Testing system for wind power applications
December 6, 2013
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SAKOR Technologies Inc., Okemos, Mich., announces the availability of its complete AccuDyne AC Dynamometer system for wind power testing applications. The system can be used by multiple engineering groups to test and verify designs, as well as for quality control testing after manufacturing.
Ideal for testing both active and passive wind power driveline components, the dynamometer system can be used to test turbines and their associated blade pitch control motors, generators and wind-sensing devices and motors, and transmissions. The system can also be used for testing water coolant pumps and other ancillary components.
In addition to independent component testing, the system can also be used to test groups of components simultaneously to see how they work together. For those conducting research and development, AccuDyne can be used to simulate the generator itself during early design stages, before a physical generator or gear box unit exists.
With the system, wind power test centers need only one dynamometer to test a wide range of model sizes and verify design specifications for multiple product categories and driveline mechanisms. The system is also perfect for research and development groups working on new turbine and generator designs.
AccuDyne comes packaged with the DynoLab EM test cell control system, making it a complete turnkey system to measure all mechanical and electrical wind power system components and simulate real world conditions in a fully automated test system.
Available in sizes ranging from 3kW to 10 MW, the dynamometers are appropriate for all wind power rotational testing needs. Modern vector drive technology allows the system to provide true 4-quadrant capability, with completely seamless crossover between motoring and loading modes. It also offers the most precise speed and torque control available, especially in low speed applications where full torque can be applied all the way to stall (zero speed).
DynoLAB EM system offers many advanced features, including the ability to simulate inertia to test a wide range of large and small loads, torque pulse simulation for simulating components that exhibit cogging (such as PM generators), and noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) testing.
More information: SAKOR Technologies Inc.
SAKOR Technologies Inc., Okemos, Mich., announces the availability of its complete AccuDyne AC Dynamometer system for wind power testing applications. The system can be used by multiple engineering groups to test and verify designs, as well as for quality control testing after manufacturing.
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New center for materials research to advance manufacturing and innovation
December 5, 2013
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., selected a consortium led by Northwestern University, Ill., to establish a new NIST-sponsored center of excellence for advanced materials research. The new Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD) will be funded in part by a $25 million award from NIST over five years.
Other members of the CHiMaD consortium include the University of Chicago, the Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering (a partnership between Northwestern and the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory), and the Computation Institute (a partnership between the University of Chicago and Argonne.) The consortium also plans to work closely with QuesTek Innovations, a small business spin-off of Northwestern; ASM International, a well-known professional society of materials scientists; and Fayetteville State University.
"I'm particularly excited to announce this new alliance between NIST and two prominent research universities to drive innovation in the development of advanced materials," said Patrick Gallagher, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director. "This new Center for Hierarchical Materials Design is a natural fit for NIST, which has a long tradition of serving as a nexus with academia and industry to advance research and innovation for the nation's benefit."
"The launch of this new center represents a major milestone in support of the President's Materials Genome Initiative and our national goal of doubling the pace of discovery and development of novel materials," said Cyrus Wadia, assistant director for Clean Energy and Materials R&D at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "By integrating the complementary strengths of computation, instrumentation, and creative modeling, this center promises to help keep America at the forefront of the materials revolution and a leader in the economically important domain of advanced manufacturing."
The new center will focus on developing the next generation of computational tools, databases and experimental techniques to enable "Materials by Design*," one of the primary goals of the administration's Materials Genome Initiative (MGI). "Materials by design" employs physical theory, advanced computer models, vast materials properties databases and complex computations to accelerate the design of a new material with specific properties for a particular application—perhaps an extremely tough, lightweight composite for auto bodies or a biocompatible cell scaffold for medicine. It stands in contrast to the traditional trial-and-error method of materials discovery (think of Thomas Edison and his dogged quest for the best lightbulb filament.)
Materials-by-design techniques have the potential to revolutionize the development of new advanced materials, which in turn have created whole industries. It's estimated that the average time from laboratory discovery of a new material to its first commercial use can take up to 20 years. The MGI aims to halve that.
The new center's work is expected to encompass both "hard" (inorganic) and "soft" (organic) advanced materials in fields as diverse as self-assembled biomaterials, smart materials for self-assembled circuit designs, organic photovoltaic materials, advanced ceramics and metal alloys.
CHiMaD will focus these techniques on a particularly difficult challenge, the discovery of novel "hierarchical materials." Hierarchical materials exploit distinct structural details at various scales from the atomic on up to achieve special, enhanced properties. An example in nature of a hierarchical material is bone, a composite of mineral and protein at the molecular level assembled into microscopic fibrils that in turn are assembled into hollow fibers and on up to the highly complex material that is "bone."
