Oerlikon Metco laser cladding increases longevity and reduces costs for downhole tools
September 2, 2019
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Oerlikon Metco’s ISO certified Houston coating service facility reports that its precision laser cladding deposit technology results in surfaces with improved resistance to wear and abrasion for downhole applications. These coatings protect drill collars, stabilizers, and tricone bits from abrasion and slurry erosion thereby increasing part longevity and lowering life-cycle costs.
According to one customer, “Typically, this part requires replacement after 1000 to 1100 hours of service, but the laser clad part is now at 1235 hours.†He anticipates another 500 hours of service, resulting in a downhole life increase of approximately 60 percent.
Compared to conventional build-up welding processes such as PTA, MIG, and TIG, laser cladding has significantly lower and more localized heat input. The technology provides low dilution of the workpiece substrate, and reduces the potential for distortion. Thus, it offers advantages in terms of the materials that can be deposited and the workpiece geometries that can be processed.
Even materials that are difficult to weld, such as high-temperature nickel-base alloys and high-carbon steels, are more easily welded using laser cladding. In addition, the typically small melt pool formed during laser cladding gives rise to the ability to process very complex geometries within a single setup.
www.oerlikon.com/metco
Oerlikon Metco’s ISO certified Houston coating service facility reports that its precision laser cladding deposit technology results in surfaces with improved resistance to wear and abrasion for downhole applications.
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Particles melted in laser beam form metallurgical bond with cast iron brake disks
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Engineers from Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and RWTH Aachen University, both of Germany, report that they have developed a laser deposition technology known as Extreme High-Speed Laser Material Deposition (EHLA), which can provide brake disks with improved protection against wear and corrosion.
With the EHLA process, the powder particles are melted directly in the laser beam, rather than in a melt pool on the surface of the component. Since the melt pool is fed by liquid drops of material rather than solid particles of powder, the coating process is much faster, rising from two meters per minute with conventional laser deposition, to as much as 500 meters per minute. The coatings form a metallurgical bond with the base material of the disk, and therefore they adhere very strongly.
EHLA also substantially reduces the exposure to heat of the material being coated. Unlike conventional laser material deposition, where the heat affected zone can have a depth of one or more millimeters, thermal exposure with the EHLA process remains in the micrometer range. This enables the use of entirely new material combinations, such as coatings for aluminum or cast iron. Moreover, the EHLA process uses as much as 90 percent of the fed powder material. It is therefore extremely resource-efficient and more economical.
Initial investigations have demonstrated that the EHLA process is capable of reliably producing coatings – with different material combinations – for conventional brake disks made of gray cast iron. A system that is ready for use in mass production, including a modified grinding process for finishing the components, is currently under construction at the Aachen-based company HPL Technologies.
https://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2019/september/new-fraunhofer-coating-process-provides-effective-protection-for-brake-disks.html
Engineers from Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and RWTH Aachen University, both of Germany, report that they have developed a laser deposition technology known as Extreme High-Speed Laser Material Deposition (EHLA), which can provide brake disks with improved protection against wear and corrosion.
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Salt template made by 3D printing enables magnesium bioresorbable bone implants
August 27, 2019
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ETH Zurich researchers announce that they have succeeded in producing magnesium scaffolds with structured porosity that are suitable for bioresorbable bone implants, with the help of a 3D printed salt template.
For the treatment of complex bone fractures or even missing bone parts, surgeons typically deploy metal implants. In this context, an attractive alternative to the traditional materials such as bioinert titanium are biodegradable magnesium and its alloys. Implants made of this light metal are advantageous because they can biodegrade in the body, which can absorb magnesium as a mineral nutrient, rendering a second surgery forimplant removal unnecessary.
To promote rapid healing, the design of implants or their surfaces should be directed towards promotion of cellular adhesion or even in-growth. Materials researchers from the Laboratory of Metal Physics and Technology and the Complex Materials Group at ETH Zurich have therefore collaborated to develop a new procedure for the manufacture of magnesium implants that contain numerous structurally ordered pores, but still retain their mechanical stability. This development is the subject of a forthcoming article in Advanced Materials.
To create a porous structure, the researchers first printed a three-dimensional salt template. Because pure, standard table salt is not suitable for printing, they developed a gel-like salt paste for this purpose. The strut diameters and spacings of the salt template can be tailored by the printing process. To gain sufficient mechanical strength, the salt structure was subsequently sintered. During sintering, the fine-grained materials are heated significantly, while the temperature is chosen safely below the paste's melting point.
The next step was to infiltrate the pores with magnesium melt. "The infiltrates obtained in this way are mechanically very stable and can be easily polished, turned and shaped," says Jörg Löffler, Professor of Metal Physics and Technology in the Department of Materials. After mechanical shaping the researchers dissolved the salt, leaving a pure magnesium implant with numerous, regularly structured pores.
