EOS to install its most advanced additive manufacturing system at Virginia’s CCAM
October 6, 2014
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EOS North American Systems, Novi, Mich., announces that it will join the Virginia-based Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, where it will install the EOS M 290, its latest direct metal laser-sintering system. The 62,000 square-foot facility in Prince George County includes computational software and hardware, and surfacing apparatus such as plasma spray and thermal spray.
"EOS often partners with its customers to refine their use of laser sintering," says Andrew Snow, senior vice president at EOS North America Inc. "CCAM will enable us to draw on the experience of our fellow members and collaborate to create organization-specific additive applications."
For instance, collaborating with a company that creates surfacing tools may help determine whether an abrasive polish or a coating method will offer the right finish for a particular alloy. In the case of a near-net DMLS part, a milling or CNC cutting process might be more appropriate. And the resulting production line may be guided via the control hardware and software produced by yet another member. "Given the varied capabilities CCAM encompasses, the opportunity to explore how our technology meshes with that of others has significant value," Mr. Snow says.
CCAM is unique among industrial consortia in that it offers its members a shared facility for R&D while protecting their individual intellectual property and market position. Through the use of joint resources, the Center provides a hub for the most advanced manufacturing techniques and procedures being practiced today. Companies such as Rolls-Royce, Siemens, and Chromalloy are working alongside, not only one another, but in collaboration with academic teams from Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, and Virginia State University. Roughly 50 student interns participate in the Center.
www.eos.info
EOS North American Systems, Novi, Mich., announces that it will join the Virginia-based Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, where it will install the EOS M 290, its latest direct metal laser-sintering system.
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Reducing machining time for aerospace aluminum parts
October 2, 2014
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A new 5-axis, 5-spindle XP aerospace profiler by Fives Cincinnati, Heburn, Ky., lives up to its name— delivering "X-treme Productivity" in machining of structural aluminum parts. With doubled spindle speeds, greater horsepower and higher feedrates on all axes, the purpose-designed machine delivers 50 to 80% percent faster cycle times than prior models, while cutting multiple parts each cycle.
The XP profiler's modular design uses many features incorporated into Cincinnati's record-setting XT titanium profiler. It carries from one to five A/B-axis spindle heads in a traveling-gantry or traveling-table design, allowing it to complete up to five parts per cycle.
The rail-type design allows any practical x-axis length for carrying multiple gantries and creating multiple work zones. The new XP profiler is fully compatible with existing Cincinnati gantry profiler installations. It can use existing Cincinnati profiler beds or X-axis rails, or be installed on independent X-axis rails. X-axis length can be expanded anytime in the field with additional 12' (3.66 m) rail segments. Rail-type machines use dual servo planetary gearbox drives on both sides of the X axis. Y-axis drives can be linear-motor or rack-and-pinion driven.
The new high-speed rotary spindle heads are individually supported and independently driven in A/B axes for increased stiffness, accuracy and dynamic performance. Rotary axis feedrates have been increased to 2400 dpm, more than 400% higher than the prior design, to support higher tool path velocities in 5-axis contouring.
This is complemented with matched feedrates of 1000 ipm (25 mpm) on the X/Y/Z axes for consistently higher path velocities, regardless of the direction of cut. The simple, compact spindle head utilizes individual ballscrew drives for the A and B axes, while the 134-hp (100 kW), 18,000-rpm or 114-hp (85 kW) 20,000-rpm spindles outperform A/C type heads in 5-axis processing of plate parts. The ballscrew drives are completely field-serviceable, an advantage over most A/C head designs.
Multiple spindle configurations are available: three spindles with 1 m center distance, three spindles with 2 m center distance, and five spindles with 1 m center distance. There is also a choice of options in CNC controls, scales/encoders, toolchangers, perimeter guarding, spindle probes, video systems, tool-ID systems, spindle enclosures, mist collection systems and other features.
