Abbott Furnace Company received an order from a global automotive supplier for a continuous-belt brazing furnace. The electrically heated furnace, which will be installed in Mexico in the fourth quarter of 2020, will be used for brazing of fuel-delivery components. The four-zone furnace is rated for 2150°F (1177°C) and includes a 24-inch-wide belt and a silicon-carbide-domed muffle.

ITP Aero, a manufacturer of aviation and industrial engines, installed a high-pressure sheet hydroform press from Quintus Technologies in its recently completed plant in Bilbao, Spain. The press operates at a forming pressure of 1,400 bar (20,000 psi), which is important in jet-engine applications because it ensures close-tolerance parts direct from the press with little or no secondary hand work required. With a work area of 27.6 x 73 inches (700 mm x 1,800 mm), it introduces several production efficiencies, eliminating forming steps, intermediate heat treatments, and manual pre- and post-forming operations.

Stupp Corp. awarded SMS group a contract to extend the spiral pipe mill at its facility in Baton Rouge, La. The contract consists of two projects: a partial revamp of the spiral pipe machine to increase pipe production capacity and a new submerged-arc re-welding stand to complement the existing three welding stands. The plant’s modifications, which can increase Stupp’s annual capacity by 40,000 tons (to 60,000 tons) will go into operation by the end of 2020.

Tenova Goodfellow Inc., (TGI) a Canadian subsidiary of Tenova, a Techint Group company specialized in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries, is joining a collaborative project titled “Digital Transformation of Secondary Metallurgy Facility at ArcelorMittal Dofasco.” The project is focused on ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s secondary metallurgy facility, which includes a ladle furnace, a degassing tank, their auxiliaries and transfer cars. The goal is to demonstrate how digitalization technologies can improve production by minimizing manual intervention, reducing process variation and improving final steel properties.

Air Liquide signed a long-term agreement with Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) to supply gaseous oxygen, nitrogen and argon to SDI’s electric-arc furnace (EAF) steel mill in Sinton, Texas. To support the agreement, Air Liquide plans to invest over $100 million to install an air-separation unit (ASU) on its Gulf Coast pipeline network in Ingleside, Texas, and extend its pipeline network to SDI’s site.

After much analysis, feedback from attendees and the uncertainty of COVID-19, the MTI Board of Trustees has approved transition to a virtual format for Furnaces North America 2020. Attendees will be able to experience the virtual exhibit hall for free. For those wanting to view the three live panel discussions and 35 technical sessions, FNA is offering a special for attendees of $199 for each of the first two registrants from a company and $49 for every person after that. To qualify, everyone must register on the same online registration form. 

Andritz received an order from Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) for the supply of three jointly developed tailor-welded-blank (TWB) laser welding systems to be installed in its North American manufacturing plants. The systems are specifically suited for curved applications. The processing head has been exclusively developed for TMNA and makes the systems capable of laser welding small radii and polynomial seams. The fully automated production system will also be capable of integrating automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) that will connect plant logistics systems with warehouse and production equipment.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems rebuilt and shipped a 24-inch, four-zone continuous mesh-belt brazing furnace for an automotive-parts supplier in Mexico. The rebuild included a new 330 stainless steel muffle, new silicon-carbide heating elements, new cooling sections and new furnace controls to meet CQI-9 requirements. The CQI-9 controls package includes data acquisition, preventive-maintenance alerts, remote connectivity, furnace parameter trending and temperature deviation alarms. Gasbarre will provide ongoing service and support for the company in Mexico.

GFG Alliance (GFG) will add an electric-arc furnace (EAF) and a direct reduced iron (DRI) facility to Whyalla, its South Australian-based steelworks. The EAF will utilize the latest technology for energy optimization, and the DRI facility will produce low-emission Greensteel from GFG’s South Australian magnetite resource and domestic steel scrap. These investments, along with previously announced plans for a new rolling mill to be built by Danieli, are part of GFG’s updated Whyalla Greensteel Transformation Plan.

INOX Market Service, a global stainless steel processing company based in Italy, announced plans to establish its North American headquarters in Delaware County, Ind., creating up to 101 new jobs by the end of 2024. The company, which has operations in Europe, Mexico and India, will launch INOX Market North America (IMNA) and invest more than $15 million to construct and equip a 139,800-square-foot facility in Muncie. The new plant will allow INOX to expand its stainless steel forming and slitting operations while growing customer demand in the home appliance and industrial sectors. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, and the company expects to start production in spring 2021.