"The possibility to control the pore size, distribution and orientation in the material is decisive for clinical success, because bone cells like to grow into these pores," says Prof. Löffler. Growth into pores is in turn decisive for the rapid integration of the implant in bone.
https://ethz.ch/en.html
ETH Zurich researchers announce that they have succeeded in producing magnesium scaffolds with structured porosity that are suitable for bioresorbable bone implants, with the help of a 3D printed salt template
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Novelis and Georgia Institute of Technology establish aluminum innovation Hub
August 26, 2019
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Novelis Inc., Atlanta, announces a new collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology in which it will invest $2.5 million to establish a Novelis Innovation Hub to promote aluminum basic and translational research, innovative business models, and related educational endeavors. It will serve as a cross-functional hub connecting Novelis' technical and business innovators with Georgia Tech's students and faculty. The company has committed $2.5 million to initiate research, and for faculty, student, and educational program support.
With the Novelis funding, Georgia Tech intends to recruit a senior interdisciplinary faculty member to serve as the director of the Novelis Innovation Hub. The director is expected to be identified and in place by the 2020 academic year.
Under the terms of the agreement, Novelis will annually identify sponsored research and/or provide a list of innovation needs, for which Georgia Tech faculty will be invited to offer proposals. An advisory board comprised of representatives from Georgia Tech and Novelis will evaluate the proposals that utilize the Novelis funding and external funding opportunities, as well as foster future technology collaborations.
"Our combined efforts will advance our mission to lead the aluminum industry as the partner of choice for innovative solutions,†says Todd Summe, Novelis Chief Research and Development Officer. “At the same time, we are helping fill the industry's talent pipeline with outstanding innovators. We see this as just the next step in our partnership, which can serve as a model for transformative innovation across Novelis, the Aditya Birla Group, and our industry at large."
www.novelis.com
Novelis Inc., Atlanta, announces a new collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology in which it will invest $2.5 million to establish a Novelis Innovation Hub to promote aluminum basic and translational research, innovative business models, and related educational endeavors.
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Seco Vacuum to discuss triple chamber vacuum furnace systems at Heat Treat 19
August 22, 2019
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Seco Vacuum Technologies, Meadville, Pa., announces that its technical director will present a discussion of triple chamber vacuum furnace systems at the Heat Treat 2019 conference in Detroit in October. The presentation is titled “Triple Chamber Vacuum Furnace Systems – The Low Pressure Carburizing Workhorse.â€
Multi-chamber vacuum furnace systems have become the system of choice for high throughput, highly precise low pressure carburizing (LPC) applications over the past two decades. Compared to traditional gas carburizing in continuous or batch integral-quench atmosphere furnaces, an LPC run in modern vacuum furnaces reduces carburizing gas consumption while providing more consistent results when considering case depth, surface hardness, and core hardness.
Multi-chamber furnaces provide this level of precision, while also maintaining the high production level required in automotive or aerospace applications. To understand the potential benefits of these systems, two sample applications using a triple chamber semi-continuous vacuum carburizing system will be discussed. Both oil and gas quenching capabilities are considered.
Results show that the semi-continuous, triple chamber design is capable of similar, if not superior results, while providing increased productivity and uptime versus more traditional multi–furnace or continuous furnace systems.
Author: Don Marteeny, SVT Technical Director
30th Heat Treating Society Conference & Exposition
October 15-17, 2019
Detroit, Michigan
Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 10:20 am in Room 251C (COBO Center)
https://www.asminternational.org/web/heat-treat-2019
Seco Vacuum Technologies, Meadville, Pa., announces that its technical director will present a discussion of triple chamber vacuum furnace systems at the Heat Treat 2019 conference in Detroit in October.
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High-Hardenability Steels in the 52100 Family
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To overcome the limitations on product cross-sectional thickness and the risk of slack quenches, alloy modifications have been introduced over the years to the base 52100 chemical composition. The modifications constitute a group of high hardenability 52100 steels.
Specifically, ASTM A485 contains four distinct 52100-type steels with increased hardenability mainly due to higher manganese and molybdenum additions. Figure 9 shows the results of computer modeling of Jominy tests to illustrate hardenability differences between ASTM A295 (52100) air-melted bearing steels, and ASTM A485 high-hardenability bearing steels. The increase in hardenability is significant and makes the use of through-hardening bearing steels viable in large ring-thickness bearing projects and in applications requiring quench pressing for distortion control of bearing rings.
The recommended heat treatment for high hardenability bearing steels is:
Austenitize 815–830 °C (1500–1525 °F) 30–60 min + 30 min for each additional inch of thickness, endo or neutral atm with 0.9–1 C potential;
Quench ≤150 °C (300 °F) agitated oil (martensitic hardening); ≥230 °C (445 °F) molten salt (bainitic hardening);
Temper 220–245 °C (430–475 °F) 4 h (58–62 HRC).
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required), then scroll down the Chapter Contents on the left of the page, and click on High-Hardenability Steels in the 52100 Family.
https://dl.asminternational.org/handbooks/book/9/chapter/110017/Heat-Treatment-of-Bearings
To overcome the limitations on product cross-sectional thickness and the risk of slack quenches, alloy modifications have been introduced over the years to the base 52100 chemical composition. The modifications constitute a group of high hardenability 52100 steels.
