WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH serviced burners on a roller-hearth furnace at a Schaeffler plant in Germany in order to be operated with both natural gas and hydrogen as fuel with high efficiency and low emissions. The successful commissioning with natural gas has already been carried out. Once the hydrogen infrastructure has been established, commissioning with H₂ as fuel gas will proceed. 

Happy Forgings Ltd., based in Ludhiana, India, ordered a mechanical forging press from Schuler subsidiary Farina Presse. With a press capacity of more than 6,000 tons, it will be used to produce crankshafts for trucks weighing 3.5 tons and heavier. Happy Forgings is also relying on the precision, rigidity and ease of maintenance of the press to continue producing durable crankshafts in the future.

NuScale Power Corp. and Nucor Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore co-locating NuScale’s VOYGR small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) power plants to provide clean, reliable baseload electricity to Nucor’s scrap-based electric-arc furnace (EAF) steel mills. The companies will also explore an expanded manufacturing partnership through which Nucor would supply Econiq, its net-zero steel products, for NuScale projects. As part of the MOU, the companies will evaluate site suitability, transmission interconnection capabilities and capital costs for potential NuScale plants to be sited near and provide carbon-free electricity to Nucor EAF steel mills.

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based 72 Steel will invest approximately $218 million to build a steel manufacturing plant in Aliquippa, Pa. The nearly 44-acre site sits just outside of Pittsburgh and once was site of the former Jones & Laughlin/LTV steel mill. The company said it will use the world’s most advanced steel production technology and have an annual output of 500,000 tons of capacity. 72 Steel will mainly produce rebar and section steel that will be used in building structures, bridges and workshops. Its products will also be used by other industries.

Footprint Tools, a manufacturer of traditional hand tools in the United Kingdom, is at the heart of a research project that could see Sheffield spark a recycling revolution in industrial forging that unlocks a step-change in the manufacture of safety-critical components for the aerospace, defense and energy industries using machining waste and linear hammer technology. The Sheffield-based company recently unveiled the latest addition to its Admiral Works’ facility: a state-of-the-art Schuler precision linear forge, the only one of its kind in the U.K. and one of only three in Europe, according to the equipment manufacturer.

The Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) will conduct its Combustion and Safety Standards and Codes Seminars October 31-November 1 at the Embassy Suites Cincinnati RiverCenter in Covington, Ky. Held concurrently, the fall seminars also include a joint tabletop exhibition and reception on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 31. This gives attendees the chance for additional one-on-one interaction with suppliers from across the thermal-processing industry.  

RHI Magnesita acquired the Europe, India and United States operations of Seven Refractories. The acquisition will complement RHI Magnesita’s existing non-basic refractories portfolio and open new opportunities in the development of low-CO₂-emitting manufacturing technologies. In related news, the global supplier of refractory products opened its North American headquarters in Tampa, Fla. The site will serve as the North American corporate hub for RHI Magnesita’s current infrastructure in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) purchased a metal 3D printer from Velo3D, a metal additive-manufacturing technology company based in Campbell, Calif. The Sapphire XC is calibrated to print in a nickel-based superalloy that delivers oxidation and corrosion resistance at high temperatures. The alloy is commonly used in aviation, space, defense and energy applications, all of which are key industries for KAM. The company purchased the metal 3D printer to expand its capabilities and to print much larger parts for its customers. The Sapphire XC can print parts up to 23.5 inches (600 mm) in diameter x 21.5 inches (550 mm) high.

Retech, a SECO/WARWICK Group division, has been awarded contracts for new furnaces from a repeat business partner. The electron-beam (EB) and vacuum-arc remelt (VAR) furnaces will allow the manufacturer to expand production. VAR technology operates similarly to the older metallurgical process of stick welding but with a much larger welding rod of several tons, and it is shielded from oxidation by a vacuum chamber instead of a flux. EB technology operates similarly to the cathode ray tube in old television sets, but instead of energizing a phosphorescent screen in a sealed vacuum tube, the electron beam heats a melt pool in a large vacuum chamber.

Metlab, a commercial heat treater in Wyndmoor, Pa., recently quenched a fabricated 47,000-pound gear. The gear measured 12 feet in diameter and has a 30-inch face width. The customer left approximately 0.050 inch of grind stock on the gear for clean-up. With proper fixturing, handling and shimming, the typical taper on a gear this size is about 0.030 inch. The material was 18CrNiMo6-7. The required case depth was a nominal 0.275 inch with a surface hardness of HRC 58-62. The carburizing time to achieve the required case depth is about 10 days in the furnace at 1725°F (940°C). After lowering the temperature of the furnace and gear to 1550°F (843°C), it is quenched in oil. The transfer time from the pit furnace into the quench tank is less than one minute.