Protective coatings continue to play a major role in increasing productivity and reducing costs in hot forging and heat treatment. This paper presents details and successful case studies of three such protective coatings.

Sheffield Forgemasters will lead a consortium of partners in a research-and-development project to explore the industrialization of electron-beam welding (EBW) in civil nuclear assemblies, with the potential to integrate welding into the manufacturing process. The Sheffield, U.K., company will install an electron-beam welder capable of welding 3-meter-diameter cylinders under localized vacuum and without traditional welding preparation, offering narrower welds than traditional methods plus the ability to weld as part of the manufacturing process, prior to quality heat treatment. It will then manufacture a civil nuclear component to demonstrate a full-sized (4.3 meters high x 3 meters diameter) small modular reactor pressure vessel and also produce several grades of steel alloys suitable for civil fission and fusion nuclear applications within the project's research element.

Premier Forge Group, a portfolio company of Wynnchurch Capital, acquired California Amforge Corp. Located in Azusa, Calif., Amforge manufactures closed-die, upset and rolled-ring forgings for the aerospace, defense and oil-and-gas industries. The company supplies critical components for both fixed and rotary wing aircraft and engines in military and civil applications. Located in Portland, Ind., and Lebanon, Ky., Premier Forge provides high-value, complex forgings for OEMs in a range of markets. The company’s capabilities include comprehensive forging processes complemented by in-house design and engineering, product machining and heat-treating services.

MCT4, a ¼ DIN multi-loop controller with a 4.3-inch color touchscreen user interface, combines the functionality of multiple devices.

No. 934 is an 850°F (454°C) cabinet oven used for heat treating.

OSR Inc., a manufacturer of automotive fasteners, plans to increase its manufacturing production in Columbus, Ind. The company, a joint venture between Japan’s Owari Precise Products Co. and Columbus-based Rightway Fasteners Inc., will invest $7 million to construct and equip a new 82,395-square-foot manufacturing facility. OSR plans to add up to 12 new positions and is hiring immediately for positions in heat treatment and IT. Production is scheduled to increase at the beginning of 2020. OSR, which currently has 29 employees, specializes in M4 to M9 cold-forged fasteners, primarily for Toyota.

In part 1 we covered classification of high-temperature insulation wool, and we will now discuss the application of same.

High-temperature insulating wool (HTIW) products boast significant advantages compared to traditional refractory products on investment cost, operating expenses, reliability, overall efficiency and the fast availability of the equipment following relining or maintenance and repair work.

There is a group of recurring questions asked of The Heat Treat Doctor, all of which are centered around: “How much surface oxidation is allowable on a steel part?”

The Ellwood Closed Die Group (ECDG) is launching a new product line for Seakeeper. The line includes finish-machined flywheels that are assembled into gyro stabilizers, which, according to Seakeeper, cut down “95% of all boat roll, the rocking motion that causes sea sickness, anxiety and fatigue.” Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota (ETFN) will use the entire Ellwood Group supply chain to manufacture the flywheels from start to finish.