Manufacturing

Manufacturing Sciences Corporation has the metallurgical expertise to successfully produce cost effective, high quality products.       Manufacturing Equipment and Services       Products From Depleted Uranium

Manufacturing Equipment and Services

MSC's manufacturing plant is a fully integrated manufacturing facility with the capacity to melt, cast, roll or machine products from many specialty metals such as steel, aluminum, uranium, tantalum, and niobium. MSC remains the sole commercial facility in the world with the capability to cast, roll and machine products from depleted uranium (DU). While DU accounts for approximately half of MSC's annual sales revenue, the rolling and manufacturing of specialty metals is an important and growing component of our business.

MSC has extensive experience in all areas of metal manufacturing and processing. Our metallurgical staff and production technicians are committed to working closely with our customers to achieve the expected results. MSC has a close, working relationship with the staff at the Department of Energy National Laboratories and Technology Centers. This relationship helps us put the latest technologies and processes to work for our customers.

Some of MSC's equipment and processes include:

Casting Furnaces MSC maintains two vacuum induction-melting furnaces. These two top loading, bottom pouring furnaces are designed for 10,000 pounds of uranium and are powered by a 300 kW power supply. Our casting experience includes melting various specialty metals including steel, nickel, and depleted uranium. In fact, MSC produced the largest, single-piece depleted uranium casting in the world.

Rolling Mill MSC's rolling mill is a four-high, reversing rolling mill, with 2,500 tons of separating force and 30-foot, fully enclosed ventilated entry and exit tables with the capability to roll up to 39 inches in width. With both electric and gas fired preheating furnaces, MSC has the capacity to perform hot, warm and cold rolling.

In 1999, MSC added in-line infrared heating capability in order to more efficiently roll high strength composite aluminum alloys. In November 2002, MSC completed a $1.2 million upgrade to our rolling mill. The rolling mill upgrade integrated new state of the art electronic controls along with a renewal of the mill's mechanical components. The rolling mill crew is highly experienced in rolling difficult-to-process materials such as tantalum, niobium, molybdenum, and titanium. Additionally, our staff welcomes the opportunity to work one-on-one with the customer in order to achieve the results they desire for thin gauge, difficult-to-process metals.

Specialty Rolling Capabilities MSC utilizes pack rolling to roll sheets as thin as 0.004 inches. The pack rolling process stacks multiple sheets of material together separated by a release agent to prevent roll bonding during processing. MSC's pack rolling technology has successfully been used to roll beryllium aluminum, aluminum, uranium, titanium aluminide, and molybdenum. MSC is able to cross roll material up to 39 inches in width. MSC has successfully roll-bonded a variety of materials.

Salt Bath MSC may use a 4' x 6' x 10' salt bath to preheat selected materials prior to rolling. The salt bath operates at a maximum temperature of 750º Celsius and is capable of preheating six tons per hour to rolling temperature.

Preheating Furnaces MSC has one gas-fired and three electric furnace for preheating ingots prior to hot or warm rolling. The gas-fired Tedesco furnace operates at a maximum temperature of 2,500º Fahrenheit and is capable of heating several tons per hour to rolling temperature. The GE electric furnace and 2 Lindberg electric furnaces operate at a maximum temperature of 2,000º F and can be used for ingot preheating or product heat treatment. Our casting experience includes melting various specialty metals including steel, nickel and depleted uranium. MSC has provided the largest, single-piece depleted uranium casting in the world.

Vacuum Heat Treat Furnaces MSC's American heat treat furnace operates at a vacuum of 10¯² torr. The furnace is capable of heating material to a temperature of 1,200º Celsius and vacuum quenching with inert gases. This furnace has internal measurements of 42 inches wide by 15 feet long, but may accommodate longer material depending on handling requirements.

• Fabrication Support Equipment

  MSC's fabrication shop includes the following equipment:

  Hydraulic shears
  Press break
  100 ton press
  300 ton press
  Three-roll benders

Machine Shop MSC's machine shop includes the following equipment: Haas VF 6/40 vertical machining center Haas SL 30 CNC lathe Mori Seiki Duracenter 5 machining center Okuma Howa V100R vertical turret lathe Leblond lathe CNC Hardinge Lathe Two vertical Allient mills (700 lb. Capacity) Horizontal band saws

• Welding

  MSC maintains Metal Inert Gas (MIG), Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) capabilities. All MSC welders are certified under ASME Section 9.

  Additionally, MSC welders are fully capable of compliance with any additional certification requirements necessary to meet our customers needs.

  Properly trained personnel perform all welding in accordance with documented procedures. Non-destructive examination of welds is conducted according to customer and MSC Quality Assurance requirements.

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Products From Depleted Uranium

Since 1985, MSC has converted over 6 million pounds of depleted uranium into more than 70,000 safe, useful products. MSC has performed this work under a radioactive material operating license issued by the State of Tennessee under NRC guidelines. MSC performs its depleted uranium operations in a special controlled area that is continuously monitored and where the air is drawn through high energy filters to remove any airborne dust and particles.

MSC has the only depleted uranium rolling mill licensed for commercial use in the United States. MSC can also cast depleted uranium into various shapes and then machine the part to tight tolerances. Depending on the depleted uranium application, MSC can also clad the uranium in stainless steel or coat the depleted uranium in a safe material for human handling.

Depleted uranium products manufactured by MSC include components for scientific instruments to containers for spent fuel shipping casks. Depleted uranium is an excellent shield against nuclear radiation, and therefore is used as a lining for radwaste containers that are being shipped for processing or disposal. The depleted uranium can be rolled into sheets and then formed in MSC’s drum making equipment into a cylinder that can then be seam welded and used as a sleeve shield for a radwaste container.

In the medical field, depleted uranium has been used for biomedical isotope shields, calorimeters, and radiographic cameras. Depleted uranium can be melted and molded into shapes that use the shielding and density characteristics of the metal to absorb radiation or to direct it in a particular direction depending on its medical application.

Another excellent application for depleted uranium is as a counterweight. Currently, depleted uranium is used as a counterweight in both commercial and military aircraft. Because of its density, 18.95 gm/cc, depleted uranium can supply a significant mass in a small area. Counterweights can be moved to compensate for fuel consumption or shifting cargo loads.

Depleted uranium is currently being investigated as a replacement for lead in elevator counterweights, fork truck counterbalances, and crane counterweights. Because of the density of depleted uranium, the appropriate mass takes up significantly less space allowing for either a more compact design or room for additional components.

Users Guide to MSC Materials - Depleted Uranium

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