MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Motorcycle Manufacturer Embarks on Sustainable Heat Treat Future

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, NITRIDING, NITRIDING NEWS, NITROCARBURIZING NEWS

Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology Co. Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer of motorcycles and bicycles, has invested in a nitriding/nitrocarburizing system, increasing sustainability and growth for its new production facility in Jiangmen City, located in southern China’s Guangdong province.

Heat treat solutions company Nitrex was commissioned to deliver a comprehensive turnkey system, geared towards enhancing the performance and durability of multiple components within Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle, including those for the brands Haojiang, Daye, Shengshi, and Qidian.

Nikola Dzepina
Nitrex Regional Manager – Asia
Source: NITREX

Nikola Dzepina, Nitrex account executive, said, “Our partnership with Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology Co. Ltd. will help them in fulfilling their mission of delivering top-notch, highly durable, and reliable motorcycles and bicycles to their global customer base.”

As part of their development strategy, Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle has placed sustainability, product quality, service excellence, and market expansion at the heart of their mission. Paving the way for superior motorcycles and bicycles, the company evaluated various options and ultimately selected Nitrex for its precision-controlled processes, process stability and repeatability, equipment longevity and reliability, and commitment to environmental friendliness.

Nitrex pit furnace
Source: Nitrex

The turnkey system comprises a large pit-type furnace, model NX-1225, with a 4000-kg load capacity and the Nitreg® controlled nitriding and Nitreg®-C nitrocarburizing technologies. These surface treatments augment the properties of motorcycle and bicycle metal components, significantly enhancing wear resistance and providing protection against rust and corrosion. Additionally, the system features an ammonia dryer and accelerated cooling system, facilitating the delivery of high-purity ammonia and fast cycle times to optimize production efficiency.

Tao Liu, sales manager at Nitrex China, emphasized, “This system’s exceptional reliability, engineered for longevity with minimal maintenance requirements and low utility and production media consumption costs, aligns perfectly with Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle’s vision for a sustainable future.”

This press release is available in its original form here.

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All 13 News Chatter To Keep You Current

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry. Enjoy these 13 news items.

Company

  1. IHEA celebrate 95 years with an anniversary dinner at the industry association’s annual meeting. 
  2. Furnaces North American 2024 registration is open, with the event scheduled for October 14–16, 2024. 
  3. EVERGREEN KILN TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, located in Niagara Falls, U.S., and SUZHOU KILNPARTNER Mechanical Technology Co., Ltd., located in China, officially announced their strategic partnership to service and support the growing demands of the North American lithium-ion battery market. 
  4. SECO/WARWICK opened SECO/LAB, a production automation and mechatronics laboratory, at the University of Zielona Góra in Poland.  
  5. Tenova will partner with De Nora, Snam, and other European steel producers and RTOs on the HyTecHeat project, a Horizon Europe program funded by the EU with the goal to validate hybrid heating technologies based on natural gas with a progressive increase of hydrogen up to 100% in downstream processing. Within this project, Tenova will install an electrolyzer at the Demo headquarters in Castellanza (Italy).  
  6. Tenova’s SafeForPorts project has won a call for proposals issued by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) under the banner of RAISE (Robotics and AI for Socio-economic Empowerment). The project is aimed at revolutionizing the safety and efficiency of port operations through cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies.  
  7. Indian steel producer JSW STEEL (Dolvi Works) has placed an order with SMS group to supply its trailblazing CSP® Nexus plant, which will fundamentally transform flat steel production. 
EVERGREEN KILN TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, and SUZHOU KILNPARTNER Mechanical Technology Co., Ltd., announced their strategic partnership
Tenova electrolyzer
Tenova’s SafeForPorts project

Company & Personnel 

  1. Hubbard-Hall welcomes John Forlenzo as supply chain manager. In this role, he will oversee the global purchasing activities for the company, including logistics and inventory. 
  2. David Wolfe joins ECM USA as senior sales engineer. As a former east coast sales representative for ECM, Wolfe brings important industry knowledge to the role. 
John Forlenzo, Supply Chain Manager, Hubbard-Hall
David Wolfe, Senior Sales Engineer, ECM USA

Kudos 

  1. Akron Steel Treating is pleased to share we are now in the Nadcap 18 Month Merit Program. The Nadcap Merit Program is an allowance for extending the accreditation lengths between audits and is only awarded to companies which have proven themselves as exceeding Nadcap’s already highly stringent standards. 
  2. Steelhead Technologies is proud to be a winner of the Top Performer award from SourceForge, the world’s largest software reviews and comparison website. 
  3. Ipsen USA celebrated 75 years in operation on February 27, 2024.  
  4. Advanced Heat Treat Corp. has renewed its Nadcap accreditation in heat treating and passed its Aerospace Quality System (AC7004) audit. 