In first-article cutting tests on a machine recently delivered to a Tier One aerospace supplier, an upper wing skin panel approximately 31 ft. x 8.85 ft. (9.5 x 2.7 m) with a min/max thickness of 0.062 in./0.4 in. (1.57 mm/10.16 mm) and tolerance of +0.000 in./-0.005 in. (+0.000/-0.127 mm) was machined. According to the customer, surface finish was excellent and the part measured within tolerance after checking 2200 points with a CMM.
A new 5-axis, 5-spindle XP aerospace profiler delivers “X-treme Productivity” in machining of structural aluminum parts.
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ASM International partners with AQM to offer classes overseas
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ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announced a new education collaboration agreement with AQM, a primary technical services center in northern Italy. Through this new partnership, AQM is now an educational support location in Europe for ASM International. Starting this fall, multiple metallurgical blended and online courses are planned using the metallurgical laboratories and the metallography and the heat treatment schools of AQM and will be taught by ASM International instructors.
"We hope this partnership will help extend our global reach, fuel a passionate sense of community, energize members to aspire to new levels of success, and advance the development of materials," said Thom Passek, managing director of ASM. "AQM has a similar mission and the goal of our collaboration is to ultimately elevate the importance of materials professions. European metallurgical students will be able to lower their costs of training by traveling to a local destination and we hope that provides an extra incentive to take a course with us."
"AQM has always supported the training and growth of technical competence in the field of metallurgy, believing that this is one of the key factors for competitive growth of enterprises," says Gabriele Ceselin, CEO of AQM. "This collaboration will provide an additional impulse in this direction, promoting an approach at the highest level, and the access to innovative international relations."
Topics of the educational courses include:
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Metallurgy for Non-Metallurgist
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Practical interpretation of Microstructures
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Corrosion
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Principle of Failure Analysis
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Failure Analysis in the Oil and Gas Industry
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Metallographic Interpretation
Students will receive a complimentary one year ASM International membership, allowing them to share ideas and solutions with other members about technologies and application processes while building personal and professional networks around the world. They will also have free access to online journals and technical publications, as well as access to special offers available only to members.
The new ASM International-AQM training offer is intended to complement and reinforce the AQM Expertise Center's "Materials and Quality Control of Products," which already has a full calendar of courses through the School of Metallography.
Do you belong to an ASM European chapter? Contact them directly for a special promotional code and save on registration!
Fall metallurgical class schedule available for new Italy location
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ArcelorMittal and partner to increase Calvert steel production to 5.3 million metric tons
October 1, 2014
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ArcelorMittal, together with joint venture partner Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals Corp. (NSSMC), announces two important investment projects that will further enhance the capabilities of the AM/NS steel finishing facility in Calvert, Alabama. A $40m slab yard expansion project is underway to increase slab staging capacity and efficiency. An additional $6.7m will be invested in the existing number four continuous coating line.
The slab yard expansion will include the addition of overhead cranes, along with foundation work and structural steel erection, to increase the staging and storage capacity in support of achieving the full 5.3 million metric tons capacity of the hot strip mill. The mill currently consists of three bays, with the capacity to stage around 335,000 metric tons of incoming slabs, significantly less than the staging capacity required to achieve the 5.3 million metric ton target.
The improved number four continuous coating line will significantly increase ArcelorMittal's North American capacity to produce press hardenable steels. One such steel is Usibor, a type one aluminum-silicon coated (Al-Si) high strength steel. AM/NS Calvert will also be capable of producing Ductibor, an energy-absorbing high strength steel grade designed specifically to complement Usibor and offer ductility benefits to customers.
The modifications are expected to be complete by the end of the year and the first coil is targeted for production in January 2015. The aluminum-silicon coated steels provide high-temperature corrosion resistance ideally suited for heat exchangers, hot stamping, and exhaust parts for the automotive, HVAC and aftermarket exhaust, and tubing markets.
Currently, ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor is the only ArcelorMittal facility in the western hemisphere producing Usibor and Ductibor.
