News

RSS

IHEA’s Fundamentals of Industrial Process Heating Online Course has been a successful source of high-level learning for those in the industrial heat-processing industry for over a decade. The course is taught over a 6-week period and is designed to give students flexibility – with interaction from a moderator and online forums to communicate with other students. Each week students will be assigned a chapter to read from the Fundamentals of Process Heating course handbook (electronic version included with course registration) and expected to participate in forum discussions and complete weekly quizzes. There is a final-exam project that will be assigned during the fifth week of class. The moderator will be available by email to respond to questions and provide clarification.

Nucor Corp. announced a power purchase agreement for 250 megawatts of renewable energy from Sebree Solar, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources. The project's first phase, Sebree Solar I, is set to begin construction in Henderson County, Ky., in fall 2023. The steel for Sebree Solar I will be sourced from Nucor Steel Gallatin in Ghent, Ky. Steel from Nucor Steel Gallatin will also be used for another solar project to be built and operated by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, Green River Solar, in Meade and Breckinridge counties. The Kentucky-produced steel will be used for the racking system that supports the projects’ solar panels. 

Velo3D announced that Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Technology (SBOT), an Austria-based provider of high-precision components for the oil and gas industry, purchased a large-format metal 3D printer to expand its additive-manufacturing capabilities. The Sapphire XC is calibrated to print metal parts in Inconel 718 and supports the printing of large-scale components up to 23.5 inches (600 mm) in diameter and 21.5 inches (550 mm) high.

A plant that produces highly advanced fasteners for the largest manufacturers in the aerospace industry ordered a vacuum furnace from SECO/WARWICK. The furnace will process self-locking nuts, nut plates, barrel nuts, stud nuts, spline nuts, clamp nuts and a wide range of washers and flanges. It will operate at temperatures up to 2372°F (1300°C). The furnace will be delivered in a standard configuration and become part of the Italian company’s modern production plant.

Tyler Union, among the McWane Inc. family of companies, broke ground on the expansion of its melting and molding operation. The $24 million investment will add 54,000 square feet to its existing footprint in Anniston, Ala. The increased output will mean the creation of 15-25 jobs at the facility, which currently employs more than 500 in its workforce. Construction on the expansion will take approximately one year, with projected completion in summer 2024.

Hybar, a newly formed company, successfully raised $700 million of debt and equity financing to build, start up and operate an environmentally sustainable scrap-metal recycling steel rebar mill in Osceola, Ark. The mill, which is expected to take 22 months to construct, is being built on a 1,300-acre greenfield site with direct access to barge, rail and truck transportation options. It will produce a full complement of high-yielding rebar that will primarily be used in large infrastructure projects, including projects supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Hybar plans to produce 630,000 tons of rebar annually with approximately 154 employees.

While the industrial combustion industry is undergoing many changes with market volatility, personnel limitations and manufacturer reliability, TEECO aims to support its industry partners by bridging knowledge gaps and providing field support to ensure the most reliable equipment operation. 

Lindberg/MPH shipped three electrically heated, rod-overbend pit furnaces with air-cooled fans. The furnaces will be used to heat treat steel components in a nitrogen atmosphere. Designed to handle a wide range of part sizes, they have a maximum temperature rating of 2000°F (1093°C). Two of the units have work-chamber dimensions of 28 inches in diameter x 36 inches deep with a maximum gross workload of 2,000 pounds. The third furnace has work-chamber dimensions of 60 inches in diameter x 109 inches deep with a maximum gross workload of 20,000 pounds.

Steel Dynamics Inc. signed a renewable product purchase agreement (RPPA) with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources for 308 megawatts of energy to be produced by a new wind-farm project in Scurry County, Texas. Once operational, the wind-farm project is expected to produce approximately 1.1 million MWh of electricity annually, equivalent to 16% of the Steel Dynamics’ EAF steel mills’ electricity usage in 2022. In addition, the deal is expected to contribute to the company’s long-term reduction of Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions.

Danieli Centro Combustion will supply a 180-ton/hour walking-beam furnace, along with automation and material-handling equipment upstream and downstream of the furnace, to Nucor-Yamato Steel’s beam mill in Blytheville, Ark. The reheating furnace will deliver optimum thermal efficiency and minimum environmental impact through low carbon footprint and NOx emissions. The solution includes an optimized material-handling layout to be executed in phases, which will allow Nucor-Yamato to maintain production using the existing furnace without any major interruptions. This also will reflect minimal changes to the existing layout, enabling the use and retention of most of the existing equipment until the new equipment is installed.