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A D V A N C E D

M A T E R I A L S

&

P R O C E S S E S |

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R

2 0 1 5

6 1

CHTE UPDATE

5

MPI AND CHTE TO DIRECT ROADMAP

IMPLEMENTATION FOR ADVANCING

THERMAL MANUFACTURING

Thermal manufacturing plays a major role in the U.S.

economy, employing more than five million people and pro-

ducing nearly $3 trillion in value of product shipments annu-

ally. It promises to play an even greater role in the near future

with the launching of a new roadmap,

Advancing Thermal

Manufacturing: A Technology Roadmap to 2020

, developed

by a consortium of experts from industry and academia.

Its purpose is to accelerate the development, ad-

aptation, and implementation of advanced technologies

throughout the thermal manufacturing community. These

advances will drive greater efficiency and productivity in

manufacturing, resulting in improved sustainability and

global competitiveness.

The roadmap was developed over the past year by the

Thermal Manufacturing Industries Advanced Technology

Consortium (TMI ATC), a working group under the direc-

tion of ASM International including the Metal Processing

Institute (MPI) and the Center for Heat Treating Excellence

(CHTE), both located at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

(WPI). Other group members include the Industrial Heat-

ing Equipment Association (IHEA), Metal Treating Institute

(MTI), Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST),

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Forging Industry

Association (FIA), and the ASM Heat Treating Society (ASM

HTS). Through facilitated workshops, TMI ATC gathered in-

put for the roadmap from trade associations, professional

societies, academic researchers, and companies who con-

duct thermal manufacturing processes. TMI ATC is funded

by an 18-month planning grant from the National Institute

of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Manufac-

turing Technology Consortium (AMTech).

Thermal manufacturing consists of a wide range of heat-driven

processes used in nearly every manufacturing industry. Cour-

tesy of Nexight Group.

The benefits of thermal manufacturing have a far reaching

impact. Courtesy of Nexight Group.

Up to now, various manufacturing sectors like heat

treating, drying, curing and forming, extractive processing,

metal casting, and technology transfer worked independent-

ly to enhance thermal manufacturing processes. Because

these groups were acting alone, attracting the resources

necessary to implement their plans was difficult. Thus, many

challenges to developing and deploying advanced manu-

facturing technologies highlighted in earlier studies remain

unaddressed today.

“This is the first time a thermal manufacturing group

representing various sectors is working together to pool re-

sources and knowledge,” explains Terry Mosier, managing

director of ASM International. “Collaboration is critical, and

ASM is pleased to lead this initiative with help from MPI,

CHTE, andmany others.”

ROADMAP PRIORITIES

There are seven priority action items in TMI ATC’s road-

map. Four that require research and development work that

will be carried out by MPI and CHTE staff and resources at

WPI include:

Increasing the robustness of materials used in ther-

mal-processing equipment