ASTM International supports research projects for additive manufacturing standards
September 24, 2019
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ASTM International, Conshohocken, Pa., announces its second round of funding to support research that helps expedite standards in additive manufacturing. This investment of $300,000 and in-kind contributions will support ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence’s goal of addressing pressing needs for technical standardization in this fast-growing industry. This round, approved by an ASTM International subcommittee, is focused on research and innovation and targets a vast array of topics.
“We are funding some of the most crucial and high-impact research projects in additive manufacturing to accelerate standardization,†said Dr. Mohsen Seifi, ASTM International’s Director of Global Additive Manufacturing Program. He added that these projects will complement the previous round of five projects, with all contributing towards a holistic approach to fill standard gaps in design, feedstock, process, post processing, testing, and qualification.
Auburn University will work to implement a rapid, efficient, and effective inspection process to detect potential part quality issues after fabrication through laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). The study aims to identify and quantify deviations in build and material quality through a series of tests performed within a few hours after the part is removed from the 3D printing machine.
Applied technology developer EWI aims to leverage overall advances in digital data acquisition, automation, and data analysis. EWI will work to define a minimum subset of AM data entries and taxonomy of those entries. The resulting standard will help establish best practices for data sharing, a common data dictionary for AM, and a data management roadmap that integrates stakeholder needs.
Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) will gather information from existing polymer characterization activities to create a test plan and matrix incorporating the state of the art for these testing methods. Additional print, test, and analysis will be conducted to generate additional data. NIAR will share results and develop appropriate documentation based on its findings.
www.amcoe.org.
ASTM International, Conshohocken, Pa., announces its second round of funding to support research that helps expedite standards in additive manufacturing.
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Wisconsin Oven Ferris wheel batch oven contains 20 rotating spindles for part rotation
September 19, 2019
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Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, announces that it has built an electrically heated heavy duty Ferris wheel batch oven for a manufacturer in the aerospace industry to cure epoxy resins and varnishes on assorted aerospace parts.
"The Ferris wheel inside the oven chamber will run continuously to process the product load," says Tom Trueman, Senior Applications Engineer. "It is 34 inches in diameter and contains twenty rotating spindles for part rotation."
The design capacity of the Ferris wheel batch oven, when the configuration of the workload is such that it is capable of absorbing the heat, has sufficient capability to heat 200 pounds of product to a specified temperature range within two hours. The body of the oven is constructed with Wisconsin Oven’s patented, high efficiency panel seams. This includes a 20-gauge carbon steel exterior and a 20-gauge aluminized steel interior.
The maximum operating temperature is 500°F, and the work chamber dimensions are 3.3 x 3.5 X 3.5 feet. The furnace is heated by Incoloy-sheathed tubular heating elements for a total of 72 kW.
www.wisoven.com
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, announces that it has built an electrically heated heavy duty Ferris wheel batch oven for a manufacturer in the aerospace industry to cure epoxy resins and varnishes on assorted aerospace parts.
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Seco Vacuum dual-chamber hybrid furnace provides low pressure carburizing/hardening
September 16, 2019
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Seco Vacuum Technologies, Meadville, Pa., is supplying its signature CaseMaster Evolution dual-chamber vacuum oil quench furnace to an aerospace equipment manufacturer to improve lead times and quality objectives. SVT is working with the company to bring its low-pressure carburizing and hardening work in-house.
“We developed the CaseMaster Evolution to help customers in aerospace and other critical industries solve some of the more challenging issues with traditional integral-quench furnaces, as well as to produce clean parts typical of vacuum furnaces,†says Maciej Korecki, VP Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnaces, Seco Warwick. “So, the CMe is a hybrid combining the best of both worlds, resulting in clean parts from a nontoxic work environment, providing greater repeatability of workloads, with no CO/CO2 emissions, exhaust hoods, or endothermic generators.â€
The CaseMaster Evolution vacuum oil quench furnace is uniquely positioned to improve efficiency in many heat treatment operations by providing multi-chamber capabilities. These include a sealed oil and gas quench chamber that opens new processing opportunities for heat treaters. The CMe utilizes one chamber for vacuum heat treatment, and a second chamber for oil or gas quenching.
In contrast to the company’s current procedure – brining in vacuum LPC and hardening – the CMe’s vacuum LPC heating and quench chambers produce uniform, bright, and high quality parts at high-speeds for an economical workflow, all while using very low consumption of processing media.
www.secovacusa.com
Seco Vacuum Technologies, Meadville, Pa., is supplying its signature CaseMaster Evolution dual-chamber vacuum oil quench furnace to an aerospace equipment manufacturer to improve lead times and quality objectives.
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Lindberg three-chamber furnace integrated with robot transfer and hydraulic press
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Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has built an integrated, stacked, three-chamber furnace that offers a significantly smaller footprint than a continuous system. Supplied to a hot-stamping company, the furnace features three independent heating zones per chamber, which allows for multiple blanks to be preheated simultaneously, resulting in reduced cycle times.
