Carpenter agrees to supply powder metallurgy superalloys to Pratt & Whitney
June 17, 2015
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Carpenter Technology Corp., Wyomissing, Pa., reports that operations will begin soon at its new superalloy powder facility in Alabama as part of a multi-level agreement with United Technologies Corporation's Pratt & Whitney Division. The facility is technologically advanced with twin atomizing towers, and will be capable of producing 2100 tons of clean, aerospace grade powder per year.
Carpenter's recent investment in the Athens facility has allowed for the fluid movement and expedited production of the materials required for crucial aerospace components. The high-purity ingots arrive from one of Carpenter's legacy operating facilities, and move through conditioning, re-melting, finishing, and testing until they have reached the exact customer specifications.
As part of the agreement, UTC's aerospace business units (Pratt & Whitney, Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., UTC Aerospace Systems, and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation) have agreed to purchase alloy steel bar/billet, nickel superalloy billet, stainless bar/billet, and strip laminate products from Carpenter for a period of ten years. Carpenter currently supplies UTC's aerospace businesses with a portion of their overall demand for nickel, stainless, and strip laminate products. The agreement was signed in October 2013, and means that Carpenter will supply Pratt & Whitney with superalloy powder for up to 20 years once qualifications are satisfied.
www.cartech.com/aerospace
Carpenter Technology Corp., Wyomissing, Pa., reports that operations will begin soon at its new superalloy powder facility in Alabama as part of a multi-level agreement with United Technologies Corporation’s Pratt & Whitney Division.
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Kanthal heating elements for service at 3050°F have fast temperature ramping
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Sandvik Materials Technology, Sweden, announces that its Kanthal division introduced Superthal FeCrAlMo heating elements at the Thermprocess show held last week in Dusseldorf. Superthal prefabricated heating modules consist of vacuum-formed ceramic fiber with an integral powder metallurgy molybdenum-disilicide (MoSi2) heating element. The maximum temperature is raised to 1725°C (3140°C) for Superthal HT half-cylinder heating elements, enabling up to 1675°F (3050°C) furnace temperature. During operation, a layer of Al2O3 forms spontaneously, producing a dense, adherent, and self-healing surface.
Superthal heating modules are intended for use in laboratory or production furnaces/heaters wherever concentrated heat is needed. They also provide major energy savings in several applications. The flexibility of the heating modules allows for different tests and processes to take place in the same furnace setup.
The Superthal modules have quick temperature ramping, are easy to install, and have accurate temperature profiles and long service life. They are available in a variety of geometries and standard sizes. Tailor-made modules can be supplied to optimize the design and function of the particular application.
www.smt.sandvik.com
Sandvik Materials Technology, Sweden, announces that its Kanthal division introduced Superthal FeCrAlMo heating elements at the Thermprocess show held last week in Dusseldorf.
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Collaboration to develop carbon fiber for automotive light-weighting
June 11, 2015
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The Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., and DowAksa, Turkey signed a joint development agreement to formally advance research on cost-effective, high-volume manufacturing of automotive-grade carbon fiber—a material poised to play a significant role in the drive to make vehicles lighter for greater fuel efficiency, performance and capability.
The agreement will combine DowAksa's feedstock capacity, carbon fiber conversion and downstream intermediates production capabilities with Ford's expertise in design, engineering and high-volume manufacturing. The goal is to produce materials that make cost-effective carbon fiber composite parts that are much lighter than steel but meet automotive strength requirements.
"This joint development agreement reinforces Ford's commitment to our partnership with DowAksa, and our drive to bring carbon fiber components to the broader market," says Mike Whitens, director, Vehicle Enterprise Sciences, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering. "The goal of our work here fits within the company's Blueprint for Sustainability, where future Ford vehicles will be lighter with optimized performance that would help consumers further improve fuel economy and reduce emissions."
"Today's agreement marks another milestone in the partnership to develop lightweighting solutions for the automotive industry," says DowAksa Chairman Heinz Haller. "Ford and DowAksa's collaboration will accelerate delivery of advanced materials and technologies to meet and exceed expectations for high performance and fuel economy."
"Automotive manufacturers' use of carbon fiber composites has been hindered by the absence of both high-volume manufacturing methods and affordable material formats," said DowAska Vice Chairman Mehmet Ali Berkman. "This partnership combines the individual strengths of each company to target these challenges."
The JDA allows the companies to collaboratively generate new, lower-cost automotive grades of carbon fiber that can be applied to aligned and random fiber formats while maintaining compatibility with both thermoset and thermoplastic matrices. The agreement also includes a pathway for potential extension of development collaboration into a commercial manufacturing partnership.
