TAFA Inc., a Praxair Surface Technologies Co., Concord, N.H., has developed and improved equipment for coating performance and repeatability, as reported in “Equipment Advances for Advanced Coatings,” a presentation at the thermal spray conference announced below. Advanced features such as recipe storage, data acquisition, and remote diagnostics are playing larger and more important roles in process development and control.
Metlab flame hardens bridge crane wheels for aircraft manufacturing facility
Metlab Heat Treating, Niagara Falls, N.Y., announces completion of a successful project with a major crane manufacturer to flame harden the bridge crane wheels for a large overhead multiple bridge crane system. Installed at an aircraft manufacturer, the crane lifts airplanes as they are being assembled. Over 1,500 wheels made of 1045 steel, approximately 6.5 in. O.D. by 2.5 in. wide, were hardened to a hard and uniform outside rim of 425 BHN (HRC 45) and a case depth of 0.125 in. minimum.
Selas Heat Technology relocates manufacturing to Ohio
Selas Heat Technology Co. LLC, Montgomeryville, Pa., has opened a new manufacturing plant in Streetsboro, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The facility will serve as the company’s new Global Headquarters. The modern building covers 73,500 sq. ft., with ample room for expansion on its 8 acres of land.
Fraunhofer test program evaluates coatings for equipment in oil treatment plants
Fraunhofer IWM, Germany, has developed tests of the internal coatings of pipes in various sections of oil treatment plants to determine which materials are best suited to withstand the stresses in each individual section. To assess the corrosion resistance of coatings in a laboratory environment, the researchers apply a number of different tests, such as high heat, strong chemicals, abrasive media, and many others.
Jumping droplets for more efficient power plants
In a completely unexpected finding, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, researchers discovered that tiny water droplets that form on a superhydrophobic surface, and then “jump” away from that surface, carry an electric charge. The finding could lead to more efficient power plants and a new way of drawing power from the atmosphere, they say.