AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT

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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Element Launches World-Leading Material Testing, PQT Facility

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Following significant capex investment, Element Materials Technology has launched its newly expanded and upgraded Cincinnati, Ohio, facility, as one of the largest independent materials testing and product qualification testing (PQT) service facilities in the U.S. The former-Accutek location has expanded to 62,000ft2 and now provides specialist testing to both the aerospace and medical device sectors and houses three of Element’s Global Centers of Technical Excellence delivering critical testing services to these sectors.

Charles Noall, president and CEO of Element, comments: “Our investment at Element Cincinnati marks a significant step towards securing our position as the strategic partner of choice for our clients in the aerospace and medical device industries. We are committed to developing Centers of Technical Excellence across our global platform, allowing us to deliver market-leading technical expertise where needed by our partners, from aerospace primes to leading medical device manufacturers.”

Element Cincinnati is a world-leading ceramic matrix composite (CMC) Center of Technical Excellence, that is equipped with market-leading environmental controls, high temperature facilities (up to 2,400°F) and doubled capacity in CMC testing, to support its major clients in the development of the next generation of aero engines. The laboratory also houses the Element Group’s Center of Technical Excellence in low-cycle fatigue (LCF) testing, which tests aerospace forgings for airframers and their supply chain partners. Finally, the laboratory also contains the group’s medical device testing center of Technical Excellence that offers a comprehensive range of 21 test methods including accelerated aging testing capabilities and mechanical testing for physiological studies for new spine, knee and hip wear simulator evaluations.

Rick Sluiters, Element’s executive vice president, aerospace, comments: “Our investment at Element Cincinnati allows us to act as a strategic partner to primes and OEMs working at the forefront of CMCs for the aerospace sector. The CMC Center of Technical Excellence provides testing services to respond to the industry’s most demanding challenges through the laboratory’s market-leading environmental controls. The increase in quality of environmental controls also gives us a very tight tolerance, allowing for highly accurate measurement of straining of CMCs.

“The investment also enhances the location’s medical device capabilities, with the mechanical, biological and related testing services allowing us to act as a full-service testing provider for clients. Element Cincinnati is a leading center for Medical Device testing and its newly expanded scope of accreditation underlines our commitment to acting in strategic partnership with key clients.”

Element Cincinnati is Nadcap and ISO accredited, as well as having an impressive range of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) approvals, including GE Aviation, Snecma, MTU, Honeywell, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Rolls-Royce (Germany, U.K., and U.S.), Pratt & Whitney, and Bell Helicopter.

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Bodycote Breaks Ground on Site for New Solution Treatment Capability at Westminster, California

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Bodycote, the world’s leading provider of heat treating services, held a ground breaking ceremony for a new aluminum solution treatment capability at its Westminster, California location in February 2016.

With this new capability, Bodycote will be able to process aluminum alloys up to 21 feet in length at 1100ºF, able to use multiple types of quench media. This new furnace, scheduled to be in service by the end of third quarter this year, will allow the treatment of large aerospace and commercial forgings, up to 20,000 lbs.
Bodycote continues to invest in regional aerospace manufacturing markets across the USA in support of aerospace prime manufacturers and their supply chains.

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Ipsen Ships Seven Vacuum Furnaces

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Ipsen recently shipped seven furnaces around the globe, which will be used to support the Aerospace, Automotive and Power industries. This selection of shipments included both custom-built furnaces and standard TITAN® furnaces that were sent to customers in Alabama, California, Missouri and Texas, as well as China and Japan.

The equipment shipped ranged from a vertical, bottom-loading MetalMaster® with an 84″ x 84″ (2,134 mm x 2,134 mm) molybdenum hot zone traveling to California to a TITAN® H2 vacuum furnace that was sent to Japan. Other furnaces shipped included horizontal MetalMaster furnaces, H2- and H4-sized furnaces from Ipsen’s TITAN line and a Global Vertical furnace from Ipsen’s TurboTreater® line. Overall, these shipments represent Ipsen’s ability to provide sophisticated and intuitive heat-treating solutions through an all-inclusive product line that supports various applications and processes.

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Solar Manufacturing, Refrac Systems Partner to Build Furnace System

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Refrac Systems of Chandler, Ariz., contracted Solar Manufacturing to design and build a large 100-ton-load gas fan quench vacuum hot press (GFQVHP) system for its aerospace diffusion-bonding operation. Refrac Systems, working with Solar’s engineering team, selected a derivative of Solar’s standard internally quenched 2-bar vacuum furnace as the base design of the system. The new system contains many new designs, as it needed to be both an automated vacuum hot press and be extra versatile for making super plastically formed and diffusion-bonded (SPFDB) aerospace structures. Solar Manufacturing expects to ship the GFQVHP unit in July.

The furnace chamber for this unit was built by Amity Industries of Douglassville, Pa.  Beckwood/Triform of St. Louis, Mo., was selected to build the large 100-ton four-post hydraulic press frame for the system. The control console unit was built by Optima-Stantron of Lawrenceville, Ga. Final assembly, testing and start-up of the system is projected for the fourth quarter of 2016 in Chandler.

