Why Applied Process
Press Releases
January 10, 2013
The Applied Process Family of Companies hosted the first-ever session of Applied Process University....
The Applied Process Family of Companies last week hosted the first-ever session of Applied Process University in Livonia, Michigan. This seminar is a three-day class for engineers on casting design with an emphasis on ductile iron and austempered ductile iron (ADI). Topics also included heat treatment and machining of ADI components as well as foundry processes. Instructors at this seminar were degreed engineers and included AP Director of Research & Development, Kathy L Hayrynen, PhD, FASM.
Thirty-one design engineers traveled to AP University from a diverse mix of industries. This cross-section of American manufacturing included manufacturers of Heavy Trucks, Agricultural Equipment, Rail Equipment, and Light Vehicles.
Attendees at AP University had two days of classroom instruction including a tour of operations at Applied Process. The third day of AP University was at Joyworks Studio (Ann Arbor, MI) where actual ductile iron castings were made.
Are you interested in attending a future session of AP University? If so please contact Applied Process at +1-734-464-8000 and ask for Director of Sales and Marketing Vasko Popovski, PE.
This photo shows AP University instructors Henry Frear, Chad Kelsey, and Justin Lefevre demonstrating a pour of ductile iron at Joyworks Studio.
Drew Sahlstrom of Dotson Iron Castings and AP University instructor Vasko Popovski show a casting tree poured only a short time before.
December 20, 2012
Applied Process Elevates Vasko Popovski to Director of Sales and Marketing....
Effective immediately, Vasko Popovski, PE will assume the role of Director of Sales and Marketing for the Applied Process companies. In addition to the duties of directing our sales efforts, Vasko will now assume the duties in the marketing arena.
Vasko received a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh. He also has a Master of Arts degree in Technology from Kent State University and is currently working on an MBA from Waynesburg University. Vasko is a licensed Professional Engineer in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. He has published thirteen technical papers in various journals.
He has been with the Company for five years and has over 20 years of industry experience. He is an active member of the American Foundry Society and serves on three AFS committees. Vasko also serves on one committee with the Ductile Iron Society.
AP's President, John Wagner, said "I have the utmost confidence that Vasko will be able to guide the corporations' sales and marketing efforts as we continue to grow the pie".
Please congratulate Vasko on this achievement and promotion.
December 12, 2012
Recently John Keough traveled to India to visit our licensee Hightemp. Their production has increased significantly in the past few months and should soon rise to 80% capacity in their line at Pune which was only commissioned in April.
Picture above: D Gopal, Pratap Ghorpade, Amit Kochar and Narendra Kasar
November 9, 2012
Applied Process, Technologies Division Announces a new Director of Research and Development....
Applied Process, Technologies Division is pleased to announce that Kathy L. Hayrynen, PhD, FASM will become the Director of Research and Development. In her new role Kathy will initiate and complete research programs that will distinguish us from our competitors.
Kathy has a BS, MS and PhD in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Her graduate work focused on production of ductile iron and ADI. Following a post-doctoral research position on Ausformed/Austempered Ductile, Kathy joined the AP companies in 1995.
Kathy is well known in the Austempering world having authored and co-authored many papers on ADI and frequently speaks on said topics. She is the Chair of the Cast Iron Division of AFS, the President of the Foundry Educational Foundation and a member of the External Advisory Board for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Michigan Tech.
Kathy has received several industry/academic honors including: an AFS Award of Scientific Merit, an AFS Ray H. Witt Management Award, 4 best paper awards from the AFS Cast Iron Division, the Ductile Iron Society Annual Award, ASM Fellow, ASM Educational Foundation George Roberts Award and induction into the MSE Academy at Michigan Tech.
Please congratulate Kathy on a well deserved promotion.
September 20, 2012
Recently released on The Monty....
Heat Treat Trivia Time. The "business" of the heat treating business has always fascinated us: who is the largest, the largest furnace out there, the most furnaces in other words the "business" of the industry. So let's have a look at a few of the record holders: September 20/2012
8) The world's largest Integral Quench Atmosphere Batch Furnace? (How about one designed and built, in a collaborative effort, by Applied Process Inc. and AFC-Holcroft?)
With a salt quench that has working dimensions of 84in x 96in x 56in (2050mm x 2438mm x 1422mm) and a maximum gross load of 20,000 lbs (9,090 kg).
August 22, 2012
JUST RELEASED FOR DISTRIBUTION
A Comparison of Fatigue Properties of Austempered Versus Quenched and Tempered 4340 Steel by John M. Tartaglia and Kathy L. Hayrynen published in the June issue of the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance.
