Furnacare Inc., TAV Vacuum Furnaces’ U.S. group company, received an order for a horizontal vacuum heat-treatment furnace from a U.S. automotive aftermarket company that manufactures fuel injectors, diesel injectors and pumps, and mechatronic engine controls. The furnace, which has useful dimensions of 24 inches wide x 24 inches high x 36 inches deep, provides a solution for high-vacuum heat treatment for different components. The maximum gross charge is 1,800 pounds, and the maximum operating temperature is 2200°F (1204°C).

Steel Dynamics Inc. plans to invest $225 million in two new flat-roll steel coating lines to be located in the southern United States to support its Sinton Steel Mill in Texas, which is scheduled to begin production in late summer 2021. The lines will be comprised of a 300,000-ton flat-roll galvanizing line with Galvalume coating capability and a 240,000-ton paint line. The electric-arc-furnace (EAF) flat-roll steel mill is expected to have an annual production capacity of approximately 3 million tons, with the capability to produce the latest generation of advanced high-strength steel grades. Steel Dynamics expects the new coating lines to begin production in the second half of 2022.

Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture of General Motors and LG Energy Solution, will invest more than $2.3 billion to build its second battery-cell manufacturing plant in the United States. The approximately 2.8 million-square-foot facility will be located in Spring Hill, Tenn. It is expected to create 1,300 new jobs. Construction will begin immediately, and the plant is scheduled to open in late 2023. Once operational, the facility will supply battery cells to GM’s Spring Hill assembly plant.

Lucifer Furnaces received an order from Southwick & Meister Inc. for a box furnace. The Meriden, Conn.-based manufacturer of collets, bushings and cutting tools will use the furnace – its third Lucifer box furnace – to heat treat under nitrogen atmosphere. The 9-inch-high x 12-inch-wide x 18-inch-long chamber is lined with 5 inches of a combination of lightweight firebrick hot face backed with cold-face mineral wool for energy-efficient operation and low outside shell temperature. The furnace is fabricated from 10-gauge sheet steel reinforced with structural-steel members continuously welded to form a solid shell for operation with a positive flow of inert atmosphere. 

Bodycote is targeting the marine renewables sector after securing work with Sweden’s CorPower Ocean. The U.K.-based provider of heat-treatment and thermal-processing services helped CorPower optimize key components in its Wave Energy Converters (WECs). CorPower’s high-efficiency WECs, inspired by the pumping principles of the human heart, offer five times more energy per ton of device compared to previously known technologies, according to the manufacturer. Incorporating a series of features to boost storm survivability and power capture, WECs benefit from thermochemical treatment to protect against the harshest marine conditions.

The Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) is ready to deliver a safe and healthy environment for its 2021 Annual Meeting, scheduled for July 26-28 at the beautiful Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach, Fla. Situated on the west coast of Florida, the Don CeSar is a historic hotel located on a stretch of beach that was recently named the top beach in the United States by Tripadvisor.

Tenaris is scaling up industrial activity, including heat treatment, at its plant in Conroe, Texas. The company will add about 140 employees to support the facility’s ramp-up, which includes a $600,000 investment in IT and automation infrastructure. Tenaris is adding crews to operate the heat-treatment and finishing areas of the facility. Pipes undergo heat treatment to obtain defined metallurgical properties and are then finished, which is the last part of the manufacturing process. Finishing consists of threading, stenciling, inspections and final rounds of testing. 

Volvo Group and SSAB signed a collaboration agreement on research, development, serial production and commercialization of the world's first vehicles to be made of fossil-free steel. Volvo will start manufacturing the first concept vehicles and machines with steel from SSAB using hydrogen in 2021. Plans call for smaller-scale serial production to start during 2022 and for a gradual escalation toward mass production to follow. Volvo and SSAB will also work together in research and development to optimize the use of steel in Volvo’s products with regard to weight and quality. The two companies plan to develop a number of products of fossil-free steel with the goal of reaching serial production within a few years.

Zekelman Industries announced the completion of exterior building work on its new mill in Blytheville, Ark., constructed for its Atlas Tube division. Foundation work has begun, and the mill is scheduled to start rolling in September 2021. Located next to one of Atlas Tube’s existing mills, the company says the 515,000-square-foot facility will be the largest continuous electric resistance welding (ERW) mill in the world, rolling HSS from 8 to 22 inches square. Rounds will be available up to 28 inches OD and rectangles up to 34 x 10 inches, with wall thicknesses up to 1 inch.

Wall Colmonoy has fully installed what it says is the first Desktop Metal Shop System in the United Kingdom. Using Desktop Metal’s binder-jet technology, Wall Colmonoy can now offer affordable and fast metal 3D printing of small to medium parts. The Shop System complements the offerings of Wall Colmonoy’s Precision Components business. The division, based in Wales, encompasses a 23,500-square-foot machining facility and 19,000-square-foot casting foundry. The binder-jet printer will enable Wall Colmonoy to collaborate with customers by developing additive-manufacturing prototype or parts components, moving theoretical designs into proven applications without the restrictions of conventional subtractive manufacturing techniques. Components can be developed and manufactured for fit and function trials utilizing the company’s wear- and corrosion-resistant solutions for demanding applications or simply for end use in a desired application.