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Heat Treating Oven Part of Norsk Titanium’s Ultra Lean Manufacturing Line

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Norsk Titanium AS, the world’s leading provider of aerospace-grade, titanium additive manufacturing technology, today announced the groundbreaking of a new European assembly and test center outside Oslo, Norway.

Norsk Titanium Chief Commercial Officer Chet Fuller, Chief Executive Officer Warren M. Boley Jr., and Senior Vice President of Operations Chris Bohlmann were on hand to kick off construction of the new facility, which is scheduled to be completed October 2016.

“Customer demand for our additive manufacturing technology is growing to the point where we need significantly more space to assemble and test our MERKE IV™ RPD™ machines prior to worldwide shipment,” said Senior Vice President of Operations Chris Bohlmann. “This new factory will enable us to better serve our manufacturing partners and aerospace customers while expanding our footprint in this innovative region of Norway.”

Norsk Titanium also plans to install the world’s first end-to-end aerospace Ultra Lean Manufacturing line in the facility. A MERKE IV™ Rapid Plasma Deposition™ machine paired with a heat treating oven and a multi-axis CNC machining center will demonstrate the conversion of titanium wire into finished aerospace parts in a production line length of approximately 30 meters.

“The new Ultra Lean Manufacturing line allows our customers to do hands-on development of new part programs on the same campus as our worldwide technology center,” said CEO Warren M. Boley Jr. “Titanium wire comes in one end, the CAD drawing is input, and finished aerospace parts that are fully tested, heat treated and ready for installation are produced in a matter of days. RPD™ truly is a game-changer in terms of cost reduction, speed to market and production line efficiency.”

About Norsk Titanium AS

Norsk Titanium AS is the world’s pioneering supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components. The company is distinguished in the aviation industry by its patented Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD™) process that transforms titanium wire into complex components suitable for structural and safety-critical applications. The Norsk Titanium research and development team is committed to displacing the inefficient forging process with a precision wire deposition technology embodying substantial savings for aerospace, defense and commercial applications. www.norsktitanium.com

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Anhui Yingliu Group Inaugurates Quintus® Hot Isostatic Press

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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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New Metallurgical Department in Czech Republic

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Global testing group Exova has made a series of investments at its laboratory in Plzeň, Czech Republic to extend its range of capabilities for customers within the global aerospace market, and further grow its presence in Mainland Europe.

Central to the laboratory’s investment is a new metallurgical department with increased capacity. This includes modifications to the facility and the acquisition of new state of the art equipment such as optical microscopy and precision cutting machinery to meet the growing demand from the aerospace industry. In addition to the new equipment, the lab has invested in its computer-based operating systems to increase efficiency at each stage of testing, improving both operations and reporting.

As well as a broad scope of mechanical testing, the Plzeň laboratory provides metallurgical assessment, including macro assessment and mapping and a range of micro examinations, along with corrosion resistance testing. Its customers work predominantly in the aerospace sector, but the laboratory conducts testing on forgings and welding, so can work across the automotive, power generation and general engineering sectors as well.

Jiri Fidransky, general manager of the Plzeň laboratory, said: “These upgrades have streamlined our day-to-day operations and reflect the growth we are seeing in the aerospace sector. Exova’s continued strong growth in the sector is driven by our highly technical and efficient service provision, and through these investments our customers will benefit from improved turnaround times and increased capacity, as well as advances in testing capabilities.”

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The USA plans more aerospace work in Asia: Heat treat impact expected

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BOTW-50w Source: Aerospace Industries Association

The U.S. Aerospace and Defense industry shows a commitment to increasing international trade and partnerships with America’s friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific region by participating in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Singapore Airshow.

Read more: http://www.aia-aerospace.org/news/aia_singapore_airshow_demonstrates_value_of_tpp/

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US Navy orders 20 more Boeing P8A Poseidons

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[Best of the Web] Source: Aerospace Manufacturing & Design

$2.5 billion contract expands maritime surveillance fleet, includes four aircraft for Australia.

Seattle, Washington – Boeing will further equip the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) with maritime patrol capabilities, building 20 more P-8A Poseidon aircraft following a $2.5 billion U.S. Navy order announced Jan. 28, 2016.
The contract, for Lot 7 of the total P-8A program of record, includes 16 aircraft for the U.S. Navy and the next four aircraft for the RAAF. The RAAF’s initial four P-8A aircraft were included in the August 2015 Lot 6 contract award.
This latest award puts Boeing on contract to build 78 Poseidons for the Navy and eight for the Australian fleet, with 33 Poseidons delivered to the U.S. Navy to date. The Lot 7 aircraft will begin delivery in late 2017.
Based on Boeing’s Next-Generation 737-800 commercial airplane, the P-8A offers advanced anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. The Navy has deployed four P-8A patrol squadrons since operations began in 2013.
Australia’s participation in the P-8A program began in 2009 when the government signed the first in a series of memorandums of understanding to work with the U.S. Navy on system design and development. The U.S. Navy and the RAAF also established a joint program office that operates at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The first Australian P-8A will be delivered to the RAAF in late 2016.

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