ceramic tubes through the rear wall brick for protection from electrical shorting and contamination. The box furnace frame is manufactured with heavy gauge sheet steel reinforced and welded to form a rigid unit with a heavy gauge front faceplate designed to withstand warping and distortion from the chamber heat. A rear mounted type K thermocouple assembly is located through the rear wall of the chamber for rapid sensing of the chamber heat.
The Red Devil bench model comes standard with a horizontal swing door insulated with multilayered ceramic fiber insulation with heavy duty hinges and a cam lock to insure a tight seal as well as a safety micro-switch to automatically shut off power to the heating elements whenever the door is opened. The chamber of the unit is fitted with a ceramic hearth plate to support a workload of 25 lbs. per square foot of hearth area. A digital time proportioning temperature controller and all other instrumentation are mounted in a separate control panel on the side of the furnace away from the heat and loading of the chamber.
www.luciferfurnaces.com
Lucifer Furnaces Inc., Warrington, Pa., recently delivered a single chamber bench model box furnace to Power Plant Services, an ISO 9001certified provider of parts and repairs for the power generation and steel mill industries.
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Alcoa to supply aluminum sheet for aircraft fuselages to Spirit AeroSystems
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has signed a long-term agreement to supply aluminum sheet to Spirit AeroSystems Inc. in a contract valued at approximately $290 million over five years. Alcoa will provide Spirit with aluminum sheet products for fuselage skins from its Davenport facility, which houses the world's largest and most advanced aluminum rolling mill. Spirit is one of the largest designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial, military, business and regional jets in the world.
On April 8, Alcoa increased its 2014 global aerospace growth expectation by one percentage point to 8% - 9%, on strong demand for both large commercial aircraft and regional jets and continued growth in the business jet market.
"Alcoa produces lightweight metallic solutions that deliver strength, aerodynamic efficiencies, and corrosion resistance," said Mark Vrablec, President, Global Aerospace, Transportation and Industrial Rolled Products at Alcoa. "This new multi-year contract with Spirit deepens our collaborative relationships and enables us to continue to grow in this important market. We are well-established in the aerospace industry and offer the best value and performance to our customers."
Alcoa's aerospace business, which had revenues totaling $4 billion in 2013, holds leading market positions in aerospace forgings, extrusions, jet engine airfoils, and fastening systems produced by its downstream business, Engineered Products and Solutions (EPS), and aerospace sheet and plate produced by its midstream business, Global Rolled Products (GRP). The Company's value-add businesses, comprising EPS and GRP, accounted for 58% of Alcoa's first quarter 2014 revenues and 76% of the Company's total segment after-tax operating income.
http://www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has signed a long-term agreement to supply aluminum sheet to Spirit AeroSystems Inc. in a contract valued at approximately $290 million over five years.
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Zinc-magnesium coating protects against corrosion at lower cost
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ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, Germany, has developed EcoProtect and ZM PrimeProtect, zinc-magnesium coatings that are said to meet the high surface requirements for exposed automotive body panels. As zinc-magnesium coatings offer significantly higher corrosion protection, coating thickness can be reduced by roughly a third compared with conventional solutions. The thinner coating also makes body parts easier to weld. The improved corrosion protection applies not only to flat surfaces, but above all to cut edges and creep around scratches, both of which are high-risk areas.
Thanks to the hard surface, there is less abrasion in the die, which means more parts can be produced on the press between cleaning intervals. As a result, OEMs benefit from optimized production processes. Moreover, the auto industry can switch to these new corrosion protection solutions without difficulty. ZM EcoProtect coatings offer the same surface finish as high-quality hot-dip galvanized parts. Therefore, it is no problem to start by just producing a few parts with the new coating and fitting them in the body. Car buyers will see no difference in the paintwork.
ZM PrimeProtect goes a step further, offering all the advantages of ZM EcoProtect with an even better finish. Press plants and paint shops benefit from improved long waviness and a higher peak count. Combined with good forming behavior in the press plant this results in a premium paint finish - if necessary even without filler; the paint is applied directly to the primer. That saves time and money and benefits the environment.
With the development of ZM EcoProtect and ZM PrimeProtect, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe is the first steel producer worldwide capable of offering all common automotive coatings also in outer skin quality. These world-first zinc-magnesium solutions were developed by the company's Technology & Innovation unit.
www.thyssenkrupp.com
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, Germany, has developed EcoProtect and ZM PrimeProtect, zinc-magnesium coatings that are said to meet the high surface requirements for exposed automotive body panels.
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MesoCoat receives EPA grant to develop CermaClad zinc-based cladding technology
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Abakan Inc., Miami, announces that its majority-owned subsidiary MesoCoat Inc., Euclid, Ohio, has received a Phase One SBIR Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a six-month project to develop CermaClad high-speed large-area metal cladding technology for bridges. The technology enables application of very thin layers of proprietary zinc materials to prevent corrosion by forming a physical barrier that acts as a sacrificial anode when the barrier is in danger.
