Oerlikon to acquire Laser Cladding Services
December 4, 2015
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Oerlikon, Switzerland, has signed an agreement to acquire the business of Laser Cladding Services, Houston, Texas, which specializes in laser cladding applications for the energy industry. The acquisition extends and improves the Surface Solutions Segment's service offering in laser cladding and opens up access to key customers in the U.S. energy sector.
Oerlikon continues the strategic development of its surface solutions business and further expands its laser cladding technology expertise through this acquisition. The acquisition not only strengthens the existing laser cladding business, but also complements its thermal spray offering, thereby broadening the Segment's portfolio of services.
In addition, Oerlikon can now extend its footprint in North America, where Laser Cladding Services is based, and also in the energy and oil & gas sectors, in which laser cladding is largely applied.
According to Dr. Brice Koch, CEO of the Oerlikon Group,"One strategic focus is to reinforce the foundation of our surface solutions business in order to ensure its further growth. The acquisition is another important step in our investments for the Surface Solutions Segment, allowing us to strengthen our offering and foothold, particularly in the United States."
Laser cladding technology is based on laser beams that deposit materials and layers onto a substrate, ascoatings or to fabricate near-net shape parts. The method enables a full metallurgical bond to the base material, which in turn improves corrosion resistance and wear properties. In addition, laser cladding makes it possible to coat thin-walled components. Also, thinner layers can be applied compared to PTA or conventional weld overlay. These advantages make laser cladding particularly suitable for applications in demanding areas where a high degree of accuracy and performance is needed, such as with turbine blades, drilling equipment ,and pump components in the energy sector.
www.oerlikon.com
Oerlikon, Switzerland, has signed an agreement to acquire the business of Laser Cladding Services, Houston, Texas, which specializes in laser cladding applications for the energy industry.
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One Minute Mentor: Atmospheres for Water-Hardening Tool Steel
December 3, 2015
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Excellent results are obtained by austenitizing water-hardening tool steels in a slightly oxidizing atmosphere, as indicated by the data in the graph, obtained in tests on type W2. The graph shows the effect of furnace atmosphere on the surface carbon content of W2 tool steel. Specimens were heated at 790°C (1450°F) for 1 hour, quenched in brine, annealed in lead at 705°C (1300°F), and machined in 0.13 mm (0.005 in.) cuts for analysis.
Oxidizing atmospheres are inexpensive, and are usually produced by controlled direct-firing burners. The light scale that is produced is removed by the vigorous water or brine quench. Endothermic atmospheres also are used, but close control is necessary to match the carbon potential of the atmosphere to the carbon content at the surface.
Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels -> Tool Steels -> Heat Treating of Cold-Work Tool Steels—Low- and Un-Alloyed Water and Oil Hardening Steels -> Water-Hardening Tool Steels
Excellent results are obtained by austenitizing water-hardening tool steels in a slightly oxidizing atmosphere, as indicated by the data in the graph, obtained in tests on type W2.
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Oxygen-free copper strip produced in continuous casting, rolling, and coiling process
November 30, 2015
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Mansfelder, Kupfer, und Messing GmbH (MKM), Germany, has begun the production of high-purity, oxygen-free copper strip via Conti-M technology, which makes it possible to cast, hot-roll, mill, and coil copper strip in a continuous process. The oxygen-free (OFE) copper contains no elements that can outgas in vacuum, is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, and is particularly resistant to hydrogen in both natural and industrial atmospheres.
OFE copper is also resistant to stress corrosion cracking. MKM will be offering OFE copper predominantly to customers in the electrical engineering, electronics, and vacuum systems engineering segments, for whom this high-quality copper strip offers exceptional properties. OFE copper not only possesses very good hot and cold forming properties, but also is good for welding and very good for hard and soft soldering.
According to Roland Harings, CEO of MKM, "With OFE copper strip, we at MKM have now begun a quality-oriented expansion of our product portfolio that fulfils the demands of many of our customers. Numerous tests have clearly confirmed that MKM OFE copper strip can offer exceptionally high quality standards and process reliability."
