Ambrell induction heating system purchased for pipe bending process

April 16, 2014
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Ambrell, an Ameritherm Co., Scottsville, N.Y., has sold an Ekoheat 125 kW/10 kHz induction heating system to a manufacturer of pressure control products for the oil industry. The application involves heating a narrow band around a large steel pipe to 1000°C. Air and water quenches are typically used before and after heating to ensure bending only in the heated zone. Once the temperature is achieved, pressure can be applied by a bending arm to bend pipe into shape.

Ambrell has expertise with numerous tube and pipe applications. Curing tube and pipe coatings, pre- and post-weld heating, drill pipe heat treatment, and preheating drill bits for insert brazing are some of the popular induction applications. Induction is often favored because it provides rapid, controllable, non-contact, energy efficient heat.

Ambrell was founded nearly 30 years ago and has sold more than 10,000 systems into over 50 countries. All clients are offered free application testing to ensure their system achieves process objectives.

http://www.ambrell.com/

High-temperature vacuum furnace installed in environmentally controlled environment

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Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania, Hermitage, announces the installation of a new high-temperature, high-purity, production-scale, 2-bar vacuum furnace in an environmentally controlled room for heat treating and brazing of small to mid-size loads. The "Mentor" furnace is designed for processing medical, tool & die, aerospace, nuclear, and other industrial heat treated or brazed parts.

The furnace has an effective workload area of 12" wide by 12" high by 18" deep, is capable of holding a load of up to 250 pounds, and is rated at a normal operating temperature of 2500°F/1370°C. The hot zone is constructed of high-efficiency graphite felt and boards and allows for rapid heat-up and cool-down cycles. In order to achieve desired metallurgical properties for some metals, the furnace is equipped with a 2-bar quenching capability.

The furnace, designed and built by sister company, Solar Manufacturing, is installed in an environmental cleanroom where humidity and temperature remain stable compared to typical heat treat facility conditions. The controlled environmental will allow Solar to more quickly and efficiently process parts providing quick turnaround to customers.

"This new furnace will give us the ability to process a variety of loads we were not competitively able to quote using our larger furnaces," says Michael Johnson, sales manager at Hermitage. "The Mentor is a great furnace and we're excited about the heat treating and brazing opportunities that this little workhorse is opening up to us."

The furnace went online in March 2014 and is expected to run at full capacity before October 2014.

www.solaratm.com

Wall Colmonoy announces Furnace Brazing School

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Wall Colmonoy, Madison Heights, Mich., offers a spring session of Modern Furnace Brazing School on May 6-8 at the Aerobraze Engineered Technologies Brazing Engineering Center in Cincinnati. At this state-of-the-art facility, engineers, technicians, quality managers, production managers and others will experience "hands-on" applications and learn about brazing technology from leading industry experts.

Unlike classroom-only seminars, Brazing School attendees will tour the facility and see the actual brazing application on the shop floor.  They will also have the opportunity to apply different forms of filler metal to supplied samples, have them vacuum brazed, and discuss the outcomes.

This course preserves the tradition originated by the late Robert Peaslee, a brazing pioneer who invented the first nickel-based brazing filler metal. Wall Colmonoy's Leading brazing engineers, with a combined 48 years of experience, have the technical know-how to guide attendees through the brazing process from beginning to end production. 

This three-day seminar offers knowledge and practical application about:

Brazing Design

Metallurgical Aspects / Brazing Operation

Brazing Atmosphere and Furnace Equipment

Brazing Material Selection and Applications

Quality Control

www.wallcolmonoy.com

Large pit furnaces and quenching unit commissioned for turbine rotors

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Aichelin Holding GmbH, Austria., announces that Slovenian member company Bosio has successfully commissioned a 72-ft. pit furnace, a 72-ft. split type furnace, and a PLC-controlled spray quenching unit for the heat treatment of turbine rotors with a length up to 52 ft. and a rotor weight up to 175 tons. The furnaces are available with gas or electric heating for a temperature up to 2000°F. Different heating zones ensure a temperature uniformity of ±9°F.

The PLC-controlled spray quenching unit can adjust the quench speed by shutting on/off selected zones and switching between the quenching medias water, air, or air-water mixture.

For better uniformity, the parts can be rotated during quenching. A wireless transmitter ensures real-time temperature measurement during the rotation.