"DowAksa is committed to bringing the benefits of carbon fiber to the industrial marketplace," Berkman added. "By entering into this agreement, DowAksa is taking a serious approach to providing environmentally sustainable solutions, the goal being the manufacture of much lighter vehicles with optimized performance and cost, which will ensure reduced fuel consumption and exhaust emissions."
As announced in January, the companies will be part of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), announced by President Obama as part of the larger National Network for Manufacturing Innovation supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The JDA will facilitate the companies' efforts in conjunction with IACMI to overcome the high cost and limited availability of carbon fiber in automotive applications.
The Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Mich., and DowAksa, Turkey signed a joint development agreement to formally advance research on cost-effective, high-volume manufacturing of automotive-grade carbon fiber.
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Rocketdyne selects Seco-Warwick box furnace for heat treating and brazing rocket parts
June 9, 2015
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Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., reports that Aerojet Rocketdyne has updated its facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., with the turnkey installation of a Seco-Warwick custom-engineered box furnace for brazing and heat-treating rocket parts and assemblies. The various rocket engines sealed within the retort can weigh up to 5000 pounds per load, including the retort.
This unit replaces an older furnace, improving the overall operation with new technology that makes the furnace easier to control, with more economical operation and improved temperature uniformity.
The new control system was developed with Aerojet Rocketdyne and adjusted in the field to meet not only the customer specifications, but also the operator's needs. Natural gas usage was reduced by utilizing a high-velocity burner system. Although the original specification was to meet +/-20°F, the unit as installed is operating at +/-5°F uniformity.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., reports that Aerojet Rocketdyne has updated its facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., with the turnkey installation of a Seco-Warwick custom-engineered box furnace for brazing and heat-treating rocket parts and assemblies.
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Bodycote opens new heat treatment plant in Poland
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Bodycote, South Windsor, Conn., recently opened a new heat treatment site in Wroclaw, Poland, as part of its expansion strategy in Eastern Europe. Building on this investment, Bodycote announces its intention to open another greenfield heat treatment site in the aviation valley close to Rzeszow, Poland. The new facility will support the manufacturing supply chains in this region and is expected to be operational by the second half of 2016.
Initially, vacuum heat treatment, vacuum brazing, and nitriding will be offered. Other processes will follow as demand for heat treatment services in the region continues to grow. Additional services are likely to include HVOF and plasma coatings, vacuum oil quench, and aluminum heat treatment.
The new facility will hold international quality standards including Nadcap and AS 9100, as well as OEM approvals. First-tier suppliers to United Technologies Corporation (UTC), Rolls-Royce, and Safran, among others, will be supported.
www.bodycote.com
Bodycote, South Windsor, Conn., recently opened a new heat treatment site in Wroclaw, Poland, as part of its expansion strategy in Eastern Europe.
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Worthington’s TWB Company to open tailor welded blank facility in Nashville
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Worthington Industries, Cleveland, announces that its tailor welded blanking joint venture, TWB Company LLC, is opening a new facility in Nashville. It will include next-generation fiber lasers and curvilinear welding technology, expanding TWB's 2D welding capabilities and its ability to reduce weight and increase strength in more vehicle parts.
"The market for tailor welded blanks continues to grow and TWB's capabilities are growing with it," said Ivan Meltzer, president of TWB Company. "We are continually pushing the technology to allow more applications across all vehicle lines. This new Tennessee facility provides capacity to further serve automakers and Tier 1 automotive suppliers in the South."
The use of tailor welded blanks in vehicles has grown in recent years as automakers use light weighting to improve fuel economy to meet new targets set by the government. The significantly higher Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards take effect in 2025. Laser-welded blanks are made from welding steel blanks of various thicknesses and grades together to form a tailored blank that is then stamped into automotive body panels.
The new 120,000-square-foot facility will have approximately 45 employees, and will initially serve General Motors, Nissan, and several Tier 1 automotive suppliers. Production is expected to begin by October 2015. The new facility is TWB's 9th in North America; additional locations include Alabama, Michigan, Smyrna, Tenn., Ontario, and four in Mexico.
www.TWBCompany.com.
Worthington Industries, Cleveland, announces that its tailor welded blanking joint venture, TWB Company LLC, is opening a new facility in Nashville, Tenn.