MKM is the only manufacturer in the world to offer copper wire, strips, tubes, bars, and sheets from a single source. In the past year, MKM processed 245,000 metric ton of copper, with a workforce of about 1100 employees. Approximately 1000 customers from 60 different countries place their trust in MKM. This positions MKM as a global premium partner for the electronics and construction industry, solar energy, and systems engineering; and the automotive, aerospace and telecommunications segments.
http://www.mkm.eu/en/
Mansfelder, Kupfer, und Messing GmbH (MKM), Germany, has begun the production of high-purity, oxygen-free copper strip via Conti-M technology, which makes it possible to cast, hot-roll, mill, and coil copper strip in a continuous process.
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Constellium to invest $20 million in new aluminum manufacturing facility in Georgia
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Constellium N. V., Amsterdam, announces that it will construct a new 84,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Bartow County, Georgia, in response to growing demand for its automotive aluminum structures in North America. This project represents a $20 million investment by Constellium and an additional $12 million investment by developer Seefried Properties, for a total project value of $32 million. Construction of the plant will begin in early 2016, with start of production anticipated in 2017.
"The new Georgia plant demonstrates Constellium's commitment to work in partnership with automakers in North America and to be near their assembly plants," said Paul Warton, President of Constellium's Automotive Structures and Industry business unit. "This expansion of our footprint in the Southeast United States will allow us to better serve our automotive customers and to respond the industry's growing demand for aluminum structural parts."
The planned 84,000 sq. ft. greenfield facility may be expanded up to 220,000 sq. ft. to adapt to customers' supply needs in the future.
"Georgia has a strong business climate and an advanced technical education network to provide a skilled workforce for our operations," commented Eric Krepps, Vice President and General Manager of Constellium Automotive Structures North America. "We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received from the State of Georgia, Bartow County and a number of partners to help achieve our business goals."
www.constellium.com
Constellium N. V., Amsterdam, announces that it will construct a new 84,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Bartow County, Georgia, in response to growing demand for its automotive aluminum structures in North America.
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Novelis opens heat treatment plant in Germany for aluminum automotive sheet
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Novelis, Atlanta, has opened a state-of-the-art aluminum automotive heat treatment line in Nachterstedt, Germany, to serve European and global automotive aluminum sheet customers. Located adjacent to its existing rolling mill and the world's largest aluminum recycling center, the $85 million investment will increase production capacity by 120,000 metric tons of automotive sheet annually.
At full production, this line will increase Novelis' European automotive sheet capacity to 350,000 metric tons per year and will provide global customers with high-quality automotive sheet, including the Novelis Advanz portfolio of alloys for lightweight vehicle structures and body panels. Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than $550 million globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity.
"Coupled with our recent automotive expansions in North America and Asia, the opening of the new production line in Europe strengthens our industry leadership in the automotive market and uniquely positions Novelis to serve our global customers," said Steve Fisher, President and CEO of Novelis.
As a leading supplier of aluminum flat rolled products, Novelis partners with leading automakers such as Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, and Ford to supply the next generation of aluminum vehicles. Novelis aluminum can be found in more than 180 different vehicle models in production today. Together with its customers, Novelis is developing innovative aluminum alloy solutions that achieve high levels of strength, safety and performance.
The technology in the new Nachterstedt finishing line is identical to that of the lines recently commissioned in the United States and China, providing Novelis' global customers with the highest level of quality and consistency regardless of location. With 56 newly created jobs and 1200 employees in total, the Nachterstedt complex is the biggest facility of the nine Novelis plants across Europe and one of the biggest employers in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
www.novelis.com
Novelis, Atlanta, has opened a state-of-the-art aluminum automotive heat treatment line in Nachterstedt, Germany, to serve European and global automotive aluminum sheet customers.
