Wisconsin Oven gas-fired walk-in batch oven treats industrial transformers
January 18, 2016
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Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Mich., has shipped a gas-fired walk-in batch oven to an industrial transformer supplier for baking out transformers. The customer opted to add the turn-key installation package, which includes everything from unloading the equipment to commissioning the equipment into operation. The walk-in industrial oven has a maximum temperature rating of 300°F and work chamber of 10 x 10 x 10 feet. The recirculation system was designed with combination airflow to maximize heating rates and temperature uniformity of the products. The heating system utilizes an air heat burner rated at 750,000 BTU per hour.
The turn-key installation service for the industrial oven involved three consecutive days of installation with start-up and training at the facility by two Wisconsin Oven factory technicians.
The turn-key installation included reassembly and rewiring all components removed from shipping; connecting customer's utilities to the equipment; debugging and start-up of equipment; training three personnel on operation and maintenance; and other installation procedures.
This walk-in batch oven was fully factory tested and adjusted prior to shipment to help reduce installation and start-up times. A 150 point Quality Assurance check list was completed to ensure the equipment met all Wisconsin Oven quality standards.
The industrial batch ovens are backed by Wisconsin Oven's 5-Year WOW warranty, which covers all materials for all components (less wear items).
www.wisoven.com
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Mich., has shipped a gas-fired walk-in batch oven to an industrial transformer supplier for baking out transformers.
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J.L. Becker Co. delivers temper furnace to auto parts supplier in Mexico
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J.L. Becker, a Gasbarre Furnace Group Company, Plymouth, Mich., has delivered a 36 x 72 x 36-inch gas-fired box temper furnace to a major Tier 1 automotive components supplier in Mexico. The furnace is designed to hold a 6000-pound gross load, with a maximum operating temperature of 1350°F.
Process capabilities include tempering and stress relief. This furnace comes complete with a stationary load table equipped with a newly designed motor-driven roller chain and handler head assembly. The new drive system provides superior performance, more accurate positioning, and ease of setup and maintenance.
The equipment includes both batch and continuous systems. The company specializes in Integral Quench, Tip Up, Box, and Car Bottom furnaces, as well as a full line of replacement parts and auxiliary equipment, including atmosphere generators, quench tanks, and charge cars.
www.jlbecker.com and www.gasbarrefurnacegroup.com
J.L. Becker, a Gasbarre Furnace Group Company, Plymouth, Mich., has delivered a 36 x 72 x 36-inch gas-fired box temper furnace to a major Tier 1 automotive components supplier in Mexico.
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One Minute Mentor: Heat Treating of Hot-Work Tool Steels
January 15, 2016
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The ability of a given grade of hot-work tool steel to maintain hardness for a prolonged time at high temperatures is called tempering resistance. A simple comparison of tempering resistance may be performed by analyzing tempering curves such as those shown in the graph. Higher tempering resistance is related to curves dislocated to the right. High mechanical strength at high temperature is fundamental for hot-work steels.
Toughness in hot-work tools is an essential property for avoiding the cracks and fractures that can be common in normal working conditions. Unexpected and very unstable in cold-work tools, cracks may be encountered after a given operation time for hot-work dies. The most important example is fine crack networks, large in number but small in length, observed on a tool surface after the tooling operation. This kind of cracking is known as heat checking and is typically found in die-casting dies as well as in forging dies or other hot-work tools. The cause is thermal fatigue at the tool surface, caused in turn by repeated temperature fluctuations (heating and cooling) during tool operation.
Depending on the intensity, heat checking can lead to tool failure, which is typically the case in die-casting cavities. In such situations, the casting metal, normally aluminum, enters into the heat-checking cracks, making part extractions difficult or impairing part surface quality. In cases of a lack of toughness, gross cracking may also occur, leading to complete loss of the working tool.
Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels -> Tool Steels -> Heat Treating of Hot-Work Tool Steels-> Introduction
The ability of a given grade of hot-work tool steel to maintain hardness for a prolonged time at high temperatures is called tempering resistance.
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New international location for ASM heat treating show
January 14, 2016
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ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announces that organizers for Heat Treat Mexico are currently seeking abstract submissions on heat treating topics for the upcoming new event in Queretaro, Mexico, to be held later this year in September. It is the first show by the ASM Heat Treating Society specifically focused on thermal processing technology in Mexico, and organizers expect to reach a broad audience of heat treating professionals. As the January 22nd deadline to submit approaches, organizers encourage the heat treating community to submit their research and take advantage of the opportunity to present at Heat Treat Mexico.
The organization of this technical program is slightly different from other heat treating shows from HTS, as it will focus on three overarching topics, one on each of the three days: Process, Meaning to metallurgy, and Application.
The technical program is organized to emphasize how the materials respond to thermal treatment. Attendees will gain a higher level of understanding for several methods of heat treating, such as vacuum carburizing, nitriding, and induction hardening. This unique opportunity highlights the fundamentals of the process on day one. Changes to the metallurgical structure that result from the treatment will be covered on day two, and control methodology and maintenance protocols important to the specific technology will be highlighted on day three.
