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CHTE UPDATE
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MPI AND CHTE TO DIRECT ROADMAP
IMPLEMENTATION FOR ADVANCING
THERMAL MANUFACTURING
Thermal manufacturing plays a major role in the U.S.
economy, employing more than five million people and pro-
ducing nearly $3 trillion in value of product shipments annu-
ally. It promises to play an even greater role in the near future
with the launching of a new roadmap,
Advancing Thermal
Manufacturing: A Technology Roadmap to 2020
, developed
by a consortium of experts from industry and academia.
Its purpose is to accelerate the development, ad-
aptation, and implementation of advanced technologies
throughout the thermal manufacturing community. These
advances will drive greater efficiency and productivity in
manufacturing, resulting in improved sustainability and
global competitiveness.
The roadmap was developed over the past year by the
Thermal Manufacturing Industries Advanced Technology
Consortium (TMI ATC), a working group under the direc-
tion of ASM International including the Metal Processing
Institute (MPI) and the Center for Heat Treating Excellence
(CHTE), both located at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
(WPI). Other group members include the Industrial Heat-
ing Equipment Association (IHEA), Metal Treating Institute
(MTI), Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST),
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Forging Industry
Association (FIA), and the ASM Heat Treating Society (ASM
HTS). Through facilitated workshops, TMI ATC gathered in-
put for the roadmap from trade associations, professional
societies, academic researchers, and companies who con-
duct thermal manufacturing processes. TMI ATC is funded
by an 18-month planning grant from the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Manufac-
turing Technology Consortium (AMTech).
Thermal manufacturing consists of a wide range of heat-driven
processes used in nearly every manufacturing industry. Cour-
tesy of Nexight Group.
The benefits of thermal manufacturing have a far reaching
impact. Courtesy of Nexight Group.
Up to now, various manufacturing sectors like heat
treating, drying, curing and forming, extractive processing,
metal casting, and technology transfer worked independent-
ly to enhance thermal manufacturing processes. Because
these groups were acting alone, attracting the resources
necessary to implement their plans was difficult. Thus, many
challenges to developing and deploying advanced manu-
facturing technologies highlighted in earlier studies remain
unaddressed today.
“This is the first time a thermal manufacturing group
representing various sectors is working together to pool re-
sources and knowledge,” explains Terry Mosier, managing
director of ASM International. “Collaboration is critical, and
ASM is pleased to lead this initiative with help from MPI,
CHTE, andmany others.”
ROADMAP PRIORITIES
There are seven priority action items in TMI ATC’s road-
map. Four that require research and development work that
will be carried out by MPI and CHTE staff and resources at
WPI include:
•
Increasing the robustness of materials used in ther-
mal-processing equipment