Plant will produce aluminum lithium for the aerospace industry.
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, has broken ground on a greenfield aluminum lithium facility in Lafayette, Ind. The new facility will be built adjacent to Alcoa’s existing facility in Lafayette.
The company is investing $90 million on the 115,000-square-foot expansion that will produce more than 20,000 metric tons of aluminum lithium per year. The plant will be capable of casting round and rectangular ingot for rolled, extruded and forged applications. The newly patented aluminum lithium alloys, introduced by Alcoa in 2011, will allow airframers to build dramatically lighter and lower-cost airplanes versus composite alternatives, the company says. Alcoa adds that the aluminum lithium product will provide the best strength-to-weight performance in Alcoa's aerospace alloy portfolio, combined with better stiffness and corrosion resistance. The alloys are used in extrusions, forgings and sheet and plate applications across aircraft structures, including airplane wings and fuselage elements. "Our primary role as aerospace solution providers is to help the OEMs reduce fuel consumption per seat mile," says Eric Roegner, president, Alcoa Forgings and Extrusions. "We have a long history working with aerospace customers to help new aircraft meet demanding new missions and provide optimum solutions for both the engine and airframe structure. Our aluminum lithium supply chain will be the premier operation in the world and this specialty alloy will be flying on the next generation of aircraft." Production of its first aluminum lithium is planned by the end of 2014. The project is being supported by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. "We are very grateful to our community and state partners for their support in this significant project that will provide continued growth and good jobs now and into the future," says Roegner.
New team is focused on operational improvements and cost/value initiatives.
The Newark Group, a Cranford, N.J.-based collector of secondary fibers and manufacturer and converter of 100-percent-recycled paperboard, has formalized its Operational Excellence Team (OpEx). The company reports that the OpEx team’s focus already is yielding improvements in both operations and cost efficiency. The new group is headed by Vice President Jeff Masciadrelli and team members Tim Benningfield and Tracy Willis. It will operate under the direction of Newark’s senior management. The goal of the company’s OpEx team is to drive significant operational improvements and lower costs across the North American businesses of The Newark Group using concepts and principles of the Toyota Production System, LEAN and Six Sigma. According to Frank Papa, president and CEO of The Newark Group, “The speed at which this team has already been operating bodes exceptionally well for the future of our efforts and of our company.” Masciadrelli joined The Newark Group in February 2012 and previously was director of the Global Enterprise Lean Sigma program at Avery-Dennison Corp. Benningfield joined The Newark Group in March with experience in-plant management, LEAN, TPS and Akebono Production System implementations with companies such as Fruit of the Loom, Toyota Tsusho, Akebono and Tomkins Building Products. Willis is a certified LSS Master Black Belt with experience in process excellence, quality systems and production management. Prior to joining The Newark Group, Willis operated his own consulting group focusing on Six Sigma, LEAN and Apollo Root Cause Analysis, and was a National Examiner for both the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence. “This is the right team, and this is the right time,” says Papa. “If the small but significant gains we have already seen are any indication, this team has the ability to transform our company and our effectiveness on just about every level.”
Slidex sorter uses spectral analysis to inspect materials in free fall.
BEST Sorting, based in Belgium, launched its new Slidex sorter at IFAT ENTSORGA 2012 in Munich. The Slidex sorter is a 1,000-millimeter wide (39-inch wide) machine that inspects products in free fall, the company says. According to BEST, the Slidex recognizes different types of material and sorts its into various streams, such as plastics, WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment), auto shredder residue (ASR) and others. The machine uses hyperspectral imaging to identify a unique fingerprint for each type of material, forming the basis of the sorting process, BEST explains. The Slidex’ inspection zone assures capacities up to 4 metric tons per hour. According to BEST, efficiencies rise as high as 98 percent and up (depending on the incoming product), whereas defect loads can go up to 30 percent. Besides an accurate and high-resolution identification of the different materials, the BEST Slidex is designed to ensure that all other important parameters needed for optimal sorting are taken into account: correct light sources, mechanical control of the product flow by means of a patented chute and free-fall detection and the latest generation of fast ejectors. The spectrum created for every product is loaded into a database, which is used for different sorting processes. BEST says the database allows an easy setup of the sorter and limited configuration time. The advanced technology measures different spectra, resulting in an optimal sorting process and higher value output streams. With the new machine BEST also has launched new branding for its recycling business unit. The unit is represented with a lime green and dark green logo that has been adapted to create an individual identity.
“We feel it is important to show that our recycling business unit is a self-operating branch within the BEST family,” says Bert Van der Auwera, CSO and co-founder of BEST Sorting. “We use our years of experience in sorting technologies in other branches, but are actively listening to the needs of the recycling industry to develop sorting solutions that fit the industry’s specific needs.”
Equipment supplier has updated its website and has published a new product catalog.
The GWB 492.90 driveshaft from Dana Holding Corp., based in Maumee, Ohio, features an improved design for shredder applications, according to the company. Dana’s GWB driveshafts are used in shredding equipment with motors ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 horsepower. Dana’s GWB 492.90 provides up to 1,300,000 Newton meters of torque capacity and a reversing fatigue torque rating of up to 600,000 Newton meters, the company says. In addition, the driveshaft offers a flange diameter of 550 millimeters (21.65 inches). Other product features include split-bearing eyes with a toothed bearing cap, a standard Hirth-serrated flange and an operating angle of up to 15 degrees. The company also announced that it recently updated its website, gwbdriveshaft.com, and published a new catalog offering schematics, data sheets, technical instructions and recommended selection procedures.
Company says customers can save up to 25 percent by using Duranneal wire.
L&P Wire-Tie, Carthage, Mo., has announced that its Duranneal wire, produced in the United States, is a 100-percent annealed wire composed of specialized steel. The company says the wire, available in gauges 9 through 12 , features a unique chemistry and production process that produces a stronger, more durable wire than industry standards. The wire’s properties come from a cold-drawing process, combined with a specialized heat treatment process to achieve superior characteristics, the company says. L&P Wire Tie says the process results in high ductility and durability with a higher yield point to allow careful control of thickness and surface texture, equating to a wire as strong as traditional larger gauge wire, offering users the potential of up to 25 percent more straps per pound of wire. “The bottom line is operators can use less wire and save money,” says Jim York, president of L&P Wire-Tie. “We changed the chemistry, but the strength and dependability that operators need is still there. With Duranneal, the same number of straps per bale — or fewer — can be used, but with less wire and no loss in integrity.”