Seco-Warwick nitriding system reduces ammonia usage by 140 metric tons/year
March 31, 2015
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Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., reports that a global automotive manufacturer reduced ammonia usage by 140 metric tons per year while producing a million gears per year when it replaced traditional gas nitrocarburizing with ZeroFlow nitriding. The system also provides 99% process reliability and 98% equipment availability.
The scope of the installation was a completely automatic thermal treatment line, for the production of the whole series of gears being manufactured. The line includes five retort furnaces for nitrocarburizing, one four-chamber vacuum washer, two furnaces for activation in air, two units for further cooling of the charges, and an automatic loader that ensures transport within the system.
The company, which specializes in the production of diesel engines for trucks, construction machines, and other industrial applications, decided to install the ZeroFlow system to modernize and relocate the engine gear manufacturing cell that focused on mechanical assembly and heat treatment.
The new system works continuously, with one maintenance break per year. The quality of the heat treatment results meets requirements in terms of the thickness and hardness of the hardened layer, the compound layer, and porosity. No deficient gears were found during normal operation. Moreover, fatigue properties have been improved by about 50%.
The new system went online in 2014 and is currently operating at full capacity, meeting the stringent requirements for the automotive industry.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., reports that a global automotive manufacturer reduced ammonia usage by 140 metric tons per year while producing a million gears per year when it replaced traditional gas nitrocarburizing with ZeroFlow nitriding.
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Proto Labs adds nickel steel and chrome-moly steel to its line of MIM materials
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Proto Labs, Maple Plain, Minn., has added two nickel-steel alloys and a chrome-moly steel that is the metal injection molding equivalent of 4140 steel to its portfolio of MIM materials. They expand potential applications for parts produced by its advanced MIM process. Low-alloy steels enable strong wear-resistant parts when heat-treated, and may also be coated in post-processing for further protection.
"We had tremendous customer demand for stainless steel with MIM last year, and expect the same response to our new low-alloy metals," says Becky Cater, product manager for MIM. "We offer many different hard and soft metals through our 3D printing and CNC machining services, but nickel steel parts are only produced through metal injection molding."
As for applications, the low-alloy steel materials will be used heavily by the firearms industry for various gun and archery components, as well as by automotive engineers for engine and transmission components. The industrial goods sector will use MIM during development of hand and power tools, and door and window lock hardware, for example.
In addition to rapid prototypes, Proto Labs can produce up to 5000+ metal-injection-molded end-use parts within 15 days.
www.protolabs.com
Proto Labs, Maple Plain, Minn., has added two nickel-steel alloys and a chrome-moly steel that is the metal injection molding equivalent of 4140 steel to its portfolio of MIM materials.
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Head of Mars Curiosity Rover Mission to speak at ASM’s Megashow
March 26, 2015
Source: ASM International
SM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announced that Dr. John Grotzinger, chief scientist and head of strategic science planning for NASA’s $2.5 billion Curiosity rover mission to Mars, was selected as the plenary speaker for their co-located show which takes place on May 11-14.
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Ipsen announces helpline to optimize customer equipment function
March 24, 2015
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Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that customers can receive technical support, order parts, schedule service, and request hot zones, upgrades, or retrofits with its new Aftermarket Support Helpline. The Helpline offers full-service support for the heat-treating furnace needs of all Ipsen customers, minimizing costly downtime and keeping heat-treating equipment running at its best.
Customers can receive solutions for expanding capabilities, increasing flexibility, extending the life of equipment, and more. "Our new helpline connects customers to our experts when they need it most, so we can help keep their furnaces working and ensure they have everything they need for continued success," said Geoffrey Somary, president and CEO of Ipsen USA. Helpline number: 1-844-Go-Ipsen.
www.IpsenUSA.com/Helpline
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that customers can receive technical support, order parts, schedule service, and request hot zones, upgrades, or retrofits with its new Aftermarket Support Helpline.
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Thermal Product Solutions acquires Wisconsin Oven
March 23, 2015
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Thermal Product Solutions (TPS), New Columbia, Pa., has acquired Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis. TPS is a global leader in thermal processing products and test solutions, with brands including BlueM, Gruenberg, Tenney, Lindberg, and MPH. Wisconsin Oven offers products for the aerospace, automotive, composites, energy, finishing, military, and pharmaceutical industries.
Wisconsin Oven has been designing, engineering, and manufacturing a broad range of industrial ovens and other heating equipment since 1973. The company strives for superior equipment quality and performance along with a commitment to customer service. Many of the industries served require specific temperature uniformity and equipment performance documentation. Its experienced design team is able to meet even the most stringent standards for its equipment.
"Wisconsin Oven has experienced incredible growth since selling to PLC group of France in 2012. This acquisition by TPS will provide great new opportunities and allow continued growth for the entire group. We are extremely excited about becoming part of the TPS family. The experience combined by all these great companies will provide expert solutions for applications in all temperature ranges," says David Strand, President/CEO, Wisconsin Oven.
www.thermalproductsolutions.com
Thermal Product Solutions (TPS), New Columbia, Pa., has acquired Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis.
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Seco-Warwick brands improved drop-bottom furnace as VertiQuench
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Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that after significant improvements to its drop-bottom furnace, the company has decided to register the furnace under a new brand name: VertiQuench. The name describes the process of very fast vertical quenching. The-heat treated material is dropped into the quenching tank, which is placed directly under the furnace.
The latest commissioning of a VertiQuench furnace for the aerospace industry confirms significant improvement of furnace parameters. The furnace has a compact design, and is said to be an affordable solution for demanding aerospace applications. It provides AMS2750-compliant quench transfer times, and extremely tight temperature uniformity because of its proprietary and proven airflow innovations. It allows fast and full load immersion even up to five seconds, and features low energy consumption.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that after significant improvements to its drop-bottom furnace, the company has decided to register the furnace under a new brand name: VertiQuench.
