INDUSTRY NEWS

ECM Celebrates 10 Metallurgical High Vacuum Years in the U.S. ECM USA, Kenosha, Wis., Expands Headquarters established in 1997 by Metallurgical High Vacuum Corp. ECM-France, Vandoeuvre lès Nancy, to promote (MVH), Fennville, Mich., a low-pressure supplier in the vacuum-technology in North America, celebrates its tenth year in 2 industry, opened a new 2,400 ft the U.S. ECM-USA focuses Engineering Design Center. on sales, installation, and The facility is equipped with the service operations, and is set up for testing all latest 3-D CAD systems that customer programs in accommodate all vacuum pump North America with full and system engineering. MHV metallurgical support. www.ecm-usa.com. now offers high quality vacuum MHV new office and Engineering Design Center. pumps and process equipment from vacuum ultrasonic inspection and heat-treated forged Praxair Increases coating systems to chambers for thermal products at its Samara manufacturing facility in Prices Praxair Inc., Danbury, processing of metals, and provides in-depth Russia. The Samara plant became the second Conn., and Praxair engineering, design, and services on a wide Russian production facility to acquire the right to Canada Inc., Mississauga, range of high-vacuum equipment, including enter the world aerospace market and work with Ontario, increased prices of industrial gases remanufacturing of vacuum, booster, and such customers as Airbus and Boeing. Alcoa’s effective January 1, 2008, diffusion pumps and blowers. ww.methivac.com. Belaya Kalitva heat-treated sheet and plate or as contracts permit, received NADCAP approval in summer 2007. including a 10-20% ArcelorMittal Increases increase for nitrogen, NADCAP is the leading worldwide cooperative oxygen, argon, Output of Q&T Plate program of major companies designed to hydrogen, and carbon ArcelorMittal, Luxembourg, is increasing output dioxide; 15-30% for manage a cost-effective consensus approach to helium; and up to 15% for of quenched and tempered (Q&T) plate across its special processes and products and provide facility fees/monthly basic U.S. plate mills. Military and commercial continuous improvement within the aerospace charges. www.praxair.com. demand for this product remains strong globally. and automotive industries. In addition to The investments in Q&T capacity are being made aluminum products and components including Bodycote Q3 2007 at all of the company’s U.S. plate facilities flat-rolled products, hard-alloy extrusions, and Revenues Up including Coatesville and Conshohocken, Pa., forgings, Alcoa also markets Alcoa wheels, Bodycote International PLC, Cheshire, UK, expects and Burns Harbor and Gary, Ind. The investments fastening systems, precision and investment its third quarter (Q3 2007) are directed at updating equipment and material castings, structures, and building systems. revenues to increase 19% handling, which will allow the company to www.alcoa.com. on growth in its testing and thermal processing increase output of high quality Q&T product by divisions. Heat treatment 50,000 tons. ArcelorMittal will complete these Advanced Heat Treat Opens sales were running 15.2% improvements in phases during 2008 without Alabama Facility ahead of the same period in 2006. The company ex- disruptions to existing operations. ArcelorMittal Advanced Heat Treat Corp., Waterloo, Iowa, pects all its markets to re- USA, formerly known as Mittal USA, with its expanded its resources by opening a fourth full main buoyant, except for affiliates, is the largest steel producer in the North automotive where, in service ion- facility in Cullman, Ala., to North America, the unit America and the largest integrated treat components using its continues to be stangnant. steel producer in the U.S. ArcelorMittal patented UltraGlow ion- www.bodycote.com. USA is a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, nitriding process. The Air Products Reports said to be the world’s number one steel new facility includes one 4Q 2007 Profit company, with more than 320,000 of the world’s largest Air Products and employees in more than 60 countries, vacuum ion nitriding Chemicals Inc., Lehigh Valley, Pa., a supplier of and a crude steel production of vessels, with a 60,000 lb atmospheric gases, 118-million metric tons, representing (27,000 kg) capacity, process and specialty around 10% of world steel output. which has the flexibility to gases, and performance materials, said its fiscal www.arcelormittal.com. service large tooling/ fourth quarter (4Q 2007) AHT’s new state of the stamping dies, profit more than doubled Alcoa Receives art facility includes one as a result of strong rev- of the world’s largest high-volume production enue growth and lower NADCAP Certification ion-nitriding vessels. components, and proto- costs. Net income rose to Alcoa, New York, N.Y., received the National type and developmental $292.8 million from $128.4 million. Aerospace and Defense Contractors processing. www.airproducts.com/ Accreditation Program’s (NADCAP) approval for www.ahtweb.com. metals. PROGRESS • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 13 INDUSTRY NEWS

