Magellan Aerospace receives license to manufacture Aeromet A20X aluminum castings
October 21, 2018
Source:
Magellan Aerospace, Toronto, and Aeromet Intl. Ltd., U.K., announce that Magellan’s plant in Haley, Ontario, has joined a global network of foundries licensed to cast the advanced A20X aluminum alloy, said to be the world’s strongest aluminum casting alloy. It is used in aerospace, defense, and space applications by major OEMs.
The unique solidification mechanism and microstructure of the A20X aluminum alloy produce investment and sand-cast parts with class-leading mechanical properties and enhanced thermal performance. A20X is fully approved for aerospace with MMPDS and AMS classifications, and are typically used in high-strength, high-temperature applications. Typical mechanical properties of A20X cast parts reach up to 475 MPa UTS, 415 MPa yield strength, and 3% elongation.
Mike Bond, Director of A20X at Aeromet, commented, “Demand for A20X castings is growing significantly as aerospace and defense customers seek to unlock the weight and cost reduction potential offered by the high strength alloy – the global supply chain is key to supporting customers around the world.â€
According to Haydn Martin, Magellan’s Vice President, Business Development, Marketing and Contracts, “The higher strength characteristics of this alloy open up new opportunities for engineers to utilize the advantages of cast components in critical aerospace applications where, traditionally, light alloy castings have not been able to meet the requirements.â€
www.a20x.com/casting
Magellan Aerospace, Toronto, and Aeromet Intl. Ltd., U.K., announce that Magellan’s plant in Haley, Ontario, has joined a global network of foundries licensed to cast the advanced A20X aluminum alloy, said to be the world’s strongest aluminum casting alloy.
Continue reading
Nucor to invest $650 million in Gallitin flat-rolled sheet steel mill to expand production
Source:
Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces that its Board of Directors has approved an investment of $650 million to expand the production capability of Nucor Steel Gallatin, the company's flat-rolled sheet steel mill located in Ghent, Ky. This investment will increase the production capability from 1,600,000 tons to approximately 3,000,000 tons annually, and will increase the maximum coil width to approximately 73 inches. The project is expected to create 70 full-time jobs.
This expansion complements the $176 million investment currently under way to construct a hot band continuous pickle galvanizing line at Nucor Steel Gallatin. The pickle galvanizing line is expected to be operational in the first half of 2019 and will produce approximately 500,000 tons per year of galvanized hot band steel. Nucor continues to evaluate additional expansion projects as part of the company's initiative to further grow its sheet business.
“This investment is another major component of our planned strategy for long-term profitable growth,†said John Ferriola, chairman, CEO & president of Nucor. “Together with the new galvanizing line, this expansion increases our presence in the important Midwest market, specifically in the automotive, agriculture, heavy equipment, and energy pipe and tube sectors.â€
Nucor acquired the former Gallatin Steel Company in late 2014 for a purchase price of approximately $780 million.
www.nucor.com
Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces that its Board of Directors has approved an investment of $650 million to expand the production capability of Nucor Steel Gallatin, the company’s flat-rolled sheet steel mill located in Ghent, Ky.
Continue reading
One Minute Mentor: Introduction to cast irons
October 12, 2018
Source:
Cast irons, like steels, are iron-carbon alloys. The difference is that cast irons typically possess higher carbon levels than steels, so that cast irons can take advantage of eutectic solidification in the binary iron-carbon system, as shown in the diagram.
Cast irons often are defined as ferrous alloys that contain more than 2% carbon and 1% or more silicon. Eutectic solidification occurs with carbon content above 2%, but it also is important to note that silicon and other alloying elements may considerably change the maximum solubility of carbon in austenite (γ). Therefore, in exceptional cases, alloys with less than 2% C can solidify with a eutectic structure and therefore still belong to the family of cast irons.
Nonetheless, most commercial irons have carbon contents within the range from 2.5 to 4.0% along with other essential alloying elements, of which silicon and phosphorus are the most important.
Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels ->Heat Treatment of Cast Irons -> Introduction to Cast Iron Heat Treatment
Cast irons typically possess higher carbon levels than steels, so that cast irons can take advantage of eutectic solidification in the binary iron-carbon system, as shown in the diagram.
Continue reading
Seco Vacuum supplies second vacuum heat treating furnace to global manufacturer
Source:
Seco Vacuum, Meadville, Pa., announces that it is to supply a second vacuum furnace to the U.S.-based manufacturing operations of a global manufacturer. This second furnace, a vacuum temper furnace for tempering and stress relieving metal parts, is part of the company’s new U.S.-based manufacturing expansion, and becomes a centerpiece in a new processing line for the company.
