Expo sells out for Heat Treat
September 17, 2015
Source: ASM International
The ASM Heat Treating Society announced that the exposition for Heat Treat 2015 has sold out for the second time in a row. Hundreds of heat treating companies and gear manufacturers will be displaying their latest and greatest products and services next month at the 28th annual ASM Heat Treating Society Conference and Exposition in Detroit, Michigan.
With over 290 booths on the sold out floor – an increase of over 20 booths from 2013 – attendees will have plenty of opportunities to see the latest technology in action. A new addition this year are scheduled live demonstrations on the expo floor, which will educate attendees about new equipment in a hands-on way. Other exciting events happening on the show floor are plenary talk from Dr. Alan Taub of the LIFT consortium on Tuesday afternoon, and the exhibitor reception on Tuesday evening. Exhibitors are encouraged to invite their clients and prospects to attend, particularly if they are local.
Heat Treat 2015 is a biannual conference recognized by industry, academia and government professionals as the premier heat treating gathering in North America. This year it is taking placing in Detroit Michigan, a place with deep roots in heat treating and the birthplace of the ASM Heat Treat Society.
To see a list of the exhibitors, visit this page.
To register for Heat Treat 2015, visit here on the Heat Treat event website.
Proceq Equotip 550 portable instrument for hardness testing diagnoses roll imperfections
September 15, 2015
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Proceq, Switzerland, introduces the Equotip 550 Leeb U roll hardness tester, designed for testing small, midsize, and large paper rolls, as well as thin-film, foil, and coated rolls. It quickly and precisely diagnoses roll imperfections and hardness inconsistencies caused by uneven winding. The 8 GB flash memory allows more than 1,000,000 values to be stored on the instrument.
Portable and lightweight, the Equotip 550 Leeb U is perfect for roll hardness testing in the warehouse or on the production floor, providing an immediate visual assessment of the hardness profile. The full color display facilitates the best possible measurement and analysis of the measured data. It is compatible with existing Parotester impact devices. The measurement is identical, while the endurance of the cable has been significantly improved.
The new generation Equotip Touchscreen Unit offers an elaborate interface designed by industry experts for increased efficiency and an exceptional user experience. The enhanced software provides an interactive wizard, automatic verification processes, personalization options, and custom report functions. The specially designed housing optimizes the on-site usage of the device in harsh environments.
The Equotip 550 Leeb U is the direct successor of the highly appreciated Parotester. It enables the user to quickly and precisely diagnose roll imperfections, hardness inconsistencies and uneven winding, thereby preventing problems for printing and converting operations.
www.equotip.com
Proceq, Switzerland, introduces the Equotip 550 Leeb U roll hardness tester, designed for testing small, midsize, and large paper rolls, as well as thin-film, foil, and coated rolls.
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MTS introduces its most energy-efficient hydraulic power unit
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MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn., announces the release of the new MTS SilentFlo 515 hydraulic power unit. It offers smart monitoring capabilities, as well as new power modules, manifolds, and cooling options. It is also compatible with previous MTS SilentFlo HPU models. The new model is up to 8% more energy-efficient than its predecessors, while maintaining a compact footprint and easy access for operation and maintenance.
Originally released in 1998, the MTS SilentFlo line features some of the quietest HPU's available today, and this new pump is even quieter than the previous model.
MTS Systems Corporation's testing hardware, software and services solutions help customers accelerate and improve their design, development, and manufacturing processes and are used for determining the mechanical behavior of materials, products, and structures. MTS' high-performance position sensors provide controls for a variety of industrial and vehicular applications.
www.mts.com
MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn., announces the release of the new MTS SilentFlo 515 hydraulic power unit.
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Constellium to invest $35 million in Ravensport plant for advanced aluminum alloys
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Constellium N.V., Amsterdam, announces that it will invest $35 million at its Ravenswood aluminum plant in West Virginia to improve quality and increase output production across the entire product range. In particular, a new 800 Kt pusher furnace will increase pre-heating capacity, and will be primarily dedicated to the manufacture of advanced aluminum alloys.
"The pusher furnace will be a breakthrough for our plant in terms of homogenization capacity," emphasized Buddy Stemple, CEO of Constellium Rolled Products LLC. "Moreover, it demonstrates the confidence and value we place in the expertise of our employees and the confidence the group has in the Ravenswood plant, which is helping us pave the way for sustainable growth in the future."
Constellium's Ravenswood plant is one of the world's largest facilities for the manufacturing of rolled aluminum products, offering customers the world's most powerful plate stretcher and one of the world's largest cold rolling mills. The plant supplies aluminum to a wide range of international industries, including leading aerospace, marine vessels, and military vehicle manufacturers.