The unique stacked design offers a significantly smaller footprint compared to a continuous system. The installed furnace is integrated with a robotic transfer system and a hydraulic press, and the system features fully automated cells with PLC controls and optional data acquisition.
Lindberg hot stamping furnaces provide uniform heating for a wide range of high-strength steels or aluminum materials prior to hot stamping or hydroforming operations. They are available in batch or multiple batch configurations, and are designed to heat any structural size or shape part. They can be designed with rapid and selective heating areas, fast-opening doors to meet any loading/unloading speeds, and data acquisition systems for full process reporting.
https://www.lindbergmph.com/heat-treat-furnaces/hotstamping-press-hardening-furnace
www.lindbergmph.com
Lindberg MPH, Riverside, Mich., has built an integrated, stacked, three-chamber furnace that offers a significantly smaller footprint than a continuous system.
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Nitrex Metal improves nitriding results for Polish aluminum extrusion company
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Nitrex Metal Inc., Montreal, Quebec, has supplied a nitriding system to Hydro Extrusion Solutions, an aluminum extrusion company in Poland, to address the need for improved process performance and more accurate control of nitriding results. The Nitrex N-EXT 812 nitriding system replaces a decommissioned nitrider that was phased out several years ago due to extrusion die failures and inconsistent metallurgical results.
The delivered solution includes Nitreg technology, which consists of potential-controlled gas nitriding and Nitreg-C potential-controlled gas nitrocarburizing (ferritic nitrocarburizing-FNC). These technologies help to optimize parameters for maximum efficiency and quality, increasing die strength and extrusion throughput, while reducing the possibility of potential die failures.
Moreover, Nitreg contributes to cost savings from reduced consumption of process gases and energy savings from shorter process times. The N-EXT type furnace has chamber diameter of 31.5 inches and height of 47.25 inches, with a capacity to nitride a 2200-pound load.
Since the start of operations with the new nitriding installation, treated samples have been periodically assessed by an external QA service to validate the nitride quality, specification compliance, and reliability of the Nitreg process. As part of this testing program, Nitreg results have been consistently in compliance with Hydro’s quality standard.
www.nitrex.com
Nitrex Metal Inc., Montreal, Quebec, has supplied a nitriding system to Hydro Extrusion Solutions in Trzcianka, Poland, to address the need for improved process performance and more accurate control of nitriding results.
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One Minute Mentor: M50 bearing steels
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Bearings made of M50 have been used in jet-engine applications for many years. M50 is a secondary-hardening alloy typically tempered multiple times to achieve high hardness and dimensional stability. High-alloy, high-carbon steels are stabilized by tempering at temperatures 10 to 15 °C (20 to 30 °F) higher than their peak secondary-hardening temperature. Austenite is stabilized by alloy in solution. Carbides that form during secondary hardening deplete alloy in solution making the austenite susceptible to transformation during cooling and during additional tempering cycles
Figure 17 shows the dimensional stability of M50 aged at room temperature as a function of tempering temperature and number of tempering treatments. Tempering M50 five times shows an improvement over triple tempering.
Thermal cycling is another test used to quantify the stability of bearings. M50 thermal cycled from 20 to 260°C (68 to 500°F) 20 times, results in 23 and 15 micro-in./in. of growth for triple tempering at 510 and 525°C (950 and 975°F), respectively, but no difference between three and five tempers at 540°C (1000°F), for which the growth is only 2 to 3 micro-in./in. of growth (Ref 10).
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required), then scroll down the Chapter Contents column on the left of the page, and click on "Special Purpose Through-Hardening Bearing Steels."
https://dl.asminternational.org/handbooks/book/9/chapter/110017/Heat-Treatment-of-Bearing
M50 is a secondary-hardening alloy typically tempered multiple times to achieve high hardness and dimensional stability.
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Wear resistance of stainless steel said to increase by high-intensity implantation of ions
September 12, 2019
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Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia announce that they have developed a new method of ion implantation that improves the wear resistance of stainless steel by more than a hundred times through highly intensive implantation of ions with low energy.
TPU scientists have already experimentally confirmed the possibility of creating a doped surface layer with a depth of several hundred micrometers, compared to a depth only several tens or hundreds of nanometers for conventional methods. In addition, this technology reportedly makes it possible to manufacture details and products with specific surface properties. For example, a barrier layer is formed by ion doping of zirconium with titanium, thus preventing oxygen penetration. This can be used to increase the service life and safety of nuclear fuel cells.
According to Alexander Ryabchikov, the head of the Laboratory for Highly Intensive Ion Implantation, "We proposed to increase the ion penetration depth into the material by enhancing the radiation-induced diffusion with high-density ion beams that are two to three orders of magnitude superior to those used in traditional ion implantation.â€
https://news.tpu.ru/en/news/2019/09/04/35196/
Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia announce that they have developed a new method of ion implantation that improves the wear resistance of stainless steel by more than a hundred times through highly intensive implantation of ions with low energy.
