Crystal growth furnace can produce 660-lb sapphire boules
November 4, 2014
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ARC Energy, Nashua, N.H., has announced the CHES 500 crystal growth furnace, designed to produce the world's largest-ever sapphire boules with a mass of 660 lb and diameter of 500 mm. This new furnace will also have the lowest cost per unit for critical growth markets, yielding up to 6000 smartphone covers, up to 5600 mm of 4-inch LED wafers, or up to 2500 mm of 6-inch LED wafers per boule.
In 2009, ARC's first-generation Ches furnaces yielded 75% crystal utilization by growing on the C-axis for the emerging LED solid-state lighting market. Ches technology focused on enabling lower-cost production of large diameter wafers. Advances included ease of installation, precision controls, automated re-start and power-off modes, and full safety interlocks for low operator costs.
Another market for sapphire is durable transparent material for mobile devices, such as smart phones and watches. CHES 500's 660-lb/500-mm diameter boule is set to give the standard throughput with a yield of up to 6000 smartphone covers per run.
In addition, the new field-tested CHES HZ technology, which handles the process of melting sapphire above 2040°C and re-solidifying it, has reduced both consumable material and energy costs, and delivered the repeatable and reproducible performance required for large scale materials manufacturing.
ChES 500 will provide the lowest cost of ownership for sapphire boules on multiple axes (A, R, or C) for all applications including mobile, LED, optical, RFIC, and power electronics. The new Ches 500 crystal growth furnace, will be available starting Q2 2015.
www.arc-energy.com
ARC Energy, Nashua, N.H., has announced the CHES 500 crystal growth furnace, designed to produce the world’s largest-ever sapphire boules with a mass of 660 lb and diameter of 500 mm.
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Ipsen ships furnaces worldwide for aerospace, automotive, energy, and more
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that in recent months it has shipped more than 30 furnaces around the globe for a variety of applications and industries. The equipment was sent to international customers in Germany, Mexico, China, Tunisia and South Korea, as well as sites within the United States, covering a range of 12 different states. These shipments were designated for use in a diverse range of applications and industries, including aerospace, automotive, energy, mint (currency), commercial heat treating, medical, commercial sporting and surface engineering.
More than half of these shipments were from Ipsen's Titan line and included horizontal and vertical Titan furnaces with a variety of hot zone sizes, as well as Titan Temper furnaces. Other equipment models delivered included horizontal and vertical Metal Master furnaces, Turbo Treater furnaces, and vacuum aluminum-brazing furnaces.
Of the furnaces sold, five companies bought more than one to handle their varied processes. Overall, these shipments represent Ipsen's ability to provide heat-treating solutions through a product line that supports various applications and processes.
http://www.ipsenusa.com
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that in recent months it has shipped more than 30 furnaces around the globe for a variety of applications and industries.
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Magnesium-base alloys under development for biodegradable medical implants
November 3, 2014
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University of Pittsburgh researchers recently received another $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation to continue a combined multi-university, private-industry effort to develop implantable medical devices made from biodegradable alloys based on magnesium. The consortium seeks to design devices that can adapt to changes in a patient's body and dissolve after the injury has healed.
This would reduce the follow-up procedures and potential complications of major orthopedic, craniofacial, and cardiovascular procedures, and spare millions of patients worldwide added pain and medical expenses.
The Engineering Research Center for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials has designed anterior cruciate ligament rings made of biodegradable metals—usually magnesium based. They are not new, having been originally considered in the late 19th century. But, says Pitt's William Wagner, deputy director of the project and a principal investigator, "the question comes when you start to design medical devices for a specific application and a clinical partner says, ‘We want that to be gone in a month, or a month-and-a-half, or we want that to be there for a year.'" Then you have to figure out how to meet those specifications, he says.
To that end, the Pitt team as well as collaborators at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) are creating new alloys and new manufacturing processes that suit clinical demands. The consortium seeks to design devices that can adapt to changes in a patient's body and dissolve once healing has occurred, reducing the follow-up procedures and potential complications of major orthopedic, craniofacial, and cardiovascular procedures and sparing millions of patients worldwide added pain and medical expenses.
http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/creating-medical-devices-dissolving-metal
University of Pittsburgh researchers recently received another $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation to continue a combined multi-university, private-industry effort to develop implantable medical devices made from biodegradable alloys based on magnesium.
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Greener ship propellers
October 31, 2014
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Some of the propeller blades manufactured by Oshaug Metall AS in Molde, Norway, are so big that if the complete propeller stood on end, it would reach up to the roof of a three-story building. In collaboration with Oshaug, SINTEF developed an energy-saving casting technology which successfully completed pilot trials at the foundry's manufacturing center in Norway.
"The pilots reveal that the method can save as much as 35% of the electricity currently used to melt the metal we need to cast a propeller", says Arne Nordmark, a researcher at SINTEF and father of the invention.
Propeller parts from the foundry in Molde end up in the propulsion systems and lateral propellers in everything from naval vessels to cruise ships. The smelting furnaces at Oshaug consume as much electricity as a hundred average Norwegian households—1.5 million kilowatt hours per year.
