Asylum Research develops full-featured video-rate atomic force microscope
February 3, 2017
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Oxford Instruments Asylum Research, Goleta, Calif., announces the new Cypher VRS Video-Rate AFM, said to be the first and only full-featured video-rate atomic force microscope. It uses small cantilevers to dramatically increase scan speed and resolution and a unique system design approach that makes it immune to ordinary vibrations and temperature fluctuations.
The Cypher S makes routine measurements far easier, and makes possible the most challenging.The Cypher VRS sets a new benchmark for speed, enabling high-resolution imaging of dynamic events at up to 625 lines/second, corresponding to about ten frames per second. For comparison, this is about 300 times faster than typical AFMs, and ten times faster than current "fast scanning" AFMs.
The Cypher VRS is the only AFM to achieve these speeds while still offering the versatility and ease of use of a full-featured research AFM. It is ideal for researching dynamic nano-events such as biochemical reactions, membrane studies, self-assembly, and boundless other applications in materials and life sciences.
www.oxinst.com/cypher
Oxford Instruments Asylum Research, Goleta, Calif., announces the new Cypher VRS Video-Rate AFM, said to be the first and only full-featured video-rate atomic force microscope.
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Wisconsin Oven ships batch oven to Flame Treating to temper steel parts
January 30, 2017
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Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis., has shipped a natural gas-fired draw batch oven to Flame Treating Systems Inc. in Durham, N.C., for tempering various steel parts. Flame Treating provides customized flame hardening systems to customers, and also provides in-house flame hardening services. The addition of this tempering oven allows the company to efficiently temper parts in-house.
The tempering oven has a maximum temperature of 1250°F and basket dimensions of 4x3x4 feet. Steel parts are loaded into the draw batch oven in the basket on two stainless steel pier rails with the load capacity of 2000 pounds gross. The recirculation system features a combination air flow arrangement that utilizes a 7000 CFM @ 10 HP plug-mounted blower. The combination airflow arrangement provides both horizontal and vertical upward airflow, which maximizes heating rates and temperature uniformity of the product.
"We are starting to do a significant amount of flame hardening for customers in our shop now," says Mark Sirrine, President of Flame Treating Systems Inc. , "so we needed a better solution than sending parts out for tempering. We installed the oven in the warehouse room adjacent to our 2000-lb. capacity spin flame hardening machine. Five days later it was in production, tempering batches of 800-pound sprockets. That pretty much tells you what you need to know about the ease of installation. We're looking forward to continuing to expand our services in the mid-Atlantic region for both localized hardening and tempering."
www.wisoven.com
www.flametreatingsystems.com
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis., has shipped a natural gas-fired draw batch oven to Flame Treating Systems Inc. in Durham, N.C., for tempering various steel parts.
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Wisonsin Oven’s heat treating batch oven tempers steel parts for Flame Treating
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Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis., has shipped a natural gas-fired draw batch oven to Flame Treating Systems Inc. in Durham, N.C., for tempering various steel parts. Flame Treating provides customized flame hardening systems to customers, and also provides in-house flame-hardening services. The addition of this tempering oven allows the company to efficiently temper parts in-house.
The tempering oven has a maximum temperature of 1250°F and basket dimensions of 4x3x4 feet. Steel parts are loaded into the draw batch oven in the basket on two stainless steel pier rails with the load capacity of 2000 pounds gross. The recirculation system features a combination air flow arrangement that utilizes a 7000 CFM @ 10 HP plug-mounted blower. The combination airflow arrangement provides both horizontal and vertical upward airflow, which maximizes heating rates and temperature uniformity of the product.
"We are starting to do a significant amount of flame hardening for customers in our shop now," says Mark Sirrine, President of Flame Treating Systems Inc. , "so we needed a better solution than sending parts out for tempering. We installed the oven in the warehouse room adjacent to our 2000-lb. capacity spin flame hardening machine. Five days later it was in production, tempering batches of 800-pound sprockets. That pretty much tells you what you need to know about the ease of installation. We're looking forward to continuing to expand our services in the mid-Atlantic region for both localized hardening and tempering."
www.wisoven.com
www.flametreatingsystems.com
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis., has shipped a natural gas-fired draw batch oven to Flame Treating Systems Inc. in Durham, N.C., for tempering various steel parts.