Robert J. Madeira, Vice President of Heat Treating for Inductoheat Inc., thinks that attendees will find great value in this show. "ASM International and its legion of industry professional recognize the opportunity to bring its expertise in education to Mexico. The "Basics of Metallurgy" course and the three day Heat Treating Symposium will be taught simultaneously in Spanish and English. This content-rich forum is designed to deliver expert knowledge about how modern thermal treatments transform metals. It offers the foundation for understanding that leads to good decisions on the factory floor."
To submit an abstract for Heat Treat Mexico, visit the Heat Treat Mexico website and select your preferred topic, along with the specific facet. For example, "Induction Heat Treating; What is the Process?" Presenting authors will be notified in February 2016 as to the status of their abstract.
Visit www.asminternational.org/htmexico to submit by January 22, 2016.
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About ASM International
As the world's largest association of materials-centric engineers and scientists, ASM International is dedicated to informing, educating, and connecting the materials community. A member and volunteer based organization, ASM serves as a central resource that gathers the latest applied information from the field and disseminates it back to industry, academia, and government through published content, classes, conferences, expositions, and local chapter engagement.
To learn more about ASM International, visit www.asminternational.org.
About The ASM Heat Treating Society
HTS, an Affiliate Society of ASM International formed in 1994, is the world's largest network of heat treaters. HTS members work to provide events and services to serve their worldwide membership of captive and commercial heat treaters, equipment manufacturers, researchers, governments and technicians. HTS members have their own unique leadership and agenda to serve the global heat treating community, and are dedicated to: Bringing heat treaters together to discuss heat treating challenges; providing the technical information, knowledge and education needed by all heat treaters; serving as a central clearinghouse for information of value to heat treaters; and interfacing with all organizations that serve heat treaters.
To learn more about HTS, visit www.asminternational.org/hts3-new
ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announces that organizers for Heat Treat Mexico are currently seeking abstract submissions on heat treating topics for the upcoming new event in Queretaro, Mexico, to be held later this year in September.
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Liquidmetal amorphous alloy in hybrid knife is 25% harder than stainless steel
January 13, 2016
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Liquidmetal Technologies Inc., Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., has developed the Liquidmetal Hybrid Knife, manufactured of LM105 amorphous alloy by the Liquidmetal process. The 5.25-inch-long hybrid knife embodies a geometry that is not practical to produce with any other metalforming process. A 0.0005-inch fit between the blade and protector is made possible with the ultra-precise Liquidmetal process that can produce parts with features down to eight ten-thousands of an inch.
The barrel hinge implemented utilizing Python programming results in an easy-to-assemble and disassemble two-piece knife with no weak points throughout the open-and-close rotation. The alloy provides as-molded 563 Vickers hardness (25% greater than 17-4PH stainless steel), 1524 MPa yield strength (twice that of titanium), and 1.8% elasticity (four times that of hardened 420 stainless steel). Cultivated by an abundance of scientific data, the hybrid knife and Liquidmetal process stand in a league of their own. Not to be overlooked, the artistic and distinctive design brings a powerful process and set of material properties to life.
Liquidmetal also announces that it has shipped a pre-production order to CoNextions Medical for a key component to be used for suture-based tendon repairs. The initial parts delivery will be used to complete various tests, and will be followed by a full production shipment currently scheduled for early 2016. This delivery represents the ongoing manufacturing solutions for CoNextions design efforts that are taking advantage of the Liquidmetal materials and molding technology.
In addition, Liquidmetal has received its formal ISO 9001:2008 certification, adding an important quality accreditation to the company.
"Our business has a strong commitment to ongoing quality and customer satisfaction. Receiving our ISO certification exemplifies that," said Paul Hauck, Vice President of World-Wide Sales and Marketing. "Our ISO certification will help build customer confidence in our attention to quality."
"The Liquidmetal organization did an admirable job implementing the ISO 9001 standard and passing its certification audit in an impressive 9 months," said Tom Steipp, CEO and President of Liquidmetal Technologies. "Achieving this result was no small undertaking. Every individual in the company played a critical role and it's a testament to the organization's focus on quality."
www.liquidmetal.com
Liquidmetal Technologies Inc., Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., has developed the Liquidmetal Hybrid Knife, manufactured of LM105 amorphous alloy by the Liquidmetal process.
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Alcoa to supply GE Aviation with superalloy, titanium, and aluminum components
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has signed a long-term contract with GE Aviation for jet engine components made of advanced nickel-based superalloys, titanium, and aluminum for a broad range of GE Aviation engine programs. The agreement is valued at more than $1.5 billion over the contract life.
"We greatly appreciate GE's continued confidence in Alcoa's aerospace capabilities, and are proud to support its advanced jet engine programs through this agreement," said Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld.
Alcoa will employ advanced manufacturing capabilities to produce the parts across several facilities, including LaPorte, Indiana; Whitehall, Michigan; Hampton, Virginia; Dover, New Jersey; Wichita Falls, Texas; Winsted, Connecticut; Dives, France; and Laval, Canada.