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Can-Eng to design and build T-7 heat treat system for aluminum auto castings
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Can-Eng Furnaces Intl. Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has been contracted by a large automotive supplier to design, manufacture, and commission an automated T-7 heat treatment system for high-integrity aluminum automotive structural castings. Can-Eng technology was chosen because it provides predictable mechanical properties and maintains the dimensional stability of the casting. The system also offers inherent part-handling features that reduce floor space requirements and energy consumption.
The T-7 cell includes robotic handling, a solution and aging furnace with Precision Air Quench (PAQ) technology, and controls integrated into a Level II SCADA system. The PAQ system offers a unique combination of recirculating air chambers, distribution nozzles, dampers, and directional ductwork. Analysis of CFD modelling ensures that the PAQ system delivers controlled quench media to the casting, leading to repeatable and uniform mechanical properties and accurate dimensional results.
The T-7 heat treatment system is integrated with upstream and downstream processing operations, reducing W.I.P inventories. It is scheduled to be commissioned in the summer of 2016 with a second phase to follow in 2017.
www.can-eng.com
Can-Eng Furnaces Intl. Ltd., Niagara Falls, Ontario, has been contracted by a large automotive supplier to design, manufacture, and commission an automated T-7 heat treatment system for high-integrity aluminum automotive structural castings.
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One Minute Mentor: Austenitizing Water-Hardening Tool Steels
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Austenitizing temperatures for water-hardening tool steels normally vary from 1400 to 1550°F. Higher temperatures are sometimes used for special purposes. Hardenability increases as austenitizing temperature increases. The optimum time at austenitizing temperature is from 10 to 30 minutes. Preheating is unusual except for very large tools or those with intricate cross sections.
The graph shows the maximum section thicknesses of three classes of water-hardening tool steels that develop minimum hardness of 60 HRC when oil quenched from various austenitizing temperatures.
It is particularly important to protect shallow-hardening steels against scaling and decarburization. Severe scaling can interfere with heat transfer during quenching and slow the required high rate of cooling. Decarburization will produce a soft surface on any tool steel, but in a deep-hardening steel it can be ground off until the underlying hard high-carbon area is reached. Grinding a shallow-hardening steel will frequently expose the soft core.
Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels -> Tool steels -> Introduction to Heat Treating of Tool Steels -> Water Hardening Tool Steels
Austenitizing temperatures for water-hardening tool steels normally vary from 1400 to 1550°F. Higher temperatures are sometimes used for special purposes.
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WPI team studies how cracks form in aircraft wings and fuselages
November 25, 2015
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass., announces that a research team will conduct comprehensive testing and characterization studies to understand and monitor how stress and fatigue cause microscopic damage to form in metal components. Specifically, the researchers will study how tiny cracks are initiated and then grow in aircraft components as they are subjected to repetitive strains and stresses similar to those that wings, fuselages, and other aircraft components experience in service.
A new imaging system enables the team to view the initiation and propagation of cracks at the nanometer scale while metal samples are stressed in a servo-hydraulic testing machine. Fatigue cracks can be detected at the surface of samples by imaging and within the microstructure by electromagnetic induction.
With the knowledge gained through laboratory testing, advanced characterization, and computational modelling, the team is looking to develop new lightweight metal alloys that are more resistant to cracking, or in which small cracks are less likely to expand into larger fissures. In addition, they hope to be able to develop algorithms that will make it possible to predict when servicing will be required, based on the state of stress and the rate of crack progression.
Team leader Prof. Diana Lados says the technology can be incorporated into sensors that could be attached to critical components in airplanes to detect and monitor fatigue damage in real time. Currently, aircraft are taken out of service at set intervals to be inspected for fatigue-related cracking. By monitoring aircraft components continuously, and using the predictive algorithms being developed in the Lados lab, it may be possible to schedule aircraft servicing only when needed, which could significantly reduce costs and out-of-service time.
"This technology, with its multiple uses, would bring important advancements to the materials and aircraft industries, contribute to increased safety and on-time performance, and undoubtedly save time and money for aircraft operators and, ultimately, the airlines," says Prof. Lados. "I think this research will go a long way to enhancing the way the aircraft industry views its inspection and monitoring systems."
www.wpi.edu
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass., announces that a research team will conduct comprehensive testing and characterization studies to understand and monitor how stress and fatigue cause microscopic damage in metal components.