ASM Alloy Phase Diagrams Center Updated Induction More than 19,000 diagrams were Atmospheres, added to the current content, GE Aviation Ink allowing users to view online more than Licensing Agreement 28,000 binary and ternary phase Induction Atmospheres, Rochester, diagrams and associated phase data N.Y., an independently owned for more than 6,200 systems. Annual systems integrator of turnkey incremental updates to add new heating systems for industrial information are planned. In addition to brazing, welding, , and the content update, the 2007 release general-purpose induction heating includes a number of functional applications, and GE-Aviation, enhancements to the center including: Cincinnati, a global producer of • Next/previous navigation through jet engines for civil and military diagram search results aircraft, collaborated on the • Finer levels of panning and scrolling development of a new induction of zoomed diagram images heating vacuum furnace that can • Upgrade of advanced search to allow users to refine search by binary, ternary, or both be used to repair turbine engine options fan blades. GE Aviation recently • Ability to sort the special points table by temperature and reaction type purchased 11 of the systems for its • Refinements to the help and phase-diagram resource files facilities in Greenville, S.C., For more information, contact Denise Smith at 440-338-5409 or 800-336-5152, ext. Hookset, N.H., and Evendale, 5663; or e-mail: [email protected]. Ohio. www. inductionatmospheres.com.

What Do These Microhardness Tester Suppliers Have in Common?

- Buehler - Instron®/Wilson® Instruments - Leco® Corporation - Clemex Technologies - Mitutoyo - Struers ANSWER: They all have customers who have chosen Newage to upgrade their existing standard micros or auto-traverse microhardness systems . An automatic traverse Clemex microhardness system upgraded with a Newage C.A.M.S. computer and software.

147 James Way, Southampton, PA 18966 USA Tel 215-526-2200; Website: www.hardnesstesters.com

14 HEAT TREATING PROGRESS • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 Microwave Assist Technology Shortens Furnace Cycles New Helium Producer in U.S. Ceralink Inc., Albany, N.Y., has an exclusive license and is the only authorized source for microwave Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp. assist technology (MAT) in North America. MAT is a heating technology that allows manufacturers to Tokyo, Japan, will begin helium production in the double production capacity, while decreasing energy and manufacturing costs. U.S. through a joint ven- Ceralink’s MAT furnaces include 1100, 1600 and 1700°C (2010, 2910 and 3090°F) lab-scale ture with Air Products and furnaces using either air or atmosphere control, which can be used for binder burnout, calcining, and Chemicals Inc., Lehigh Valley, Pa. This is the first sintering applications. Production-scale gas and electric MAT furnaces in batch, elevator, and tunnel Japanese company to get kilns also are available. involved in refining helium. The company will MAT is a patented technology that combines gas or set up a 50-50 joint electric furnaces with microwave energy to heat venture in the state of ceramic products. MAT decreases furnace cycle time Wyoming, investing 5-10 billion yen on the project. by a factor of 2, cutting energy consumption by at This will fill about 10% of least 50%. The radiant and microwave heating are Japanese market needs applied simultaneously, leading to uniform heat distri- from the spring of 2009. www.tn-sanso.co.jp/en/. bution, faster firing, more complete binder removal, lower temperature calcining, etc. This technology also offers improved materials properties including A small amount of microwave energy in potential for densification of nanoceramics. Ceralink microwave assist technology (MAT) can effect a also offers sublicense packages that include large reduction in the energy needed to heat treat the same load of product. Much of the feasibility testing and materials development for the energy saved results from shortening the heat manufacture of materials using MAT technology in treating time by 50% or more. the company’s Microwave Testing Center. www.ceralink.com.

What Do These Market Leaders Have in Common?

- Largest Three U.S. Auto Makers - Most Major U.S. Tier 1 Auto Suppliers - Largest U.S. Bearing Manufacturers - Many Major U.S. Heat Treaters ANSWER: They looked at our competitors but decided to buy a new auto-traverse microhardness system from Newage for their most demanding

A complete C.A.M.S. system with Newage’s custom X/Y tables, applications - many with repeat purchases. autofocus and software.

147 James Way, Southampton, PA 18966 USA Tel 215-526-2200; Website: www.hardnesstesters.com

HEAT TREATING PROGRESS • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 15 INDUSTRY NEWS

