HIPING NEWS

Alcoa to Supply 3D-Printed Metal Parts for Airbus

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS

Lightweight metals leader Alcoa (NYSE:AA) has entered into an agreement with Airbus to supply 3D-printed titanium fuselage and engine pylon components for Airbus commercial aircraft. Alcoa expects to deliver the first additive manufactured parts to Airbus in mid-2016.

“We are proud to partner with Airbus to help pave the way to the future of aerospace development and manufacturing,” said Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld. “The unique combination of our multi-material alloy development expertise, powder production capabilities, aerospace manufacturing strength and product qualification know-how position us to lead in this exciting, emerging space.”

Airbus chose to work with Alcoa because of its comprehensive capabilities, from materials science leadership to additive manufacturing and aerospace parts qualification. The agreement will draw on Alcoa’s decades of aerospace experience and new technologies gained through the recent acquisition of RTI and organic expansion in Whitehall, Michigan. Alcoa also recently invested in 3D-printing and metallic powder production capabilities at its technical center outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Last year, Alcoa acquired RTI International Metals (RTI)—now known as Alcoa Titanium & Engineered Products (ATEP)—which grew Alcoa’s additive manufacturing capabilities to include 3D-printed titanium and specialty metals parts produced at ATEP’s Austin, Texas facility. The Airbus agreement will draw on these capabilities as well as ATEP’s titanium ingot melting and billetizing, machining, finishing and inspection technologies.

Alcoa will employ advanced CT scan and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) capabilities at its advanced aerospace facility in Whitehall, Michigan. HIP is a technology that strengthens the metallic structures of traditional and additive manufactured parts made of titanium and nickel based superalloys. Through a $22 million investment in the technology in Whitehall, Michigan, Alcoa today owns and operates one of the largest aerospace HIP technology complexes in the world.

Additionally, Alcoa is bolstering its additive manufacturing capabilities through a $60 million expansion in advanced 3D-printing materials and processes, including metallic powders. The expansion is located at the Alcoa Technical Center near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the world’s largest light metals research center.

 

 

 

Post updated Thursday 4/29/2021 at 3:37pm.

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Anhui Yingliu Group Inaugurates Quintus® Hot Isostatic Press

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS

Västerås, Sweden, December 17, 2015 – Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies (formerly Avure Technologies), joined Frank Du, President of China’s Yingliu Group, to celebrate the inauguration of a Quintus® hot isostatic press (HIP) at the Anhui Yingliu Group Huoshan Casting Co. Ltd. foundry in Anhui province, China, in early December.

The new press, model QIH 1.6 x 2.5 – 2000 – 1400M URC, brings several advanced capabilities that enable the Huoshan facility to manufacture products meeting mission-critical performance standards in the aerospace and nuclear power environments.

Operating at a pressure of 200 MPA (29,000 psi) and temperatures up to 1400°C (2552°F), the Quintus HIP produces complex components with improved fatigue strength and extended service life, ever-more-important characteristics that are difficult to achieve in traditional manufacturing technology.

A work zone of 1600 mm (63 inches) in diameter and 2500 mm (98 inches) in height accommodates the size requirements for production of large aircraft engine casings and core components for nuclear power, marine engineering, metallurgy, and other applications. Quintus’ proprietary Uniform Rapid Cooling (URC) technology enables increased productivity with optimal temperature control.

“Quintus HIP systems produce parts with excellent isotropic material properties and offer the highest possible density of all available compaction methods,” noted Mr. Söderström as he handed the keys to the press to Mr. Du during the inauguration ceremony. The event was attended by more than 500 guests, including representatives from a dozen prominent Chinese companies in the aviation and nuclear power industries.

Reminding the audience of the Made in China 2025 campaign to improve quality and production efficiency, Mr. Du referenced the Yingliu Group’s own strategic commitment to industrial upgrading. The company ordered the QIH 1.6 x 2.5 in December 2013. It was delivered after a 15-month manufacturing process at the Quintus plant in Västerås, Sweden. Installation, testing, and commissioning took place over a period of 20 weeks. Now fully operational, the press fulfills the Yingliu Group’s vision of establishing a world-class hot isostatic pressing center at the Huoshan Casting facility.

Quintus Technologies specializes in the design, manufacture, installation, and support of high pressure systems for sheet metal forming and densification of advanced materials and critical industrial components. Headquartered in Västerås, Sweden, and represented in 35 countries worldwide, the company is the world leader in high pressure technology and has delivered more than 1,800 systems to customers across the globe within industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, and medical implants.

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