Bodycote is expanding its hot isostatic pressing (HIP) capability in Greenville, S.C. The new HIP capacity, which will be online by the end of 2022, will focus on developments in additive manufacturing (AM) and advanced materials. The two additional vessels further extend the company’s range of installed capacity around the world. Bodycote’s Nadcap-accredited Greenville site, which holds several OEM approvals, consists of numerous vacuum furnaces and other capabilities suited to support AM customers. The Greenville site serves aerospace, defense, medical and general industrial customers throughout the southeastern region.

Alcoa Corp. announced that construction will soon begin on a project to increase the casting capabilities at its Deschambault smelter in Canada to include standard ingots. The new casting equipment will be constructed in an existing building, with the project scheduled to be fully complete in the first quarter of 2023. The output from the approximately $8 million return-seeking capital investment will complement the site’s two existing vertical casting pits, which exclusively cast T-bar ingots.

ArcelorMittal completed the acquisition of an 80% shareholding in voestalpine’s hot briquetted iron (HBI) plant located near Corpus Christi, Texas. The acquisition, announced in April 2022, values the Corpus Christi operations at $1 billion. The facility is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It has an annual capacity of 2 million metric tons of HBI, which is a premium, compacted form of direct reduced iron (DRI) developed to overcome issues associated with shipping and handling DRI. The transaction enhances ArcelorMittal’s ability to produce the high-quality input materials required for low-carbon emissions steelmaking and reinforces the company’s position as a world leader in DRI production.

Lindberg/MPH shipped a gas-fired exothermic atmosphere generator to a manufacturer. The unit is equipped with a mixing control system for exothermic gas generation that includes a touchscreen LCD color display and paperless chart recorder. The maximum exothermic gas output for the generator is 1,000 ft³ per hour. The combustion chamber is designed with a reinforced, water-jacketed steel shell insulated with a high-temperature refractory lining. The chamber includes UV flame detection and peep sight for observation of main burner operation. There is a fire-check at the burner inlet that will automatically block the mixture line in the event of a backfire. An electrically latched manual reset valve in the gas inlet line will shut down the generator in the event of low gas pressure, high gas pressure or electric failure.

On July 6, Solar Atmospheres hosted over 40 high-school students enrolled in the Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) at Lehigh University. The SEI program, under the guidance of Director Dr. Laura Moyer, is a two-week residential program running two sessions back to back. Students are nominated by faculty of local high schools. The program specifically targets under-represented groups, including girls, first-generation students and students who might otherwise have limited opportunities to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Tenova and SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. signed a deal for the delivery of Consteel Evolution, Tenova’s low-impact technology for steel manufacturing. It will be the first of its kind in the Philippines and will be installed in SteelAsia’s new melt shop in Lemery, Batangas, in 2024. Tenova’s scope of supply includes an electric-arc furnace (EAF), secondary metallurgy station, billet caster, fume treatment plant (FTP), material-handling systems and all engineering services. The new Consteel Evolution melt shop will recycle local scrap metal to produce high-grade billets for steel sections.

OWZ Ostalb, a commercial heat treater in Aalen, Germany, purchased an electrically heated endothermic gas generator to replace its old generator. The EndoFlex S, manufactured and supplied by UPC-Marathon, one of Nitrex’s business units, includes an air cooler, an automatic nitrogen purge system and additional CH₄ monitoring to meet the highest safety standards. OWZ Ostalb has been using the EndoFlex S since September 2021, and it has been running nonstop ever since. At start-up, UPC checks that all safety features function perfectly and provides detailed training to users.

This fall the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) will offer its Combustion Seminar and Safety Standards and Codes Seminar October 3-4 in Indianapolis, Ind.

Velo3D Inc., a provider of metal additive-manufacturing (AM) technology, delivered a 3D printer to Knust-Godwin, a precision contract manufacturer. The acquisition of a laser powder-bed fusion printer further expands Knust-Godwin’s AM offering by unlocking high-volume production and lower costs for its largest customers. The Sapphire XC will be installed in the company’s Katy, Texas facility, and is calibrated for Inconel 718. It is capable of producing prints that are 600 mm (23.5 inches) in diameter and 550 mm (21.5 inches) high, and it uses eight 1-kilowatt lasers to produce parts.

Steel Dynamics Inc. announced the creation of a strategic joint venture with Aymium, a producer of renewable biocarbon products. Steel Dynamics owns 55% of the joint venture, which will operate under the name SDI Biocarbon Solutions, and Aymium owns the remaining 45%. Initial plans for the joint venture include the construction and operation of a biocarbon production facility to supply Steel Dynamics’ electric-arc furnace (EAF) steel mills with a renewable alternative to fossil-fuel carbon using Aymium’s patented technology. The initial facility’s production capability is expected to be more than 160,000 metric tons per year, for an estimated capital investment of $125-$150 million. The facility is planned to begin operation in late 2023.