February 10, 2021 - Kingspan Insulated Metal Panels, Deland, Florida, has released a whitepaper designed to help building owners and architects make more informed choices when it comes to reducing embodied carbon in commercial and industrial buildings.

The whitepaper details a study conducted by architectural research and planning firm KieranTimberlake, which looked at the embodied carbon created when designing an industrial building. The firm performed a life cycle assessment of four different industrial claddings – mineral fiber insulated metal panels, insulated concrete, tilt-up concrete and Kingspan QuadCore™ insulated metal panels - used on a virtual 150,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Philadelphia. The study used an R-value of 20, based on the building code climate zone for the area. The full cradle-to-grave analysis focused on material manufacturing, maintenance, replacement and end-of-life.

The study compared 2.5-inch-thick Kingspan KS Series panels utilizing the company’s QuadCore™ technology to 5-inch-thick mineral fiber IMPs, 12-inch-thick insulated concrete wall utilizing polystyrene insulation and 9-inch-thick tilt-up concrete wall insulated with fiberglass batts. The doors, windows, roofing and floor slab were kept the same across all materials. However, the wall assembly, vertical structure and foundations varied for the different applications.

KieranTimberlake utilized Tally, a Revit-integrated LCA tool, to generate a complete bill of materials for each type of assembly and assessed each for their impact on global warming, acidification, eutrophication, smog formation, ozone depletion and non-renewable energy demand.

In assessing the global warming potential, the study found that the building using Kingspan’s QuadCore™ IMPs had the lowest levels of all the wall assemblies - 28% lower than both the insulated concrete and tilt-up wall assemblies, which had the highest levels of embodied carbon.  That reduction in embodied carbon for just this single building scenario is the equivalent of the greenhouse gas emissions from the average car driving 27 times around the world or the CO2 emissions from burning 149 tons of coal.

“Studies show that embodied carbon alone is responsible for 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This analysis shows how switching out just one material can make a world of difference,” said Brent Trenga, Director of Sustainability. “The effort to reduce the carbon footprint of a building starts with the selection of materials and making more informed choices. We only get one chance to cut embodied carbon when designing a new building.”

Kingspan’s QuadCore™ is the most thermally efficient closed cell insulation core on the market (R-8.0 per inch) and was the first closed cell insulation panel to achieve FM 4882 fire certification. Kingspan panels with QuadCore™ are also GREENGUARD Gold certified and have earned Material Health Silver certification. When Kingspan panels are ordered with QuadCore™ and Valspar Fluropon coatings, the entire panel earns a Red List Free classification.

Download the full report >

May 29, 2020 - Please take a few minutes to read the following overview regarding Steel Manager III, our fully integrated metal service centre software solution. Steel Manager III (SM3), is a comprehensive, fully integrated ERP solution created exclusively for the metals industry which includes full functionality in the areas of Inventory Management, Purchasing, Quoting, Sales, Linear Nesting, Plate Nesting Integration, Inside Processing, Outside Processing, Production Scheduling, Picking, Shipping Manifest, complete Accounting, extensive Reporting, Barcoding and much more.

The flexibility of SM3 makes it an ideal solution for all metal centres, whether you are a general line distributor, or focus on pipe & tube, valves & fittings, OCTG products, tool steel, bar, plate, flat rolled products, perforated and expanded metal, mesh, wire rope, specialty steel and structural steel, architectural metals, along with any other type of metal.

Steel Manager III is all about SPEED & AUTOMATION. We program so users can get to the information they are looking for in seconds by making SM3 extremely user friendly. We automate many manual labour tasks that typically occur on a daily basis so staff can focus on what they do best, selling and servicing their customers.   

Forgers weigh options such as repair, rebuild, remanufacture or new equipment when considering options to increase capacity

March 10, 2020 - When forging operations must expand production to meet greater demand for existing parts or to add new product lines, selecting from various options to bring new equipment online can be challenging. Ultimately, the decision involves striking a delicate balance between fitting within budget constraints and accepting what can often be very long lead times.

Forging machines weigh between 25 and 300 tons and rise 10 to 25 feet above the production floor. The equipment is designed and built to last decades and it is not uncommon to find equipment from 50 or more years ago still in use.