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News from Abroad: Shifts for Sustainability in Steel 

/ FORGING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Today’s News from Abroad installment shares exciting news from the steelmaking world that is of international importance.  

Heat Treat Today partners with two international publications to deliver the latest news, tech tips, and cutting-edge articles that will serve our audience — manufacturers with in-house heat treat. heat processing, a Vulkan-Verlag GmbH publication, serves mostly the European and Asian heat treat markets, and Furnaces International, a Quartz Business Media publication. primarily serves the English-speaking globe. 

French ECM Group Expands with IOS Acquisition in Europe 

ECM Group to consolidate its presence in Germany 
Source: heat-processing.com

“With the acquisition of IOS, the French ECM Group strengthens its presence in Germany and Northern Europe as well as its service activities. The medium-sized company IOS – Industrie Ofen Service is based in Arnsberg (Hochsauerlandkreis) and specialises in the maintenance of industrial furnaces for vacuum heat treatment. IOS currently employs around a dozen people and is mainly active in the German-speaking and Northern European markets. The company has extensive expertise, is a competent partner for its customers and focuses on rapid response and high quality.” 

READ MORE: “ECM Group takes over Industrie Ofen Service GmbH” at heat-processing.com 

R&D Funds for Forging 

Center set to help forgers explore modern processes and new integrated digital technologies.
Source: furnaces-international.com

“A research and innovation hot forging platform has announced it [would open] on the 21st March at the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, connecting the $75 billion global forging sector with the Scotland-based team and industry-scale testbed, no matter where they are in the world.” 

READ MORE: “World unique research hub set to transform the global forging sector” at furnaces-international.com 

Forging Facility Folds in Prerov, Czech Republic 

Metso has decided to discontinue foundry operations in Prerov, Czech Republic.
Source: heat-processing.com

“According to the statement of Metso, the decision is based on fundamental changes in the market environment, which have negatively impacted the foundry’s competitiveness. The decision affects around 160 manufacturing-related positions. Operations at the foundry will be ramped down during the second quarter of 2024.” 

READ MORE: “Metso shuts down its foundry in Prerov” at heat-processing.com 

Tenova Takes on Sustainable Steel with RINA Partnership 

Caption: Schematic for Hydra project 
Source: furnaces-international.com

“Tenova, announced it is partnering with RINA on the ambitious European Commission-backed Hydra project. This partnership will drive innovation in sustainable steel production leveraging Tenova’s cutting-edge technologies. The €88M project is funded by the European Commission’s NextGenerationEU and backed by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy.” 

READ MORE: “Tenova joins RINA’s 100% hydrogen-fueled Hydra project backed by the European Commission” at furnaces-international.com 

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Manufacturer To Receive EB Furnace for Large-Ingot Casting

/ FOUNDRY CASTING, FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A North America-based company is set to receive a four-gun electron beam hearth melting furnace from their industry partner of 3 years.

Retech, a division of SECO/WARWICK Group, received this third contract in as many years from the returning partner after the successful planning, installation, commissioning, and subsequent operation and progress of the last two EB hearth melters. Along with that, repeat orders from a known partner reduce uncertainty and risk for the company. Put more simply, practice makes perfect.  

Source: SECO/WARWICK
Source: SECO/WARWICK

These EB furnaces have a throughput that is suitable for large-ingot casting of reactive/refractory metals when alloying with metals having similar vaporization temperatures, whereas plasma arc melting, although slower, would be the more suitable choice for dissimilar vaporization temperatures.

Earl Good
Managing Director at Retech Systems, LLC
Source: Retech

“We are thrilled to be an ongoing partner in this customer’s growth,” said Earl Good, managing director of Retech Systems. “We know they have multiple competitive options for their vacuum metallurgy equipment, so we take nothing for granted, and work hard to earn their business every step of the way. Ongoing awards like this suggest we’re doing a lot of things right.”  

Retech produces and assembles vacuum melting equipment entirely in North America. Their integrated R&D, manufacturing, and assembly facility in Buffalo allows them to do that. The North American supplier also has exclusive use of electron beam guns from Von Ardenne, industry pioneers of electron beam technology.  

