. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inDustry neWs
IBC Advanced Alloys Opens Investment Casting Plant, Wins Supply Agreement IBC Advanced Alloys Corp., Van-
couver, Canada, has opened a new 63,000-sq.-ft. investment casting facil- ity in Wilmington, Mass. In addition, the company has
signed an exclusive supply contract to provide investment cast engi- neered components to a designer and manufacturer of high-technol- ogy assembly equipment. The cus- tomer, which IBC declined to name, has agreed to an exclusive supply agreement to ensure supply certain- ty for between one and three years. The company has had preferred supplier status with the customer since it acquired its Massachusetts- based Engineered Materials division in March 2010. IBC said in a press release the new plant would “signifi- cantly increase” its capacity for the production of near-net-shape cast- ings and that it represents a “major investment.” The company did not divulge exact figures for capacity increases or total spending. IBC indicated the new investment
casting plant would support the growth of its Engineered Materials
division. The plant will be used to cast a proprietary family of light- weight alloys. “The opening of the new Engi-
neered Materials facility underscores IBC’s commitment to its Beralcast alloys and proprietary casting tech- nologies,” said Ray White, president of IBC Engineered Materials. “This new facility has been designed specifically to meet our customers’ increasingly technical requirements and high quality standards, while accommodating faster and more demanding delivery schedules.” The company said the new facil-
ity has a more streamlined process flow and incorporates additional equipment to improve production efficiencies over its previous opera- tions. The plant also includes a sec- ond furnace that will increase capac- ity. IBC expects to increase employ-
ment at the Wilmington plant and to add up to 40 manufacturing and engineering personnel over the next three years. IBC is a manufacturer and dis-
tributor of rare metals- (primarily beryllium) based alloys and related products serving a variety of indus- tries, including nuclear energy, au- tomotive, telecommunications and industrial applications. IBC has 80 employees in production facilities in Indiana, Massachusetts, Pennsyl- vania and Missouri. The company also owns prospective beryllium properties in the Western U.S. covering approximately 9,500 hectares. “This investment and plant open-
ing represents a significant event in our IBC’s history,” said Anthony Dutton, IBC’s president and chief executive officer of IBC.
METAL
Metalcaster Thresher Officially Releases New Composite
(continued from page 12) Thresher said it expects the new
material to be beneficial in electri- cal devices that require the removal of heat. The company estimates the market for such electronic heat sinks currently exceeds $1.5 billion in North America. Thresher casts primarily metal
matrix composites for the agricul- ture, aerospace, defense, transpor- tation and automotive markets in the U.S. and Europe. The company announced in March it was work- ing with one of its automotive cus- tomers on developing ThermaLite as part of an effort to refocus the company’s marketing strategy. METAL
July/August 2011 For Design engineers & PurchAsers 13
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