The paper talks about the study to determine if austempered 4340 steel has a different fatigue resistance compared to quench and tempered 4340 steel with an identical hardness of nominally 45 HRC and an identical yield strength of nominally 1340 MPa.
See the AP Technical Library to download your copy.
June 28, 2012
FEF Board Approves Dr. Kathy Hayrynen as President
On May 1, 2012 at the FEF Annual Meeting at Texas State University, Dr. Kathy Hayrynen was elected to serve as the 2012-13 President of the Foundry Educational Foundation. Kathy has been a member of the board of Directors of FEF since 2007. She is the Key Contact for FEF for Michigan Technological University, a member of the Education subcommittee and the immediate past Chair of the Employment Resources subcommittee.
Dr. Kathy has served as the Technical Director of the Applied Process family of companies since 1995.
April 9, 2012
A History of Successful Innovations and Partnerships
The year was 1995 and Steve Metz, then a young foundry engineer, was challenged to develop a replacement power and free conveyor dog for use on one of his manufacturing company’s internal production lines. It was the first of many times Metz would collaborate with Applied Process on product development.
“We could easily produce the casting, but needed to make it strong and wear resistant as well,” Metz said. “About this same time, I had been talking with John Wagner at AP about the benefits Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI). This was the first austempered ductile iron part that we would develop with the new Applied Process facility in Oshkosh, WI, which opened its doors in 1995.”
ADI is a specialty heat-treated material that takes advantage of the near-net shape technology and low cost manufacturability of ductile iron castings to make a high strength, low cost, excellent abrasion-resistant materials. Six grades of ADI are available, depending on the levels of strength, abrasion resistance and toughness required for the product.
Metz explained, “We made the tooling, poured the castings, machined them and then AP Westshore heat treated the part to grade 5 ADI, all very cost-effectively. The parts have operated very effectively over the past 15 years as indicated by the repeat orders by the customer. It stands up to the abrasive conditions of the production operation and has resulted in a piece price reduction of 75 percent. What a great success story!”
As for Metz, after fifteen years working for an AP customer, he spent five years with a company that is a furnace alloy supplier to the Applied Process Group. Recently he joined Applied Process, being named Vice President and Plant Manager of AP Westshore, the same plant he visited in 1995 as a casting designer. “I have come full-circle, and it feels as though destiny has brought me here,” he said.
ADI is used successfully in steel forgings, castings, weldments and aluminum forgings and castings, within the construction and mining, agriculture, automotive, heavy truck and railroad industries. For more information, visit www.appliedprocess.com.
April 2, 2012
Applied Process releases a new YouTube video highlighting Hightemp Furnaces Ltd.
Bangalore, India.
February 21, 2012
Advanced crash test dummies often use Austempered steel for their ribs to imitate the flexibility and toughness of the human ribcage (without the breakage).
February 16, 2012
Applied Process takes delivery of their new Clark Forklift.
Both Trevor Janas and Jacob King work in the Shipping/Receiving Department at Applied Process "this is a welcome addition to our shipping department" says Trevor and Jacob. They are charged with keeping order in the department and making sure everything is in it's proper place.
January 30, 2012
APPLIED PROCESS is leading the way with their education efforts. Watch the latest YouTube video to see "Professor Chip" give a lesson on Austempered Ductile Iron.
January 5, 2012
Rubber duck delivers components to make hostile duck…the first truck to arrive at APW this morning was carrying a section of the Monster Parts™ furnace. Take a look at the hood ornament....it's a replica of the “Rubber Duck” statues from the 1970’s movie “Convoy”.
December 8, 2011
A Quality Supervisor at Applied Process Inc., Donny Parker, devised a devilishly clever version of an AP Monster Parts(TM) logo.
November 29, 2011
The Foundry Educational Foundation held its annual College Industry Conference in Chicago November 17-18.
There were 86 student delegates from FEF affiliated and FEF certified schools all across North America. They were feted by metalcasting industry representatives manning 43 tables at the Industry Information Session. The FEF CIC brings together students with educational and experiential metalcasting backgrounds who have been pre-selected by their FEF Key Professors with metalcasting related businesses in demand of such talent. John (Chip) Keough, CEO of Applied Process Inc. in his role as Adjunct Professor to the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department also serves as the UoM FEF Key Professor. UoM was represented at the FEF CIC by student delegate Demetri Golematis, a senior Mechanical Engineer who has hands-on metal casting experience at Joyworks studio and lab, Austempering and design experience at Applied Process Inc. John and Demetri can be seen in this photo proudly displaying a University of Michigan pennant.
