Wall Colmonoy upgrades New Mexico plant

Wall Colmonoy has announced a $2.5 million modernization plan at its Alloy Products plant in Los Lunas, New Mexico. The plan aims to increase capacity, improve processes and add new capabilities.

The Michigan-based company, founded in 1938, is a provider of surfacing and brazing products, precision castings, coatings and engineered components used in aerospace, automotive, glass container, oil and gas, steel, rubber and plastic, food, power generation and other applications.

According to Wall Colmonoy Marketing Coordinator Natalie Savevski, the nickel- and cobalt-based alloys producer currently remelts its internal scrap and is “looking at vendors to supply external scrap and ingots.”

The investment in New Mexico includes “upgrades to plant infrastructure and environment, alloy furnace equipment, and [an] R&D laboratory,” according to the company.

“This investment is a reflection of our commitment to our customers to provide the very best quality products and to our team members to provide them with safe and advanced working environments,” says Kurt Boehm, the Los Lunas plant manager.

As part of the plant upgrade, analytical equipment has been purchased for the R&D laboratory “to better characterize products, resolve customer concerns and develop new products,” Wall Colmonoy says.

The new equipment includes a wet/dry sieve vibrator, robotic paste dispenser, hardness tester, a vacuum mixer and a digital microscope, the company says.

Additionally, “A new inductively coupled plasma analyzer and carbon/sulfur analyzer allows for quicker testing, reducing cycle time in the lab; a moisture analyzer accurately assesses raw materials before production to eliminate rework and a new air jet sieve characterizes fine powder particles.”

A central vacuum system also has been installed to that remotely captures data and allows for instant monitoring of air quality, according to Wall Colmonoy.