This can be both a blessing and a curse when seeking to update production prowess. The sheer size and complexity of the machine means that items like the massive cast steel frame can take six to eight months for delivery, plus four to six months to install all the internal parts and componentry.

Given the longevity of the equipment, another option is to purchase used forging equipment and have it rebuilt or remanufactured. This can speed delivery by as much as six months and reduce the cost, but worldwide supply of used equipment is dwindling, meaning this option is limited.

The only other alternative is to simply repair out-of-commission units and/or to squeeze additional production by incorporating more automation in existing forging equipment.

Regardless of the choice, forging companies are studying each of the four options available—repair, rebuild, remanufacture or new.

Repair

The most immediate option to bring forging equipment online is simply to repair existing equipment or out-of-commission units. This often comes down to locating adequate replacement parts, which can be quite difficult.

The tremendous longevity of horizontal and vertical forging equipment can create unique challenges for a forging operation when a part they need to replace was built decades ago. Is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) still in business? Does a drawing of the part still exist? Can a local machine shop replicate it?

“Sourcing spare parts can be an ongoing problem,” says Wade Ferguson, maintenance manager at Modern Forge Companies LLC, Blue Island, Illinois. The company operates five manufacturing facilities with over 25 production forges. “We probably run hammers tighter than what would ever be specified. And together with our high volume of forging, at times we are scrambling to make or find spare parts.”

To produce engine valves and other motorcycle parts for customer like Harley Davidson, Modern Forge uses Chambersburg (CECO) die forgers that date back to the 1980s and weigh between 20 and 50 tons.

When Ferguson heard (years ago) that Chambersburg entered bankruptcy, his first reaction was how would Modern Forge obtain parts? He had some replacement parts in inventory and was able to salvage parts from two offline units. Like other forging operations, he also sent some parts out to be reverse-engineered and machined.

This method has some unintended risk, however. Machine shops often do not have access to critical specifications about high-wear parts including the material grade of the steel, the heat-treating process used or tolerances that all were engineered specifically for that piece of equipment. The result can be parts that fail prematurely or wear much faster.

Later, when Ferguson learned that the Park-Ohio Co. had acquired the intellectual property rights to all Chambersburg and Ajax Manufacturing equipment in 2005, he contacted them. Ajax-CECO, as the company is now known, is one of the oldest manufacturers of forging equipment, having begun operations in 1875. Over a 145-year  history, the company built and put into production more than 6,000 horizontal and vertical forging machines.

By purchasing the IP, Ajax-CECO preserves and maintains the provenance of forging equipment for both Ajax and Chambersburg—including the original drawings, bill of materials and service manuals.

“They have very good, detailed information, which is really advantageous for us,” says Ferguson.

Most OEMs today also stock replacement parts using MRP systems that monitor inventory levels and track historical trends for common wear items such as friction plates, driving plates, piston heads, piston rods, rings and packings.

In addition, some OEMs like Ajax-CECO offer stocking programs for long lead time items such as main gears, centric shafts, rams, frames and anvils that most customers will not stock themselves. In this type of program, the part is held in inventory for the customer, who pays a percentage of the cost and then the balance when they take possession of the part, even if that occurs years in the future.

“Ajax-CECO is good about putting a spare part on the shelf for me and not charging full price for it,” says Ferguson.

Rebuild

A step up in order of magnitude from a repair is a rebuild of the forging equipment. In a rebuild, all high-wear items such as bearings, bushings, seals and liners are replaced to get the machine in good working condition. The frame is inspected and repaired, if necessary.

Given the extent of the work involved, however, this approach represents a significant investment in time. Rebuilds can take six months, depending on the number of components. On the other hand, a rebuild can save forging companies six months or more compared with ordering and installing new equipment.  This approach also reduces the overall cost to bring the equipment online.

Rebuilds can be approached several different ways. The forging equipment can be sent to the OEM for rebuilding; the OEM can send repair personnel to the manufacturer’s facility to rebuild equipment on site; or the OEM can supervise a rebuild by maintenance staff.  This allows the in-house staff to ask questions and better understand the operation of the equipment they are maintaining.