Number four continuous coating line currently operates two coating pots: one to produce galvanized steel, or zinc-coated steel which helps resist corrosion; and the second to produce galvalume steel, steel coated with both aluminum and zinc to improve weather resistance. Modifications made to an existing third pot include a welder, snout articulation and pumps, pot refractory and equipment, drossing robot and coating knife and will allow AM/NS Calvert to produce aluminum-coated conventional and press hardenable steels such as Usibor® and Ductibor®.
www.usa.arcelormittal.com
ArcelorMittal, together with joint venture partner Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metals Corp. (NSSMC), announces two important investment projects that will further enhance the capabilities of the AM/NS steel finishing facility in Calvert, Alabama.
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Seco-Warwick earns ASME Code pressure vessel certification
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Seco-Warwick Corp., Meadville, Pa., has been awarded ASME pressure vessel certification, earning both an "R" and "U" stamp, enabling the facility to produce vacuum furnace shells and provide a wide variety of pressure vessel manufacturing services. Scopes offered by the ASME BPVC Certification Program vary, and include but are not limited to: power boilers, heating boilers, pressure vessels, fiber-reinforced plastic vessels, transport tanks and valves. The Meadville manufacturing plant, an ISO 9001 certified facility since 1994, is a fully equipped 110,000 ft2 facility.
According to Andrew Paris, COO, "ASME certification is a confirmation of the quality and capability of our team here in Meadville. We have some of the most talented fabricators and welders in the industry and this certification gives us the opportunity to provide our customers more workmanship that showcases that talent."
The ASME BPVC Certification Program conforms to the rules governing the design, fabrication, assembly, and inspection of boiler and pressure vessel components during construction. In 1916, shortly after the first publication of the "Rules for the Construction of Stationary Boilers and for Allowable Working Pressures" (known today as the ASME BPVC), ASME began offering certification to companies in the pressure equipment industry to certify their quality control systems comply.
Products manufactured by ASME BPVC Certificate Holders are certified and stamped with the Certification Mark in accordance with the applicable ASME BPVC Section. Today there are more than 6,500 Certificate Holders in the ASME BPVC Certification Program.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco-Warwick Corp., Meadville, Pa., has been awarded ASME pressure vessel certification, earning both an “R” and “U” stamp, enabling the facility to produce vacuum furnace shells and provide a wide variety of pressure vessel manufacturing services.
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FASM Rick Sisson to chair Heat Treat 2015
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The Chair for Heat Treat 2015 will be ASM Fellow Rick Sisson, Director of the Center for Heat Treating Excellence at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and WPI Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
To be held October 20-22 in Detroit, Heat Treat 2015 is sponsored by the ASM Heat Treating Society and the American Gear Manufacturers Association. They are partnering to create a solid mix of education, technology, networking, and exposition opportunities. Those interested are encouraged to submit 150-200 word technical abstracts by January 26, 2015.
wpi.edu/+chte
The Chair for Heat Treat 2015 will be ASM Fellow Rick Sisson, Director of the Center for Heat Treating Excellence at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and WPI Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
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CoorsTek, Coors family announce $27 million investment in Colorado School of Mines
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Colorado School of Mines and CoorsTek, both of Golden, announce a nearly $27 million commitment by CoorsTek and the Coors family. Together with a $14.6 million grant from the state of Colorado, the funding enables the construction of the 95,000-ft2 CoorsTek Center for Applied Science and Engineering. This facility will support a broad range of academic and research activities on the Mines campus, and will serve as a focal point for the CoorsTek-Mines research partnership.
The CoorsTek Center will support the College of Applied Science and Engineering and the highly collaborative partnerships between its four departments and two interdisciplinary programs: the Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, the Department of Physics, the Materials Science Program, and the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program.
Planning for the $45 million CoorsTek Center is now underway. Building features will include flexible laboratories, customizable classrooms for hands-on learning, and centralized teaching and research space. The facility will be located on and around the site of the current physics building, Meyer Hall, at 15th and Arapahoe streets in Golden.
www.mines.edu
Colorado School of Mines and CoorsTek, both of Golden, announce a nearly $27 million commitment by CoorsTek and the Coors family.
