Howmet Castings
Encyclopedia
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio
, Howmet, a division of Alcoa
is a world leader in the investment casting
of superalloys, aluminum and titanium
primarily for jet aircraft and industrial gas turbine
(IGT) engine components. Howmet also provides hot isostatic pressing
, titanium ingots and protective coating services.
Dedicated to research and the development of its material, Howmet operates 27 facilities in the United States
, Canada
, Mexico
, France
, the UK, Hungary
and Japan
.
Austenal , a company which manufactured raw materials and process for dental appliances. Austenal founders, Reiner Erdle and Charles Prange worked to improve investment chrome base castings utilizing two separate investments: The first coating named 'protective coat" giving a smooth finish was smotherd with alchool binder investment to obtain a correct expansion. This technology replaced gold alloy with vitallium and was popular in depression time. During the 1930s, Austenal expanded into aircraft engine superchargers with superior castings when General Electric
asked for help to improve manufacturing practices for wartime production demands.
Howe Sound Company, a metals and mining business, purchased Austenal in 1958, and a year later in 1959, Howe acquired Michigan Steel Casting Co. (MISCO), which provided the monolithic shell process, which uses a ceramic shell with thin, strong walls to increase control of the solidification process to produce a sounder casting
.
Howe became Howmet in 1965, marking a transition from a mining company to a manufacturer of precision metal products. Howmet was purchased in 1975 by Pechiney
, a multinational aluminum company. In 1989, Pechiney purchased the Cercast group of companies, bringing Howmet into the aluminum casting industry.
In 1995, Pechiney sold Howmet to a joint venture between Thiokol
and The Carlyle Group. By late 1997 the ownership structure of Howmet had morphed into a distribution of Thiokol owning 62%, Carlyle 23%, and the public 15%. Thiokol later in 1998 changed its name to Cordant Technologies Inc. By February 1999, Cordant had acquired an 84.7% stake in Howmet.
In 2000 Cordant sold its stake in Howmet Corp. to Alcoa
, which merged Howmet into its Alcoa Industrial Components unit. In 2004, Howmet was merged to form the Alcoa Investment Cast and Forged Products unit. In 2007, Howmet was renamed Alcoa Howmet as a division of the newly formed Alcoa Power and Propulsion unit.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Howmet, a division of Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
is a world leader in the investment casting
Investment casting
Investment casting is an industrial process based on and also called lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. From 5,000 years ago, when beeswax formed the pattern, to today’s high-technology waxes, refractory materials and specialist alloys, the castings allow the...
of superalloys, aluminum and titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
primarily for jet aircraft and industrial gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
(IGT) engine components. Howmet also provides hot isostatic pressing
Hot isostatic pressing
Hot isostatic pressing is a manufacturing process used to reduce the porosity of metals and influence the density of many ceramic materials. This improves the material's mechanical properties and workability....
, titanium ingots and protective coating services.
Dedicated to research and the development of its material, Howmet operates 27 facilities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the UK, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
History
Howmet can be traced back to 1926 with the founding ofGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
asked for help to improve manufacturing practices for wartime production demands.
Howe Sound Company, a metals and mining business, purchased Austenal in 1958, and a year later in 1959, Howe acquired Michigan Steel Casting Co. (MISCO), which provided the monolithic shell process, which uses a ceramic shell with thin, strong walls to increase control of the solidification process to produce a sounder casting
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
.
Howe became Howmet in 1965, marking a transition from a mining company to a manufacturer of precision metal products. Howmet was purchased in 1975 by Pechiney
Pechiney
Pechiney SA was a major aluminium conglomerate based in France. The company was acquired in 2003 by the Alcan Corporation, headquartered in Canada...
, a multinational aluminum company. In 1989, Pechiney purchased the Cercast group of companies, bringing Howmet into the aluminum casting industry.
In 1995, Pechiney sold Howmet to a joint venture between Thiokol
Thiokol
Thiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...
and The Carlyle Group. By late 1997 the ownership structure of Howmet had morphed into a distribution of Thiokol owning 62%, Carlyle 23%, and the public 15%. Thiokol later in 1998 changed its name to Cordant Technologies Inc. By February 1999, Cordant had acquired an 84.7% stake in Howmet.
In 2000 Cordant sold its stake in Howmet Corp. to Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
, which merged Howmet into its Alcoa Industrial Components unit. In 2004, Howmet was merged to form the Alcoa Investment Cast and Forged Products unit. In 2007, Howmet was renamed Alcoa Howmet as a division of the newly formed Alcoa Power and Propulsion unit.
Locations
- Acuna, Mexico
- Branford, CT
- Cleveland, OH
- Dives, France
- Dover, NJ - (2)
- EvronÉvronÉvron is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. Evron is noted for its chapel of Notre-Dame-de-l'Epine , with 13th C wall paintings and Aubusson tapestries. The nave and tower of the church of Notre-Dame date from the 11th C, the rest of the structure from the 18th....
, France - Exeter, UK - (2)
- GennevilliersGennevilliersGennevilliers is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:On 9 April 1929, one-fifth of the territory of Gennevilliers was detached and became the commune of Villeneuve-la-Garenne.-Transport:...
, France - Georgetown, ON
- Hampton, VA
- La Porte, IN
- Laval, QC
- Morristown, TN
- Szekesfehervar, Hungary
- Terai, Japan
- Whitehall, MI - (6)
- Wichita Falls, TX
- Winsted, CT