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Solar Atmospheres invests with confidence in America
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Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., announces that it placed an order on Jan. 20 for a large horizontal-loading ten-bar vacuum furnace with advanced cooling technology, built by its sister company, Solar Manufacturing Inc. The furnace will have a six-foot diameter, six-foot deep graphite and CFC hot-zone. It will be utilized for the heat treatment of gas turbine blades for the power generation industry at Solar's flagship plant in Souderton.
"This shows the confidence we have in improved business conditions going forward thanks to President Trump," says William R. Jones, CEO, FASM. The investment and installation cost will approach $2,000,000.
www.solaratm.com
Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., announces that it placed an order on Jan. 20 for a large horizontal-loading ten-bar vacuum furnace with advanced cooling technology, built by its sister company, Solar Manufacturing Inc.
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Can-Eng to build continuous T-7 heat treatment system for aluminum castings
January 29, 2017
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Can-Eng Furnaces Intl. Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has been contracted to design, manufacture, and commission an automated T7 Heat Treatment System for the processing of high-integrity aluminum automotive structural castings for a company in the European Union. The Can-Eng design was chosen for this new facility because it offers inherent part handling features that reduce floor space requirements and energy consumption, while providing predictable mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the castings.
The high-volume continuous line includes integrated handling systems connected to up/down stream processes. The T-7 system integrates a robotic handling solution furnace with Precision Air Quench (PAQ) technology, an artificial aging system, and controls integrating Level II SCADA system. The PAQ system integrates a unique combination of features that have been developed through continuous system improvements and modeling carried out in over twenty similar systems commissioned in recent years.
The PAQ system uniformly delivers controlled quenching processes that provide repeatable and uniform mechanical properties and accurate dimensional results. The system is scheduled to be delivered and commissioned to the EU in the third quarter of 2017.
www.can-eng.com
Can-Eng Furnaces Intl. Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has been contracted to design, manufacture, and commission an automated T7 Heat Treatment System for the processing of high-integrity aluminum automotive structural castings for a company in the European Union.
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Rolls Royce approves Wallwork Group for vacuum brazing of aerospace structures
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Wallwork Group, U.K., announces that the scope of Rolls Royce approvals for the Bury (Manchester) site of metal thermal processing specialists Wallwork Group, has been extended to include the company's new vacuum brazing facility. Wallwork already undertakes aerospace work for Rolls Royce and it is hoped the new vacuum brazing unit with attract even more high-value contracts.
"Bury is the largest of our three UK sites and already has extensive approvals for metal heat treatment processes," explains sales manager Howard Maher. "Vacuum brazing is a relatively new addition to the services at this location and is a natural addition to the other high vacuum processes that we operate. Achieving Rolls Royce approval so soon after commissioning the new vacuum brazing development laboratory and assembly area is another feather in our cap." Bury is the lead aerospace processing site in the Wallwork group and already has extensive approvals for mainstream heat treatments such as case hardening, carburizing, hardening and tempering, nitriding, and many other common processes. In addition to further Rolls Royce approval, the company also carries approvals from other aerospace primes, such as BAe Systems, Airbus, Safran, Bombardier, Moog and many others, for specific heat treatment processes.
www.wallworkht.co.uk
Wallwork Group, U.K., announces that the scope of Rolls Royce approvals for the Bury (Manchester) site of metal thermal processing specialists Wallwork Group, has been extended to include the company’s new vacuum brazing facility.
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Lindberg/MPH ships atmosphere box heat treating furnace for R&D
January 28, 2017
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Lindberg/MPH, Riverside, Mich., announces the shipment of an atmosphere box furnace with a wide temperature range of 1400 to 2012°F for research and development purposes. It has a work chamber of 36X48x36 inches, making it ideal for heat treating a variety of part sizes. The heat-treating furnace is constructed with mild steel construction and structural steel frame.
A vacuum formed ceramic fiber insulation is enables quick heat-up and low heat storage. A horizontal swing insulated plug door keeps the inner hot surface away from the operator when opening to charge or unload work. The programmable temperature controller is capable of running 50 programs with 500 segments. This capability allows the operator to set specific programs for the different parts that will be processed.
"By designing the furnace with a wide temperature range it provides the customer with the flexibility to process a variety of part sizes and materials," says Jason Dobberstein, Sales Manager.
Unique features include vacuum-formed ceramic fiber modules with low heat storage for fast heat up rates; Prewired, side mounted, forced air-cooled control console; Programmable controller; Vacuum formed ceramic fiber insulation; Horizontal swing insulated door plug; Door limit switch ; and Nitrogen atmosphere.
www.lindbergmph.com
Lindberg/MPH, Riverside, Mich., announces the shipment of an atmosphere box furnace with a wide temperature range of 1400 to 2012°F for research and development purposes.
