The Linde Group, Munich, Germany, will invest more than $ 200 million to build a large, state-of-the-art air separation unit (ASU), a new gasification train, and supporting equipment and facilities in La Porte, Texas. The ASU will be the largest operated by Linde in the U.S. and the addition of a new gasification plant will create the world’s largest natural gas based partial oxidation complex for the production of syngas products for petrochemicals.
Scientists and engineers from the Materials and Surface Science Institute (MSSI) at the University of Limerick, Ireland, invented a new metal that will make medical devices inside the body more visible under x-ray. Many medical devices, such as stents and valves, are placed in the body through minimally invasive surgical procedures that are usually performed with the help of medical imaging such as x-ray fluoroscopy. Current materials used to make these devices do not show up well under x-ray.
A synthetic material that mimics the brightest and most vivid colors in nature and changes color when twisted or stretched was developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK. It could have important applications in the security, textile, and sensing industries. Instead of through pigments, these “polymer opals” get their color from their internal structure alone, resulting in pure color which does not run or fade.
Certified Heat Treating Inc., Miamisburg, Ohio, has bought Heat Treating Inc., Springfield, Ohio. The acquisition will reportedly boost capacity and improve access to customers in Columbus, Springfield, and the northern Dayton region. Heat Treating Inc. has about 25 employees and will continue to operate from its current location. “They have a different customer base and their equipment is, in most cases, quite a bit larger than ours,” said Certified CEO Chuck Biehn.
ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announces that the ASM HTS/Surface Combustion Emerging Leader Award has been established to recognize an outstanding early-to-midcareer heat treating professional whose accomplishments exhibit exceptional achievements in the heat treating industry. The award was created in recognition of Surface Combustion’s 100-year anniversary in 2015.
