Alcoa's Howmet installs new furnace

Citation

(2007), "Alcoa's Howmet installs new furnace", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779bab.008

Alcoa's Howmet installs new furnace

Alcoa's Howmet installs new furnace

Alcoa's Howmet Products and Services business recently celebrated the “first pour” of its newly installed vacuum furnace, located at the company's manufacturing facility in Whitehall, Michigan. The new furnace – equipped with the latest control technology – will manufacture production parts to meet a growing customer demand in the aerospace market.

“The combination of a booming market for jet engine components and growing customer demand for aerospace products has driven the need for a new furnace and full manufacturing capacity,” said Michael A. Pepper, Vice President and General Manager, Howmet Products and Services. “The new furnace is one part of our capacity enhancement program which is successfully increasing our Whitehall, Michigan airfoil casting capacity. In fact, through the use of furnace additions and the Alcoa Business System, our continuous improvement method, we have expanded the output of this operation by 30 per cent over the past ten months. The new furnace will be dedicated to airfoil manufacturing – both directionally solidified and single crystal – to support the needs of our aero-engine OEM customers”.

Accommodating molds up to 24in. in diameter and 26in. in height, the furnace can handle pour weights up to 150 pounds. The unit is equipped with the latest control technology to automate cycle times. “This furnace, custom built by Alcoa in our Howmet Research Center, incorporates the latest technologies for process capability and repeatability which helps us achieve and sustain high levels of productivity and quality” said Pepper. “It will allow us to be more responsive and flexible in supporting our customers' build schedules”.

It is also reported that Alcoa's Howmet Hungarian operation had recently shipped its first order of 52 industrial gas turbine (IGT) vanes. The new investment casting facility completed its trials on 30 June, was approved to begin production, and has now shipped its first order. “This milestone has been reached on schedule, following a US$83 million renovation of the production hall in Szekesfehervar, Hungary” said Bogar Janos, Plant Manager. The extensive modernization project at the Aloca-Kofem operation in Hungary included a new airfoil manufacturing operation to support Alcoa Howmet's growing jet aircraft and industrial gas turbine business in Europe.

According to Janos said, “Everything came together in a timely manner for our airfoil manufacturing operation. Our casting specialists, nondestructive- testing operators and welders received training and earned qualifications on schedule”. Janos added that the unit's first machining cell for processing turbine vanes was also put into service and that the operators of this cell completed training and earned approval to conduct visual checks, dimensional inspections, and finishing operations.

The IGT unit is currently installing additional production and inspection cells to accommodate the ramp up of work that is scheduled to begin arriving in the next few months. “These accomplishments have strengthened Alcoa's ability to serve customers from its Hungarian operation,” said Bela Forgo, Country Manager, Hungary, and General Manager, Alcoa-Kofem.

Details available from: Alcoa's Howmet web site: www.alcoa.com