Edwards Vacuum, Sanborn, N.Y., offers the GXS dry screw industrial vacuum pump with advanced temperature control, low maintenance, and long service intervals. The compact and highly intelligent GXS is Edwards’ most robust and economical vacuum pump for industrial applications, with pumping speeds from 160 to 3450 m3/hr. The GXS vacuum pump uses patented screw technology to deliver high vacuum performance and increased capacity from a smaller sized pump.
Advances in Eddy Current Verification of Heat Treat Processes
Dan DeVries of Criterion NDT Inc., Auburn, Wash., presented “Advances in Eddy Current Verification of Heat Treat Processes” at Heat Treat 2013 in Indianapolis last month. The latest generation of eddy current test instruments and probes enables manufactures to perform 100% in-line inspection of heat-treated components, thus reducing warranty, scrap, and testing costs.
Alcoa to invest $275 million at its rolling mill in Tennessee
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, will invest $275 million over the next three years to expand and convert capacity at its rolling mill in Alcoa, Tenn. The project will convert some of the plant’s can sheet capacity to high-strength automotive aluminum, as well as install incremental automotive capacity. The Tennessee expansion is scheduled to be completed by mid-2015. Much of the volume for the automotive expansion is already secured under long-term supply agreements.
Flexible induction heating coil is designed for large unusual shapes
Ambrell, an Ameritherm company, Scottsville, N.Y., has released the flexible, 25 ft EasyCoil. It can be used with Ambrell Ekoheat induction heating systems-up to the 250 kW model-and is designed for large, oddly shaped parts that cannot be heated with a traditional copper coil. The EasyCoil is ideal for slow and bulk heating applications such as preheating, annealing, stress relieving, die heating, and much more.
Carbon-nanotube/copper composite has 100 times the ampacity of copper alone
Researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, report that they have developed a high-performance composite made of carbon nanotubes and copper. Ampacity represents the maximum current-carrying capacity of a material. The composite combines the high ampacity of carbon nanotubes with the high conductivity of copper. As a result, the composite has the conductivity of copper with 100 times the ampacity of copper.