AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT

Feasibility Studies for Aerospace Applications Should Review Heat Treatment

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

 

Source: Precipart

 

When designing for manufacturability (DFM) for aerospace applications, should a design team commission a comprehensive feasibility study? In this article from Precipart, which designs and manufactures high precision custom gears and mechanical components for the medical technology, aerospace and industrial sectors, read about application-specific requirements, concerns with production tooling, and tolerance of materials for post-fabrication processes, including heat treatment:

  • key specifications of a gear or motion control system
  • potential design issues that may occur throughout the life of a device; for example, how heat treatment, among other post-fabrication processes,
  • recommendations to address performance issues in various environments and conditions

Read more: “What Are the Benefits of an Aerospace Gear Feasibility Study?”

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Indiana Heat Treater Builds to House HIP, New Equipment

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT

A vacuum heat treater which specializes in processing components for aerospace and medical applications recently announced an addition to its facility in Warsaw, Indiana, for the purpose of housing newly acquired equipment.

Lake City Heat Treating has expanded with the construction of a 6,000-square foot addition to accommodate growth in production and an increase in its heat treating capabilities.  The new building allows Lake City Heat Treating the space to bring in new machines and equipment, including a new hot isostatic press in late fall 2018.

Lake City Heat Treating provides heat treating of stainless steels, cobalt and nickel alloys and vacuum heat treatable steels for aerospace, medical and other quality-critical industries, as well as cryogenic, hot isostatic pressing, and tempering services.

 

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UK Heat Treater Joins Trade Mission to Poland to Explore Aerospace Options

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Source: BQLive.com

 

A group of aerospace firms or suppliers from the UK’s Midlands, including a heat treating company, recently traveled to Rzeszow, Poland, which has the largest aerospace cluster within the country, on a trade mission to tour local factories and explore potential partnerships.

 

Read more: “First Joint Aerospace Sector Trade Mission Visits Poland”

Photo credit: Express.com

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Global Aerospace Manufacturer Contracts with Aircraft Components Supplier

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner

A global aerospace company that provides complex assemblies and systems solutions to aircraft and engine manufacturers and defense and space agencies worldwide recently announced that a number of major contract extensions and new awards have been made by world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems.

Magellan Aerospace, based in Toronto, Ontario, reported that multi-year contract renewals were agreed to for the manufacture of titanium wing fittings for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the detail manufacture and assembly of the tanker door for the Boeing 767-2C aircraft. In addition, Magellan was also awarded a new multi-year contract to manufacture winglet components for the Boeing 737 MAX.

The components and assemblies associated with these multiple contracts will be delivered from Magellan’s facilities in New York, New York, and Middletown, Ohio.

Haydn Martin, vice president New Business Development for Magellan

“These awards reflect Magellan’s commitment to continue to provide value solutions to Boeing in meeting their market challenges. Magellan will continue to innovate and optimize its performance to meet the expectations of Boeing and our customer base,” said Haydn Martin, vice president New Business Development for Magellan.

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Heat Treatment Processes Vary for Alloy Type, End Use

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Source: AVWeb

 

Here’s a great article by Bob Hadley at AVWeb that explains the differences between aluminum alloys and how heat treating can make a crucial difference in the final properties.

Aluminum is usually marked by the manufacturer to indicate the alloy and temper. The markings may also include the lot number and the born-on date. (PC and caption: AVWeb)

An excerpt: 

“Heat treatment can dramatically alter the working characteristics of an alloy. 6061 is a great example. In the non-heat-treated state (6061-TO), it is quite bendable. But it is so soft, if you try to machine it, it will gum up the gullets of your saw and clog the flutes of your drill bits and end mills. It’s like trying to drill taffy. But when heat-treated to T4 or higher (such as 6061-T6 or 6061-T651…T651 being T6 temper plus stress-relived), it responds fine to any machining operation.”

Plus more, including

  • the range of temper/heat-treat designations denoting the specific process used to treat the material
  • the higher the number of alloy doesn’t necessarily indicate a stronger and harder alloy
  • which aluminum stock ought to be considered “mystery” material

Whether the OEM manufactures truck frames, aircraft components, or soda cans, applying the right heat treatment process to the right alloy produces the just the right weldability, machinability, and bendability.

 

Read more: “Home Shop Machinist: Material Matters—Aluminum”

Photo credit: Ichudov – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

 

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U.S. Army Lakota Program Expands Under New Contract

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A contract valued at approximately $116 million to deliver 16 additional UH-72A Lakotas for the United States Army has been received by a leading aeronautics, space, and related services provider, the company’s second request this year to supply the U.S. Army’s Lakota program.

Chris Emerson, president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and head of the North America Region

Airbus Helicopters Inc announces the new contract includes the UH-72A production aircraft, associated technical and flight operator manuals and program management in training configuration for the Initial Entry Rotary Wing mission at Ft. Rucker. The UH-72A is a twin-engine utility helicopter used for a wide range of military operations including troop and light cargo transport, MEDEVAC, VIP transport, border security, and Homeland Defense.

