ASB Industries, Barberton, Ohio, has developed and patented an advanced high pressure cold spray system and related equipment that enables 3D printing and 3D painting. In this system, metal powders are sprayed onto part surfaces at high velocities to repair the surface and restore the part to its original dimensions. Applications can also include the manufacture of new parts, without the need for casting or bulk material removal.
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has developed ProStrength Finishing Technology, a surface treatment that allows mobile device manufacturers to design clear or color-anodized durable surfaces of high-strength, heat treatable aluminum alloys. High strength alloys could reduce the thickness and weight of a device by more than 50%.
A video from Midwest Thermal Vac combines live action and animation to explain the vacuum carburizing process.
Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announces the successful start-up of production at its direct reduced iron (DRI) facility in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Production began on Tuesday, December 24, and has continued at planned ramp-up levels since that time. Within the first 24 hours of operation, output quality began matching the best-in-class levels routinely achieved at the DRI plant in Trinidad.
Instron, Norwood, Mass., announces digital image correlation (DIC) hardware and software designed to optically detect strain and displacement. The DIC system enables users to visualize these changes in real-time on a computer screen, so that they can be traced over the entire duration of the test. The associated DIC-software provides visualization and also saves the data at an adjustable rate of up to 50 Hz.
