North American aluminum producers and fabricators ship 25.5 billion pounds in 2014
March 3, 2015
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The Aluminum Association, Arlington, Va., reports that the aluminum industry in the United States and Canada saw year-over-year demand growth of 5% through the end of 2014. The estimated 25.5 billion pounds of aluminum shipped by North American producers and fabricators is the largest shipment total for the industry since 2006. Total mill product shipments grew 4.5% in 2014, led by growth in the extrusion, foil and sheet, and plate markets.
"We're seeing steady demand growth across many of our key markets," said Ryan Olsen, Vice President of Business Information & Statistics for the Aluminum Association. "Orders of aluminum mill products are also on the rise, a leading indicator of continued growth for the industry into 2015."
"The growth in North American demand for aluminum in 2014 was all the more impressive given the harsh winter weather the region experienced at the start of the year, and the significant impact it had on operations," Mr. Olsen said. "Demand grew just eight-tenths of one percent year-over-year during the first four months (January – April), compared to a year-over-year increase of 7.1% over the final eight months."
According to this latest data, demand for aluminum has grown by 38.3% since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, and the industry continues to expand. Over the past two years, Aluminum Association member companies have announced domestic plant expansions and planned investment totaling more than $2.3 billion. These investments are intended to capture and meet anticipated demand growth for aluminum in the automotive sector as automakers strive to make lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles. The investments announced to date could increase industry auto sheet capacity by more than 2 billion pounds over the next decade.
http://www.aluminum.org
The Aluminum Association, Arlington, Va., reports that the aluminum industry in the United States and Canada saw year-over-year demand growth of 5% through the end of 2014.
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Centorr ships furnaces for production of aluminum nitride substrates
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Centorr Vacuum Industries, Nashua, N.H., has shipped orders for two high-temperature sintering furnaces for 2015 delivery to a leading firm in the production of aluminum nitride substrates for the LED market in China. The designs include a 2 ft3 graphite furnace for AlN sintering, and a refractory metal furnace rated to 1850°C for a secondary heating process. These new furnaces build on the success of CVI's experience in non-oxide ceramics, and include modifications made specifically for high-temperature sintering of advanced ceramics.
The graphite furnace includes robust graphite tube and block elements designed for service to 2250°C, with a four-sided hot zone and integral graphite retort for excellent temperature uniformity.
The rigid graphite insulation provides for long-term service even in the presence of process off-gassing and residual binder contamination. The new dual-flow Sweepgas system allows more effective "sweeping" away of the process offgassing. Furnace control is via PLC/Programmable Controllers with Centorr's custom-designed HMI visualization interface.
Centorr's Sintervac Non-Oxide furnace is available with volumes of 2, 3, 4.5, 9, 16, 24, and 54 cubic feet. The refractory metal furnace, sized at one cubic foot, will be used for a specific part of the AlN process in which a non-graphite hot zone is needed for material cleanliness. The system is rated to 1850°C and offers temperature uniformity under +/- 3°C.
www.vacuum-furnaces.com
Centorr Vacuum Industries, Nashua, N.H., has shipped orders for two high-temperature sintering furnaces for 2015 delivery to a leading firm in the production of aluminum nitride substrates for the LED market in China.
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SRI working to produce titanium powder in a single step by reacting TiCl4 with hydrogen
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SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., is reportedly developing an advanced process in which titanium tetrachloride and other metal chlorides are reacted with hydrogen to produce titanium or titanium alloy granules in a single step. The process is based on a multi-arc fluidized bed reactor (MAFBR) developed by SRI. If successful, the process will reduce the cost, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions associated with Ti alloy production.
In the process, plasma arcs facilitate reactions between molecules of hydrogen and titanium tetrachloride, a chemical produced from titanium ore. "Arcs, like lightning bolts, crack the hydrogen, producing atomic hydrogen that can readily react," says Barbara Heydorn, senior director of the Energy Center at SRI. The reactions produce titanium vapor that quickly solidifies and forms titanium powder.
With funding from ARPA-E's Modern Electro/Thermochemical Advances in Light-Metal Systems (METALS) Program, SRI built and tested a proof-of-concept system and conducted a techno-economic analysis.
The process could enable the production of alloys that cannot be produced with conventional technology, providing engineers with a larger portfolio of materials. The technology can be used to manufacture alloys other than Ti alloys, as well as composites based on a metal alloy matrix with dispersion of a ceramic phase.
SRI has so far demonstrated a small-scale version of the process for producing pure titanium. It's currently working on a two-stage process to improve yields and lower costs before attempting to scale it up.
www.sri.com
SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., is reportedly developing an advanced process in which titanium tetrachloride and other metal chlorides are reacted with hydrogen to produce titanium or titanium alloy granules in a single step.
