Alcoa’s Board Approves Separation of Company Alcoa, Inc.’s board of directors has recently approved completion of the company’s separation into two independent, publicly traded companies. Arconic (formerly Alcoa, Inc.) will be a global provider of high-performance materials and engineered products. Alcoa Corp. will be an industry provider of bauxite, alumina, and aluminum products. The separation is scheduled to become effective before the opening of the market on November 1. Klaus Kleinfeld will serve as Arconic chairman and CEO. Michael Morris will become nonexecutive chairman of Alcoa Corp. Roy Harvey, current group president of the Alcoa Global Primary Products business, will be its CEO. NASA Completes Fuel Tank Welding for the Space Launch System Rocket’s First Flight Welding is finished on the largest piece of the core stage to provide fuel for the first flight of NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), along with the Orion spacecraft in 2018. Welding on the core stage liquid hydrogen tank was completed at the Vertical Assembly Center at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La. Standing more than 130 ft tall, it is the largest cryogenic fuel tank for a rocket in the world. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank are part of the core stage of the SLS rocket that will stand at more than 200 ft tall. Together, the tanks will hold 733,000 gal of propellant and feed the vehicle’s four RS-25 engines to produce 2 million lb of thrust. More than 1.7 miles of welds have been completed for the core stage hardware at Michoud. The SLS will also have the payload capacity to carry crew and cargo for future exploration missions. TRUMPF Founds Venture Capital Company TRUMPF Venture GmbH, Ditzingen, Germany, is set to fund promising young companies that want to play a major role in shaping the industry’s future. Over the coming five years, this venture will establish an investment portfolio of around $40 million Euros. “Once we get into our stride, we plan to participate in around five startups per year. As a strategic investor, we want to use our network, our industrial production expertise, and our technological know-how to assist startups with market launch and successful growth,” said Christof Siebert, head of technology management at TRUMPF. The company is interested in the fields of photonics and digitally connected production as well as new manufacturing processes, smart components, and high-tech materials. Chattanooga State Awarded Nearly $1 Million Grant to Promote Workforce Development The Tennessee Higher Education Commission recently announced that Chattanooga State Community College, Chattanooga, Tenn., has been awarded a $939,623 grant through the Labor Education Alignment Program. The college will serve eight high schools to help produce a more qualified workforce in the state. Tyner, Central, and East Hamilton in Hamilton County are focused on mechatronics; Sequoyah students are dedicated to welding and machining training; Marion County and South Pittsburg high schools offer welding, machine tool, and robotics; Whitwell will launch industry-driven industrial maintenance training; and Bledsoe County High School has a manufacturing cluster, including welding. U.S. Department of Labor Recognizes Hypertherm for Safety and Health Practices Hypertherm, Hanover, N.H., a manufacturer of plasma, laser, and waterjet cutting systems, has earned Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star recognition for its manufacturing facility at 71 Heater Road in Lebanon. The company demonstrated a comprehensive safety and health management system involving associates from all levels, submitted records, underwent 5-day evaluations by teams of OSHA professionals, and maintained injury/illness rates below U.S. government averages for its industry. Nearly a hundred associates celebrated with OSHA representatives and dignitaries during a ceremony at its newest VPP facility. Dignitaries included representatives from New Hampshire, Governor Maggie Hassan’s office, and the offices of Senators Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen. This recognition means all seven of Hypertherm’s New Hampshire manufacturing locations are VPP Star worksites. PRESS TIME NEWS 10 WELDING JOURNAL / NOVEMBER 2016 WJ Recently, the core stage liquid hydrogen tank completed welding on the Vertical Assembly Center at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. It stands more than 130 ft tall. (Photo courtesy of NASA/MAF/Steven Seipel.) Hypertherm Safety Champions Tracy Hannett, David Cushman II, and Andy Barraby pose with OSHA Region I Deputy Regional Administrator Jeff Erksine (second from left).
Welding Journal | November 2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above