November 2, 2011
ASM International's Heat Treating Society had their board meeting on Sunday, October 30 at Heat Treat 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
This meeting is for incoming and outgoing Board and Committee Chairs. Pictured below is the entire Heat Treating Society Board. Notice our very own John Keough in the front row.
http://www.asminternational.org/portal/site/www/home/
October 27, 2011
Oshkosh, Wisconsin - AP Westshore has a new Vice President/Plant Manager with the addition of Steve Metz to the team.
Steve is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and holds a BS and MS in Materials Engineering, along with an MBA.
Mr. Metz has 19 years of engineering, product development and manufacturing experience in southeastern Wisconsin. He spent 14 years with Kohler Company in the foundry and ceramics groups and five years with Castalloy in Waukesha, a supplier of heat resistant alloy to the heat treatment industry.
AP's COO, John Wagner, said "He enjoys learning about and improving processes in a hands-on, inclusive manner and educating the customer about how castings can improve design along with reducing cost and lead-time."
Outside of work, Steve enjoys any mechanical project around the home, cooking, woodworking, biking, running, volunteering with service groups and getting involved in local government.
October 3, 2011
Pouring concrete in Oshkosh. Applied Process will soon be making more stuff in the USA. BIG stuff. Big AUSTEMPERED stuff. Stay tuned.
September 20, 2011
Growing the Pie Worldwide
"Applied Process is pleased to be collaborating with Hightemp as we 'grow the pie' for Austempering worldwide," said John R. (Chip) Keough in response to a news note appearing in a recent www.themonty.com. Hightemp in India, is operating its Austempering facilities under a technical license agreement with Applied Process, Inc. The ductile iron industry in India is growing at nearly 20 percent per year, and Applied Process has been involved there for several years. Read more about Hightemp and all the latest news from the heat treat world at www.themonty.com.
August 11, 2011
Meet our newest Research and Development Engineer, Meghan Haycock.
Meghan joined the R&D Department on July 6th. Her initial responsibilities will be to assist with managing the day-to-day operations of the laboratory and programs.
Meghan has both a BS and MS in Materials Science & Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Her MS research was titled, "Effect of Cooling Rate and Silicon on Mechanical Properties of Heavy Section Ductile Iron" with a focus on wind energy applications. This information is of special interest to us as we work on growing the pie at AP.
Michael Zelek, Quality Supervisor at AP, posted on our Face Book page "She will be a great addition to the AP team..I've met her a few times and she seems knowledgeable and friendly."
July 6, 2011
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance to Publish New Paper
Later this year the Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance will publish a paper written by John M. Tartaglia, PhD. and Kathy L. Hayrynen, PhD. The paper is titled A Comparison of Fatigue Properties of Austempered Versus Quenched and Tempered 4340 Steel. The study was conducted to determine if austempered 4340 steel had different fatigue resistance compared to quench and tempered 4340 steel with an identical hardness of nominally 45 HRC and an identical yield strength of nominally 1340 MPA (194ksi). You can read an advance copy by going to our library.
May 23, 2011
Industrial Heating Honors Our Founder William R. Keough
As Industrial Heating celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2011 it is recognizing innovators who have made lasting contributions to the thermal-processing industry, leaving a “legacy through their experience, enthusiasm and unwavering commitment. ” William R. (Bob) Keough (1917-2008) was among those named to the Hall of Innovators and profiled in the magazine’s anniversary issue in April.
A machine builder job with Surface Combustion Corp., in Toledo, Ohio, led Keough to a career in the heat treating industry. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo and became a registered professional engineer. In 1962, he and his partners established Atmosphere Furnace Company (now AFC-Holcroft) and Controlled Atmosphere Processing, a commercial heat treating shop specializing in the austempering process, in Michigan. The businesses grew to include AFC-Holcroft, the Applied Process family of companies, Austemper Inc., and Atmosphere Heat Treat.
Keough was a pioneer in Austempering and Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI). A consummate inventor, he obtained numerous patents during his professional career. He was named an “Industry Legend” by the Metal Treating Institute, and earned the Shoemaker Award from the ASM Detroit Chapter. But he also found time to be a scout leader, a Golden Gloves boxer, a Mason and a church usher outside of work. He also enjoyed dancing, skiing, reading and traveling.
Read the profile of Keough and the other honorees here.