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Tinius Olsen universal testing machines feature dual pressure and digital control
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Tinius Olsen, Horsham, Pa., introduces its all-new SL series of hydraulic universal testing machines that feature a patented dual-pressure hydraulic loading system and four-column construction for high loadframe rigidity. With advanced digital control, load accuracy has been enhanced and should be better than 0.1% of the displayed reading within the operating range of 0.2% to 100% of the frame capacity.
SL machines are controlled by a range of user interface options, including Bluetooth wireless, tethered interface, or a virtual interface running on a connected PC. Tinius Olsen's Horizon software can be added to any system for accessing a library of standardized test routines, for generating complete graphical results of a test, and for performing sophisticated powerful analyses on the test data to produce test reports. Horizon is networkable and scalable, so operators can manage equipment and review test results from multiple sources and locations.
A variety of standard capacities ensure accommodation of a range of testing needs. For rapid sequence production testing within the range of 150 to 1000 kN (30,000 to 200,000 lbf), Tinius Olsen offers SL versions with open-front crossheads and/or fixed position crossheads.
The SL series is also highly customizable for many other applications. For instance, columns and screws can be lengthened and crossheads can be made adjustable to meet specific requirements. The extensive range of grip designs ensures careful matching to application. Other options include hydraulically actuated lever grips, accordion-type, non-metallic screw covers, tooling for tension, compression, and other tests, a broad range of instrumentation, and furnaces.
www.TiniusOlsen.com
Tinius Olsen, Horsham, Pa., introduces its all-new SL series of hydraulic universal testing machines that feature a patented dual-pressure hydraulic loading system and four-column construction for high loadframe rigidity.
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Ipsen provides range of atmosphere furnaces for North American market
February 25, 2015
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that since 2010, the company has successfully installed more than 50 atmosphere furnaces, as well as temper and auxiliary equipment throughout North America. Atmosphere furnaces provide the flexibility to carburize, nitride, and harden a wide range of parts with different materials, case depths, hardenability, and geometries.
These installations include single- and double-chamber sealed quench, vertical retort, pusher, and box furnaces. For example, Ipsen pusher furnaces drive parts through the full carburizing and nitriding processes, including preheating, washing, tempering and cooling, all in a fully-automated, "lights-out" system with customized layouts.
Ipsen has one of the largest installed bases of atmosphere furnaces in the United States – several thousand since its founding in 1948. – Ipsen continues to deliver atmosphere solutions that meet a range of customer needs. These installations were designed for a range of applications and industries – automotive, aerospace, commercial, and energy.
For Ipsen, a key part of innovating is listening to the specific needs and challenges of their customers and then providing ideal solutions that meet those needs. As companies are faced with constantly evolving requirements and processes, nothing is more essential than finding heat-treating equipment that provides the necessary solutions.
www.IpsenUSA.com/Atmosphere.
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that since 2010, the company has successfully installed more than 50 atmosphere furnaces, as well as temper and auxiliary equipment throughout North America.
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Seco-Warwick commissions Vector single-chamber vacuum hardening furnace in India
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Seco-Warwick Allied Pvt. Ltd., India, reports that it has installed a single-chamber vacuum hardening furnace with high-pressure gas quenching capability for Jyoti Heat Treat Industries, at its fourth commercial heat-treatment unit in Pune, India. The Vector furnace with high-pressure gas quench is ideally suited for vacuum hardening under an oxygen-free environment.
Parts can be heated in vacuum as well as under convection with partial pressure. Quench pressure can be adjusted from 1.5 bar to a maximum of 10 bar. The Vector line furnace installed at Jyoti can also be used for additional processes such as vacuum annealing, normalizing, and tempering. The furnace has effective uniform hot zone size of 24x24x36 in., and load capacity of 1320 lb. The furnace complies with NADCA requirements and is equipped with an advanced PLC/HMI control system.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco-Warwick Allied Pvt. Ltd., India, reports that it has installed a single-chamber vacuum hardening furnace with high-pressure gas quenching capability for Jyoti Heat Treat Industries, at their fourth commercial heat treatment unit in Pune, India.
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AK Steel to invest $36 million in Research and Innovation Center
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AK Steel, West Chester, Ohio, announces that it will invest $36 million build a new world-class Research and Innovation Center in Middletown, Ohio. The 120,000 square foot facility will be constructed on a 15-acre site located in the Cincinnati–Dayton growth corridor along Interstate 75. It will replace the company's existing research facility that is located at another site in Middletown.
The new facility will be home to the company's approximately 75 researchers, scientists, and engineers who will carry out cutting-edge research, applications engineering, advanced engineering, product development, and customer technical services. The facility will also house pilot lines that simulate the company's steel manufacturing operations, ranging from melting and casting, to hot- and cold-rolling, to final finishing. The pilot lines are used for research, enhancing existing products, problem-solving in production, and experimentation for new and improved products.
"Our talented researchers, scientists and engineers are already working to develop such innovative products as next-generation advanced high-strength steels," says James L. Wainscott, Chairman, President, and CEO. "They also are developing high-efficiency electrical steels that will help the nation's electricity grid become more energy-efficient, and new stainless steels that offer superior corrosion resistance for a wide variety of applications. The new research and innovation center will enhance our capabilities to bring these products to the marketplace."
