May 10 2008
Bodycote has taken delivery of a high-capacity Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) at its Camas, Washington USA, facility. The unit, commissioned in late 2007, was supplied by Avure Technologies, Inc and is identical in size to a HIP unit installed at Camas in 1998. Both units rank as the largest such presses ever built.
The work zones of these presses measure 66" in diameter and 100" in length, with operating pressures up to 15,000 psi and temperatures of 1,260 degrees C (2,300 degrees F) to densify and eliminate internal porosity in a wide variety of industrial components. The newest HIP was designed, manufactured, tested and installed over a period of 21 months.
The Camas facility, part of Bodycote’s Thermal Processing Group, primarily processes commercial and aerospace castings made from titanium, nickel, cobalt, iron-base superalloys, aluminium and steel. The use of ultra-large HIPs enables Bodycote’s customers to outsource the densification and strengthening of their parts in shared space at low cost per pound with no minimum lot size.
Ed Tenerini, Bodycote's President of North American HIP and Director of European HIP, says, "Avure offered the best delivery time and most cost effective solution for expansion of our Camas facility and Global HIP network, which includes over 20 HIP systems from Avure. The opportunity to duplicate an Avure system already in place in Camas allows us to reduce our inventory of spare parts, utilise tooling and furnaces in either unit and facilitates training of personnel."
Avure's President and CEO, Pat Adams, comments that: "The Bodycote HIP operation at Camas is one of the most advanced facilities in the world. We are pleased to have contributed to its success."
About the Bodycote Group: The company is the world's largest and most respected supplier of Testing and Thermal Processing services. Headquartered in Macclesfield in the U.K, the group operates more than 300 service facilities in 30 countries worldwide.