Linde is developing a dedicated laboratory to advance the understanding of the parameters and behavior of atmospheric gases used in the manufacture of metal powders. The lab, which is scheduled to become operational mid-2022, will enable Linde to develop new technologies to improve the atomization process – particularly increasing yield and process stability. The facility’s focal point will be a much smaller-scale version (5.25 feet high) of a typical atomizer. Linde will also collaborate with powder manufacturers and OEMs to help them test specific gas behaviors on the test bench, allowing them to then scale up the results on their large atomizers.

Keystone Powdered Metal Company (KPMC) and Engineered Sintered Components (ESC), both affiliates of Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI), announced their planned merger on or about March 31, 2022. Already members of the SEI Sintered Metal Components Division, this merger is intended to leverage synergies that will strengthen the product and process portfolio and technical expertise of a leaner and more agile manufacturer of powder-metal components for the North American automotive, outdoor power equipment and industrial equipment markets. The merged entity will retain the Keystone Powdered Metal Company name.

Here is a complete list of all the feature articles – by topic – that appeared in Industrial Heating in 2021. The month each article appeared in is included. All articles are hyperlinked for your convenience.

If you’re at all like me, you wonder which articles get the most attention on our website. Every year we publish over 40 feature articles, and at the end of the year we gather statistics to see which ones get the most page views. So, without further ado, here are the five most-viewed articles on www.industrialheating.com based on page views in 2021. This ranking applies only to articles published in 2021.

Nichols Portland Inc. of Portland, Maine, acquired the assets of Alpha Precision Group LLC (APG) of St. Marys, Pa. Nichols, a portfolio company of Altus Capital Partners, designs and manufactures powder-metallurgy components for use in automotive and industrial applications. APG is a metal-forming technology company that provides conventional powder metal, high-temperature stainless steel powdered metal, metal injection molding and additive manufactured (3D metal printed) components and assemblies to a global customer base. APG operates five manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Industrial Heating is hosting three free webinars over the next three weeks, including two in the next couple of days. “Users of Industrial Hydrogen Look Beyond Delivered for Security of Supply” will be held tomorrow, November 30, at 11:00 a.m. (EST). “How to Help Your Customers Decide to Reshore” will be held Thursday, December 2, at 2:00 p.m. (EST), and “Grinding and Polishing of Sample Materials for Microstructural Analysis and Hardness Testing” will be held Tuesday, December 14, at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Registration for these webinars is free.

Registration for IHEA’s Fundamentals of Industrial Process Heating Online Learning Course is now open. Scheduled to begin January 17, 2022, the six-week class will run through February 27. The flexible online format and interactive forums are just some of the benefits of this class. The curriculum includes the basics of heat transfer, fuels and combustion, energy use, furnace design, refractories, automatic control, and atmospheres as applied to industrial process heating. Weekly coursework, quizzes and a final-exam project are administered to guide students on their progress and evaluate their knowledge of the material.

SSI Sintered Specialties (SSI) and ExOne Company jointly announced that SSI purchased two metal binder-jetting systems featuring ExOne's patented triple advanced compaction technology (ACT). The metal 3D printers are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2022 and will be located at SSI’s headquarters in Janesville, Wis. The company’s 250,000-square-foot facility also houses what it says is the world’s largest installed capacity of high-temperature sintering furnaces and post-processing technology to support volume production in metal binder jetting.

This article discusses how sintering parameters, especially the atmosphere, can be optimized on vacuum furnaces to obtain the best-possible quality from sintered stainless steel parts.

Italy’s TAV Vacuum Furnaces received an order for a horizontal debinding and sintering vacuum furnace from a company focused on the design, development and production of braking systems. The furnace has useful dimensions of 31.5 inches wide x 31.5 inches high x 47.25 inches long (800 x 800 x 1,200 mm) with a maximum gross charge of 1,543 pounds (700 kg) and maximum operating temperature of 1022°F (550°C). It is equipped with a pumping unit, an AISI 310 retort for cycles up to 550°C and a forced-gas-circulation system. After pressing, the parts are placed inside the debinding furnace, where the binder is removed, pumped and trapped. Then the temperature is raised to carry out the sintering process. After a residence time at the maximum temperature, the heating is switched off and the retort is cooled.