AK Steel said groundbreaking for its new research and innovation center is planned for the late spring or early summer of 2015. The project is subject to final state and local government approvals.
The company also announced two changes in executive leadership, effective immediately:
Eric S. Petersen, 46, has been named Vice President, Research and Innovation. Mr. Petersen was previously Vice President, Sales and Customer Service.
Scott M. Lauschke, 45, has been named Vice President, Sales and Customer Service. Mr. Lauschke joins AK Steel from his previous position as Vice President and General Manager of AFGlobal Corporation and spent 15 years at The Timken Company in a variety of leadership roles.
www.aksteel.com.
AK Steel, West Chester, Ohio, announces that it will invest $36 million build a new world-class Research and Innovation Center in Middletown, Ohio.
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American Specialty Alloys to build $2.4 billion aluminum mill complex
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American Specialty Alloys Inc., Baton Rouge, La., plans to develop a $2.4 billion mill and campus in Central Louisiana to provide aluminum for the automotive and aerospace industries. Plans include a melting and casting mill; hot- and cold-rolling mills for sheet and plate; and annealing, slit, and cut-to-length production lines. Mill specifications call for production of 1.3 billion pounds of aluminum per year at full operation.
ASA plans to construct its manufacturing facility at a 1200-acre mill complex owned and formerly operated by International Paper in Pineville, Louisiana. ASA expects to break ground later this year, with a targeted completion date of all facilities in 2020. ASA estimates development of the aluminum mill will generate 2,000 construction jobs.
ASA selected the former IP containerboard mill property in Pineville after evaluating competing sites in Texas, Alabama and Mississippi. Danieli Group has been selected to provide technology services and mill equipment, while Yates Construction LLC has been tapped to build the mill facilities. The company has secured additional partners to provide materials sourcing, fabrication and logistics services: Advanced Processes Inc., American Specialty Processing LLC, Columbus Recycling Corp. and others to be announced later. ASA already has begun hiring for professional roles associated with the Louisiana project. The company plans to begin significant hiring of production jobs for the aluminum mill in 2016.
www.asametals.com
American Specialty Alloys Inc., Baton Rouge, La., plans to develop a $2.4 billion mill and campus in Central Louisiana to provide aluminum for the automotive and aerospace industries.
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Intermetallic nanoparticles increase strength and ductility in alloy steel
February 16, 2015
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Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea, report that they have developed a lightweight steel by uniformly dispersing nanometer-size intermetallic compounds between and within the steel's grains. By adding nickel and heat treating an alloy of iron, aluminum, manganese, and carbon, they induced nanoparticles to form evenly throughout the steel. The photo shows that six specimens of the new steel weigh less than five specimens of conventional steel.
With this innovative approach, stronger and more ductile lightweight steels have been created, solving the longstanding problem of poor ductility caused by the formation of large brittle intermetallic compound particles. Besides being lightweight, this new steel possesses an excellent combination of strength and ductility.
The team plans to work with POSCO to produce its new product later this year, ushering in a new era of high-specific-strength steels that will be lightweight and strong enough to produce fuel-efficient vehicles and other transportation systems.
In the 5 February issue of Nature, materials scientist Sang-Heon Kim and colleagues at Pohang describe improving lightweight steel by altering how metal compounds are arrayed in an alloy. They report that the microstructure of their material is stronger and more ductile than titanium alloys.
The researchers think that their work could be useful for industrial steel making. But "even if it takes a long time before this can become a part of production, the novelty of the microstructure that forms could be very useful for thinking about how to construct new alloys," says Suveen Mathaudhu, a materials engineer at the University of California, Riverside.
www.posco.com
www.postech.ac.kr
Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea, report that they have developed a lightweight steel by uniformly dispersing nanometer-sized intermetallic compounds between and within the steel’s grains.
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Solar Atmospheres wins renewal of Sikorsky approved-supplier status
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Solar Atmospheres Inc., Souderton, Pa., has received renewed approved-supplier status from Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., with a two-year certification. Solar is approved to provide heat treatment of titanium, and carburizing grade materials and aircraft grade steels in accordance with various AMS and Sikorsky specifications. In addition to maintaining current approvals, Solar also gained full approval for laboratory testing, metallography, and micro-hardness testing for Sikorsky products.
"Solar Atmospheres has been Sikorsky-approved since the 1990s," says Mike Moyer, Director of Sales at Solar Atmospheres. "Over the years, Solar's investment in R&D and process development has attracted the attention of Sikorsky and other prime aerospace companies, resulting in an expansion of our work scope. Solar's Low Pressure Vacuum Carburizing process is a perfect example of our ever-expanding capabilities and subsequent approvals."
www.solaratm.com
Solar Atmospheres Inc., Souderton, Pa., has received renewed approved-supplier status from Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., with a two-year certification.
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