SECO/WARWICK Group’s subsidiary based in Meadville, Pa., has been awarded a major contract to build and commission a specialized aluminum solution heat-treating furnace for a U.S. manufacturer. The furnace, which is AMS 2750-compliant and Nadcap-capable, will be engineered to load, heat treat, quench and discharge with minimal operator assistance. It will be used to heat treat products for automotive, aerospace and medical applications.

HP and Siemens expanded their strategic alliance to help customers transform their businesses with industrial additive manufacturing (AM). Siemens and HP will incorporate systems and software innovations including overall product lifecycle management (PLM), AM factory optimization, industrial 3D printing and data intelligence, manufacturing execution and performance analytics.

Nucor Corp. announced a capital investment that will add vacuum degassing to its engineered bar capabilities at its mill in Darlington, S.C. Adding this capability will enable the mill to produce engineered bar products meeting some of the most stringent quality specifications in the industry. The vacuum degassing system is expected to begin operations in late 2020. According to Nucor, the investment wlll position it to better serve customers in the southeastern U.S. 

The Aluminum Association released “The Aluminum Agenda: A Policy Roadmap for a Competitive U.S. Aluminum Industry,” which lays out principles and policy goals for a sustainable U.S. aluminum sector in the 21st century. The document was developed in consultation with aluminum companies spanning the entire industry value chain. The industry identified five key areas essential for future growth and investment in the U.S.: trade, environment, infrastructure, energy and workforce.

Bill Gornicki has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of both Diablo Furnaces and Machine Tool Builders (MTB), both based in Machesney Park, Ill. With 29 years of experience in the thermal-processing industry, Gornicki, brings a fresh perspective with proven results to leverage the companies’ offerings of heat-treating furnaces and gear machinery forward to achieve new sales levels. Sustained improvement and long-term growth will be cultivated by Gornicki being intimately focused in operational excellence, expansion of product breadth and capabilities in existing and new markets.

Furnacare Inc., a TAV Group Company, sold a TAV horizontal vacuum furnace with a maximum temperature of 2462°F (1350°C) to an international mint. The furnace, which has useful dimensions of 400 mm (15.7 inches) wide x 400 mm (15.7 inches) high x 600 mm (23.6 inches) long, has high-speed quenching with up to 25 bar of helium with an optional recovery circuit. A large pumping group allows for rapid evacuation of the chamber and high operating vacuum level. In addition, a closed-loop gas cooling system combines high flow capacity and pressure to guarantee fast and uniform cooling of the load.

Carpenter Technology Corp. announced the formation of its Carpenter Additive business unit. Carpenter Additive’s capabilities span the entire additive-manufacturing (AM) process, including: highly engineered, gas atomized powders; metal-powder lifecycle management solutions; finished component production capabilities; integrated AM and research-and-development facilities focused on technical solutions for customers; and industrial-scale AM and full post-processing capabilities.

Alexandria Industries invested in a new aluminum extrusion press that will allow the company to increase its aluminum extrusion capabilities, extrude more complex product features and hold tighter tolerances while utilizing a variety of alloys. The company, which will gain an extra 30% in extrusion capacity, will add 19,000 square feet of space to its manufacturing facility in Alexandria, Minn., to accommodate the equipment. Construction is scheduled to begin soon.

Dajcor Aluminum Ltd., a Canadian manufacturer of extruded and fabricated aluminum products, will invest approximately $19.6 million to locate its first U.S, operation in Perry County, Ky. The project will create up to 265 full-time jobs. The operation will provide Dajcor additional capacity for aluminum extrusion and fabrication to serve a variety of North American industries. Operations are scheduled to begin by the end of 2019.

Sintavia officially opened its new 55,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Hollywood, Fla. The facility houses over $25 million of advanced manufacturing equipment, including medium- and large-scale metal 3D printers, multiple furnaces, EDMs and post-processing machines. Some of the industrial engineering improvements of the building include separate manufacturing rooms segregated by alloy, a large-scale powder management system, an uninterruptable power supply, an inert-gas farm and a final production acceptance quality-control room.