Bosio can also provide a simulation of the cooling process for specific applications.

This furnace technology is now also available in the United States  and will be built by the U.S.-based AichelinHeat Treatment Systems Inc., Plymouth, Mich.

www.aichelin.com,

Indiana home to new jet engine assembly factory

April 4, 2014
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GE Aviation, Cincinnati, will break ground on a new $100 million jet engine assembly facility in Lafayette, Indiana. It is the seventh new GE Aviation facility in the U.S. in the past seven years. The new 225,000 ft² facility will assemble the new LEAP engine of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of GE and Snecma (Safran), France. CFM has logged total orders and commitments with airlines for more than 6000 LEAP jet engines—and it does not enter service until 2016. It will power new Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX, and COMAC (China) C919 aircraft for airlines worldwide.

Launched in 2008, LEAP is now undergoing development testing. As the engine transitions to the production phase, hiring at the new facility could begin as early as 2015. Within five years, the plant's workforce is expected to exceed 200 people with the capacity to do final assembly for the engine as well as the engine's hot section (compressor, combustor, high-pressure turbine).

"We are thrilled by the airline industry's enthusiasm for the new LEAP engine and its groundbreaking technologies," said David Joyce, president and CEO of GE Aviation. "Beginning in 2015, the LEAP engine will experience a dramatic production ramp-up for the remainder of the decade. We are grateful to the entire Indiana team for ensuring that our Lafayette assembly plant will be soon up and running."

"With a nod to our past and an eye on our future, Indiana is a manufacturing state, with decades of experience in building the items that power our world. But we are also a state of innovation, developing the technologies of tomorrow." said Indiana Governor Mike Pence. "GE Aviation's plans in Indiana fuse the two. By selecting Indiana for its new jet engine facility, the company gains a workforce skilled at both developing the big ideas and bringing them to life."

Final assembly of the LEAP engine involves using components and sub-assemblies from GE and Snecma operations and from their suppliers around the world. The engine will also be assembled at GE's existing engine assembly plant in Durham, N.C.

The new facility will operate a highly advanced assembly line incorporating several new technologies, including automated vision inspection systems and radio frequency parts management to easily spot parts on the shop floor. GE worked closely with the state of Indiana to secure the Lafayette location. The state of Indiana, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), the city of Lafayette, and Tippecanoe County provided technical support and incentives to ensure a smooth and successful start-up.

The plant is close to Purdue University, which has a long history of collaboration with GE Aviation and its parent, General Electric Co. GE employs more than 1200 Purdue University alumni, including more than 400 at GE Aviation. Over the past five years, GE has financed more than $2.5 million in research and development projects at Purdue.

"Purdue and GE are continuing to build a broad and strong collaboration in both research and talent recruitment," said Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue University. "In today's world, a strong research university is the best economic magnet a state can have, and today's announcement is a perfect example of that principle in action."

GE Aviation's Long-term Growth Outlook

The Lafayette facility reflects the growth at GE Aviation. Jet engine deliveries for GE Aviation and its partner companies (including CFM International) are slated to grow from 2442 jet engines in 2013 to about 2850 in 2016.

GE Aviation and its partner companies have the largest and fastest-growing installed base of jet engines in commercial aviation and a global services network to support them. GE and its partner companies have about 34,000 commercial jet engines in service, and that will grow to 41,000 engines by 2020. GE Aviation employs approximately 44,000 people and operates more than 80 facilities worldwide.

By the end of 2013, GE Aviation's multi-year backlog for equipment and services reached $125 billion, more than a 20 percent growth in one year. In addition to its seven new facilities over the past seven years, GE Aviation is making significant investments in its existing operations across the U.S., including investments of more than $350 million since 2012 in its southern Ohio operations in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Peebles.

Technologies in the CFM International LEAP engine

The CFM LEAP engine to be assembled in Lafayette will be among the world's most advanced jet engines, with carbon fiber composite fan blades and fan case (from Snecma), the latest thermodynamic design, higher bypass and compression ratios, advanced 3D aerodynamic design and greater use of advanced materials. The engine is targeted for a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to its predecessor, double-digit improvement in noise and emissions, and the lowest overall cost of ownership in the industry. Other technology features of the LEAP engine:

Additive manufacturing

At its Cincinnati operation, GE Aviation is using a technology called direct metal laser melting (DMLM) to manufacture LEAP fuel nozzles directly from computer-aided design (CAD) files. The process actually "grows" parts, layer by layer, using metal powder and a high-powered fiber laser. The part maintains the same material properties and density as a traditionally manufactured piece, but the process allows for much more complex geometries than were possible in the past. The resulting part is 25% lighter than previous nozzles and five times stronger.