/Areas/Custom/ContentFiles/PDFThumbs/2011 04 Industrial Heatings Hall of Innovators-Bob Keough.pdf
March 14, 2011
Take our Hostile Duck on your next trip, and you can earn a $10 gift card! Applied Process' antagonistic mascot, the Hostile Duck, is hitting the road, and hopes to travel with everyone around the world. Just e-mail your request for a Hostile Duck t-shirt to info@appliedprocess.com, have yourself photographed (in your t-shirt) with a famous person or at a famous world landmark, and e-mail your photograph (and name, location and photo details) back to us. If we post your photograph on our Facebook page Applied Process Family of Companies Facebook Page we'll send you the gift card. It's that easy, but the more creative you can be, the better. The Applied Process staff has already started their journeys, as evidenced by this photo of Dr. Kathy Hayrynen, Technical Director of Applied Process, Technologies Division, taken recently at the original French market Café Du Monde in New Orleans.
March 1, 2011
Applied Process is pleased to announce that Henry Frear will assume the role of Regional Sales Engineer for the Applied Process companies. His efforts will be focused on, but not limited to, growing the pie for Austempering in the Upper Midwest.
Henry joins Applied Process directly from an assignment at 3M in Prairie du Chien, WI. In that post he designed components for use at 3M and also did Six Sigma work.
Henry is wrapping up a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. While in school he was very active in the foundry lab where he cast grey iron, ductile iron, steel, bronze and aluminum parts to raise funds for the student AFS chapter. He has a Major in Industrial Technology Management.
Having grown up in an agricultural environment, Henry will be well-prepared to speak the language and understand the needs of our valued customers in this major market segment.
Vasko Popovski, Technical Sales Group Leader stated "He has a can-do attitude that will help us continue serving our customers and growing the pie moving forward".
February 17, 2011
Applied Process CEO John Keough presented "Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) - A Green Alternative" at the 59th India Foundry Congress on February 12th. The Congress is India's leading fair on foundry technology, equipment and supplies. Keough's presentation discusses the light weight and low energy properties of Austempered Ductile Iron as a "green" alternative to "lightweight" metals such as aluminum and magnesium. "The design community is largely unfamiliar with the properties of ADI," said Keough. "ADI components can be designed with less waste and at lower life-cycle energy than many comparable designs in steel, aluminum or magnesium. It can become a very attractive 'green' choice."
February 3, 2011
Applied Process will participate in the Metalcasting Congress, April 5-8 in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Metalcasting Congress is North America's largest annual event for the industry. Sponsored by the American Foundry Society, the Congress will feature more than 200 suppliers. Applied Process is exhibiting in booth 413.
In addition, Dr. Kathy Hayrynen, technical director of Applied Process, Technologies Division, will participate in an overview about the AFS Cast Iron Division April 7 during the Congress.
January 6, 2011
Applied Process is pleased to announce that Dr. Kathy Hayrynen will become the first female president of the Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) in 2012.
Hayrynen has been the technical director of Applied Process, Technologies Division, since 1998. She served in a similar capacity with AP from 1995 to 1998.
In addition to FEF, Kathy is active in the Ductile Iron Society, ASTM International, SAE International, the American Foundry Society and is a fellow of ASM International, which also awarded her the 2009 George A. Roberts Award.
Kathy earned her PhD in Metallurgical Engineering in 1993 from Michigan Technological University.
December 14, 2010
Applied Process' Christopher Bixler's paper "Locally Austempered Ductile Iron (LADI)" was published in the 2010 SAE International Journal of Materials and Manufacturing. Considered among the most outstanding SAE technical papers of the year, Chris Bixler's work in now available for downloading.
There are numerous component applications that would benefit from localized austempering (heat treating only a portion of the component) for either improved wear properties or fatigue strength.
Bixler, et al. work is a great achievement, and indicative of the level of technological expertise at Applied Process," said John Keough, company CEO. To read the entire paper click on the link below.
Article: Locally Austempered Ductile Iron (LADI)
December 2, 2010 - Applied Process Supports the FEF College Industry Conference
Applied Process participated in last month's Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) College Industry Conference, where nearly 250 industry executives, student delegates, key professors and university administrators were in attendance.
FEF is a privately funded scholarship organization established by the metal casting industry in 1947. The FEF helps employers related to the metal casting industry connect with students who are passionate about castings. This year's conference awarded 21 student scholarships and arranged for 90 student delegates to interact with representatives of 36 companies in the metal casting industry.