This horizontal front-loading furnace is designed specifically for the customer needs, with an all-metal hot zone for clean vacuum processing. The unit includes a convection fan and a pressurized gas quench for quick cooling.
After weighing design, cost, and delivery options from multiple furnace manufacturers, the customer chose Seco Vacuum thanks to the company’s special vacuum temper furnace design, competitive pricing, and timely delivery.
Seco Vacuum offers vacuum furnaces of all types, sizes, and capabilities, from vacuum oil quenching and low pressure carburizing, to high pressure gas quench. Even basic units such as the vacuum temper are part of the broad offerings.
www.secovacusa.com
Seco Vacuum, Meadville, Pa., announces that it is to supply a second vacuum furnace to the U.S.-based manufacturing operations of a global manufacturer.
Continue reading
Constellium Alplan specialty rolled aluminum plate features up to 15 times better flatness
Source: ASM International
Constellium N.V., The Netherlands, introduces its new Alplan Beyond Precision aluminum product line, which consists of specialty rolled plates with up to 15 times better flatness compared to industry standards, up to 40 percent less material needs, and up to 90 percent reduction in part rework compared to a mill finish plate.
Continue reading
Lucifer Furnaces supplies convection oven for heat treating stainless steel medical parts
Source:
Lucifer Furnaces, Warrington, Pa., has supplied a forced air recirculating oven to a manufacturer of medical and aerospace parts.
Model 42-M36 will be used to heat treat 17-4 stainless steel parts. With a chamber size of 12 x 18 x 36 inches, powered by 13 kW, the oven heats quickly with side-mounted element holders housing coiled, low-watt-density resistance wire.
Standard features include heavy gauge sheet steel construction, 4.5-inch multilayer insulation, a 16-gauge stainless steel liner, and a horizontal swing door with safety switch. A rear mounted high-volume fan directs air past heating elements, then throughout the work chamber for uniform heating. This convection style oven is equipped with a programmable controller and two-pen chart recorder.
www.luciferfurnaces.com
Lucifer Furnaces, Warrington, Pa., has supplied a forced air recirculating oven to a manufacturer of medical and aerospace parts.
Continue reading
Solar Atmospheres develops better cleaning process for vacuum furnace heat exchangers
Source:
Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., announces that it has developed an improved process to clean heat exchanger fins that have become clogged with dirt and debris.
In the operation of vacuum furnaces, the quench gas heat exchanger fins can become clogged with various debris and dirt that is very difficult to completely clean with standard pressure washing and other conventional methods. The clogged heat exchanger greatly impedes quench gas flow, resulting in reduced work cooling rates.
Solar’s special process involves a 12-hour soak submerged in a suitable tub using a water base cleaning agent. Recirculated forced water jets wash out the accumulated dirt from deep inside the heat exchanger. It is then pressure washed and blown dry with nitrogen gas. The heat exchanger is cleaned to an as new condition and then returned to the user.
www.vacpumpservices.com, an affiliate of Solar Atmospheres.
Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., announces that it has developed an improved process to clean heat exchanger fins that have become clogged with dirt and debris.
Continue reading
U.S. Department of Energy grant to advance electrolysis process for copper production.
October 4, 2018
Source:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that associate professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore has received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to run larger scale tests of a new way to produce copper using electricity to separate copper from melted sulfur-based minerals, which are the main source of copper.
In June 2017, researchers in Prof. Allanore’s lab identified how to selectively separate pure copper and other metallic elements from sulfide mineral ore in one step. Their molten sulfide electrolysis process eliminates sulfur dioxide, a noxious byproduct of traditional copper extraction methods, instead producing pure elemental sulfur.
“We think that with our technology we could provide these copper wires with less energy consumption and higher productivity,†Prof. Allanore says. It may be possible to cut the energy needed for making copper by 20 percent.
In earlier research, postdoc Sulata K. Sahu and graduate student Brian J. Chmielowiec decomposed sulfur-rich minerals at high temperature into pure sulfur and extracted three different metals at very high purity: copper, molybdenum, and rhenium. The process is similar to the Hall-Héroult process, which uses electrolysis to produce aluminum, but operates at a higher operating temperature to enable production of liquid copper.
Currently, it takes multiple steps to separate out copper, first crushing sulfide minerals, and then floating out the copper-bearing parts. This copper-rich material — copper concentrate — is next partially refined in a smelter, and further purified with electrolytic refining.