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United States Steel to invest $277 million in Birmingham Fairfield Works
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United States Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, announces two capital investment projects valued at a total of $277.5 million at its Fairfield Works in Birmingham, Ala. The first is the construction of a technologically advanced electric arc furnace (EAF). The second is construction of a plant that will develop and manufacture oil country tubular goods with premium connections for the oil and gas industries.
The EAF is part of the company's larger transformation, the Carnegie Way, in which a large number of initiatives are being implemented to improve the company's customer understanding, operating flexibility, cost structure, and raw materials position. The tubular coupling facility will feature four cells to manufacture couplings for all of U. S. Steel's premium connections, including USS-Liberty FJM, USS-Patriot EBM, and USS-Patriot TC connections, for customers in the energy industry.
U. S. Steel has received the necessary authorization and economic incentives from Jefferson County to invest $230 million to construct the EAF at Fairfield Works in place of the facility's existing blast furnace, and an additional $47.5 million in the construction of the coupling facility. The construction project will be a significant investment into Jefferson County, as it will create approximately 650 temporary construction jobs over the course of both projects, and will ensure the future of steelmaking in Alabama.
Construction of the EAF will begin in the second quarter of 2015, with completion expected in the third quarter of 2016. The construction on the coupling facility is also anticipated to begin in the second quarter of 2015, and is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2016. Throughout the process, U. S. Steel will continue to operate Fairfield Works' steelmaking and finishing operations to serve both flat-rolled and tubular customers in accordance with market requirements.
www.ussteel.com
United States Steel Corp., Pittsburgh, announces two capital investment projects valued at a total of $277.5 million at its Fairfield Works in Birmingham, Ala.
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Glass infused with carbon nanotubes and tungsten powders resists impact, conducts electricity
March 17, 2015
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N1 Technologies Inc., Daytona Beach, Fla., reports that it has infused a borosilicate-based glass with tungsten and multilayered carbon nanotubes during the kiln melting process to produce Tungsten Glass. This innovation is said to enhance the protective qualities of the glass by providing improved resistance to impact and scratching. Electrical conductivity is greatly enhanced by the addition of tungsten and carbon nanotubes.
Multi layered nanotubes have great spring-like resistance, and can absorb impact and return to their original shape. This feature reduces various harmonic vibrations in mechanical movements, because of its ability to absorb impact and rebound.
www.tungstenglass.com
N1 Technologies Inc., Daytona Beach, Fla., reports that it has infused a borosilicate-based glass with tungsten and multilayered carbon nanotubes during the kiln melting process to produce Tungsten Glass.
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Olympus pitch-catch Dual Linear Array probe enables faster acoustic inspection of corrosion
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Olympus America, Waltham, Mass., developed a Dual Linear Array probe for corrosion inspection. It provides several advantages over conventional ultrasonic dual element transducers used with flaw detectors. It improves productivity through features such as larger beam coverage, faster scan speed, and C-scan imaging with increased data-point density. The pitch-catch technique of this new probe can offer better near-surface resolution and pit detection in corrosion survey applications than standard phase- array pulse-echo. The pitch-catch technology also improves the probability of detection of critical wall thinning.
The Dual Linear Array probe adds a new low-cost entry-level inspection capability to the existing Olympus HydroForm and RexoForm corrosion solutions, especially when combined with the OmniScan SX.
When using the probe with an OmniScan phased array instrument (PR or non-PR), the setup and operation is simple: load the setup file, check the calibration, and then inspect and record the data.
Installing an encoder on the probe gives the ability to generate C-scans on the instrument. An innovative probe stabilization system enables smooth data acquisition on piping surfaces as small as four inches in diameter. The typical inspection depth in carbon steel ranges from 1 to 80 mm.
Phased Array testing is a specialized type of ultrasonic testing in which sophisticated multi-element array transducers and powerful software steer high-frequency sound beams through the test piece and map returning echoes, producing detailed images of internal structures. It is used for inspection of critical structural metals, pipeline welds, aerospace components, and similar applications where the additional information supplied by phased array inspection is valuable.
www.olympus-ims.com.
Olympus America, Waltham, Mass., developed a Dual Linear Array probe for corrosion inspection.
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Aichelin-USA receives order for ferritic nitrocarburizing furnace from Fiat Chrysler
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Aichelin-USA, Plymouth, Mich., has received an order from the Fiat Chrysler transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana, for a ferritic nitrocarburizing furnace. The order is for the tenth FNC furnace, which will be added to the existing furnace cell shown in the photo. The system includes the Flexiclean washer system, pre-oxidizing furnaces, cooling stations, endothermic gas generators, and one dual-directional loading cart with automated loading and unloading stations.
Ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC) has become increasingly significant, especially when the process is combined with steam oxidation. The result of this heat treatment is a wear-resistant oxidation layer that is similar to hard chrome plating with comparably good corrosion resistance. A beneficial secondary effect is the black or anthracite colored part surface.
This treatment requires furnaces with a gas-tight retort. The furnace can be heated electrically or with industrial gas burners. The batch retort furnace, especially designed for that purpose, offers all the conditions for economical heat treatment with reproducible results.
This furnace will be built in the United States, and supported by the Aichelin-USA team based in Plymouth.
www.aichelinusa.com
Aichelin-USA, Plymouth, Mich., has received an order from the Fiat Chrysler transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana, for a ferritic nitrocarburizing furnace.
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