Applied Process is a long-time contributor to both the FEF and FEF Endowment. Four former FEF students currently hold key management positions with the company: John Keough, CEO, Dr. Kathy Hayrynen, Technical Director, Chad Plant Manager APW, and Chris Bixler, Principal Process Engineer. Dr. Hayrynen is currently on the FEF Board, and Keough is the FEF key contact at the University of Michigan, where he is an Adjunct Professor.
For more information about FEF, visit www.fefinc.org.
Applied Process CEO John Keough (left) and University of Michigan FEF representative Keegan Schrider, a senior Materials Science and Engineering student, at the FEF College Industry Conference.
November 8, 2010 - Applied Process Presents at AFI, Australia
Applied Process' John Keough presented "ADI - A Green Alternative" at the October AFI National Conference and Meeting in Adelaide, Australia. As a result of his presentation, the Australia Ductile Iron Producers Association (ADIPA) made a $1,000 donation to the Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) Endowment Fund. The AFI Conference attracted engineers, scientists, students, educations and manufacturers under the theme "Casting a Greener Future." It is one of the most popular conferences in the country.
"I was thrilled to participate in this conference, and especially for the donation that was made to FEF," said Keough. "Manufacturers in Australia are dedicated to greener systems, and were very interested in what we're doing at Applied Process." To read the entire paper click on the link below.
Article: ADI - A Green Alternative
November 4, 2010 - Justin Lefevre joins the Technical Sales Group at AP
Effective immediately, Justin Lefevre will assume the role of Regional Sales Engineer for the Applied Process companies. His efforts will be focused on Growing the Pie in the Upper Midwest.
Justin joins AP fresh from an assignment at Caterpillar in Peoria, IL, where he worked in their metallurgy lab. Justin also has foundry experience from a previous post at East Jordan Iron Works.
Justin earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He brings a strong mechanical engineering influence to the Sales team, and he will surely put that background to work helping our customers to move conversions from idea to reality.
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October 11, 2010 - Applied Process Supports the Kansas State University Mini Baja Team
David Prieb, President of the KSU Mini Baja team writes that the "Austempered suspension arms drew quite a bit of attention; they were truly unique in design and construction." The team built a car that ran in a Bellingham, WA competition last May, along with 111 other cars. David also said the "arms held up to anything we were able to throw at them. They actually deformed the mounts on the frame and showed no signs of damage."
August 31, 2010 - Applied Process supports American Free Enterprise. Dream Big.
We've joined with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to become a supporter of American Free Enterprise. Click on the logo for more information.
August 23, 2010 - Vasko Popovski, PE has been elevated to Technical Sales Group Leader for the Applied Process family of companies
Effective immediately, Vasko Popovski will assume the role of Group Leader - Technical Sales for the Applied Process companies. In his new role, Vasko will be building and leading a technical sales force capable of supporting AP's sales focus and goals; helping AP to deliver value to customers worldwide.
Vasko joined Applied Process in February of 2008 in a regional sales engineering role. Before that he was National Account Manager for Elkem Metals. Prior to moving into sales Vasko filled various quality and process engineering roles at Harmony Castings, Union Electric Steel, Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Equipment Division and Citation Corporation.
Vasko earned a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of Pittsburgh. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Technology from Kent State University where he was also an instructor. Vasko is a Registered Professional Engineer.
Vasko is very active in the technical associations and is author or co-author on over 10 papers. The AFS Cast Iron Division gave him the "Outstanding Individual Service Award" in 2005 and he was awarded the "Elkem Foundry Division Special Award" in 2006.
And the winner is....Jana Fogarty
At our 2010 Cast Expo booth we held a drawing for one of our Hostile Ducks.
Jana is a Metallurgical Engineer in the Cast Iron Division of Kohler. She is also on the Ductile Iron Research Committee for AFS as well as being a Michigan Tech. grad.
Here she is with Tim Dorn accepting her Hostile Duck.
To read more about the Hostile Duck click on the link below.
Hostile Duck-Industrial Fable.pdf
2010 China International Foundry Exposition in Beijing
Stephen Gladieux and Xia Yong at the joint AP Suzhou and Shanghai Powermax booth during the 2010 China International Foundry Exposition in Beijing. This was the 10th occurrence of this show and a wide variety of foundries and foundry suppliers were present from all over the world. There was a strong focus on new technology for foundries with halls dedicated to furnace manufacturers and supplies, molding and shake out equipment, and other aspects of the foundry process. A great many foundries were exhibiting as well including products ranging from automotive, general industry, and wind power. AP Suzhou teamed up with Shanghai Powermax to answer questions about austempering technology and applications. In general, it was a very fruitful expo.