Hauck Manufacturing Chugai Ro to Supply system designed to handle heavy loads under Co., Kromschroder Furnace to China precisely controlled temperatures and to Merge Chugai Ro Co., Osaka, Japan, received an atmospheric conditions. The furnace system The Elster Group announced includes several BTU proprietary technologies the merger of Kromschroder order from Shanghai Baosteel Group Corp. for Inc. (Hudson, Ohio) and what will be the largest annealing furnace in including variable density refractory components, Hauck Manufacturing Co. eductor technology, and the walking beam mech- (Lebanon, Pa.). Hauck will China for steel plate, capable of processing supply Hauck brand products 57,600 tons a year. The company aims to win anism. www.btu.com. and Kromschroder burners orders for 10 more annealing furnaces by and combustion Vac Aero Receives controls for customers in the 2012. Baosteel will install the annealing U.S., Canada, and Mexico. furnace as part of a larger project to increase Vacuum Furnace Orders Kromschroder products will Vac Aero International Inc., Oakville, Ontario, be stocked in Lebanon. the scale of its steelworks for titanium alloys Integrating these U.S. and other specialty . Canada, received new furnace orders from six operations allows providing The order, worth an estimated 2-3 billion yen different customers, four of which are repeat better service and product selection. (US$18-27 million), is for an annealing orders from customers already operating Vac www.hauckburner.com. furnace that introduces hydrogen to prevent Aero furnaces. Deliveries will be completed by spring 2008 to various sites in the U.S., Canada, Praxair 3Q 2007 EPS oxidation before the annealing process Increases 25% begins. Annealing furnaces normally operate UK, India, and Korea. Some contracts involve Praxair Inc., Danbury, Conn., under normal atmospheric new products, including an ultraclean, all- announced record third- conditions, so even stainless stainless steel high-vacuum quarter (3Q 2007) sales and earnings. Net income grew steel will oxidize when heated LETTER TO THE system with cryo-pump to 23% to $305 million, and to temperatures above 600°C EDITOR achieve operating vacuum levels diluted earnings per share (1100°F) during the an- in the 10-7 torr range. Another (EPS) grew 25% to 94 cents. I was delighted to see the nealing process. This oxidized order involves a top-loading Sales were 13% above the article “Understanding the prior year, growing in all vertical vacuum furnace having a layer must be removed by Effects of Cryogenic Treatment geographic locations, led by rinsing the steel using sulfuric working depth of more than 22.5 strong growth in Asia and on M2 Tool Steel Properties” in South America from new acid. Because this step is not the August 2007 HTP. Two ft (~7 m) and ±5°C (±9°F) business and project necessary with Chugai Ro’s questions came up in reading temperature uniformity. Also start-ups, and continued the article. The article states being built are two high-pressure stable growth in North annealing furnace, overall America. www.praxair.com. operation costs are lower and that the ramps up and down quench vacuum furnaces for tool there is less impact on the were 21°C/min. This ramp rate and die processing and three Schwarzkopf Becomes environment. Chugai Ro will is much higher than used in vacuum brazing furnaces for PLANSEE USA most cryogenic processing. Schwarzkopf Technologies make the components in various aerospace Typically the temperature is LLC (STC), Franklin, Mass., on Japan and ship them to China manufacturers. dropped to -300°F over a December 5, 2007, changed www.vacaero.com. its name to PLANSEE USA LLC. for local assembly. The period of 8 to 9 hours. The company has for more annealing furnace is to Ramping up is done slowly, than 70 years contributed to become operational in the typically 12 to 15 hours to Induction Heating Part the success of the PLANSEE Group, Reutte, Austria, and autumn of 2009. room temperature. Also, if the of Polish Congress the change is expected to www.chugai.co.jp. pieces were treated by my UIE 2008, sponsored by allow the company to benefit company as stated in the International Union for Electricity from the power of the BTU International to Acknowledgements, the ramps international PLANSEE brand Applications and the Association quoted in the article not and synergies generated Supply Sintering of Polish Electrical Engineers, will with the group. correct. www.stcmetals.com. Furnace to China The second inaccuracy is in be held in Krakow, Poland May BTU International Inc., North 19-21. With a theme of Yokogawa Celebrates stating that the subzero treat- Billerica, Mass., a supplier of ment is typically done at -230°F “Electricity Applications in the 50 Years in advanced thermal processing (-145°C). Usually the subzero Modern World,” the event North America Yokogawa Corp. of America, equipment for the electronics treatments are done at -145°F covers a range of electricity- Newnan, Ga., commemo- manufacturing and alternative or higher. The research that related topics including more rated 50 years of business in energy-generation markets, I’ve read indicates that the than 14 hours of presentations North America in October formation of retained austenite 2007. Yokogawa globally is received a $1.9-million order and discussions devoted to is pretty much finished at that a $US4-billion company. for a walking beam furnace induction heating and electro- Industrial automation point. and control, test and from a leading manufacturer magnetic processing of mate- measurement, information of nuclear fuel in China. The Rick Diekman rials. The congress will be held at systems, and industry furnace, which will be used to Controlled Thermal AGH University of Science and support are the core busi- nesses of Yokogawa. sinter nuclear fuel pellets, is a Processing Inc. Technology. For more www.yokogawa.com. high-temperature processing Park City, Ill. information: www.uie2008.pl. 16 HEAT TREATING PROGRESS • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008