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Compact PlanarMet 300 grinder combines three grinding stages into one step
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Buehler, an ITW Company, Lake Bluff, Ill., introduces the PlanarMet 300, a new compact benchtop planar grinder built for fast and efficient grinding with high flatness and maximum edge retention. It features a fixed 305 mm (12 in.) grinding stone in conjunction with a high-performance 5.7 hp motor, and can accommodate ten specimens at time. It is easy to use with a self-calibrating auto-dressing system and easy stone change.
The PlanarMet 300 is designed to remove up to 0.6 mm of material per minute – up to ten times faster than grinding with SiC paper. The central-force specimen holder accommodates up to ten samples at a time and enables three to four grinding stages to be combined into a single step. The amount of material to be removed can be programmed accurately in increments of 0.1 mm.
For highly accurate material removal, the grinder offers either a timed-cycle or a controlled material depth mode, with adjustable powerhead speed and direction of rotation. Sample deformation is kept to a minimum by an integral cooling water inlet, combined with a unique water manifold, which ensures adequate cooling even under extremely aggressive grinding conditions.
The self-calibrating auto-dressing system with adjustable dressing frequency and depth provides a clean, flat grinding surface for each grinding cycle. Grinding stones (optionally Al2O3 or SiC) can be changed easily within minutes by unscrewing the center bolt, following which the system will auto-calibrate.
The grinder is designed for side-by-side use with EcoMet/AutoMet Grinder Polisher for direct specimen holder integration. It uses the same central force specimen holders as the EcoMet/AutoMet, and allows the user to complete additional preparation steps after planar grinding directly on the polishing system, without transferring to a new holder.
www.buehler.com
Buehler, an ITW Company, Lake Bluff, Ill., introduces the PlanarMet 300, a new compact benchtop planar grinder built for fast and efficient grinding with high flatness and maximum edge retention.
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Low-pressure carbonitration developed for case hardening
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, reports that its engineers are now working on low-pressure carbonitration, a process for the case hardening of low-alloy steel with methylamine. Together with researchers of Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart, they found that methylamine and dimethylamine process gases cause a good enrichment of the surface layer with carbon and nitrogen. The steels hardened in this way are suitable for structures such as the Bosch high-strength auto components shown here.
At temperatures between 800 and 1050°C and total pressures below 50 millibars, the surface of the component to be hardened is enriched with carbon and nitrogen from methylamine and subsequently hardened by quenching. The project is aimed at studying the fundamentals of low-pressure carbonitration and developing this process to maturity in cooperation with research and industry partners.
"Low-pressure carbonitration combines the advantages of low-pressure processes with those of atmospheric carbonitration," says project leader David Koch. Conventional atmospheric carbonitration damages the surface of the components treated by oxidation. This can be prevented by low-pressure processes. In addition, a more homogeneous hardness profile is generated in the component, in particular in complex component geometries.
Up to now, low-pressure carbonitration has been carried out nearly exclusively with ammonia as a nitrogen donor, and ethyne or propane as a carbon donor. The KIT scientists have now studied other gases and gas mixtures for suitability. When using methylamine for low-pressure carbonitration, only one gas instead of two is required, and the usually applied two process steps can be reduced to one. Compared to the use of ammonia as nitrogen donor together with a carbon donor, methylamine alone reaches a higher nitrogen enrichment in the surface layer. As carbon enters the surface layer in parallel, the process duration is shortened considerably. Methylamine also allows for carbonitration at much higher temperatures, which additionally shortens the process duration. Moreover, the degree of utilization of methylamine as a process gas is better, so that less is needed.
The results for low-pressure carbonitration with methylamine have been published in HTM – The Journal of Heat Treatment and Materials.
https://www.kit.edu/english
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, reports that its engineers are now working on low-pressure carbonitration, a process for the case hardening of low-alloy steel with methylamine.
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