Seco/Warwick Corp., Meadville, Pa., has received an order for a CaseMaster Evolution vacuum carburizing furnace line that includes a washer/tempering unit, loaders, and line control system with single load tracking. The system is dedicated to the treatment of automotive steering system components. The contract was signed in August 2013 with ThyssenKrupp Presta de Mexico S.A. de CV, and the turnkey production cell will be delivered in the second quarter of 2014.
Women now make up nearly half the workforce, yet only 23% of workers in STEM-related jobs are women. A way to combat this trend is to find support from peers in a formalized way.
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.
Ralph P. Poor, Surface Combustion Inc., Maumee, Ohio, presented “Batch Integral Quench Furnace Innovations: Heating, Quenching, Automation” at Heat Treat 2013 in Indianapolis. Original batch integral quench (BIQ) furnace technology was introduced in the 1950’s, and the paper covered innovations for the 21st Century. Sealed quench furnace designs mate a quench to a carburizing hot zone, with the goal of maximizing throughput and uniform properties.
Researchers at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, have fabricated strong heat-resistant sheets of aluminum foam by depositing a foaming agent between two thin sheets of aluminum dotted with indentations, then heating until the agents decomposed and formed pores. The foamed aluminum weighs about 20 to 30% less than the bulk material, yet offers a 30 to 50% increase in bending strength. The tensile strength is nearly identical to that of the original sheet metal. Prof.