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Ipsen to ship VFS furnaces for heat treating medical devices and aerospace equipment
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Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it will ship four VFS furnaces from its facility in Souderton, Pa., to sites in Washington, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina, primarily for heat treating medical devices and aerospace structures. Valued at more than $4.7 million, these furnaces include HIQ (Horizontal Internal Quench), HEQ (Horizontal External Quench), and the specialized VDS (Vacuum Debind and Sinter) system capable of high-efficiency binder- and contaminate-trapping.
The HEQ and HIQ models represent the latest vacuum furnace innovations and designs. Overall, the VFS series provides consistent performance and reliability, all while staying committed to supplying maintenance-friendly designs that reduce downtime.
Ipsen designs and manufactures industrial vacuum furnaces, atmosphere furnaces, and supervisory control systems for a wide variety of thermal processing markets, including: Aerospace, Commercial Heat Treating, Medical, Energy and Automotive.
www.ipsenusa.com
Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it will ship four VFS furnaces from its facility in Souderton, Pa., to sites in Washington, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina, primarily for heat treating medical devices and aerospace structures.
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3D printing wear materials
September 24, 2014
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The NanoSteel Company, Providence, R.I., successfully expanded their engineered powders business into additive manufacturing. By leveraging its uniform metal matrix microstructures in the laser- sintering process, the company was able to build a crack-free, fully dense bulk sample. Initial additive manufacturing focus supported the market need for on-demand, on-site wear parts while addressing current challenges in 3D printing of high-hardness parts.
This breakthrough overcomes one of the major hurdles to achieving a high-hardness metallic part through additive manufacturing—the tendency to develop cracks during part builds. A global process development partner helped optimize processing of a proprietary alloy with a high volume fraction of borocarbide phases. This successfully produced a fully dense (99.9%) crack-free part with hardness values over 1000 HV, wear resistance comparable to conventionally manufactured M2 tool steels, and a uniform microstructure. Importantly, these properties were achieved without the need for post-processing such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP) or further heat treatment, reducing production cost and lead times.
"Currently, the material options to produce highly wear-resistant parts through additive manufacturing are limited" said Harald Lemke, NanoSteel's General Manager of Engineered Powders. "By extending the reach of steel into markets currently served by WC-Co, ceramics, and other non-ferrous metal matrix metal composites, NanoSteel has the potential to generate cost-efficient wear parts to serve the tooling, mining, energy, and transportation industries in applications such as pumps, bearings, and cutting tools."
The company is currently extending this breakthrough into more complex geometries and broadening its property sets to fully validate the market potential for 3D-printed steel components. Learn more about NanoSteel engineered powders for additive manufacturing.
High-hardness ferrous metal matrix products now achievable through a one-step 3D-printing process
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RTI to supply titanium aluminide to Snecma for LEAP engine turbine blades
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RTI International Metals Inc., Pittsburgh, and Snecma (Safran) announce that they have signed a long-term agreement under which RTI will provide titanium aluminide intermetallic material for the new CFM International LEAP engine. The LEAP – Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion – engine was launched by CFM International in 2008, to power the next generation of single-aisle commercial jets. RTI will be a major supplier of Snecma's TiAl requirements for the production of LEAP engine low-pressure turbine blades, for which mass production is starting in 2016.
The TiAl alloy is a new-generation intermetallic with outstanding qualities. Able to withstand very high temperatures, its use will substantially reduce the weight of a low-pressure turbine blade compared with nickel-based alloy materials traditionally used in their production. As part of the new LEAP engine, this alloy will be used for the first time on a single-aisle commercial jet. It will contribute to the excellent performance of this new engine, which offers 15% lower fuel consumption than the most efficient engines now in service.
The CFM56 and LEAP engines are produced and marketed by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran), France, and GE of the United States.
RTI International Metals Inc., Pittsburgh, and Snecma (Safran) announce that they have signed a long-term agreement under which RTI will provide titanium aluminide intermetallic material for the new CFM International LEAP engine.
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