At its forging operation in Kearney, Nebraska, Eaton Corp. operates 26 Ajax-CECO 100-ton to 1,300-ton forging presses. Eaton produces engine valves and precision gears.

Although some Eaton plants purchase rebuilt equipment from companies like Ajax-CECO, Randy Kreutzer, Eaton’s lead maintenance manager, sees the value in rebuilding the equipment in house with components sourced from the OEM.

“I like the experience the maintenance staff gets from rebuilding the equipment. That way, when future repairs are required, the time frame to complete them is much shorter,” he says.

Eaton often incorporates automation upgrades that speed production in rebuilt equipment.  Today, many of these manual tasks are instead being replaced with robots or by integrating servos that can lift, insert and deposit materials. Even tasks such as automated tooling changes can be completed with the push of a button.

By doing so, tasks that were once performed manually—such as moving heavy steel rods, pipe and other stock in and out of equipment—are now automated to improve worker safety. This creates a safer environment for forging operators and improves productivity.

Remanufacture

Sometimes only the cast steel frame of the forging equipment is salvageable, in which case all the internal components can be replaced in a full remanufacture of the equipment.  Given the extent of the work required, a remanufactured forging unit can still cost 85 to 90 percent of the cost of new equipment, but delivery time is reduced by about six months. When it is finished, a remanufactured machine comes with a new machine warranty.

In essence, a remanufacture saves the cost and the time of acquiring a new cast frame.  The frame on a 3-inch upsetter press weighing 55,000 pounds, for example, could take six months plus another month for shipping (especially from a foreign equipment builder).

“With a remanufacture, all internal parts are built to factory specs,” says Kreutzer.  “With a remanufactured unit, you don’t need the man hours to rebuild it. It can just be set in place, hooked up and is ready for forging.”

As with a rebuild, a remanufactured forging unit can include a variety of automation option upgrades.

New

While purchasing new equipment may offer a forging operator the most confidence in long-term performance and the most tailored solution to the company’s forging needs, it also has the longest lead times. Moreover, a manufacturer must plan for one year before  taking delivery of a new piece of forging equipment. But the decades of value that will be generated from the new equipment means the return on investment will be significant.

Regarding new forging presses, Kreutzer cautions that quality can sometimes be an issue when sourcing from overseas sources. “We like Ajax-CECO presses for their quality, and even prefer to rebuild that equipment instead of pursuing some other options out there that will not perform or last as long,” says Kreutzer.

New equipment also gives forgers the opportunity to take advantage of the most advanced automation options available today. For example, entire forging line “cells” can be created that include sophisticated communications that report production rates and machine performance back to company networks.

Multiple choice

Some forging operations hedge their bets by using more than one strategy. Given the shortage of available used equipment and the lead times, some customers order a new machine while another is being remanufactured. Others get quotes on new equipment while continuing to seek out used equipment opportunities as they arise.

Regardless of the approach, forging operations have a lot to consider when attempting to meet increasing production demands. Whether repair, rebuild, remanufacture or new, bringing forging equipment online requires careful consideration and foresight, as well as a more complete understanding of the options.

“You have to constantly keep a lookout for equipment, worldwide, and do your price comparisons to ensure you stay within the budget,” says Kreutzer.  “Usually when we are acquiring in new equipment, it is well into the future so we have adequate time. But there are always timelines that must be met. So we have to consider all the available options.”

200 years on and aluminum is going strong 

Aluminum has come a long way since it was first produced in 1824. A mainstay in consumer goods, machinery and equipment sectors, as well as electrical engineering and other industries, aluminum is pervasive.

Today, construction and transportation sectors account for a hefty 52% of global aluminum consumption, with automotive and aerospace applications driving the metal’s growth as never before. In North America, demand for aluminum appears to be insatiable. By 2016, the latest year for which statistics are available, demand for aluminum had hit a seventh straight year of growth, according to the US Aluminum Association. Within that seven-year period, aluminum demand grew by an impressive 41%.

Read the complete White Paper >

Background on Protective Coatings for Steel

July 6, 2016 - This paper outlines current theory on edge protection and shows how the Intercoat ChemGuard has advanced coating technology by overcoming formulation obstacles through innovative manufacturing techniques.

