Illinois Institute of Technology forges partnerships with leaders in Chicago’s “heat and beat” metal processing industry
The Illinois Institute of Technology’s Thermal Processing Technology Center (TPTC) has just received a piece of experimental equipment that will enable researchers to physically simulate thermo-mechanical processes in an area the size of a kitchen cabinet.
IIT’s new Gleeble 3500 is the only one of its kind on a university campus in North America. It can heat metals to up to several thousand degrees, temperatures normally reached only in large industrial metal processing plants. Being able to generate these temperatures in a small area lets researchers study the effects of high heat on new metals or alloys. The Gleeble also collects and analyzes data about metal samples as they heat up and are bent or compressed by the machine.
“This is definitely something of value to companies in metal processing and manufacturing because it allows us to simulate their processes and give them hard data that can help them process their metals more efficiently,” says Philip Nash, professor of mechanical, materials & aerospace engineering and director of the TPTC
The new Gleeble is the centerpiece of IIT’s Thermal Processing Technology Center, which opened its doors in January of 2000 on IIT’s Main Campus in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. The Center offers membership to companies interested in using its equipment and faculty expertise to perform basic and applied research in thermal processing.
“We don't posses the full suite of resources in-house to always do the kind of metallurgical research we'd like to do,” says Carl Hybinette, Manager, Process Engineering of Union Tank Car, one of the TPTC’s members. “A center like TPTC lets us supplant the work when needed -- they provide equipment and expertise and we work together to perform research that will ultimately improve our product quality.”
Chicago has the highest concentration of forge shops, welding companies and
metal manufacturing plants in one city. And all of them are looking for better, cheaper and faster ways to thermally process metals. Since it opened, the Center has partnered with five local companies to provide them with research on thermal processing. The companies are Scot Forge, A. Finkl & Sons, Union Tank Car, Elkay Manufacturing and Amsted Industries.
In addition to the it’s unique heat treatment facility and technical personnel, the Center also offers companies the opportunity to leverage their research dollars by combining them with funding from state and federal sources to augment member’s annual membership fees. Annual membership fees run from $5,000 to $30,000.
The Thermal Processing Technology Center has received grants from the Center for Heat Treat Excellence to work on projects involving Caterpillar, John Deere and Ipsen International. The TPTC has also received a grant from the State of Illinois Technology Challenge Grant. The Center is a partnership between IIT and its affiliate, the IIT Research Institute.
About Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 16 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
