It was mid-1963 that I met John, who was working at the CIA, and we became friends. He was doing security inspections at embassies worldwide when we discussed the rising threats of audio surveillance and a need to curtail it, especially when telephones were used for eavesdropping.

A relatively recent phenomenon in the field of additive manufacturing (AM) has been the discovery of “keyholes” (i.e., flaws) that form during the metal AM process. AM’s promise to revolutionize industry is currently constrained by a widespread problem: tiny gas pockets in the final product, which can lead to cracks and other failures.

As a reader of this journal, you know that you work in the largest energy-consuming sector of the U.S. manufacturing economy. You should also know some of the details and nuances of what this can mean.

In 1968, a prominent heat treater in Oakland, Calif., joined forces with a local brazing company. The companies wanted to do both heat treating and brazing in one shop. The combo proved to be a great idea.

Retrogression heat treatment and re-aging (RRA) is used for retaining optimal strength in aluminum alloys while avoiding stress corrosion cracking (SCC). Last time, we learned about the SCC phenomenon and its effects on aluminum alloys.

My family settled in “the valley” (Shenandoah) in the 1640s. Later, the “war” devastated the entire area, to the extent that it took 90 years (1960) for the local population in northern Virginia to return to pre-war levels.

In doesn’t matter if it’s managerial or technical, with the next decade’s shortage of labor and fast-paced change, quality training is going to be an absolute must if you want to maximize your productivity and people.

Welcome to the nonferrous issue. In February, our goal is to ferret out content focused on anything but steel.

As disruption and change continue to race into your plant at hyper-speed, there are six key elements that will drive your heat-treating operation and determine your success in the coming decade.