Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel & Company Chatter
- Tim Merryweather has joined U.K.-based heat treater, the Wallwork Group, as vacuum brazing technical sales engineer.
- A manufacturer of monolithic refractories and precast refractory shapes has opened its second manufacturing facility in Tianjin, China. The newly constructed, 210,972 sq ft Allied Mineral Products plant will resolve production space needs as well as expand workspace.
- In partnership with a manufacturer of robotics and automation equipment for the construction industry, a refractory supplier recently introduced a device that provides workers in the refractory industry with on the jobsite safety and productivity benefits. HarbisonWalker International (HWI) joined forces with Construction Robotics in production of the MULE-R (Material Unit Lift Enhancer – Refractory).
- A new hot isostatic pressing (HIP) system was revealed at an open house in Cleveland, Ohio, hosted by Paulo to unveil the company’s new HIP capabilities, available via its Quintus model QIH-122 Hot Isostatic Press, which can combine HIP with heat treating.
- Gasbarre Products, Inc. has announced that at the end of 2019 all thermal processing systems will be manufactured in its 50,000 sq. ft. facility located in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania. In 2011 Gasbarre acquired the JL Becker brand of industrial furnace equipment, and over the last eight years, Gasbarre has run parallel manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania for its furnace equipment. Consolidating the manufacturing of its common product lines allow for the most efficient use of its floor space, equipment, and manufacturing processes. Gasbarre will maintain its presence in the Detroit area with a sales, engineering and service facility. Ben Gasbarre will maintain his leadership role within the Plymouth, Michigan location. The sales and technical team will drive Gasbarre’s furnace systems into the future. Gasbarre has plans to not only design and service its equipment but to eventually establish a technical center for process testing and demonstration purposes. Ben Gasbarre stated, “The move will allow us to better utilize our highly-skilled personnel to accelerate advancements to our products, technology and services.”
- In a move to realize approximately $6 million to $8 million of annual savings, TimkenSteel Corp., Canton, Ohio, announced plans to close its TimkenSteel Material Services facility in Houston, Texas, in the first quarter of 2020. The 100,000-square-foot operation currently employs approximately 100 people who provide precision value-added and finishing services, primarily to customers that service the energy market.
- A supplier of nitrogen generators and related products to utilities, petrochemical producers, manufacturers, and energy providers announced a move into an existing 66,000-sq.-ft. building as part of an enhanced growth strategy that includes additional hiring and new products. South-Tek Systems LLC will remain in the Wilmington, North Carolina, area.
- A global stainless steel manufacturer with headquarters in Spain has reached an agreement for the acquisition of VDM Metals Holding GmbH. Acerinox, S.A. purchased the Germany-based leader producer of specialty alloys from Lindsay Goldberg Vogel GmbH and Falcon Metals BV.
- An aluminum giant recently broke ground on a $36 million investment to expand and upgrade the company’s capabilities in automotive closed-loop recycling, a process to take aluminum scrap created during stamping. Novelis Inc’s investment in new vehicle production at the Greensboro, Georgia, facility includes adding state-of-the-art equipment for aluminum scrap recycling, a new baghouse for improved dust mitigation and enhanced designs for safer and more efficient traffic flow.
Equipment Chatter
- A manufacturer of excavating equipment purchased a high-temperature car bottom furnace with an operating temperature of 1000°F (538°C) to 2282°F (1250°C) for stress relieving, normalizing, and other high-temperature processes. Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems was commissioned to design and manufacture the system to meet customer’s strict NOx and CO requirements as well as AMS 2750 temperature uniformity requirements across a wide temperature operating range.
- A company requiring annealing or normalizing process recently purchased No. 1049, a 1050°F (566°C) cabinet oven with two drawers from Grieve. In addition, a customer has received shipment of No. 1039, a 2,000°F (1,093°C) inert atmosphere, heavy-duty furnace used for heat treating turbine components.
- A manufacturer in the technology industry has received shipment of an indirect gas-fired heavy-duty walk-in series oven from Wisconsin Oven Corporation. The walk-in oven will be used for heat treating materials used in the production of vehicle batteries.
- A world-leading international supplier of parts to the automotive industry acquired a Sinac stationary induction heating system from EFD Induction to be used for preheating in a series production of steel pump housing.
- A Vietnamese steel producer has issued the final acceptance certificate for the latest state-of-the-art acid regeneration plant (ARP) at their new plant in Binh Dinh, Vietnam, which will operate in accordance with stringent European environmental regulatory standards. Hoa Sen Group issued the
certificate to Tenova. - German steel distributor Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH (SZFG) has awarded the contract to build a 2.2 megawatt PEM electrolysis plant (PEM = proton exchange membrane) to Siemens Gas and Power, which will cover SZFG’s entire current demand for hydrogen. The necessary electrical power will be generated by seven wind turbines with a capacity of 30 megawatt.
- A customer in the secondary smelting industry purchased a gas-fired aluminum stack melting and holding furnace from Lindberg/MPH. This stack-type central melting furnace will be utilized to produce aluminum ingot and sows. The furnace has a melt rate of 4,500 pounds per hour.
- A world-leading steel producer has been commissioned to be the main supplier of steel plate to the first U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier built in more than 35 years. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding contracted with ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor for the steel supply to build the carrier, which likely will help haul raw materials to the mill after its launch.
- An aerospace company recently ordered four TITAN® H6 2 bar vacuum furnaces that will be used for heat treating additively manufactured parts in full-scale production. Ipsen USA shipped two of the furnaces in November and will ship the remaining two in January.
Kudos Chatter
- The Women in Finishing FORUM announces registration is open for the second annual program to be held at the Embassy Suites South Bend, Indiana, at Notre Dame from May 6-8, 2020. The FORUM features a variety of professional and personal development sessions, team-building exercises, and networking events geared towards women in industrial finishing. Women in Finishing is sponsored by the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI).
- Muhammed Odeh, the General Motors (GM) supplier quality engineer, visited ALD Thermal Treatment Inc. (Port Huron, MI, USA) plant to officially present the GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award for 2018. This is ALD’s 5th consecutive year for this prestigious award since 2014. In addition, ALD was again recognized as a Supplier of the Year for providing heat treatment services.
Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to editor@heattreattoday.com