“We are proud of our partnership with the U.S. Army. As the world’s best Helicopter Trainer provider, we recognize how important an asset the Lakota is for Army Aviation and our nation. Our employees at Airbus are committed to delivering every aircraft on-cost and on-schedule, without exception,” said Chris Emerson, president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and head of the North America Region. “Our mission of providing this vital national asset is crucial to the protection of our country and the closure of the pilot shortage gap.”

The Lakota is a key component of the Army’s Aviation Restructuring Initiative (ARI) and the primary rotary-wing trainer for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Ala. The UH 72A Lakota is fielded in and out of the Continental United States in several different configurations, performing a number of essential missions for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and the National Guard.

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High-Tensile, Shock-Resistant Hybrid Prepreg Launched for Aerospace Applications

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 A new high-tensile, highly shock-resistant prepreg that incorporates carbon fiber has recently been developed by a high-performance fiber company in Germany for aerospace applications and specialized carbon nanotubes (CNT).

Toho Tenax Co., Lt., the core company of the Teijin Group, announced the hybrid prepreg has been adopted by Mizuno Corporation in a new golf club shaft that weighs nearly 30 percent less than conventional shafts of the same thickness. A prepreg is a carbon fiber sheet pre-impregnated with matrix resin and used as an intermediate material for carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The high-tensile prepreg enables the shaft to bend suitably as the ball is impacted and then cuts the shock of impact by more than 10 percent to reduce club movement on the follow-through swing.

The surface of the CNT is specially treated and its structural elements disperse equally when Toho Tenax’s carbon fiber is impregnated with matrix resin containing the CNT. The hybrid combination of carbon fiber and CNT realizes a superior CFRP that offers improved tensile strength and shock resistance. The CFRP is more durable because the carbon fiber and matrix resin do not peel away from each other thanks to the CNT’s balanced dispersion.

The Teijin Group is accelerating its development of its new high-tensile, highly shock-resistant prepreg for high-end applications in the sports and leisure fields, then eventually in aircraft fields, where weight reduction and high functionality are especially critical. Teijin also is strengthening its capabilities to provide solutions for diverse global businesses, from upstream to downstream.

 

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Aerospace Giant Secures 15-year Agreement for Heat Treating Services

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Engineering giant Rolls-Royce has entered into a 15-year contract with a UK-based thermal processing services specialist to secure specialized vacuum heat treatment and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to support its civil aerospace production.

Bodycote, which provides heat treatment services that protect and improve the properties of metals and alloys, extending their operational life and making them safer, will work with Rolls-Royce’s turbine blade casting facilities in Derby and Rotherham.

The agreement, which is expected to be worth over £160 million ($227.3 million US) in incremental revenues over the 15-year period, ensures the provision of specialist thermal processing capacity utilizing Bodycote’s high performance, quality-focused approach to support the growth of Rolls-Royce’s large civil engine programs, including the Trent XWB, Trent 1000, Trent 7000, Trent 700 and Trent 900.

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Aerospace Heat Treating Could Be Disrupted by Additive Manufacturing

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Source: Aviation Week

 

Mark Meyer of GEAdditive

Henry Canady of Aviation Week interviews Mark Meyer of GEAdditive to gain insight on how additive metal manufacturing will disrupt the manufacturing landscape, particularly the aerospace sector, as techniques are refined for metal additive. Meyer speculates that additive will compete with metal forging and further enhance forging processes.

An excerpt:

“Just as taxi service often improves when Uber and Lyft move into town, metal casting is being enhanced as additive competes with casting.”

 

Read more: “Additive Manufacturing Could Disrupt A Lot of Aerospace Markets”

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Midwest Heat Treat Expansion to Meet Nadcap and Medical Industry Requirements

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A commercial heat treater specializing in low-pressure vacuum carburizing recently expanded its processing capacity with a 12-bar gas quenching vacuum furnace.

Midwest Thermal-Vac (MTV), based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which provides conventional heat treating, as well as solution, isothermal, spherodized or full annealing, homogenizing, normalizing, austenitizing, tool steel tempering and cryogenic treatments for the aerospace, defense, and general commercial industries, purchased the furnace to facilitate processing for companies needing to meet Nadcap and medical industry requirements such as MedAccred.

MTV’s capabilities will expand with a TITAN® vacuum furnace with 12-bar gas quenching from Ipsen USA. This furnace features a diffusion pump for high-vacuum levels and an all-metal hot zone to ensure part cleanliness, and an all-metal hot zone measuring 18″ x 24″ x 18″ (455 mm x 610 mm x 455 mm), with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) load capacity. It is capable of operating at temperatures ranging from 900 °F to 2,400 °F (482 °C to 1,316 °C) with ± 10 °F (±6 °C) temperature uniformity.

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