The award to the Northwestern consortium for the Center for Hierarchical Materials Design is for $5 million per year for 5 years, subject to available funds. NIST may, at its discretion, extend the award for an additional 5 years after a performance review. The Northwestern-led consortium is contributing another approximately $4.65 million to the center.
Image caption — Computer model of crack growth in a part from a helicopter rotor. Colors indicate stresses surrounding the crack (red is high and blue is low). Such computations will be a key part of CHiMaD's research. Courtesy Northwesten University.
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*"Materials by Design" is a registered trademark of QuesTek Innovations LLC.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., selected a consortium led by Northwestern University, Ill., to establish a new NIST-sponsored center of excellence for advanced materials research.
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Aerospace materials testing laboratory to expand capacity by 70%
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Element Materials Technology, Huntington Beach, Calif., reports that it plans to substantially increase its aerospace testing capacity by expanding laboratory facilities by 70% and adding a third shift. The new facility will enable the laboratory to further grow its stress rupture and creep testing departments, and will house over 300 test frames, more than double its current number. The new building is to have its own dedicated machine shop to improve efficiency.
With demand from the Aerospace Primes and their supply chain partners continuing to increase, Element Huntington Beach has leased a 20,000 sq ft property adjacent to its existing 30,000 sq ft site. It has also launched a third shift on weekdays and now offers services 24 hours a day, five days a week, with an additional shift on both Saturday and Sunday.
According to Colin Speedie, VP U.S. Operations, "The aerospace market is extremely buoyant at the moment, and we are anticipating it will strengthen yet further in 2014. In response to this, we have moved quickly to offer a 24-hour laboratory service. We are already seeking to double the size of the third shift in 2014."
Read the complete release.
Element Materials Technology, Huntington Beach, Calif., reports that it plans to substantially increase its aerospace testing capacity by expanding laboratory facilities by 70% and adding a third shift. The new facility will enable the laboratory to further grow its stress rupture and creep testing departments, and will house over 300 test frames, more than double its current number. The new building is to have its own dedicated machine shop to improve efficiency.
With demand from the Aerospace Primes and their supply chain partners continuing to increase, Element Huntington Beach has leased a 20,000 sq ft property adjacent to its existing 30,000 sq ft site. It has also launched a third shift on weekdays and now offers services 24 hours a day, five days a week, with an additional shift on both Saturday and Sunday.
According to Colin Speedie, VP U.S. Operations, “The aerospace market is extremely buoyant at the moment, and we are anticipating it will strengthen yet further in 2014. In response to this, we have moved quickly to offer a 24-hour laboratory service. We are already seeking to double the size of the third shift in 2014.”
Read the complete release.
Spirit AeroSystems and Norsk Titanium build aerospace titanium parts via direct metal deposition
December 4, 2013
Source: ASM International
Spirit AeroSystems Inc., Wichita, Kan., and Norsk Titanium Components AS, Norway, have reached a significant milestone in a multi-year collaboration for direct metal deposition technology. They developed an additive manufacturing technology that enables titanium components to be built up close to the final shape using titanium feedstock instead of a large titanium block. The process reduces waste, uses less energy, and is significantly faster.
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HTS Members Receive ASM Awards
Source: HTS
Four members of the ASM Heat Treating Society will be recognized this year at ASM’s annual Awards Dinner, Tuesday, October 29, Le Westin Hotel, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Mr. William J. Bernard, Jr., FASM, President and CEO, Surface Combustion, Inc.
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Praxair to increase capacity at its New Mexico plant to 300 tons per day of liquid nitrogen
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Praxair Inc., Danbury, Conn., has started up a second nitrogen plant at its facility in Kirtland, N.M., to support growing nitrogen demand in the San Juan basin, which includes southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The new plant, along with an additional liquefier expansion to be completed later this year, will increase total capacity at the site to 300 tons per day of liquid nitrogen. This is in addition to gaseous nitrogen that is being supplied to local pipeline customers under long-term contracts.
Demand for nitrogen continues to grow as local oil and gas operators develop new oil resources in the area. Nitrogen is an inert gas that can effectively replace water that is typically used in hydraulic fracturing.
