Past AIST Committee Activities

Current Activities

The Galvanizing Technology Committee (GTC) met May 5, 2010, during AISTech in Pittsburgh, Pa. Stavros Fountoulakis of ArcelorMittal, chair of the GTC, opened the meeting by welcoming everyone. He reviewed the AIST Anti-Trust Guidelines, and the attendees agreed to abide by them. Eric Almquist of Star Tool and Die agreed to take the meeting minutes. The minutes from the March 10–11 GTC meeting were reviewed and approved as written. The GTC officers were elected as follows: Stavros Fountoulakis was re-elected as chair, Eric Almquist was re-elected as vice chair, Joe McDermid from McMaster University and Frank Goodwin from International Zinc Association will be the papers chairs, Dan Cerrone of Siemens VAI will be the membership chair, Jerry Vellente from Ajax Tocco Magnethermic will be the program planning chair and Gary Dallin from Steel Technology Services will be the education chair. The GTC mission statement was reviewed and approved without change, so it still reads: “The Galvanizing Technology Committee seeks to advance technological capabilities for hot-dip coated products and processes. The committee accomplishes these goals by organizing meetings, workshops, plant visits and technical sessions for the mutual benefit of producers and suppliers.” Professor McDermid reviewed the program development status for the MS&T’10 session entitled, “Advancements in Processing and Properties of Zinc-Coated Advanced High-Strength Steels.” MS&T’10 is scheduled for Oct. 17–20 in Houston, Texas. The GTC objectives for 2010–2011 were established and will focus on organizing successful meetings and workshops. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 15–16, 2010, in the Toledo/Detroit area, with the main focus on annealing furnaces.

The Galvanizing Technology Committee (GTC) held a meeting in Independence, Ohio, on March 10–11, 2010, with 107 attendees. Stavros Fountoulakis of ArcelorMittal greeted the attendees and reviewed the agenda. Eric Almquist of Star Tool & Die agreed to record the meeting minutes. Dr. Fountoulakis reviewed the AIST Anti-Tust Guidelines, and everyone agreed to abide by them. The final details for the GTC’s AISTech 2010 sessions were reviewed. Brian Lippert of ArcelorMittal gave a safety overview presentation regarding ArcelorMittal Cleveland’s hot-dip galvanizing line (HDGL). He highlighted the company’s personal protection equipment requirements and explained their specific procedures around the galvanizing pot “red zone” and the dross robot. He also explained the “weld approaching” alarms, pre-melt pot measures, and dross-platform configurations. A question-and-answer period followed, with significant discussion. Participants were asked to introduce themselves, their responsibilities and their company. Business cards were collected and are posted on the GTC’s Members Only area of AIST.org. An informal technical program began after the introductions. Each presenter was given 15–20 minutes to introduce a topic, and then 20 minutes were allotted for discussion between the participants and the presenter. The following is an overview of the topics and presentations. All presentations are posted in the Members Only area of the GTC Web site.
Topic 1: Pot Hardware and Peripheral Equipment: Daniel Plaetzer of Band-Zink presented “Zn-Pot Hardware for Automotive Galv Lines: Basic Design.” He overviewed many factors that affect coating performance by explaining appropriate design details of each component. He also provided two case studies for zinc pot hardware. Mr. Plaetzer finished with an outlook on R&D efforts. Kevin Young of Hatch presented “Longer Operating Windows Through Pot Equipment Design.” He gave an overview of some recent advances in pot rig design. He placed special emphasis on rig changes, restarts and automation. Luc Warichet of CMI presented “Three- vs. Two-Roll Hardware Systems.” He discussed the fundamentals and strengths/weaknesses of 2- and 3-roll rigs. His particular emphasis was on long-bow vs. cross-bow, with the importance of knife accuracy and strip flatness. He explained the use of each rig roll to optimize equalization of stresses and yielding within the strip — to minimize cross-bow. He asserted that EM-stabilization alone cannot perfectly correct cross-bow.
Topic 2: Coatings for Pot Hardware: Dennis Green of ASB Industries presented “Thermal Spray Surfacing, Welding and Seal Treatments.” He focused on the process of handling, preparing, applying coatings to, repairing and inspecting zinc-pot rolls. Bill Jarosinski of Praxair presented “Status of Pot Roll Coating Technology.” His presentation focused on the details of different roll coatings and methods to apply them to the rolls. Mr. Lippert briefed the group on the ArcelorMittal Cleveland HDGL and the tour plan. The committee adjourned for the day in order to conduct the line tour.
The second day began with a review of the previous day and questions about snout tips, pot roll coatings, pre-heating rigs/rolls. The technical program then continued as follows:
Topic 3: Pot Bearings/Bushings, Sleeves, End-Caps: Dr. Mark Bright of Pyrotek presented “Dynamics of Journal Bearings on the Stabilizer and Sink Rolls in a Zinc Pot.” He reviewed the fundamentals of failure modes, effects and physics of zinc-pot bushing/bearings. Mark Hall of McDanel Advanced Ceramics presented “Improved Line Performance With Ceramic Bearings — Case Studies.” He reviewed the typical bearing loads per bushing on a 3-roll rig. Dr. N.Y. Tang, of TECK, presented “Sink-Roll Bearings: Lab Evaluation and Field Performance.” He showed process, research and results of their lab-based bearing/bushing test rig.
After the technical program, those interested in AlZn coatings went to a separate room to discuss their specific concerns. About 40 people participated in this 2-hour breakout session regarding >55% Al coatings. There were 30 people interested in the AlZn, and 10 were interested in hardware and other issues regarding aluminized products. After these sessions, a discussion reviewing the meeting and future formats began. There was a consensus that producers will benefit from a producer-only session before and/or after the general meeting. Charles Kay of ASB then gave pre-tour instructions of their facility. The meeting adjourned, followed by lunch, and then about 50% of the participants drove to Barberton, Ohio, and toured ASB Industries.

