More than 150 years after its founding, ATI has transformed its Vandergrift Operations to become one of the most advanced materials finishing operations of its kind. Significant investments have catapulted the operations into the future.
The Vandergrift expansion was the last major step in ATI’s transformation of Specialty Rolled Products to be a leader in high quality titanium and nickel-based alloys. Consolidating production from five other locations across the ATI system created a more competitive flow path at Vandergrift focused on increasing production of high-value, differentiated materials.
Prior to 2021, Vandergrift was designed to produce high-volume – but low margin – product lines, such as standard stainless steels for applications such as kitchen appliances. By expanding the operational capabilities, the site now produces materials for the aerospace and defense market. The industry’s unprecedented ramp is creating tremendous opportunity: airlines are refreshing and growing their fleets with new models, demanding lighter weight materials that perform at higher temperatures to improve fuel efficiency and decrease emissions. The expanded facility completed its operational and product mix transformation in mid-2023.
Better, Faster, Stronger
Key to the site's expansion is the new bright anneal line, standing 200 feet tall, including state-of-the-art control systems. The capabilities at this facility combined with our HRPF based in Brackenridge, PA delivers best-in-the-world coil finishing capabilities at the shortest cycle times.
The bright anneal line delivers best-in-class attributes customers are hungry for, giving them a competitive advantage. These include:
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Temperature control: During the annealing process, metal is heated to extremely high temperatures -- upwards of 2000°F -- to achieve the material's desired strength. The bright anneal controls the annealing atmosphere to minimize oxide formation on the coil surface resulting in a mirror-like, high-quality surface finish. This finish yields extended tooling life, improved formability, and other cost advantages for our customers.
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Flow times: Coupled with the reduction capabilities of our hot- and cold-rolling assets, the bright anneal line delivers the shortest material flow times in the world. This has the potential to meaningfully lower fabricating costs and reduce metal risk for our customers, creating advantages over the competition.
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Thinner, larger, & longer: Two light gauge slitters enable the production of thinner and larger specialty coils. The ability to cut nickel-based alloys to a thin gauge is crucial for our customers’ end use applications.
As demand for lightweight and durable materials increases, ATI’s Specialty Rolled Products rises to the challenge, delivering advanced materials to customers.