For Immediate Release from FEF - Foundry Educational Foundation - May, 2010
FEF held its Annual Meeting at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio on April 16, 2010.
At the meeting, the following officers of FEF were approved:
President - Tom Cobett-Research & Dev. Mgr., OmniSource Corp., Strongsville, OH
1st Vice President - Jim Frost-Assistant Melting Mgr., ACIPCO, Birmingham, AL
2ND VICE PRESIDENT - KATHY HAYRYNEN-TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, APPLIED PROCESS, LIVONIA, MI
Secretary - Joe Costabile-Sales Engineer, Hickman, Williams & Co., Oak Brook, IL
Treasurer - Rob Steele-NA Operations Mgr.-S&B Industrial Minerals NA Inc., St. Augustine, FL
Immediate Past President - Jerry Clancey-V.P. Sales, Fairmount Minerals, Benton Harbor, MI
Applied Process, Inc., the World Wide Leaders in Austempering Technology would like to congratulate Dr. Kathy Hayrynen on her appointment.
2010 4-14
SAE paper 2010-01-0652, Locally Austempered Ductile Iron (LADI) by Christopher Bixler, Kathy Hayrynen and John Keough of Applied Process Inc., George Pfaffmann of AjaxTocco Magnathermic and Scott Gledhill of ThyssenKrupp Waupaca was presented today at the SAE Congress in Detroit. Chris Bixler introduced the LADI concept in the camshaft application detailed in the paper. The LADI process can deliver high allowable contact stresses, low process variation and a lower component price than assembled, steel billet or surface hardened ductile iron camshafts. Applied Process Inc., AjaxTocco, ThyssenKrupp Waupaca and Linamar have formed a collaborative effort to bring this exciting new process to market. For more information email us at info@appliedprocess.com.
LOCALLY AUSTEMPERED DUCTILE IRON (LADI)
TO BE INTRODUCED AT SAE WORLD CONGRESS 2010
Livonia, Mich....March 31, 2010
Applied Process, Inc. along with Ajax Tocco Magnethermic Corporation, ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, Inc., and Linamar Corporation will debut a revolutionary surface Austemper heat treatment process called Locally Austempered Ductile Iron (LADI) at the SAE World Congress on April 14, 2010.
LADI is a cost effective, high-performance induction based heat treatment process that allows localized regions of a cast iron component to be austempered, which achieves improved wear properties and contact fatigue strength over similar surface hardening heat treatments. The LADI process has been developed utilizing unalloyed grades of ductile iron allowing for reduced casting cost and increased machine tool life. The LADI process has been validated as a material process combination for automotive camshafts. Powertrain components, gears, ground engaging equipment, wear surfaces and railroad components could also benefit from the LADI process.
"There is currently a need in the automotive industry for materials that can handle contact stresses in excess of 1700 MPa that are cost effective but do not sacrifice performance," stated Philip R. Guys, Vice President of Engineering at McLaren Performance Technologies. "We think LADI will fit this need perfectly."
Locally Austempered Ductile Iron (LADI) will be presented at the 2010 SAE World Congress during the Casting Materials M402 technical session at 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday, April 14 in room D0-03A.
More information on the LADI process is available by contacting Chris Bixler at cbixler@appliedprocess.com or +1-734-464-8000 extension 227.
March 29, 2010
University of Michigan MSE 365 Lab at Joyworks Studio
John Keough, CEO of Applied Process and Adjunct Professor at UoM recently hosted the (now annual) MSE 365 metal casting lab at his Joyworks studio. Professor Brian Love, several graduate assistants and 52 MSE students participated in the lab over three days in March. Personal lost foam creations and UoM seals produced in chemically bonded sand molds were poured in aluminum during the labs. The students prepared the molds and poured them. The students also ran thermocoupled cooling rate studies and cast some chill samples for subsequent microstructural investigation. Mr. Keough was assisted by (Dr. Kathy Hayrynen (AP's Technical Director) and AP's Principal Process Engineer, Chris Bixler. Applied Process is dedicated to the metal casting industry and the education of young technologists.
February 15, 2010
Applied Process would like to congratulate Steve Sumner, Plant Manager at AP Livonia. Steve ran in the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon in January. He had a clock time of 3:27:11 putting his overall place at 526 out of 5741 runners and his division place at 55 out of 460 runners. Steve's time also qualified him to run in the Boston marathon in April 2010.