The Galvanizing Technology Committee (GTC) met on Sept. 15–16 in Toledo, Ohio. The committee did an excellent job of developing a town hall program for the meeting, with the theme “Cost Reduction Through Zinc Savings.” The meeting had more than 80 attendees. The committee chair, Stavros Fountoulakis of ArcelorMittal, opened the meeting and welcomed the attendees, who then introduced themselves. The AIST Anti-Trust Guidelines were read and agreed upon. Frank Goodwin of the International Zinc Association (IZA), and head of ILZRO, reviewed the status of the abstract selection for AISTech 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The GTC will conduct two sessions, one during the morning and another during the afternoon on Monday, May 3, 2010. The committee agreed to pursue developing other workshops and training seminars. The town hall program began in the afternoon with five presentations on the theme “Zinc Savings Through Operating Practices”: “Zinc Pot Management” by Martin Gagne of Xstrata Zinc Canada, “Product Transitions GA to GI and GI to GA” by Joe McDermid of McMaster University, “Zinc and Aluminum Feeding Practices” by Daniel Liu of Teck Metals Ltd., “Dross Buildup on Pot Rolls” by Nai-Yong Tang of Teck Metals Ltd., and “Top and Bottom Dross Removal” by Mr. Goodwin of ILZRO. Each presentation was followed by open discussion to allow the attendees a chance to ask questions and give insight into their own practices and experiences. The next morning was focused on “Zinc Savings Through Coating Control,” and the four presentations were: “New Developments in Coating Knives” by Ned Kohler of Danieli-Kohler, “Coating Knives and Built-In Electromagnetic Strip Stabilizer” by Mike Sloan of Fontaine Engineering, “Coating Weight Control Optimization” by Jim Hetzer of A.C.T., and “Zinc Savings Without Compromising Quality” by Tim Meakin of Hatch IAS. Again, the attendees were encouraged to ask questions and give insights after each presentation. The attendees were then treated to a tour of PRO-TEC Coatings in Leipsic, Ohio. The committee thanks Jeff Stechschulte and his entire team at PRO-TEC for hosting the tour. The next GTC meeting will be in the spring of 2010, with the details to be announced at a later date.

The Galvanizing Technology Committee (GTC) met on Monday, May 4 at AISTech 2009 in St. Louis, Mo. There were 13 GTC members in attendance. The committee co-chair, Eric Almquist of Star Tool and Die, welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked the participants to introduce themselves. Stavros Fountoulakis of ArcelorMittal is the other co-chair. Mr. Almquist offered to take the meeting minutes. The fall 2008 meeting minutes were reviewed, and a lengthy discussion followed regarding the best way to promote and operate the GTC. The general consensus was to have a meeting model developed and proposed to producer management to gain support for what the committee can offer them. Frank Goodwin of the International Lead Zinc Research Organization and Dr. Fountoulakis volunteered to develop the letter and call list. Jim Hetzer of Automation and Control Technology Inc., Steve Devorich of EMG USA Inc., Bill Rovins of Inductotherm Corp., Mike Hanley of Vail Rubber Works Inc., and Mr. Almquist all volunteered to call and interview target contacts, in addition to Dr. Goodwin and Dr. Fountoulakis. Subsequently, Mr. Hetzer was appointed as the GTC membership chair. The committee then reviewed their mission statement and changed it slightly to reflect the intention of serving producers. The mission statement is now, “The Galvanizing Technology Committee seeks to advance technological capabilities for hot-dip coated products and processes. The committee accomplishes these goals by organizing meetings, workshops, plant visits and technical sessions for the mutual benefit of producers and suppliers.” The election of 2009–2010 officers took place, with Dr. Fountoulakis being chosen as the chair and Mr. Almquist as the vice chair. Mr. Almquist and Dr. Fountoulakis received plaques recognizing their leadership for the past year as committee co-chairs. The next GTC meeting was a teleconference meeting on June 18, 2009. This was to allow members with travel restrictions the chance to meet with the other members.