"Praxair's new plant will strengthen our supply position in the San Juan basin and help us meet the increasing pipeline and liquid nitrogen demand from customers in this geography," said Gerald Miller, vice president of the West Region for Praxair's U.S. industrial gases business.
www.praxair.com
Praxair Inc., Danbury, Conn., has started up a second nitrogen plant at its facility in Kirtland, N.M., to support growing nitrogen demand in the San Juan basin, which includes southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The new plant, along with an additional liquefier expansion to be completed later this year, will increase total capacity at the site to 300 tons per day of liquid nitrogen.
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IHEA announces 2013-2014 board and officers
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The Industrial Heating Equipment Association, Taylor Mill, Ky., recently announced its 2013-14 Board of Directors and Officers. Serving as president (shown in the photo) is Tim Lee of Maxon, a division of Honeywell. Bob Green of Bloom Engineering was named IHEA Vice-President, and B.J. Bernard of Surface Combustion was elected Treasurer. Outgoing president Mike Shay of Elster Kromschröder, assumes the role of Past President.
IHEA is very pleased to re-elect Jay Cherry, Wellman Furnaces, and Doug Glenn, BNP Media, each to serve another three-year term. Continuing their service on the Board of Directors for 2013-2014 are Keith Boeckenhauer, Seco/Warwick; David Bovenizer, Selas Heat Technology Co.; Mike Chapman, Vulcan Catalytic Systems; Daniel Llaguno, Nutec Bickley; John Podach, Fostoria Process Equip. - a Division of TPI; John Searle, Eclipse, Inc.; and John Stanley, Karl Dungs, Inc.
IHEA's new president Tim Lee states, "It is an honor and privilege to serve as President of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association's Board of Directors, which consists of so many highly respected leaders in our industry. I believe the ongoing quality and expertise of our board members positions IHEA for continued success and future growth potential. I look forward to continuing on the path carved by my predecessors which has established IHEA as the entity where all manufacturers of process heating equipment and associated service providers work together for the benefit of the industry. IHEA continues to follow the bold mission statement of 'Driving Members Success by Providing the Knowledge Base and Authoritative Voice for Industrial Process Heating Worldwide.' We look forward to another successful year of providing valuable benefits and services to our industry."
www.ihea.org
The Industrial Heating Equipment Association, Taylor Mill, Ky., recently announced its 2013-14 Board of Directors and Officers. Serving as president (shown in the photo) is Tim Lee of Maxon, a division of Honeywell. Bob Green of Bloom Engineering was named IHEA Vice-President, and B.J. Bernard of Surface Combustion was elected Treasurer. Outgoing president Mike Shay of Elster Kromschröder, assumes the role of Past President.
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Ultra-short laser deposition for thinner precious metal thin films
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Picodeon Ltd., li, Finland, developed ColdAb ultra-short pulsed laser deposition technology (US PLD) for use in the application of gold and platinum thin films, enabling thinner films and thereby reducing precious metal costs.
Precious metals like gold and platinum are finding more and more industrial applications in memory storage, energy harvesting, energy storage, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. Traditional production methods for thin gold films include sputtering, evaporation, and chemical vapor deposition, all of which have limitations either in quality, production efficiency, or industrial scalability.
The Coldab US PLD process produces thin films, down to nanoscale, with excellent quality at production rates exceeding, for example, sputtering technology. "Due to the high standard of film quality produced by Picodeon Coldab process, film thickness can be reduced by as much as 40-50%, cutting actual production costs," said Picodeon CEO Dr. Jari Liimatainen. "Furthermore, the material yield from target to coating is excellent, typically 85-90%, giving additional cost savings in precious materials."
US PLD deposition is a cold ablation technology which works across a vast range of coating materials and substrates. By adjusting processing parameters, coating structure and properties can be tailored to the requirements of the application, even for nanostructure-scale surface coatings. The technology delivers very high coating integrity without pinholes, giving improved thin film reliability.
"Picodeon recently delivered a development project related to sensors. We used ColdAb Series2 R&D equipment to coat thin, less than 100 nm films, on silicon. Adhesion was achieved without any adhesive layers, and analytics showed a higher RAMAN intensity compared to standard Au coatings. This was exactly what we were looking for," said VP of sales, Marko Mylläri.
In addition to precious metal, Picodeon's Coldab process enables the deposition of high hardness compounds such as diamond-like carbon compounds, carbon nitrides, and carbon nitride composites containing polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), boron nitride (BN) or boron carbide (BC) as well as a wide range of other borides, oxides and precious metal thin films.
The high production rates and excellent coating qualities of the US PLD technology open new possibilities and applications for pulsed laser deposition coatings. In selected areas it may even enable the development of exclusive coating methods.