Alcoa Power and Propulsion, a major business unit of Alcoa, is the number one supplier of nickel-based superalloy airfoils for jet engine and industrial gas turbine applications. It is also a leading supplier of structural castings made of titanium, aluminum and superalloy for aero engines and airframes. Additional value-add products and services include additive manufacturing, vacuum melted alloys, advanced airfoil coatings and machining, hot isostatic pressing and research & development. With 20 global production facilities, Alcoa Power and Propulsion employs more than 9600 people worldwide.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has signed a long-term contract with GE Aviation for jet engine components made of advanced nickel-based superalloys, titanium, and aluminum for a broad range of GE Aviation engine programs.
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Ipsen offers heat treating courses in February, April, June, August, and October
January 12, 2016
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it plans to host another series of Ipsen U classes throughout 2016, with courses available February 2-4, April 5-7, August 2-4 and October 11-13.
A class will also be offered in June, with more details coming soon. These three-day courses provide attendees with a broad overview of furnace equipment, processes and maintenance, as well as a hands-on approach to learning while receiving qualified tips directly from the experts. They view the different furnace components firsthand while learning how they affect other parts of the furnace and/or specific processes.
Reflecting on past courses, attendees commented that "staff and facility are top notch and very knowledgeable in the heat-treating process." Another participant praised the instructors' "incredible amount of knowledge, hints, tips and real world advice." Others found it useful to "see all of the different furnace designs and be able to relate them to the information talked about earlier in the class," concluding that "mixing the lecture with actual furnace visualization was extremely valuable."
Throughout the course, attendees are able to learn about an extensive range of topics – from an introduction to vacuum and atmosphere furnaces, to heat treating, furnace controls, subsystems, maintenance, and more.
Overall, Ipsen U allows participants to build and refresh their knowledge of heat-treating equipment and processes through applied learning. Regardless of where you fall on the expertise scale – maintenance, operator, engineer, project manager, and/or plant manager – Ipsen U's instructors will provide the necessary level of information in a casual, open-forum environment.
www.ipsenusa.com/ipsenu
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it plans to host another series of Ipsen U classes throughout 2016, with courses available February 2-4, April 5-7, August 2-4 and October 11-13.
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2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize awarded to Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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The 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education is awarded to Worcester Polytechnic Institute educators Diran Apelian, FASM, (pictured), Arthur C. Heinricher, Richard F. Vaz, and Kristin K. Wobbe, "for a project-based engineering curriculum developing leadership, innovative problem-solving, interdisciplinary collaboration, and global competencies."
The project-based engineering curriculum at WPI prepares 21st century leaders to tackle global issues through interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. The Institute's engineering program engages students with a specially designed sequence in which first-year students complete projects on topics such as energy and water; second-year capstones focus on the humanities and arts; junior-year interdisciplinary projects relate technology to society; and senior design projects are done in conjunction with external sponsors, providing relevant experience upon graduation.
Last year, WPI launched its Institute on Project-Based Learning, an initiative to help other colleges and universities make progress toward implementing project-based learning on their campuses.
The Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education is one of the most prestigious awards in engineering education
https://www.nae.edu/default.aspx?id=148200
The 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education is awarded to Worcester Polytechnic Institute educators Diran Apelian, FASM, (pictured), Arthur C. Heinricher, Richard F. Vaz, and Kristin K. Wobbe, “for a project-based engineering curriculum developing leadership, innovative problem-solving, interdisciplinary collaboration, and global competencies.”
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Solar Atmospheres’ Greenville facility offers a range of vacuum processing capabilities
Source: ASM International
Solar Atmospheres, Greenville, S.C., reports that its newest facility now has a wide range of vacuum processing capacity available, from furnaces suited for small lots and development cycles, to a 24-foot long vacuum chamber capable of processing up to 50,000 pounds at 2650°F.
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Bodycote opens new plants in Georgia and South Carolina
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Bodycote, U.K., announces two new heat treatment plants in the southeastern United States: Covington, Ga., and Greenville, S.C. The Covington plant will open in Spring 2016 to replace the nearby Conyers facility. Primarily serving automotive and general industrial customers, the new plant will be more than double the size of the existing Conyers facility, immediately increasing capacity to serve the Georgia and Florida marketplaces.
The Greenville plant is a new Nadcap-accredited facility that will serve the region's aerospace manufacturing supply chains. It is scheduled to be operational mid-2016 and provides further expansion opportunities to install additional key services in response to customer demand.
These new facilities are part of Bodycote's investment and expanded services strategy to serve the diverse range of industries in the Southeast United States.
Through heat treatment, metal joining, surface technology, and hot isostatic pressing, Bodycote improves the properties of metals and alloys, extending the life of vital components for a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, power generation, oil & gas, construction, medical and transportation.
www.bodycote.com
Bodycote, U.K., announces two new heat treatment plants in the southeastern United States: Covington, Ga., and Greenville, S.C.
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