“Professor Allanore’s approach would work on the copper concentrate and has the potential to produce copper rod in a single operation while separating unwanted impurities and recovering valuable byproducts that are also in the concentrate,†says Hal Stillman, director of technology development and transfer for the International Copper Association. “Professor Allanore’s approach is a big step; it allows a completely new approach to refining copper.â€
The three-year, $1.89 million DOE award will allow Allanore’s group to make a larger reactor, producing about 10 times as much liquid copper per hour, and to run the reactor for a longer time, enough to identify what happens to the other metals accompanying copper, which are also commercially important.
http://news.mit.edu/
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that associate professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore has received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to run larger scale tests of a new way to produce copper using electricity to separate copper from melted sulfur-based minerals, which are the main source of copper.
Continue reading
Norsk Titanium’s Rapid Plasma Deposition 3D printing process wins ITA award
Source:
Norsk Titanium, Norway, announces that it has been named the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s 2018 Titanium Application Development Award.
As reported last year, Norsk Titanium began delivering the structural, additive manufactured aerospace parts to industry giant Boeing. These first OEM-qualified components are now flying on the Boeing 787. Norsk utilizes its Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) wire-fed process to produce near-net-shape titanium parts at its production facilities in Hønefoss, Norway, and Plattsburgh, New York.
“Norsk Titanium is honored to be recognized by ITA for the 2018 Titanium Applications Development Award,†says Michael Canario, chief executive officer of Norsk Titanium. “This achievement by our dedicated team follows the vision of our Norwegian founders to revolutionize the titanium manufacturing industry with our Rapid Plasma Deposition technology. We expressly thank our research and development partners for their support in promoting new titanium applications.â€
According to Norsk officials, the technology has demonstrated it can produce parts weighing over 100 pounds. They add that RPD is 50 to 100 times faster than powder-based additive manufacturing systems and uses 25 to 50 percent less titanium than incumbent forging processes. In addition to producing parts for commercial jets, the RPD process can be used to manufacture structural parts for the space, transportation, oil and gas, and maritime business sectors.
The ITA sponsors the TAD award to recognize: significant achievement towards improving and expanding the use of titanium; promoting titanium products into new applications or enhancing the performance of titanium in an existing application; unveiling a technical breakthrough that specifically expands the use of titanium; inaugurating or influencing outstanding research or marketing programs leading to the expansion of the titanium market or titanium products; initiating or creating important new and imaginative uses for titanium.
www.Titanium.org
www.norsktitanium.com
Norsk Titanium, Norway, announces that it has been named the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s 2018 Titanium Application Development Award.
Continue reading
AIST names flash bainite, nanotexturing, and steel foam as T.C. Graham Prize finalists
Source:
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology, Warrendale, Pa., has disclosed the three finalists for the third annual T.C. Graham Prize, which was established in 2014 through an endowment from one of the steel industry’s most successful and innovative executives, Tom C. Graham Sr. The purpose is to recognize innovative applications for steel that may lead to the development of new markets. The winning entry will receive $20,000.
One of the three finalists is Flash Bainite, a heat treating technology developed by Gary Cola of the Flash Bainite Co., Washington Twp., Michigan. Said to be capable of producing 1600 MPa sheet in just five seconds, Flash 1600 has reportedly been proven in automotive OEM test labs to reduce mass by 20 to 58 percent, while maintaining performance and reducing cost. This process is an entirely new field of ferrous metallurgy that leverages the natural heterogeneity of steel to create a highly complex, nanorefined microstructure with unparalleled mechanical properties.
The second finalist is Nanotexturing Stainless Steel, developed by Professors Julie Champion and Dennis Hess of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Creation of nanotexture on stainless steel by electrochemical etching decreases attachment of bacteria and kills bacteria, while simultaneously improving corrosion resistance. The goal is to scale up and establish the feasibility of translating electrochemical etching as a method of creating nanotexture on stainless steel food and beverage equipment, biomedical devices, and a variety of surfaces to prevent bacterial infection.
The third finalist is Steel Composite Metal Foam, developed by Prof. Afsaneh Rabiei of North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Steel-steel composite metal foam is a low weight, high-strength metal foam manufactured using hollow steel spheres embedded in a steel matrix. This material has shown superior mechanical properties under loading, fire, radiation and even blast and fragments impact. Such properties have made steel-steel composite metal foams strong candidates for applications in structural components.
www.flashbainite.com
www.ncsu.edu
www.gatech.edu
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology, Warrendale, Pa., has disclosed the three finalists for the third annual T.C. Graham Prize, which was established in 2014 through an endowment from one of the steel industry’s most successful and innovative executives, Tom C. Graham Sr.
Continue reading 