The use of coatings to prevent the corrosion of steel is one of the oldest and most studied areas of industrial science. Committee A05 on Metallic-Coated Iron and Steel Product considers its primary goal to promote the use of metallic and non-metallic coatings to prevent corrosion. The committee celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2006.¹ 

The ASTM centennial article includes a side bar on how metallic coatings protect steel² from corrosion. There are two mechanisms:

• Barrier Protection – A mechanism to keep water and/or oxygen away from steel
• Galvanic Protection – An electrochemical force, usually from Zinc, preventing steel from corroding by oxidizing in preference to adjacent exposed steel.
  
  

Other articles are available on the subject ^{3, 4}. This article will be primarily focused on traditional barrier protection and how breakthroughs in formulation and manufacturing techniques have led to advances in edge corrosion protection. 

Read the complete white paper >

Synapse: While EAF/AOD melting is cheap, it cannot handle the extreme loads required for US process improvement. Premium melt grades are used to ensure higher quality products for demanding applications.

Melting Processes

In the early days of melting, Electric Arc Furnace (1878) and Vacuum Induction Melting (1927) were leaps ahead in quality compared to the Bessemer and Open Hearth technologies. Argon Oxygen Decarburization (1965) and later came  Vacuum Arc Remelting (1970s). 

Electroslag Remelting was introduced in the late 1970s and is now preferred over the vacuum technologies when possible. It creates an ingot directionally solidified, and results in even lower inclusions than the vacuum grades.

Issues

Some of our products had been developed with the EAF/AOD process, and while it worked for many structural applications, it simply could not remove linear defects caused at the time of pouring the ingot. Lamellar defects such as banding and segregation could not be avoided using the standard chemistry. In high pressure environments, these defects would be found through leak down or outright failure.

Solution

To combat these types of defects, the ESR process was implemented after the EAF/AOD process to create a more homogenous and extremely low inclusion product. While it does add to the overall cost of the processing, the yield improvements and much lower rate of customer reports makes a difference overall.

Instances of linear defects reported in these revamped products have dropped, and the sales force has become more comfortable in recommending these higher quality products for high pressure service again. In many cases, we supply the higher quality product without it having been specified or asked to do so. If you want to be sure that your product is High Performance, make sure it will hold up to the pressures with a higher quality melt process such as ESR.

Originally posted on LinkedIn by Jeff Kirchner, COO, Manufacturing Director at High Performance Alloys, Inc. >

A Metal Buyers Guide to Industry Terminology

December 2014 - Although purchasing metal would appear to be a simple, straightforward task, the alphabet soup of specs, approvals and overall jargon can make it a bit overwhelming. This guide has been prepared to give you the ‘Cliff Notes’ on buying metal.

EQ Coatings: Codes, Standards and Corrosion Protection
Webinar Originally Presented on Oct. 15 and 17, 2013 by: Bill Capizzano, President Chemcoaters, LLC & Eco-Green Coatings, LLC Input from Patrick Ford, P.E. Matsen Ford Design, Technical Director, SFIA Presentation converted to paper by Bill Capizzano on June 13, 2014

Practical Tips to Improve Your Operational Efficiency

Everyone is looking for tips on how to improve their business. United Performance Metals has observed first-hand what leading manufacturers are employing as best practices. As a company with over 35 years of experience serving the needs of metal fabricators, we’re sharing the most effective tactics observed in the field. Though they may not seem revolutionary, their impact on efficiency is definitely worth sharing.

Read the entire Practical Tips to Improve Your Operational Efficiency white paper.

How to troubleshoot plasma cut quality

Like any cutting process, there are a lot of variables that affect plasma cut quality. Some of these variables include:

- Torch Type
- Torch Alignment
- Condition of consumables
- Arc Voltage, or cutting height

...and more.

Most of these variables are interdependent, meaning that if you change one variable, it will affect the others. Figuring out how to fix cut quality issues can be difficult, so the following information was assembled to provide the usual solutions to some typical cut quality problems.

Read the entire ESAB Plasma Cutting white paper.

How to select a gas supply system for a thermal cutting machine?