"The results of the project so far indicate that we can reduce electricity consumption by half a million kilowatt hours per year, and in this way reduce both costs and negative impacts on the environment," says Stein Berg Oshaug.
Unlike water, which expands when it freezes, molten metals shrink in volume when they solidify. Foundries compensate for this during the casting process by adding a little extra molten metal from reservoirs called feeders. The feeder forms part of the mold and is situated above the level of the casting. As the propeller blade solidifies and starts shrinking, additional molten metal is supplied from the feeder.
However, the metal in the feeder also solidifies. But if it is to compensate for the shrinkage in the casting, this metal must not be allowed to solidify before the propeller metal does. The feeder must retain molten metal right up until the time when the blade becomes solid. Currently, this is achieved by making big feeders—on the principle that large volumes solidify more slowly than small ones.
The new invention involves surrounding the feeder with an induction coil that supplies heat which keeps the metal in the feeder molten. This means that feeders no longer have to be so big in order to do their job. They only have to be large enough to contain the small amount of molten metal needed to compensate for the shrinkage in the casting.
According Nordmark, this is important because, "Currently, in order to prevent the too rapid solidification of the metal in the feeder, a propeller blade manufactured using traditional casting methods requires a feeder almost as large as the blade itself. A blade weighing 1000 kg may require a feeder weighing as much as 800 kg. However, shrinkage during solidification constitutes only about 10% of the weight and volume of the propeller blade. If the metal in the feeder is kept molten using heat supplied by an induction coil, only 100 kg are required to compensate for the shrinkage of a propeller blade weighing 1000 kg. So instead of having to melt 1800 kg of metal, foundries would only need 1100 kg."
Because the invention comes close to halving the amount of metal that has to be melted, Oshaug will now be able to cast more propeller blades in a given time (or bigger blades) than its current capacity permits.
"The new technology enables us to increase production capacity by as much as 50%, and in cash terms this is even more than we save in electricity," says Oshaug.
An extra bonus is that there is less need for heavy-duty post-casting work. After the casting process is complete and the metal solidified, the feeder metal is cut from the casting for re-melting during the next casting operation. This cutting process is very time-consuming for feeders of large diameter. During the pilot trials of the new technology in Molde, the diameter of the feeder was reduced by 60%, thus reducing cutting work.
Image caption — New technology almost halves the amount of metal that has to be melted in order to cast a propeller blade. This was tested for the first time on an industrial scale at Oshaug Metall in Molde. Photo: Oshaug Metall/Arnt Jørgen Sønslien.
Invention reduces the energy that foundries need to manufacture ship propeller blades by a third.
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Novelis invests $100 million in its Chinese aluminum plant
October 29, 2014
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Novelis, Atlanta, has opened China's first plant dedicated to the production of heat-treated aluminum automotive sheet. The wholly-owned facility, located in the Changzhou National Hi-Tech District, represents a $100 million investment by Novelis to expand its global footprint to serve the rapidly growing market for automotive aluminum.
With an annual capacity of 120,000 metric tons, the new facility will assist China in meeting its environmental goals, and will provide customers in Asia and abroad with high-quality automotive sheet for lightweight vehicle structures and body panels such as hoods, doors, fenders, and lift gates.
The opening makes Novelis the only company to produce automotive aluminum sheet in all three of the world's major automobile producing regions -- Asia, Europe, and North America.
Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than $550 million globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity to 900,000 metric tons by 2015. Demand for aluminum is rapidly increasing as automakers strive to design a new generation of lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles with reduced life-cycle emissions. Each 10% weight reduction can result in a 5 to 7% fuel savings.
Currently, Novelis aluminum products are featured in more than 180 models of vehicles produced by leading automakers around the globe. Novelis forecasts the global demand from automakers for aluminum sheet will grow by approximately 30 percent each year through the end of the decade
www.novelis.com/china
Novelis, Atlanta, has opened China’s first plant dedicated to the production of heat-treated aluminum automotive sheet.
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AFC-Holcroft offers new equipment diagnostic service
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AFC-Holcroft, Wixom, Mich., introduces a significant new service to increase furnace uptime and availability through diagnosis of equipment event reporting. The Remote Diagnostic Service will also provide real, data-driven Reliability and Maintainability information that will enhance AFC-Holcroft's ongoing continuous improvement activities.
The service utilizes furnace data transmitted remotely for analysis. Equipment event codes are diagnosed so that corrective actions can be executed. In this way, AFC-Holcroft can help customers reduce equipment downtime by identifying the most common event codes and suggesting an appropriate remedy.
The Remote Diagnostic Service offers a complete package including the transmitting and analyzing of machine data, targeting of the most common or noteworthy events, identifying root causes, and periodic review with AFC-Holcroft via web conference.
The Remote Diagnostic Service can be combined with AFC-Holcroft‟s Engineering Optimization Program, whereby a multi-disciplined team of furnace experts examine equipment data and provide a written report of suggestions and improvements. The Remote Diagnostic Service transmits the data automatically to AFC-Holcroft‟s secure servers - eliminating the human time and cost associated with manually gathering historical data for the same purpose.
www.afc-holcroft.com
AFC-Holcroft, Wixom, Mich., introduces a significant new service to increase furnace uptime and availability through diagnosis of equipment event reporting.