February 2, 2010
Recently in Metal Casting Design and Purchasing magazine there was an article published by our own team entitled Agricultural Applications of Austempered Iron. The article talks about several developments that have occurred in the past few years regarding the use of austempering applications in the agricultural industry. To read the entire article click on the link below.
Article: Agricultural Applications of Austempered Iron
January 12, 2010
Tim Dorn, VP of Sales and Marketing, gave a talk today at the Agriculture Equipment Technology Conference in Orlando, Florida. Here he is with Neal Stoffel, Sr. Project Engineer, Kondex Corporation, Lomira, Wisconsin. Neal was the Program Chair for the Supplier Showcase . The Supplier Showcase was a session to feature newer technologies and innovations in the agriculture industry with the most up-to-date information. This was held in conjunction with the AG Connect 2010 Expo. Tim's talk was on the Advantages in Utilizing Austempered Ductile Iron.
November 16, 2009
In a recent article posted on "themonty" The Keough family is listed as one of the 25 Most Influential People in the North American Heat Treating Industry. The entire paragraph reads "The Keough Family. Bill and Chip. Very unfortunately Bob Keough the founder of AFC-Holcroft passed away this past year however the legacy he leaves lives in his two sons Chip as President of Applied Process (commercial salt heat treating) and Bill as President of AFC-Holcroft (new furnaces). Applied Process is the largest commercial salt heat treating in North America, AFC-Holcroft one of the largest builders of new furnaces.
November 1, 2009
Applied Process is celebrating 25 years of excellence and commitment to our customers and employees.
Applied Process, Inc. began as an experimental division of the Atmosphere Furnace Company. It's charter was to develop new and unique ways of processing heavier parts with particular interest in austempering of cast irons. AP grew into a stand alone business and was incorporated in 1984 with John R. (Chip) Keough as President. As business continued to increase, AP moved to its current location in Livonia, Michigan. The 33,000 square foot plant provided the room needed for continued growth. Commercial interested in austempered cast irons has continued to increase. Applied Process now operates 4 wholly owned companies and licensees in Australia, England and India.
October 27, 2009
Applied Process, Inc. is pleased to announce that Dr. Kathy L. Hayrynen, FASM has received the 2009 George A. Roberts Award. This award was established by the ASM Materials Education Foundation in 2003. It is presented annually to an individual "who has made a significant impact to reach students and teachers, in efforts to increase awareness of materials and applied science careers."
Kathy received her BS, MS and PhD in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and then joined the AP family in 1995. She served as a volunteer for the first ASM Materials Camp for high school teachers at the University of Michigan in 2003. Within a short time, she assumed responsibility as the local coordinator of this camp.
Kathy has held various positions at ASM including the Education Chair of the Detroit Chapter and in 2002 she entered the officers' rotation, serving as the Chapter Chair in 2004/2005. She was instrumental in starting the first ASM Student Chapter at the middle school level.
Over the years, Kathy has received numerous awards and honors for her professional and volunteer activities, including ASM Fellow, the 2006 ASM Detroit Chapter Service Award and the 2008 ASM Detroit Chapter President's Award.
We are happy to have Kathy on our team and wish her continued success.
August 31, 2009
John R. (Chip) Keough, CEO of Applied Process has been made an Adjunct Professor at University of Michigan’s Material Science and Engineering Department in the College of Engineering. Mr. Keough is a 1977 graduate of Michigan and holds BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering. He is also a Registered Professional Engineer. He has been active on the UoM MSE Alumni Advisory Board for many years.
His role at UoM will be to supplement and assist the department faculty with instructional and lab based activities related to metals, and specifically, to metal castings. The picture shown here was taken during a lab module of a 300-level materials processing course. In the module, the students studied the history of metal castings and designed and made castings at Mr. Keough’s Joyworks Studio in Ann Arbor. MSE 365 instructor, Professor Brian Love (left), the students and their teaching assistant and John Keough (right) are shown in this photo). One of the more creative castings from the UoM students is shown below.
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June 9, 2009
John R. (Chip) Keough, CEO of Applied Process Inc., is pleased to announce that AP Suzhou in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China has attained ISO 9001:2008 status joining its sister plants; Applied Process (Livonia, Michigan), AP Westshore (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) and AP Southridge (Elizabethtown, Kentucky) with ISO certification. The AP family of companies is dedicated to providing the highest quality Austempering services available anywhere, on time and at competitive prices. For more information contact: cduman@appliedprocess.com or tdorn@appliedprocess.com.