Advanced materials

The LEAP will be the first commercial jet engine with ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components in the hot section, representing a significant technology breakthrough for GE and the jet propulsion industry. CMCs are made of silicon carbide ceramic fibers and ceramic resin, manufactured through a highly sophisticated process and further enhanced with proprietary coatings. GE views CMCs as a differentiator for its next-generation aircraft engines. The ultra-lightweight CMC material supports extremely high temperatures in the high-pressure turbine. CMC benefits include: reduced weight, enhanced performance and improved durability that provides longer time on wing, translating into lower fuel and maintenance costs for customers.

GE Aviation invests $1 billion annually in jet propulsion research and development programs. This long tradition of commitment to new technology has helped GE maintains its leadership position within the industry with a proud list of "firsts" in both military and commercial jet propulsion, tracing back to 1942 with America's first jet engine. GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE, is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit www.geaviation.com.

Steel Rolling Holdings Inc. achieves ISO 9001:2008 Certification

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Steel Rolling Holdings Inc. (SRH), Gibraltar, Mich., a leading steel processing center specializing in cold rolling, annealing and tempering steel coils, achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification. The certification is recognized by organizations worldwide as a quality management standard and indicates that an organization conforms to a quality management system, which can consistently provide a product or service that meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements. TÃœV SÃœD America, a global testing, certification, inspection and training provider accredited by ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), authorized SRH's certification.

"This certification is just one milestone along our journey of continuous improvements that solidifies our status as an efficient, reliable, and strategic partner for our customers," said Steve Swan, General Manager at Steel Rolling Holdings. "The formal third party recognition, in the form of ISO 9001:2008 certification, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to quality and our customers, and helps advance our status as a world class processor of flat rolled steel."

More information:
Steel Rolling Holdings Inc.

Materion adds martensitic nickel aluminum bronze bar to its product line

April 1, 2014
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Materion Performance Alloys, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, has added nickel aluminum bronze (AMS 4881 C95520) continuous-cast hollow bars to its product line of high performance alloys. It is a martensitic nickel aluminum bronze that offers higher strength and hardness than the other nickel aluminum bronze alloys.

Using a patented technology called EquaCAST, Materion is able to produce an extremely uniform, fine-grained microstructure with more consistent mechanical properties and better machinability to ensure the specified surface finish.

AMS 4881 C95520 is used primarily for aircraft landing gear and brake systems, as well as heavy equipment bearings, bushings, and wear plates. The alloy will be available from authorized distributors in the U.S., Europe, and China.

Materion Performance Alloys,  is a Materion Corporation business. Through its subsidiaries, Materion supplies worldwide markets with beryllium, electronic alloys, and precious metal products, as well as engineered material systems. Around the world, the company's engineered materials can be found in technically demanding end-use products within the telecommunications and computer, automotive electronics, appliance, industrial components, plastics tooling, optical media, oil and gas, aerospace and defense, and off-highway and mining equipment markets.

http://www.materion.com

Aichelin Group signs agreement with BSN to produce heat-treated press-hardened steel sheet

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Aichelin Group, Austria, has signed a cooperation agreement and license contract with BSN Thermoprozesstechnik, Germany, to produce press-hardened steel sheet for the automotive market. BSN has developed an innovative furnace whose walking beam technology allows it to heat laminated blanks or components to temperature within the shortest period of time, then convey them into the press with maximum precision.

Their common service portfolio comprises design, engineering, manufacturing, delivery, and start-up, as well as after-sales service.  

For a promising customer, a major supplier in the automotive sector, BSN and Aichelin are already working intensively on a technological solution as well as the actual design for four comprehensive plants.

"The particular challenge with this first project consists in the fact that the customer has demanded two plants for his sites in Europe, as well as one for China and one for the USA, which are to be supplied over 18 months," says Dr. Thomas Dopler, CEO of Aichelin Ges.m.b.H., Mödling, Austria, who will assume overall project responsibility as an operative parent company.

www.aichelin.com