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SSAB launches Laser Plus steel with guaranteed flatness after laser cutting
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SSAB Stockholm, Sweden, has introduced Laser Plus, a new generation of steels for laser cutting that comes with unique guarantees: maximum flatness deviation of 3 mm/m after laser cutting, and bending radius of 0 -1.5 x the material thickness. These features make it possible to meet the most challenging requirements in automated production environments.
The production process of Laser Plus steels results in a surface that is covered with a thin micro scale. This enables extremely efficient laser- water- and plasma cutting. The quality of the cut edge remains excellent, even up to a thickness of 30 mm. The cold forming properties of Laser Plus steels are excellent and SSAB guarantees inner bending radius of 0-1.5 x the material thickness, depending on strength level in combination with thickness.
Laser Plus steels are now available both as heavy plates and hot-rolled strip products. It is the new standard for demanding applications in mechanical engineering and construction, as well as in the automotive and electronics industries.
www.ssab.com
SSAB Stockholm, Sweden, has introduced Laser Plus, a totally new generation of steels, for laser cutting that comes with unique guarantees: maximum flatness deviation of 3 mm/m after laser cutting and bending radius of 0 -1.5 x the material thickness.
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EFD Induction lands major order for thread annealing of CV joints
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EFD Induction, Madison Heights, Mich., announces that a global leader in advanced steering and driveline systems has selected its HardLine system to anneal the thread area of constant-velocity (CV) joints. The HardLine heat treatment machine is a custom engineered system, which includes an EFD Induction Sinac heat generator, the industry's most reliable induction frequency converter.
"Of course, nothing can be left to chance when annealing a component as important as a CV joint," says Mark Andrus of EFD Induction USA. "The annealing quality must be consistently high, and the heat treatment solution must deliver exceptional uptime. As we all know, automakers must constantly strive to reduce costs while at the same time maintaining high quality levels."
EFD Induction has to date installed thousands of heating solutions for a vast range of industrial applications—bringing the benefits of induction technology to many of the world's leading manufacturing and service companies. EFD Induction has manufacturing plants, workshops, and service centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
www.efd-induction.com
EFD Induction, Madison Heights, Mich., announces that a global leader in advanced steering and driveline systems has selected its HardLine system to anneal the thread area of constant-velocity (CV) joints.
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Novaria Group acquires assets of Weatherford Aerospace
October 21, 2014
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Novaria Group, Fort Worth, Texas, announces the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Weatherford Aerospace Inc., Weatherford, Texas. Weatherford is a provider of aircraft wing skins, formed structures, and unique services related to the treatment and processing of aerospace products. Novaria plans to pursue strategic growth and expansion of Weatherford's capabilities, while also delivering enduring value to customers, employees and the aerospace industry.
Weatherford's manufacturing capabilities are focused on a wide variety of processes and products that are incorporated into most airframes flying today. The company's customers include many major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and tier 1 and tier 2 supply chain partners such as: Gulfstream, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, Lockheed Martin, Spirit and Triumph.
Charles Paris, Sr., founder of Weatherford, will be retained as a consultant to the company. Weatherford will continue operations in a total of 165,000 sq. ft. at its two manufacturing locations, both of which are located in Weatherford, just a few miles west of Fort Worth.
Novaria is currently pursuing additional growth opportunities, capitalizing on the expanding aerospace market by acquiring majority interests in small- to mid-market companies looking for a long-term oriented, well-aligned, financial and operational partner.
http://www.weatherfordaerospace.com
Novaria Group, Fort Worth, Texas, announces the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Weatherford Aerospace Inc., Weatherford, Texas.
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EFD Induction chosen for heat treatment of balance shafts
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EFD Induction Inc., Madison Heights, Mich., announces that a global supplier of engine, steering and chassis components, has selected its Hardline vertical hardening system as a solution for hardening of balance shafts. A balance shaft is an eccentric weighted shaft that offsets vibrations in engine designs that are not inherently balanced.
The system, which will be installed at a plant in Pune, India, is a HardLine VM 500. The HardLine vertical hardening system is powered by an EFD Induction Sinac 60/80 generator. The machine also features a CNC-based control system and a closed-loop cooling system.
"Balance shafts are subjected to extreme conditions," says Kiran Deyannavar of EFD Induction India. "The hardening process for this critical component must satisfy stringent quality standards. So we're delighted that a world-leading manufacturer of balance shafts chose us to devise a solution. It's a major vote of confidence in our technical capabilities."
EFD Induction has to date installed thousands of heating solutions for a vast range of industrial applications—bringing the benefits of induction technology to many of the world's leading manufacturing and service companies. EFD Induction has manufacturing plants, workshops and service centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
www.efd-induction.com
EFD Induction Inc., Madison Heights, Mich., announces that a global supplier of engine, steering and chassis components, has selected its Hardline vertical hardening system as a solution for hardening of balance shafts.
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