The Galvanizing Technology Committee (GTC) and the Electroplating Technology Committee (EPTC) held a joint meeting Sept. 24–26 in Merrillville, Ind. The meeting began with producers only on the 24th and continued on the 25th with the suppliers. Eric Almquist of Star Tool & Die Works is the chair of both committees and called the meeting to order. He welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked the attendees to introduce themselves. He then gave a brief presentation of how these committees were formed from the former AISI Metallic Coated Sheet Manufacturing Committee, AISI Tin Mill Practices Manufacturing Committee and AIST Coating and Process Lines Operating Committee. He established the meeting “ground rules” of supplier conduct, which is to keep all the discussions technical during the meeting without any commercialism. C.J. Wu of United States Steel Corporation provided an overview of the AESF Group, whose focus is continuous electroplating of metals to steel strip. The AESF Group is considering blending with the EPTC in the future. The meeting continued with a discussion on the safety survey. The next discussion was on energy and utilities within their plants. The committees split into separate rooms for the afternoon. The GTC producer-only group discussed the furnace survey, which had a broad range of topics, including furnace types, refractory used and where, burner types and furnace management. They continued their discussions to the zinc bath management survey. The EPTC producer-only group started with a discussion on plating methods, led by Charlie Chaban of Severstal and Mr. Wu. Giovanni Astengo of Tenova Strip Processing gave a technical presentation on the latest developments of insoluble anodes for tinplating. Andrew Procopio of Inductotherm provided a technical presentation on the history and latest developments of tin reflow furnace options. The committee elected to change its name to the Tinplate & Electrogalvanize Technology Committee (TETC). The full GTC met on the morning of the 25th, with the committee defining their mission statement and selecting abstracts for AISTech 2009. Frank Goodwin of the International Lead Zinc Research Organization presented an overview of Corus’ new proprietary hot-dip coating, MagiZinc. Shrikant Bhat of ArcelorMittal provided an informative technical presentation about advances in high-strength steels for automotive applications. The GTC elected Stavros Fountoulakis of ArcelorMittal as the producer co-chair. The next GTC meeting will be in Fairfield, Ala., on March 4–5, 2009, and will include a tour of U. S. Steel’s Fairfield galvanizing line. The full EPTC met on the morning of the 25th, with the committee defining their mission statement and selecting abstracts for AISTech 2009. The next EPTC meeting will be in Weirton, W.Va., on April 21–23, 2009, with possible tours of either ArcelorMittal Weirton or Ohio Coatings Co. Both full committees then met in the afternoon, beginning with a panel discussion on energy, chaired by David Schalles of Bloom Engineering, Gerald Vellente of Ajax Tocco, Ram Ramalingam of ADS Machinery Corp. and Eugene Arnold of ArcelorMittal. The meeting finished on the morning of the 26th, with the GTC visiting the galvanizing lines at U. S. Steel–Midwest and the EPTC visiting the tin mill at U. S. Steel–Gary Works.

The Coating and Process Lines Operating Committee (CPLOC) met at AISTech 2008 on May 6, 2008. The committee chair, Frank Goodwin of the International Lead Zinc Research Organization Inc., welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked each person to introduce themselves. Dr. Goodwin volunteered to take the meeting minutes. The CPLOC had 93 members before being restructured into two new committees: the Galvanizing Technology Committee (GTC) and the Electroplating Technology Committee (EPTC). The GTC integrated with the former AISI Manufacturing Committee on Metallic Coated Sheet Practices, and the EPTC integrated with the former AISI Manufacturing Committee on Tin Mill Practices. The CPLOC members had the option to belong to either or both of the new committees. Within both the GTC and the EPTC, a producer-only subcommittee was developed to meet the needs of the AISI predecessor committees. A steel producer will chair each of these subcommittees. Dr. Goodwin reviewed the objectives of the former AIST committee, which was to facilitate peer-to-peer communication among its members. This consisted mainly of developing programming for the AISTech and MS&T conferences held each year, and also other short courses, specialty training conferences, and meetings as desired by its members. The AISI committee facilitated peer-to-peer communication among line operators, and this had been very successfully done through the use of questionnaires that prepared participants for the meetings. This, together with plant tours, facilitated dialogue and helped meet the objectives of the AISI committee very well. Dr. Goodwin urged that these practices be preserved. The group discussed the different makeup of the two predecessor committees, with the AIST committee consisting of engineering and technical personnel and the AISI committee consisting of operating personnel. It will be necessary to develop a program of interest to both if the integration is to succeed. The election of officers took place. Eric Almquist of Star Tool and Die Works Inc. was elected chair, and Stan Shepard of Olympus Manufacturing Systems Inc. was elected vice chair. Mr. Almquist presented Dr. Goodwin a plaque for his exceptional service and dedication as committee chair for 2007–2008. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 24–26, 2008, in the East Chicago area. Visit www.aist.org for current details.