The West Virginia Economic Development Authority has approved financing of $15 million of Constellium's investment. "We are pleased to partner with the WVEDA and the State of West Virginia in this significant investment in Ravenswood," says Mr. Stemple.
www.constellium.com
Constellium N.V., Amsterdam, announces that it will invest $35 million at its Ravenswood aluminum plant in West Virginia to improve quality and increase output production across the entire product range.
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Vac Aero sells vertical vacuum furnace to U.S. aerospace components manufacturer
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Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, reports that it has sold a VAV5448 HV-2 vacuum furnace to a major U.S. manufacturer of components for the aerospace industry, thereby increasing heat-treating capacity to meet growing demand. The vertical bottom-loading furnace utilizes 2-bar gas quenching and features a 54-in. diameter x 48-in. high graphite hot zone, with a 2500-lb. load capacity.
This is the facility's first Vac Aero furnace, and it is capable of meeting applicable AMS 2750E requirements. It is equipped with Vac Aero's advanced Honeywell HC900 interactive hybrid control package with SCADA complete network integration capabilities and remote monitoring and control. Decades of experience operating aerospace heat treating facilities allows the company to provide turnkey customer solutions such as training, technology transfer, and hands-on instruction and collaboration.
www.vacaero.com
Vac Aero, Burlington, Ontario, reports that it has sold a VAV5448 HV-2 vacuum furnace to a major U.S. manufacturer of components for the aerospace industry, thereby increasing heat-treating capacity to meet growing demand.
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NASA engineers begin welding Orion spacecraft
September 9, 2015
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The NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans announces that engineers have welded together the first two segments of the Orion crew module that will fly atop NASA's Space Launch System rocket on a mission beyond the far side of the moon. The primary structure of Orion's crew module is made of seven large aluminum segments that must be welded together in a specific order. For example, the first weld connects the tunnel to the forward bulkhead, which is at the top of the spacecraft. Orion's tunnel, with a docking hatch, will allow crews to move between the crew module and other spacecraft.
Through collaborations across design and manufacturing, teams have been able to reduce the number of welds for the crew module by more than half since the first test version of Orion's primary structure was constructed and flown on the Exploration Flight Test-1 last December. The Exploration Mission-1 structure will include just seven main welds, plus several smaller welds for start and stop holes left by welding tools. Fewer welds will result in a lighter spacecraft.
Engineers have undertaken a meticulous process to prepare for welding. They have cleaned the segments, coated them with a protective chemical, and primed them. They then outfitted each element with strain gauges and wiring to monitor the metal during the fabrication process.
Prior to beginning work, technicians practiced their process, refined their techniques, and ensured proper tooling configurations by welding together a pathfinder, a full-scale version of the current spacecraft design. NASA's prime contractor for the spacecraft, Lockheed Martin, is doing the production of the crew module at Michoud.
http://www.nasa.gov/orion
The NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans announces that engineers have welded together the first two segments of the Orion crew module that will fly atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on a mission beyond the far side of the moon.
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Bodycote expands electron-beam welding capacity at Cambridge facility
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Bodycote, U.K., announces the installation of further electron beam welding (EBW) capacity at its facility in Cambridge. EBW creates high-integrity joints with minimal distortion by using a focused stream of high-energy electrons to apply very localized heating. The new machine, with its larger work chamber, complements the existing EBW capacity and will help service a growing customer base.
The new capacity addition is in response to an increase in demand driven by regional manufacturers and their markets. Customers include scientific, pharmaceutical, and research companies in and around the South East of England.
A long-established center of excellence for metal joining processes, the Cambridge facility has recently secured continued ‘Merit' status following a recent Nadcap audit by PRI. The Nadcap Merit program exists to reward superior performance in Nadcap audits, underlining the high standards of quality achieved at Bodycote Cambridge.
www.bodycote.com.
Bodycote, U.K., announces the installation of further electron beam welding (EBW) capacity at its facility in Cambridge.
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Alcoa to invest $60 million to develop its Ampliforge 3D-printing plus forging process
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is investing $60 million in its R&D center to accelerate the development of advanced 3D-printing materials and processes. Its Ampliforge process combines advanced materials with additive and traditional manufacturing processes. For example, Alcoa engineers could design and 3D-print a nearly complete part, then increase the strength of the final part with a traditional manufacturing process such as forging.
The company says that the process can enhance the properties of 3D-printed parts by adding such properties as higher toughness and strength, versus parts made solely by additive manufacturing. Furthermore, the Ampliforge process is said to significantly reduce material input and to simplify production compared with traditional forging processes. Alcoa is piloting the technique in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Alcoa will produce materials designed specifically for a range of additive technologies to meet increasing demand for complex, high-performance 3D-printed parts for aerospace and other high-growth markets such as automotive, medical, and building and construction. The $60 million expansion is under construction at the Alcoa Technical Center near Pittsburgh.