January 1, 2009 - Chad Moder appointed Plant Manager
Applied Process Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Chad Moder as Plant Manager of the AP Westshore facility located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Chad joined AP in 2007 with a Bachelors’s degree in Industrial Technology Management from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and has several years of foundry production and metallurgical experience. Chad is currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
July 1, 2008 - Tim Dorn appointed Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Oshkosh, Wisconsin – AP Westshore, Inc., a member of the Applied Process family of companies has added Chad Moder as their new Assistant Plant Manager.Applied Process is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Dorn as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Tim joined the Applied Process family of companies at our AP Westshore facility in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 2003, under the direction of John Wagner, Chief Operations Officer. Tim is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BS is Materials Science. He has extensive technical experience in Manufacturing, Engineering, Purchasing and Sales roles, including 15 years of practical foundry experience. He is married with two children, is an avid Packers fan. Tim reports to John Keough, CEO, and will continue to work out of Wisconsin.
June 9, 2008 – AP Westshore, Inc. Adds Assistant Plant Manager
Chad is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a B.S. in Industrial Technology-Materials and Materials Processing. He is currently working on his MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Chad has several years of foundry production and metallurgical experience, including Cupola melting, molten metal processing and defect analysis and reduction. Chad brings over 6 years of management experience with him as well as a background in Lean Manufacturing principals. Chad is also a member of the American Foundry Society (AFS).
Chad will report to AP Westshore’s Timothy Dorn, Plant Manager, and will be an integral part of assisting our customers with their technical and product needs, as well as helping the AP Westshore company exceed our customer’s high quality standards.
We are pleased and excited to have Chad join our team.
March 25, 2008 – Applied Process, Inc. Expands Sales Force
Livonia, Michigan – The Applied Process family of companies has expanded its sales force with the addition of a Regional Sales Engineer position and is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Vasko Popovski.
Mr. Popovski is a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin. . He received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and B.A. in Economics from The University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. in Technology from Kent State University. .
Vasko also brings over 15 years experience in Engineering, Management and Sales in the foundry industry. He has authored and published seven technical papers. As an instructor, Vasko has also conducted numerous technical seminars for clients, professional groups, and University students.
He is active with American Foundry Society as Chair of the 5L Committee on Molten Metal Processing. Vasko also serves on two other AFS Cast Iron Division committees.
AP’s COO, John Wagner, said “This combination of education, experience and active involvement in industry organizations will surely help us continue to achieve our Corporate Goals.”
May 18th 2007 – ADI Seed Boot Receives Prestigious Casting of the Year Award!
Smith Foundry Co., Minneapolis, MN. claimed the top prize in the annual Casting of the Year Competition hosted by Engineered Cast Solutions Magazine and the American Foundry Society for their Rangeland Planter Boot casting submission. Their conversion of a multiple piece steel weldment to an Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) one piece thin walled (0.25 in) casting achieved a 65% cost reduction, 15% weight reduction and a 50% reduction in lead time over its fabricated counterpart. Increased wear properties are also expected to be achieved and will be validated during field use. The previous weldment averaged only 500 acres of planting before it needed to be changed.
Applied Process, Inc. would like to congratulate Smith Foundry on a job well done!
For the full PDF version of the article please click here.
May 17, 2007 – History and Properties of Grade 750 ADI
A paper titled “The History and Properties of Grade 750 ADI” was presented by Dr. Kathy L. Hayrynen at the AFS Casting Congress in Houston on May 17, 2007. This paper describes the development of Grade 750 ADI since the early 1970’s in addition to providing data from research in progress at Applied Process Technologies Division.
The paper is co-authored by John R. Keough, CEO of the Applied Process Companies. It is available as part of the 2007 Transactions of the American Foundry Society.
May 16, 2007 – AFS Presents Best Paper Awards
The American Foundry Society presented the 2007 Best Paper Award for the Cast Iron Division to Dr. Kathy L. Hayrynen and co-authors Dennis Moore, Jason Parolini and Dr. Karl Rundman from Michigan Technological University for their paper titled ”On the Thermal Stability of Ausferrite in Austempered Gray Iron Components for Long Exposure High-Temperature Applications.”
Dr. Hayrynen presented this paper at the 2006 AFS Casting Congress. It summarizes the results of a thermal stability study on the material used to produce gray cast iron cylinder liners for diesel engines.
Best paper awards for the American Foundry Society are determined by peer review of papers submitted for publication in AFS Transactions. This is the fourth best paper award for Dr. Hayrynen, three of which were co-authored with Rundman and Moore.