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Alcoa 6013 aerospace aluminum chosen by Samsung for Galaxy S6 smartphone
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is supplying a high-strength aerospace-grade aluminum to Samsung for its latest smartphones — the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. The 6013 Alcoa Power Plate is 70% stronger than standard aluminum, enabling a thinner, lighter, sleeker design. Developed by Alcoa Technical Center metallurgists, the alloy combines high strength and corrosion resistance for products that require superior durability. Smartphones with metal frames are expected to grow almost 250% by 2016 from 2014, creating stronger demand for aluminum to protect mobile devices.
"Alcoa's Power Plate has been battle tested across aerospace, automotive, and military applications, proving it can withstand the heavy use and tough treatment endured by mobile devices," said Ray Kilmer, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Alcoa. Other Alcoa consumer electronics solutions include ProStrength, a proprietary surface-finishing technology for aerospace-grade aluminum.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is supplying a high-strength, aerospace-grade aluminum to Samsung for its latest smartphones — the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge.
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Report on ITSC 2015 in Long Beach
June 8, 2015
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The 2015 International Thermal Spray Conference joined AeroMat and IMS for the first-ever combined mega-event in Long Beach, Calif. The four-day event, May 11-14, attracted over 2000 aerospace and thermal spray technologists, researchers, manufacturers, and suppliers from 34 countries. It featured 180 booths on the combined show floor from a mix of 130 companies. The technical program had more than 450 oral and poster presentations, and featured speakers from over 30 countries across the globe.
While each show had separate programming, attendees were free to explore any session as well as the shared show floor, making it a truly unique and cross-functional experience. Robert Vassen spoke for ITSC, and gave a technical talk on recent advances with thermally sprayed barrier coatings, including the rise in popularity of suspension plasma spraying and physical vapor deposition, as well as an intensive study of advanced materials.
www.asminternational.org
The 2015 International Thermal Spray Conference joined AeroMat and IMS for the first-ever combined mega-event in Long Beach, Calif.
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Arcam invests in third plasma atomization reactor for titanium powder
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Arcam AB, Sweden, announces that a third plasma atomization reactor at its powder manufacturing subsidiary AP&C in Montreal is now operational. The expansion will add significant capacity to its titanium powder manufacturing operation. With this new investment, AP&C now has two production lines encompassing reactors and related sieving and mixing equipment fully dedicated to titanium products. A third reactor is dedicated to Inconel and other alloys. The new reactor brings AP&C titanium alloy atomization capacity to over 150 tons per year.
"The need for high end titanium powder is driven by the fast growth and adoption of additive manufacturing," says Arcam CEO Magnus René. "Arcam is determined to serve the industry through cost-efficient solutions, thus converting traditional manufacturing into additive manufacturing. A requisite is to offer highest quality powder for production at competitive cost."
"With this investment in capacity, we continue to drive AP&C's mission to be the reference for high quality titanium and other high-melting point alloy powders for the aerospace and medical industries," adds Jacques Mallette, President of AP&C.
www.arcam.com
Arcam AB, Sweden, announces that a third plasma titanium atomization reactor at its powder manufacturing subsidiary AP&C in Montreal is now operational.
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Alcoa Invests $22 million in HIP equipment for titanium and 3D printed aerospace parts
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Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that it is investing $22 million in hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology at its facility in Whitehall, Mich. The investment will enable Alcoa to capture growing demand for advanced titanium, nickel, and 3D-printed parts for the world's bestselling jet engines. Steep ramp-up rates for narrow- and wide-body aircraft engines are increasing Alcoa's need for such capabilities.
HIP involves the simultaneous application of high pressure and temperatures to significantly improve the mechanical properties and quality of cast products, such as blades and structures for jet engines. In addition, the process increases the density of 3D-printed parts made of powdered metals, improving product consistency, strength, and lifespan. All titanium, 3D-printed, and some nickel parts for jet engines must be treated by the HIP process. With this investment, Alcoa will be able to process any cast jet engine product in its current portfolio.
Alcoa is installing this new technology at its Alcoa Power and Propulsion facility in Whitehall, and expects it will be ready for product qualification in 2016. Alcoa's eight other HIP production systems are also located in Whitehall, where it has a concentration of engineering and technical resources. Alcoa pioneered this technology in the aviation industry in 1973, and moved its first unit from Battelle Laboratory to Whitehall in 1975.
The company expects robust global aerospace sales growth of 9 to 10% in 2015, driven by strong deliveries across the large commercial aircraft, regional jet, and business jet segments. It also sees a current nine-year production order book at 2014 delivery rates. Alcoa Power and Propulsion is expected to generate $2.2 billion in revenues by 2016 as a result of its organic growth.
www.alcoa.com
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, announces that it is investing $22 million in hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology at its facility in Whitehall, Mich.
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