The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, purchased a Nitrex vacuum furnace to bolster its vacuum heat-treating capabilities. KIMS conducts a range of technological research-and-development activities to advance Korea’s scientific and industrial research. The horizontal-type, external-quench vacuum furnace is equipped with a curved molybdenum wide-band heating element arranged in a circular configuration around the main hot zone. This free-floating design ensures optimum temperature uniformity throughout the chamber. Since the heating elements are in free movement during thermal expansion, there are fewer instances of breakage, twisting or premature failures. According to Nitrex, the furnace can heat treat parts at temperatures up to 2500°F (1371°C).

Commercial Metals Company (CMC) acquired all the assets of metal recycling company Roane Metals Group LLC (Roane). Roane is capable of processing approximately 85,000 tons of ferrous and nonferrous materials annually at its two facilities in Tennessee. The majority of volumes relate to obsolete ferrous scrap grades consumed by CMC's long product mills. The acquired assets are expected to enhance the security and supply of competitively priced inputs to CMC's steelmaking operations.

Busch Vacuum Solutions U.S. acquired VESCO-McLaughlin Inc. (VESCO), an industrial service company specializing in the heat-treatment and metallurgy industries. East Windsor, Conn.-based VESCO was formerly part of McLaughlin Furnace Group (MFG), a supplier of engineered vacuum solutions for thermal-processing and surface-preparation applications. MFG’s major customers operate in the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy and semiconductor fabrication industries. The addition of VESCO expands Busch Vacuum Solutions’ business by adding complementary services to its current offering.

Zinc Resources LLC, a processor of electric-arc furnace (EAF) dust, started operations at its new facility in Victoria, Texas. According to the company, it is the first EAF recycling plant to come online in the southern part of the United States in over 15 years and is also the first to receive approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for recycling EAF dust in the state. Zinc Resources reduces the environmental impact of steel production by converting steel recycling waste into usable zinc and iron products. The location of the over $100 million facility, which is capable of processing 120,000 metric tons of EAF dust annually, provides logistical benefits to steel mills in the southwest. The company intends to employ a staff of roughly 50 full-time workers.

Thyssenkrupp Steel placed an order with SMS group for the engineering, delivery and construction of a hydrogen-powered direct-reduction plant for its site in Duisburg, Germany. According to thyssenkrupp Steel, the project will avoid more than 3.5 million metric tons of CO₂ per year in the future. The order volume for SMS amounts to approximately $1.9 billion, making it the largest single order in the history of the company. The plant will have a capacity of 2.5 million metric tons of direct-reduced iron (DRI) and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.

Lindberg/MPH shipped an electrically heated, steam atmosphere pit furnace to a tooling manufacturer for steam treating parts. Manufacturers use the steam-treating process to create a uniform blue-black finish on the surface of parts that improves wear and corrosion resistance. The furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 1250°F (677°C), work-chamber dimensions of 22 inches in diameter x 36 inches deep and a maximum gross workload of 1,200 pounds. It is designed for a pit-type installation if required. The custom lid assembly utilizes a pneumatically operated boom lift with electric swing.

Rio Tinto plans to provide responsibly sourced aluminum to the BMW Group’s vehicle production plant in Spartanburg, S.C., for use in body components starting in 2024. Low-carbon primary aluminum from Rio Tinto’s hydro-powered operations in Canada, combined with recycled content, could generate a reduction of up to 70% in CO₂ emissions compared to BMW Group’s benchmark for aluminum. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see technical experts working together on how to embed low-carbon solutions into BMW Group’s supply chain while ensuring the highest standards of vehicle quality are maintained.

Delta H manufactured and supplied twin convection furnace systems to Winston Heat Treating of Dayton, Ohio. The SCAHT-HD series furnaces replaced older tempering systems that were extremely difficult to qualify to Class 5 (+/-25°F). The furnaces had to be heavy duty for rugged daily use in a commercial heat-treating facility. Another challenging design aspect was the ability to heat rapidly but cool just as fast without damage to interior metal. A load heat treated at 1000°F (538°C) could be quickly followed by the next at 300°F (149°C). The result is that the Delta H furnaces can heat and cool in a fraction of the time of the previous systems.  

Nucor Corp. announced that the company’s Towers & Structures business unit will build a new transmission tower production plant in Decatur, Ala. The facility will be located adjacent to the Nucor Steel Decatur sheet steel mill and will be the first of two new tower production plants the company plans to build. The project is expected to create 200 full-time jobs.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that that Samkee Corp., a South Korean automotive supplier, plans to invest $128 million to open its first U.S. factory in Alabama through a project that will create 170 jobs in Tuskegee. Samkee is poised to begin construction on the new manufacturing facility in the Tuskegee Commerce Park. The company will serve as a Tier 1 supplier to Hyundai Motor Co. Founded in 1978, Samkee specializes in high-pressure die-cast aluminum components, including parts for engines, transmissions and electric vehicles. Parts production at the advanced casting facility in Macon County is expected to begin during 2024.