Open Competition - Advanced Materials/Chemicals (October 2000)

Enabling Technologies for Lean Manufacturing of Hardened Steel Applications

Sponsor: Edison Materials Technology Center

• Project Performance Period: 11/1/2000 - 10/31/2005
• Total project (est.): $11,747,000.00
• Requested ATP funds: $5,871,000.00

Steel parts that carry critical loads in everything from automotive drive trains and jet engines to industrial bearings and metal-forming machinery are produced in a multistep process, including time-consuming and costly grinding and polishing operations. The parts are first machined out of metal that is relatively soft and then hardened by being subjected to high heat and quickly cooled in a liquid, or "quenched." After those steps, parts still require precision finishing processes to make their surfaces ultra-smooth to reduce friction and wear. A far more efficient and less costly method would be to precisely forge hot metal into nearly perfect parts, then harden and machine those parts using a method known as "hard turning." By machining the parts after they have already been hardened, several steps are eliminated, reducing waste and possibly eliminating the need for polluting oils now essential for traditional cutting and grinding. If hard turning could be applied to the manufacture of complex parts, such as gears and turbine blades, manufacturing costs could be reduced by up to 30 percent, and U.S. industry could reap annual gains of up to $6 billion. In this four-year ATP project, a nine-member team led by Edison Materials Technology Center will develop hard-turning technologies, culminating with a complete prototype system. However, perfecting the process will not be easy. Researchers must learn more about the physics of hard turning, develop advanced 3-D computer models, sensors and controls, tools, and machinery. Because of the considerable challenges posed by these requirements, the project is too risky for industry to pursue without help, making the ATP funding crucial. The other members of the team are Delphi Automotive Systems (Dayton, Ohio), Torrington Co. (Norcross, Ga.), Kennametal (Latrobe, Pa.), Third Wave (Minneapolis, Minn.), Hardinge, Inc. (Elmira, N.Y.), Masco Tech (Royal Oak, Mich.), the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta), and Ohio State University (Columbus).

For project information:

Neil Chaudhry, (937) 259-1317
nchaudhry@emtec.org

Active Project Participants

• Delphi Corporation (formerly Delphi Automotive Systems) (Kettering, OH)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Georgia Institute Of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Hardinge, Inc. (Elmira, NY)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Kennametal (Latrobe, PA)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Metaldyne Hatebur Operations (formerly Masco Tech) (Royal Oak, MI)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Ohio State University, ERC/NSM (Columbus, OH)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Third Wave Systems Inc. (formerly Third Wave) (Minneapolis, MN)
  [Original, Active Member]
  
• Timken U.S. Corporation (formerly Torrington Company) (Canton, OH)
  [Original, Active Member]
  

ATP Project Manager

Richard Bartholomew, (301) 975-4786
richard.bartholomew@nist.gov