Image caption - ColdAb deposition process showing plasma plume.
More information: Picodeon Ltd.
Picodeon Ltd., li, Finland, developed ColdAb ultra-short pulsed laser deposition technology (US PLD) for use in the application of gold and platinum thin films, enabling thinner films and thereby reducing precious metal costs. Precious metals like gold and platinum are finding more and more industrial applications in memory storage, energy harvesting, energy storage, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications.
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Seco-Warwick to discuss heat treatment of H11/H13 tools at ASM Heat Treat Expo
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Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces a technical presentation on the heat treatment of H11/H13 molds, dies, and tools to be held at the upcoming ASM Heat Treat Expo. The paper will address NADCA, Ford, and GM requirements and demonstrate the differences between them. The technical content of this presentation is based on trials in a single-chamber vacuum furnace equipped with a dynamic cooling system in a high pressure quench ranging from 15 to 25 bar.
The dynamic cooling system allows a programmable change in the direction of the gas inflow into the cooling load, and implementation of isothermal quenching. The process of hardening is supported by an integrated simulator that allows the user to predict the course of cooling and its result, tracking the process on-line. The presentation will show how the complex process of heat treating tools can be conducted in a vacuum furnace in a single cycle by utilizing advanced technologies such as vacuum nitriding and carburizing. The presentation will be at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17 in Room 142 at the Convention Center in Indianapolis.
Seco also announces that it has received an order for a 10-bar vacuum hardening furnace cell from Exco Extrusion Dies Corp. for hardening and tempering aluminum extrusion dies at its new plant in Brazil. Seco will also provide a pair of nitrogen tempering furnaces, a load cart, and installation services. The equipment will be installed in early 2014.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco-Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces a technical presentation on the heat treatment of H11/H13 molds, dies, and tools to be held at the upcoming ASM Heat Treat Expo. The paper will address NADCA, Ford, and GM requirements and demonstrate the differences between them. The technical content of this presentation is based on trials in a single-chamber vacuum furnace equipped with a dynamic cooling system in a high pressure quench ranging from 15 to 25 bar.
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Beralcast beryllium-aluminum alloys under consideration for F-35 Lightning II optical components
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IBC Advanced Alloys Corp., Wilmington, Mass., reports that its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, IBC Engineered Materials Corp., is working directly with Lockheed Martin to develop specific investment-cast optical components on the F-35 Lightning II aircraft to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of Beralcast beryllium-aluminum alloys. Beralcast principal alloys are more than three times stiffer than aluminum, with 22% less weight. They can be precision cast for simple and complex three-dimensional stability. These high modulus alloys are ideal for high-performance industrial and high-tech components, as well as for a wide range of aerospace applications.
This collaboration enables IBC to demonstrate its expertise and industry leadership in offering rapid prototyping and advanced materials solutions to provide investment cast parts to aerospace customers with short lead times and competitive pricing.
"IBC Engineered Materials is excited to be collaborating with Lockheed Martin and believe we will demonstrate the viability of our Beralcast alloys and cast components as mechanically compliant and cost effective components for the F-35 Lightning II program," said Ray White, President of IB-EMC. "We hope that IBC's partnership and collaboration with Lockheed Martin will advance the potential for our engineered materials products for other aerospace industry initiatives where modulus, weight, and cost are important design criteria."
Read the complete release.
IBC Advanced Alloys Corp., Wilmington, Mass., reports that its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, IBC Engineered Materials Corp., is working directly with Lockheed Martin to develop specific investment-cast optical components on the F-35 Lightning II aircraft to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of Beralcast beryllium-aluminum alloys. Beralcast principal alloys are more than three times stiffer than aluminum, with 22% less weight. They can be precision cast for simple and complex three-dimensional stability. These high modulus alloys are ideal for high-performance industrial and high-tech components, as well as for a wide range of aerospace applications.
This collaboration enables IBC to demonstrate its expertise and industry leadership in offering rapid prototyping and advanced materials solutions to provide investment cast parts to aerospace customers with short lead times and competitive pricing.
“IBC Engineered Materials is excited to be collaborating with Lockheed Martin and believe we will demonstrate the viability of our Beralcast alloys and cast components as mechanically compliant and cost effective components for the F-35 Lightning II program,” said Ray White, President of IB-EMC. “We hope that IBC’s partnership and collaboration with Lockheed Martin will advance the potential for our engineered materials products for other aerospace industry initiatives where modulus, weight, and cost are important design criteria.”
Read the complete release.