This press release is available in its original form here.

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Car Bottom Furnace Increases Large Component Heat Treat for Solar Atmospheres

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, TEMPERING, TEMPERING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA recently commissioned their third car bottom air furnace. This Class 2 air furnace has a maximum operating temperature of 1350°F measures 60” wide x 38” high x 168” deep.

The newly installed equipment, manufactured by Heat Treat Equipment Inc., joins two other HTE car bottom furnaces that are 14’ long and 20’ long respectively.

“After successfully hardening in vacuum at 1850°F +/- 10°F, the fully hardened die was transferred to the air car bottom furnace for the triple temper operation of 1025°F +/- 10°F.” – Bob Hill, President, Solar Atmospheres WPA and Michigan
Source: Solar Atmospheres
Source: Solar
Robert (Bob) Hill, FASM
President
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
Source: Solar Atmospheres

Bob Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA and Michigan, states, “the addition of this large air tempering/aging equipment compliments our five (5) state of the art vacuum car bottom furnaces very nicely. Instead of hardening and triple tempering this 6000 pound H13 die exclusively in a vacuum environment, Solar can save our customers and our company over 100 hours of valuable and expensive vacuum processing time.”

He continues, “After successfully hardening in vacuum at 1850°F +/- 10°F, the fully hardened die was transferred to the air car bottom furnace for the triple temper operation of 1025°F +/- 10°F. These large and uniform car bottom furnaces are a win/win for both the customer and for production — not exclusively for heavy parts, but also when treating long components.”

This press release is available in its original form here.

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Fringe Friday: “So, I gave you the apple…”

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat Treat Fringe Friday installment: a video unveiling the learning progress of Figure 01. Learn more about this startling conversational machine that may become the world’s first commercially viable autonomous humanoid robot.

While not exactly heat treat, “Fringe Friday” deals with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing.

“So, I gave you the apple because it’s the only, uh, edible item I could provide you with from the table.” A humanoid robot called Figure 01 (read “figure one”) is making a splash as a personable, multitasking robot.

If you are someone who appreciates clear speech patterns, rapid-fire conversation, and other social ques, like facial expression and hand motions, you are out of luck. But if you are looking for a patient, accommodating, young adult male, OpenAI models-trained machine to add to your workforce, this robot may be a commercially available option for you soon.

Figure 01 is intended for “general purposes,” coming beside humans in the workforce to “create and produce so much more, address drastic labor shortages, and reduce the number of workers in unsafe jobs.” One might imagine Figure 01 loading and unloading baskets with components to heat treat or perhaps take on the task of opening the furnace door and testing the atmosphere gasses that linger. Of course, if you were to ask Figure 01 to load a basket with components to heat treat, it may take him 4 seconds before answering, “Certainly.”

Watch the video below, created by Figure, a U.S.-based AI robotics company.

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Aluminum Extrusion Operations Bring Nitriding In-House

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, NITRIDING, NITRIDING NEWS

Extral SP. Z o.o., a Polish company specializing in aluminum extrusions, has bolstered its manufacturing capabilities to better serve the construction, automobile, and machinery industries. Alongside acquiring a new aluminum extrusion press, the company ordered a nitriding system to nitride H11 and H13 extrusion dies of various sizes.

Nitriding pit furnace from Nitrex

The Nitrex turnkey nitriding system includes an NX-1015 pit-type furnace with a 2-ton (4410-lb) load capacity and NITREG® technology, offering nitriding treatments that optimize die performance and throughput while concurrently reducing tooling costs.

This investment coincides with Extral’s expansion of its operational footprint in Poland, including the construction of a new building to house the extrusion press and furnace. This expansion enables the company to diversify its range of extruded products while maintaining a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. The new nitriding installation will contribute to these objectives by providing more efficient use of process gases and electricity.

Marcin Stokłosa
Project Manager
Nitrex Poland
Source: LinkedIn.com

Previously, Extral outsourced its nitriding operations to a local heat treater, due to quality issues encountered with an underperforming in-house nitriding unit. However, this latest investment enables them to bring nitriding operations back in-house, ensuring better control over the quality and consistency of their nitrided dies while also benefiting from expedited turnaround times.

Marcin Stoklosa, project manager at Nitrex, said, “Working with Extral on this project has been a pleasure. . . . Seeing customers invest in their business and achieve their goals, especially when it aligns with our values of innovation and sustainability, is always rewarding.”