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Digital Metal launches two binder-jet additively manufactured superalloys
September 11, 2019
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Digital Metal AB, Sweden, a Höganӓs Group company, announces that it is launching two binder-jet 3D-printed superalloys for applications in extreme environments: DM 247, a nickel-base superalloy, and DM 625, a nickel-chromium superalloy. The unique properties of Digital Metal’s binder jetting technology make it highly suitable for printing superalloys with near full density, including non-weldable grades.
Superalloys exhibit great strength and corrosion resistance even when subjected to high heat and stress. These properties make them especially suitable challenging applications such as aerospace, automotive, and chemical. However, so far it has been difficult to use non-weldable materials such as MAR M247 in 3D printing, where high solidification rates and thermal gradients are inherent.
Digital Metal’s unique binder jetting technology helps avoid most of these problems by printing in an ambient temperature without applying any heat, followed by a separate sintering step. During sintering densification takes place without melting and with minimal thermal gradients during cooling from sintering temperature.
The DM 247 is based on the non-weldable MAR M247, which is widely used as material for turbine blades and in other applications with elevated temperatures. The DM 625 is an Inconel 625-grade. Its application areas range from seawater applications and chemical processing equipment, to nuclear industry and aerospace.
“We have been receiving qualified requests for these materials from various large companies,†says Ralf Carlström, General Manager at Digital Metal. “Many producers within the aerospace and automotive business have long been anticipating high-quality superalloys that are suitable for 3D printing. Now we can offer them the perfect combination – our unique binder jetting technology and superalloys that are specially developed for our printers.â€
www.digitalmetal.tech
Digital Metal AB, Sweden, a Högan?s Group company, announces that it is launching two binder-jet 3D-printed superalloys for applications in extreme environments: DM 247, a nickel-base superalloy, and DM 625, a nickel-chromium superalloy.
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Advances in ion nitriding and nitrocarburizing based on advanced process controls
September 5, 2019
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Ralph Poor of Surface Combustion, Maumee, Ohio, will discuss “Advances in Ion Nitriding and Nitrocarburizing†at Heat Treat 2019 in Detroit in October. The ion nitriding process uses high voltage power operating in the 500 to 1000 volt DC range, often conducting hundreds of amps to power the process by activating the glow discharge. The glow discharge is capable of heating parts and ionizing the atmosphere to allow the process to operate.
This paper provides insight to ion nitriding and nitrocarburizing, and covers new advances, widening the range of applications for the plasma process. Many of the advances are in the form of advanced process control electronics and mass flow controllers for process gas flow. Most important are the newer high voltage power supply designs, which feature high-speed microprocessor arc detection technology. Mr. Poor will provide an overview of the process, and will present sample metallurgical results.
Ralph P. Poor, Surface Combustion Inc., Maumee, Ohio
www.surfacecombustion.com
Advances in Ion Nitriding and Nitrocarburizing
Tuesday, October 15, 2019: 10:40 AM
Heat Treat 2019 https://www.asminternational.org/web/heat-treat-2019
Ralph Poor of Surface Combustion, Maumee, Ohio, will discuss “Advances in Ion Nitriding and Nitrocarburizing” at Heat Treat 2019 in Detroit in October.
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One-Minute Mentor: Special Purpose Through-Hardening Bearing Steels
September 4, 2019
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Through-hardening bearing steels from the ASTM A295 and A485 families that are given a typical heat treatment, operate well up to the 120–135 °C (250–275 °F) service range. Other through-hardening bearing steels have been developed over the years for use in specialty applications in higher temperature service or in atmospheric corrosive environments.
Some of these steels and service environments in which they operate:
Tool steels
M50 (jet engines, other aerospace applications up to 430 °C (800 °F)
M62 (high temperature, high stress applications)
T5 and T15 (high temperature, high stress applications)
Corrosion-resistant steels
Cronidur 30 (high temperature, corrosive applications)
BG42 (high temperature, corrosive applications; stable to 430 °C, or 900 °F)
XD15NW (high temperature, corrosive applications)
Type 440C (ambient temperature atmospheric corrosion)
440 N-DUR (ambient temperature atmospheric corrosion)
These special purpose steels were modified and tailored for their respective service environments. Because several of them are used in aerospace applications, they are also subject to specialized melting practices, such as consumable electrode vacuum melting (CEVM) and vacuum induction melted-vacuum arc remelting (VIM-VAR), which provide very low-inclusion content microstructures.
These high cleanliness specialty steels must be heat treated with care as they still are subject to the previously described restrictions of air-melted through-hardening steels, and certain precautions must be taken during high hot-working temperatures and heat treating.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required), then scroll down the Chapter Contents column on the left of the page, and click on "Special Purpose Through-Hardening Bearing Steels."
https://dl.asminternational.org/handbooks/book/9/chapter/110017/Heat-Treatment-of-Bearings
Through-hardening bearing steels from the ASTM A295 and A485 families that are given a typical heat treatment, operate well up to the 120–135 °C (250–275 °F) service range.
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