Page 12 - MetalForming December 2011

Materials & Coatings
World Steel Demand Up, and Still Climbing
The World Steel Association (worldsteel), out of Brussels, Belgium, has forecast an increase of 6.5 percent in global steel use in 2011 compared to 2010, and fore- casts additional growth of 5.4 percent in 2012. In a press release, the worldsteel Eco- nomics Committee says: “Our current forecast for 2012 assumes that developing economies continue to drive global growth and the policy response to the European sovereign debt crisis prevents increased volatility in the equity and financial markets....Our forecast should be considered as cautiously optimistic.” Among the committee’s pre- dictions: Steel use in 2012 will rise by 6 percent in China, 7.9 percent in India, 5.2 percent in the United States and 9.8 percent in Central and South America. www.worldsteel.org
Unique Aluminum-Oxide Coating for Aluminum Medical Devices
reusable medical equipment fabricated from aluminum. “Considering design, weight, thermal conductivity, strength and total cost, cases, trays, handles, fix- turing and other devices made from alu- minum are preferable,” says SPC president Tim Cabot, “to those made from stainless steel or plastic. However,” he adds, “the cleaning, disinfection and sterilization pro- tocols commonly used by central service stations in hospitals and clinics worldwide can be highly corrosive to aluminum. Arti- cles can lose their original finish and, eventually, their usefulness. At SPC we listened to the medical community and knew the market was looking for a bet- ter, more-cost efficient solution. While the coating dramatically increases the total service life of each part, it maintains all of the important characteristics of sulfuric acid anodizing.”
Sanford Process Corp.: 401/597-5000;
www.micralox.com
Micralox, a new aluminum-oxide coat- ing for finishing aluminum medical devices, has been developed by the Sanford Process Corp. (SPC), Woonsocket, RI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Duralec- tra-CHN. The Micralox process creates a
microcrystalline barrier that reportedly pro- duces a long lasting, virtually indestruc- tible surface coating that resists chem- ical corrosion and eliminates color fading.
Company representatives note a grow- ing need for new approaches to finish
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MetalForming/December 2011
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