Alcoa's materials scientists will produce proprietary aluminum, titanium, and nickel powders designed specifically for 3D-printing. These powders will be tailored for various additive manufacturing processes to produce higher-strength 3D-printed parts, and to meet other quality and performance requirements.
With the industry's longest-running history of certifying aerospace components and qualifying processes, Alcoa will use its testing and process control expertise to overcome challenges with certifying new 3D-printed parts, starting with aerospace applications.
Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016. The project will create more than 100 full-time positions—including materials specialists, design experts, and process and inspection technologists—by 2017, and approximately 45 temporary jobs during construction.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is investing $60 million in its R&D center to accelerate the development of advanced 3D-printing materials and processes.
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Contour Hardening receives ISO/TS certification of heat treating facility in Mexico
September 8, 2015
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Contour Hardening Inc., Indianapolis, the developer of patented Micropulse induction heat treating technology, announces the recent ISO/TS 16949:2009 certification of its heat-treating service facility in Guanajuato, Mexico. The company's U.S. heat-treating facility has been ISO/TS 16949:2009 certified since 2004, and the new designation for its Contour Hardening Operaciones S.de R.L. de C.V. provides greater levels of convenience, capability, and cost-effectiveness.
The rapid expansion of vehicle and related component manufacturing in Mexico has resulted in a local deficit of TS-certified suppliers in general, and induction heat treating process service providers specifically. With its new TS certification, Contour Hardening will have rare, in-country capabilities to deliver direct-to-line parts, components, and assemblies that meet the industry's mandated heat-treating standards.
The Micropulse Process rapidly hardens gear teeth and other irregularly shaped parts requiring a high degree of case-depth hardening and pattern accuracy. Contour Hardening's patented processes have dramatically altered the traditional methods of heat treating gears and other irregularly shaped, complex parts that demand rigorous dimensional integrity. Parts heat-treated by CHI's patented processes exhibit less distortion, provide higher strength and durability, and enable parts with quality superior to that of other heat-treating methods.
Patented Micropulse induction heat-treating equipment is built to ISO standards and has been the industry's gold standard since Contour Hardening invented the technology almost 30 years ago. Today, the company's Micropulse equipment continues to process parts for virtually every major automotive manufacturer in the world.
By offering ISO/TS 16949:2009 certified contract processing, the company enables suppliers to meet stringent OEM heat treating requirements, while avoiding the initial capital expenditures associated with equipment and staffing. Once mature production volumes have been realized, suppliers can purchase the same Micropulse equipment that has been successfully processing their parts.
http://www.contourhardening.com
To view videos of the Micropulse Process, please visit:
http://www.contourhardening.com/videos.html
Contour Hardening Inc., Indianapolis, the developer of patented Micropulse induction heat treating technology, announces the recent ISO/TS 16949:2009 certification of its heat treating service facility in Guanajuato, Mexico.
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Custom furnace maker Thermcraft launches first standard lab furnace line
September 1, 2015
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Thermcraft Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., a manufacturer of custom furnaces, announces the release of ExpressLine, the company's first standard-size laboratory furnace, with the goal of cutting delivery time to just two weeks. The ExpressLine furnaces will provide a degree of customization via controller options, data acquisition and communication options, and gas purging and exhaust options.
The company says that these furnaces provide the same high quality and durability of its custom furnaces, with the fast shipment and affordability of standard furnaces. Thermcraft has been designing and engineering custom lab furnaces for over four decades.
"Researchers and manufacturers who rely on grant money or government funds have always been asking for quality lab furnaces that fit their tight budget and can be delivered within a short span of time, and our answer is creating our own line of standard size furnaces that will fit their needs perfectly," said Tom Crafton, President of Thermcraft.
"We take pride in the accuracy and toughness of our custom furnaces; however, we are also aware that the steep cost is preventing many small and medium laboratories from getting the furnaces they need. Through standardization, we are able to offer our ExpressLine laboratory furnaces at significantly lower prices, as they can be made at a lower cost while also having a faster turnaround," says Mr. Crafton.
Thermcraft's ExpressLine Laboratory Furnaces are available now with pricing that starts at $2018.00. The Thermcraft website has also been updated with ecommerce capabilities to eliminate the need for users to talk to a sales representative when making a purchase.
www.thermcraftinc.com
Thermcraft Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., a manufacturer of custom furnaces, announces the release of ExpressLine, the company’s first standard-size laboratory furnace, with the goal of cutting delivery time to just two weeks.
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