Feb_March_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 0 1 0 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS Steel pipe manufacturer Tenaris, Luxembourg, recently acquired IPSCO Tubulars, Houston, for nearly $1.1 billion. Both compa- nies produce steel tubes for the oil and gas sector. Tenaris, which has rapidly expanded its U.S. operations over the past 10 years, will now reportedly be the largest producer of steel pipe in North America. tenaris.com. Kymera International, Raleigh, N.C., a specialty materials company, will acquire the Reading Alloys business from Ametek Inc., Berwyn, Pa., a provider of highly engineered materials for mission-critical applications in the aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets. Founded in 1953, Reading Alloys designs, develops, and produces master alloys, ther- mal barrier coatings, and titanium powders. kymerainternational.com , ametek.com . BRIEFS first powdered AI material tomeet those requirements without the need for sub- sequent heat treatment. The new alloy will enable the printing of lighter weight precision components not currently possible with traditional manufacturing methods. Due to the high temperature strength of printed components using QuesTek’s new alloy, it will also be pos- sible to reduce weight in parts that cur- rently must be made from titanium. In an effort to explore the full po- tential of QuesTek’s printable Al alloy, the company will be collaborating with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The DLR will print demonstration com- ponents of their design for aeronautics and space applications and prepare a performance brief for European aero- space manufacturers. Based on initial test results, the collaborators anticipate broad applica- tions of their material in manufacturing components in the automotive, aero- space, satellite, and high-performance racing industries. questek.com. A particle of “chameleon metal” reacts to heat. Courtesy of AndrewMartin. MORPHING METAL ALLOYS WITH HEAT Engineers at Iowa State University, Ames, are heat-treating particles of liq- uid metal alloys to change their surface structures. According to the research- ers, their new method could inspire the design of smart alloy systems that evolve the surface patterns and their composition with temperature for var- ied applications. Using heat to roughen metal alloy surfaces creates a chameleon-like ef- fect in the materials as they transition from liquid to solid states in different temperatures. The research team started with a liquid metal alloy of gallium, indium, and tin synthesized into particles cov- ered with a smooth oxide shell that has been chemically stabilized. As the par- ticles are heated, the surface thickens and stiffens and begins to behave more like a solid. Eventually the surface breaks, al- lowing the liquid metal inside to come to the surface. This movement from the under-layer to the surface allows a liquid metal particle to “continuously invert its composition under thermal stimuli,” said the researchers. According to the research team, not only could their technology be used to fine-tune a metal’s performance as a catalyst or its ability to absorb com- pounds, but it could also apply to other metal alloys. iastate.edu. SCANDIUM-FREE, HIGH-TEMP ALUMINUM ALLOY QuesTek Innovations LLC, Evan- ston, Ill., a leading developer of met- al alloys, has created a new, scandi- um-free aluminum (Al) alloy for additive manufacturing. The alloy is capable of high-strength performance at elevated temperatures and is believed to be the Aerospace oil filter printed with new QuesTek Innovations high-temperature Al alloy.