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One Minute Mentor: High-Hardenability Steels in the 52100 Family
Source: ASM International
To overcome the limitations on product cross-sectional thickness and the risk of slack quenches, alloy modifications have been introduced over the years to the base 52100 chemical composition. The modifications constitute a group of high hardenability 52100 steels.
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ALD Vacuum’s velocity gauge enables gas flow measurement during quenching
August 21, 2019
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ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH, a division of AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V., Germany, reports that its newly developed velocity gauge enables the gas flow in the batch chamber to be checked during gas quenching, helping to ensure the quality of gas-quenched components. It allows preventive testing of the quenching system, supports fault analysis in the event of quenching problems, and helps to ensure the quality of gas quenched components.
According to the company, an important process parameter in gas quenching is the flow velocity of the circulated quenching gas, as well as other parameters that determine the quenching intensity, such as quenching pressure, gas type, and temperature. These parameters can significantly influence component properties such as hardness, microstructure, and distortion. Therefore, it is important to ensure that these process parameters be measured and documented. Although gas temperature and gas pressure are typically recorded and documented by appropriate sensors, the gas velocity is generally not recorded.
Now gas velocity can be measured and recorded by a velocity gauge, which works according to the physical measuring principle of a Prandtl sensor. The company explains that this makes it possible to measure the distribution of the flow velocity over the base area of a quenching chamber without great effort.
Once the measurement has been recorded, a protocol with the current measurement data is generated, which can then be compared with the data at the time of delivery of the quenching system. In case of deviations, the analysis of the measured flow profile enables conclusions to be drawn about possible causes of faults in the system.
www.ald-vt.com
ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH, a division of AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V., Germany, reports that its newly developed velocity gauge enables the gas flow in the batch chamber to be checked during gas quenching, helping to ensure the quality of gas-quenched components.
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Solar Atmospheres donates Mentor vacuum heat treating furnace to Lehigh University
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Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., in conjunction with the William and Myrtle Jones Foundation, has donated and installed a Mentor laboratory furnace for Lehigh University’s Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.
The Mentor was designed and built by Solar Manufacturing, and features the SolarVac Polaris control system, a hot zone capable of holding up to 250 pounds, and a maximum temperature of 2800°F. It was installed by Solar in Lehigh University’s Whitaker Lab, along with the necessary Solar-built transformer and a water cooling system specifically designed for the installation.
“This is a very powerful, advanced piece of equipment that will allow us to conduct important experiments in our metallurgy teaching and research, especially around additive manufacturing,†explains Dr. Wojciech Misiolek, professor and chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University.
After a tour of Lehigh University in early 2019, Solar founder and CEO William R. Jones decided that donating this furnace would benefit Lehigh, its students, and Solar as well. “Bill was thoroughly impressed during his tour of the metallurgical labs,†says Tim Steber, Regional Sales Manager for Solar Atmospheres. “He saw an opportunity to advance Lehigh’s capabilities and launch them into another area.â€
“The need for a pre-production size vacuum furnace for heat treating of additive-manufactured, 3D-printed parts and other metallurgical heat treating operations became apparent for Lehigh University and its teaching and experimental research,†Mr. Jones states.
www.solaratm.com
Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., in conjunction with the William and Myrtle Jones Foundation, has donated and installed a Mentor laboratory furnace for Lehigh University’s Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.
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Shimadzu Vickers micro-hardness testers feature high data reliability and expandability
August 19, 2019
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Shimadzu, Japan, has released the HMV-G30 / HMV-G31 series Vickers micro-hardness testers, which are equipped with new functions to improve data reliability, to accommodate ISO standards, and to provide high expandability.
In a Vickers micro-hardness tester, a quadrangular pyramidal diamond indenter applies a tiny force to a sample, and hardness is calculated by measuring the indentation formed on the surface. This type of tester is used in a wide range of industries for inspections of steel, other metals, and mechanical parts, as well as for evaluation of surface improvements such as platings and heat treatments. However, in recent years, there has been a need for stronger data management, improved operability, and enhanced functions that suit the application.
The Shimadzu HMV-G30 / HMV-G31 series is compliant with measurements at low test forces in accordance with ISO standards related to Vickers hardness tests. Protective functions to heighten data reliability, as well as report creation functions, are also included. Additionally, a motorized micrometer for adjusting the position of the stage can be added, and a model equipped with a five megapixel color camera, the best in the industry, has been added to the series.
The testers are compliant as standard with measurements at the low test force value of one gram, in accordance with ISO6507-1 and ISO6507-2, standards related to Vickers hardness tests. In addition to adding a model with a five megapixel color camera, the best in the industry, an optional micrometer for making motorized adjustments to the position of the stage can now be introduced. The system can be configured to suit the application and the user.
https://www.ssi.shimadzu.com/products
Shimadzu, Japan, has released the HMV-G30 / HMV-G31 series Vickers micro hardness testers, which are equipped with new functions to improve data reliability, to accommodate ISO standards, and to provide high expandability.
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