Selecting the best type of gas supply system for a CNC shape cutting machine will depend primarily on how much gas you will use, but there are some other factors that might affect your decision also.

Topics covered:
Cylinders, Liquid Tanks, or Bulk Tanks?
Gas Consumption
Advantages & Disadvantages of High Pressure Cylinders, Portable Liquid Tanks, and Bulk Cryogenic Systems

Read the entire ESAB Cutting Systems white paper.

Guidelines for Making Informed Stainless and High Temperature Alloy Purchases

Metals and Alloys that contain the element Nickel present a real challenge for today’s buyer.  The volatility of element pricing creates large and rapid fluctuations in pricing – therefore the decision to make or delay a metal purchase can have significant impact on finished product costs.  A few simple tips can help savvy buyers and purchasing agents better time purchases to achieve the best pricing.

Read the entire UPMET - Guidelines for Making Informed Stainless and High Temperature Alloy Purchases white paper.

Filtering Grinder Coolant Leads to Better Blades

Whether a knife maker is creating a high-end chef’s knife that retails for hundreds of dollars or a discount pocketknife, the manufacturer needs machine tools to grind the blade into a fine edge. The grinding process, however, creates swarf -- or flecks of metal -- that compromise the operation of machinery and the treatment of fluids used. Also, the coolant can help maintain optimum machining temperature during the grinding process. Exposure to high heat would undo the tempering process that makes steel less brittle.

Knife makers need to be mindful of the grinding process because it represents an opportunity to better manage costs, improve productivity and mitigate manufacturing’s environmental impact. Losma creates industrial air and fluid filtration systems, which are intrinsic to operating manufacturing equipment under ideal conditions. As robotics, lasers and precision instruments guide manufacturing, it is paramount to have the equipment operating at its peak. In the case of grinding knives, it means keeping the equipment cool and clean. Under these circumstances, the grinders require lower levels of maintenance and the knives produced have fewer defects. Grinders require a system to collect swarf consisting of a filter made with non-disposable or disposable type media and possibly a magnetic separator pre-filter to maintain the purity of the coolant and keep machines from overheating. Without the filters, lubricating and cooling liquids would need to be replaced, leading to higher material and waste disposal costs. Manufacturers also must consider the efficient use of space, since inefficient coolant set-ups can curtail the number of grinders available to work.

Read the entire Losma - Filtering Grinder Coolant Leads to Better Blades.

Back in the early 2000s the metals industry faced oversupply, plummeting prices and a wave of consolidation. Once-mighty companies such as the now-defunct Bethlehem Steel saw their credit ratings decline and failed to meet covenants on their cash-flow credit facilities. A sea change in financing tactics ensued. Lenders and metals companies turned away from cash-flow credit facilities to asset-based lending (ABL) because ABL offered the companies the flexibility and liquidity necessary to compete in a highly cyclical, global marketplace.

To illustrate why cash-flow loans fell out of favor, consider the business model of service centers, which act as distributors. They hold inventory for a short period of time, approximately 30 to 90 days. In a rising price environment their margins will improve, but in a falling price environment those margins may contract and perhaps turn negative. As a result, a company with a cash-flow facility that has financial covenants could quickly find itself in default if commodity prices tumble and cash flows drop.

Today, ABL is the predominant way companies in the metals industry finance their working capital. With ABL, the amount of credit extended by lenders is based on the liquidation value of the assets owned by the business. Asset-based revolvers help companies to bridge the gap between the cash flow they eventually will receive from sales and the amount of their current expenses. Download the White Paper >

To learn more about GE Capital, Corporate Finance, click here.

Plasma- The Cutting-Edge Technology Irrespective of the scale of the project, having tools that slice through tough metal can go a long way in increasing efficiency and saving time. You will find that this is true if you are a die-hard DIY fan who loves working metal or you are at the helm of a massive shipbuilding project that incorporates tons of steel, The machinery you use must provide you with one basic thing - precision.

Read the entire Kerf Developments Ltd \ Plasma Cutting white paper.

This article has been written on behalf of Kerf Developments Ltd, who are a leading British supplier of many different cutting machines such as plasma cutting machines (http://www.kerfdevelopments.com/plasmacutting.html) from brands like Kaliburn.’