It is a replacement alternative for the highly toxic galvanizing process. The EPA funding will be used to develop the product for infrastructure applications.
MesoCoat will use CermaClad metal cladding technology to apply very thin layers of proprietary zinc materials to prevent corrosion by forming a physical barrier that acts as a sacrificial anode when the barrier is in danger. The primary application of CermaClad LT zinc cladding is intended for corrosion protection for steel components including bridge decks, structures and beams, marine, power generation, refineries, grid transmission towers, railroads, and oil/gas infrastructure.
Frost and Sullivan expects the global demand for zinc to be 13.2 million metric tons (MT) in 2014, of which 50% of the total production is to be used for galvanizing steel against corrosion, which translates into an approximately $18 billion market for galvanizing globally. However, current galvanizing methods rely on toxic processes that utilize hazardous and noxious materials which generate toxic emissions. Chemical baths used during the galvanizing (pickling) process are among the leading producers of industrial waste.
www.abakaninc.com
Abakan Inc., Miami, announces that its majority-owned subsidiary MesoCoat Inc., Euclid, Ohio, has received a Phase One SBIR Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a six month project to develop CermaClad high-speed large-area metal cladding technology for bridges and other structures.
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ExOne qualifies nickel-base Alloy 625 for 3D printing of industrial parts
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The ExOne Co., N. Huntingdon, Pa., announces that its ExOne Material Applications Laboratory (ExMal) has qualified Inconel alloy 625 for 3D printing industrial applications at more than 99% density, utilizing its binder jetting technology. Its machines are said to provide higher volumetric output per unit of time compared with other metal 3D printing technologies, and greater flexibility for simultaneously printing multiple production parts.Inconel alloy 625 is commonly used for components in the aerospace, chemical, and energy markets, with applications including gas turbine blades, filtration and separation, heat exchanger and molding processes.
The metal is beneficial due to its oxidation and corrosion-resistant qualities, and is able to retain its strength even when subjected to extreme environments such as high pressure or wide temperature ranges. It has been qualified for use on ExOne's M-Flex and X1-Lab 3D printing machines.
The company expects to commercialize Inconel alloy 625 around June 1, 2014.
Rick Lucas, ExOne's Chief Technology Officer, commented, "Our qualification of the more than 99 percent dense Inconel alloy 625 further validates ExOne's binder jetting technology as a cost-effective 3D printing industrial solution. We believe that the ability to directly print highly dense metal components increases our competitive edge with both subtractive manufacturers and other metal 3D printing technologies."
ExMal is in various development stages with several metals, including titanium, which has produced excellent results in preliminary testing and printing research. New materials combined with new product designs tailored to 3D printing will create disruptive market opportunities for customers and also expand the addressable market. In accordance with its strategy, the Company continues to be in varying stages of qualifying additional industrial materials approximately every six months.
www.exone.com
The ExOne Co., N. Huntingdon, Pa., announces that its ExOne Material Applications Laboratory (ExMal) has qualified Inconel alloy 625 for 3D printing industrial applications at more than 99% density, utilizing its binder jetting technology.
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SSAB high strength steels and wear plates meet all requirements for laser cutting
April 30, 2014
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SSAB, Sweden, reports that both its Hardox and Domex high-strength steels meet all demands for laser cutting and can be processed with the same cutting parameters as unalloyed steel grades such as S235. All Hardox and Domex steels can be perfectly laser cut because of their consistent steel properties, tight thickness tolerances, outstanding flatness, and surface finish, as well as optimized chemical composition. The high steel quality also allows for smaller radii and ensures accurate results when bending.
"Contrary to popular belief, a laser beam has the same effect regardless of whether a material is soft or hard," explains Anders Ivarson, a thermal cutting and welding specialist at the SSAB Knowledge Service Center. Since a laser beam is bundled light made up of a certain wavelength, it does not matter whether the light is directed at a hard or a soft steel, the material is heated regardless.
"For example, the melting temperature of our High Strength Steel Domex 700 is exactly the same as that of S235GR, which includes no alloying elements of any kind. This is why a laser cutting machine with the same parameters can cut Domex 355, 420 or 700 equally well," explains Mr. Ivarson.
The experiences of Bystronic, one of the leading manufacturers of laser cutting machines also confirms this. "During our in-house exhibition, we processed Hardox and Domex exclusively and were able to show around 900 visitors from 50 countries that it is possible to cut and bend this material perfectly, even in larger thicknesses. Currently there is still a certain level of reluctance by our customers to use such high strength material – but without cause," says Mario Duppenthaler, Product Manager Laser & Automation at Bystronic.
www.ssab.com
SSAB, Sweden, reports that both its Hardox and Domex high-strength steels meet all demands for laser cutting and can be processed with the same cutting parameters as unalloyed steel grades such as S235.
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