IndustrialHeating.com ■ MAY 2015 35Sintering
The sintering process is also alive and well when it comes to
manufacturing automotive parts in North America.
Miba Sinter USA invested $8 million in its McConnelsville,
Ohio, production facility in July 2014. The project will created
100 new jobs over the next three years. The company, a
subsidiary of Austria's Miba group, produces high-precision
parts – including synchronizer hubs, high-strength gears, chain
sprockets, belt pulleys and electronic power-steering components –
for the North American automotive industry. According to the
company, which has invested $51 million in the McConnelsville
plant since 2010, sintering technology allows resource-friendly
production of heavy-duty, dynamically stressed components.
Why the investment in the U.S.? Miba says the increase in
production is a direct response to the positive developments
of the auto industry. The company sees the U.S. as one of its
greatest opportunities for growth, mainly due to the auto and
heav y-truck markets.
American Fine Sinter, meanwhile, invested $16 million and
created 24 jobs at its Tiffin, Ohio, plant in November 2014.
The company needed additional capacity because of contracts
for transmission and shock-absorber parts from multiple
carmakers.Conclusion
It ’s hard not to be optimistic about the U.S. automotive
industry. Sales are up, and signs appear to show a bright
future. This is undeniably good news for the heat-treatment
industry, as evidenced by recent furnace sales and investments
in manufacturing facilities. 3D printing is a technology to
keep an eye on, whether it ’s used in the prototyping of parts or
for manufacturing entire cars. Sintering, meanwhile, is still
being effectively used by the auto industry. Look no further
than Ohio for proof.Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant produces the all-new 2015 F-150,
which features an aluminum body. (photo by Sam VarnHagen)
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