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One Minute Mentor: Removing the Passive Layer in Low-Temperature Gas Nitriding
January 27, 2017
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The recent advent of low-temperature gas nitriding (for the production of the S-phase in stainless steel) as opposed to regular high-temperature (above 550 °C) gas nitriding (of regular steel) had to find a way to remove the passive layer in this low-temperature condition.
Patent EP 1707646 B1 (2005): The process set forth in this patent uses a gaseous carbon donor compound (such as acetylene, ethylene, propane, butane, or carbon monoxide) with ammonia at temperatures greater than 570°F. It is carried out in a reactor vessel made of metal such as iron, nickel, cobalt, etc. The catalytic action of the reactor vessel will generate HCN. The HCN will depassivate the stainless steel surface through the following reactions:
2NH + C2H2 → 2HCN + 3H2
Cr2O3 + 6HCN → 2Cr(CN)3 + 3H2O
The carbon and nitrogen in 2Cr(CN)3 diffuse inward and form the nitrocarburized case, leaving a clean surface. The dewpoint must be kept below 40 °F to keep the metal surface being treated from repassivating, which means that the flow of gas must be continuous to eject excessive water formed during the depassivation and nitrocarburizing reaction. After the depassivation step, ordinary gas nitriding with NH3 + H2 + N2 atmosphere can be carried out as desired. The exhaust gas is burned and decomposed at the exit as nitrogen and CO2.
Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels ⇒ Heat Treated High-Alloy Steels ⇒ Nitriding of Stainless Steels ⇒ Thermochemical Nitriding Treatments
The recent advent of low-temperature gas nitriding (for the production of the S-phase in stainless steel) as opposed to regular high-temperature (above 550 °C) gas nitriding (of regular steel) had to find a way to remove the passive layer in this low-temperature condition.
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Airbus awards Ducommun multiyear contract to produce titanium structures
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Ducommun Inc., Carson, Calif., has received a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract from Airbus to produce additional titanium structures for engine support and engine frames on the A320neo (new engine option) aircraft. The award increases Ducommun's content on the single-aisle jetliner. Ducommun will manufacture these titanium engine support structures using its proprietary hot-forming and superplastic forming processes at its operations center in Parsons, Kansas.
"This award further demonstrates our support of Airbus with innovative, value-added structural solutions, and we are certainly pleased to see their continued confidence in our capabilities," said Stephen G. Oswald, president and chief executive officer. "We believe our expertise in a wide array of titanium forming technologies presents numerous opportunities for accelerated growth across the aerospace industry. This is a key area of strategic focus for Ducommun, and we are investing in technologies that will support our customers' changing requirements for their next generation aircraft."
www.ducommun.com
Ducommun Inc., Carson, Calif., has received a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract from Airbus to produce additional titanium structures for engine support and engine frames on the A320neo (new engine option) aircraft.
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Forgings supplier buys AFC Holcroft heat treatment furnace line
January 26, 2017
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AFC-Holcroft, Wixom, Mich., reports that a European-based multi-national supplier of forgings for the automotive industry has brought their heat treatment process in-house by investing in an AFC-Holcroft automated non-atmosphere batch heat treatment line to be delivered to an American facility located in the Midwest. The equipment will be used to process raw forgings that will undergo normalizing, tempering, stress relieving and a quench and temper process.
To secure the order, AFC-Holcroft needed to prove to the customer the return on investment. This was accomplished through meetings in the United States and abroad, calculations of costs, visits to customer sites, analysis of production schedules, testing of parts, etc.
"Our customer was very thorough in its consideration of new heat treatment equipment," says Ron Graham, Sales Engineer for AFC-Holcroft. "They were then outsourcing their heat treatment and needed to ensure that the new equipment met all of the requirements for their various processes. AFC-Holcroft's Sales, Applications, and Engineering groups all engaged in the process to validate that we were providing the optimal solution to meet their needs."
The equipment consists of five direct-fired, non-atmosphere batch heat treating furnaces, with automation provided by a SCADA system for a fully automated process.
www.afc-holcroft.com
AFC-Holcroft, Wixom, Mich., reports that a European-based multi-national supplier of forgings for the automotive industry has brought their heat treatment process in-house by investing in an AFC-Holcroft automated non-atmosphere batch heat treatment line to be delivered to an American facility located in the Midwest.
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