Austal USA opened its $100 million steel shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Ala. The addition of steel shipbuilding capability complements the company’s well-established aluminum shipbuilding expertise. The 117,000-square-foot manufacturing plant will house the latest computerized and robotic steel-processing equipment to handle all of the current and future demands of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. A 60,000-square-foot stockyard will be utilized for handling the raw steel, and a 19,500-square-foot paint facility will provide the ability to paint and blast simultaneously in two separate cells.

The United States Air Force (USAF) awarded Wall Colmonoy Aerobraze Engineered Technologies Oklahoma City a five-year contract for the remanufacture of F-15 fighter aircraft fin and plate heat exchangers at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The Idaho base has a history dating back to World War II and houses the 366th Fighter Group. Aerobraze Oklahoma City developed the remanufacture process to support USAF clients who were seeking repair rather than new part replacement of their F-15 primary heat exchanger. The method includes complete replacement of the heat exchanger core, as well as inspection and testing in accordance with the USAF Technical Order. This is more cost-effective compared to new part replacement. Since 2013, Aerobraze Oklahoma City has manufactured more than 500 F-15 primary heat exchangers.

Qatar Aluminium Extrusion CO. (Qalex) received a second nitriding system from Nitrex. The aluminum profiles manufacturer wanted to equip a second extrusion plant with an independent nitriding furnace to save on handling, processing time and costs associated with having to transport extrusion dies back and forth from its first factory for nitriding work. The furnace is equipped with process technology designed for nitriding extrusion dies. Installation and start-up were completed in January 2022.

L&L Special Furnace Co. Inc. built and delivered a high-uniformity electric box furnace to a valve manufacturer located in the southeastern United States. The front-loading, refractory-lined unit has an effective work zone measuring 22 inches wide x 22 inches high x 20 inches deep. There is a horizontal double-pivoted door with a safety power cutoff switch. A ceramic hearth and standoffs are provided as a workspace. The furnace is equipped with solid-state relays for fast cycle times. These are housed in a NEMA 1 control panel with single-point power connection.

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc. reported that a liquid metal spill occurred during operations at its electric-arc melting facility in Bridgeville, Pa., on Monday, April 11. The spill was caused by a breakthrough at the bottom of a furnace shell. No injuries resulted from the spill. Cleanup and damage assessment are underway, and the company expects melting operations to resume in 6-8 weeks subject to parts and contractor availability. All other operations continue to function as normal. The company does not expect any near-term interruption to product delivery schedules.

Cook Induction partnered with Super Systems Inc. to implement a fully electronic SCADA package at its Nadcap-approved facility in Maywood, Calif., which offers heat-treating and brazing (induction, torch and furnace) services. “Having the ability to track and recall furnace data from our desks has made life so much easier,” said Troy Doolittle, Cook Induction’s quality manager. “The new system has improved our ability to stay on top of scheduling and production.”

TAV Vacuum Furnaces produced a horizontal vacuum brazing furnace for a global manufacturer. The furnace, which has a maximum temperature of 2462°F (1350°C), was developed to braze plate heat exchangers and tailored to the company’s specific requirements. It has two loading zones, a platform on top for easy maintenance and a soundproof cabinet for vacuum pumps. Seven independently controlled heating zones, together with the wide surfaces of the heating elements, allow for fast and uniform heating ramps and shorter cycles. A graphite thermal chamber placed on supports allows for easy extraction in case of maintenance.

Sheffield Forgemasters announced a breakthrough in the industrialization of electron-beam welding (EBW) for thick-section materials. Using EBW, the company weld-joined two 200-mm-thick (8-inch-thick), 3-meter-diameter (9-foot-diameter) forged vessel sections of nuclear-grade steel. The weld, equivalent to approximately 10 meters (32 feet) in length, was completed in a single pass and in a dramatically short timeframe. The weld was completed in 140 minutes with no reportable defects shown in preliminary nondestructive testing (NDT). A weld of this kind would typically take months and include numerous stages of NDT and heat treatment, according to U.K.-based Sheffield Forgemasters.

Nucor Corp. will build a new rebar micro-mill with an annual capacity of 430,000 tons in Lexington, N.C. This will be the company's third rebar micro-mill, joining existing Nucor micro-mills in Missouri and Florida. Expected to cost approximately $350 million, the mill will employ approximately 200 full-time teammates when operational and create an additional 500 temporary jobs during construction, which is expected to take two years. Nucor Steel Lexington will produce steel with nearly 100% recycled content, according to the company.

Borusan Mannesmann, one of the Borusan Group companies, will invest approximately $50 million to expand its service area in the United States. The first stage of the investment will bring the pipe production capacity of Borusan Mannesmann Pipe US, its subsidiary operating in Baytown, Texas, to 400,000 tons annually. The expansion will consist of a new mill that will expand the company’s OCTG range alongside its existing OCTG casing and line pipe manufacturing operations. Employment at the Baytown facility is expected to grow by 150 jobs in the first half of 2022.