This press release is available in its original form here.

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Increased HIP on the Horizon: Kittyhawk Expands with Stack HIP Acquisition

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

Kittyhawk, Inc., backed by the Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital, has acquired Stack HIP, LLC from Stack Metallurgical Group (SMG). The acquisition represents a significant expansion of capacity and capabilities in hot isostatic pressing (HIP) for aerospace, space, defense, and medical applications.

Operating from its facility in Albany, OR, Stack HIP provides HIP services to aerospace, defense, and medical clients by operating the largest high-pressure HIP vessels in North America. This enables them to process large, complex castings and additively manufactured metallic parts. Post-closing, SMG will continue to operate its classical heat treatment and aluminum special processing facilities in Portland, OR, Spokane, WA, and Salt Lake City, UT.

Brandon Creason
President
Kittyhawk

“We’re excited to welcome Stack HIP customers, employees, and suppliers into the Kittyhawk family,” said Brandon Creason, president of Kittyhawk. “Stack HIP will allow Kittyhawk to service mission critical parts up to 63” in diameter, enabling us to process the full array of components for our customers. At Kittyhawk, we commit every day to providing the best service and quality to our customers, and we’re thrilled to now do that with the added capabilities and dedicated employees of Stack HIP.”

Doug Puerta
CEO
Stack Metallurgical Group

Doug Puerta, CEO of SMG commented, “We look forward to continued collaboration with Kittyhawk to deliver a differentiated level of service, quality, and value to our shared customers. This transaction will allow both companies to further drive capacity, quality, and capabilities in our respective services to best serve the PNW market.”

“This is an important step in growing the platform specialized in this highly-differentiated HIP capability. [Kittyhawk] continues to benefit from strong industry tailwinds, and we are excited to support our customers by investing in capacity,” said David Stinnett, partner at Trive.

This press release is available in its original form upon request.

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US Army Enlists Metallus for Munitions Expansion

/ FEATURED NEWS, FORGING NEWS, FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Metallus, formerly known as TimkenSteel and a leader in high-quality specialty metals, manufactured components, and supply chain solutions, announced that the company has entered an agreement for up to $99 million in funding from the United States Army.

Half of the funding is currently obligated, with the balance subject to mutual agreement during subsequent phases after the final project details are presented to the Army. This funding will support a project aimed at bolstering the Army’s mission of ramping up artillery shell production in the coming years.

Mike Williams
President and CEO
Metallus
Source: Metallus

Specifically, this project will enable the development of additional capacity to help fulfill increased global demand for artillery shells. The new capability is expected to increase throughput of high-quality bar-based products used in artillery applications and support approximately $60 million of incremental base sales annually, demand dependent. The company is targeting late 2025 for this new capability to be operational with funding to be provided throughout the procurement and installation process.

“Metallus is honored to expand our commitment to the defense sector, reliably providing high-quality specialty metals for critical applications. With this funding, we intend to further optimize our assets to meet the Department of Defense’s heightened demand while reducing our carbon footprint,” affirmed Mike Williams, president and CEO.

The 2022 National Defense Strategy outlines the Department of Defense’s commitment to establishing a modernized and coordinated defense industrial network. This initiative aims to develop a reliable and resilient supply chain of industrial partners over the next several years that will significantly enhance the nation’s defense capabilities for the long-term.

This press release is available in its original form here.

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Innovative Engineering Partnership To Serve North American Lithium-Ion Battery Market

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, OVENS-HIGH-TEMPERATURE

EVERGREEN KILN TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, located in Niagara Falls, U.S.A., and SUZHOU KILNPARTNER Mechanical Technology Co., Ltd., located in China, officially announced their strategic partnership to service and support the growing demands of the North American lithium-ion battery market.

This partnership will provide the market’s battery material producers with access to modern and innovative kiln system solutions for producing cathode (LFP, NMC) and Anode Active Materials.

EVERGREEN KILN TECHNOLOGIES, LLC will operate as a subsidiary of CAN-ENG FURNACES INTERNATIONAL, LTD. (CAN-ENG), where CAN-ENG will share over 60 years experience designing and developing customized thermal processing solutions.

This partnership between the two companies encompasses various areas including marketing, brand collaboration, technological development, production, and engineering, as well as after-sales services. The goal of the companies is to create innovative methods for the thermal processing of battery powder and provide kiln solutions to clients in North America.

This press release is available in its original form here.

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