Cases

OCAS’s microscopy lab relocates and expands

Not only is the OCAS microscopy lab being relocated, state-of-the art new equipment is being added.

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Fast response prevents failure

OCAS created a dedicated task force to support key accounts in ensuring the reliability of their safety-critical industrial assets.

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OCAS’s new transmission electron microscope is now fully operational

As electron microscopes are sensitive to vibration OCAS first revamped an area in the basement of its Zelzate head quarters building before installing the brand new TEM.

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Fully automatised pilot cooling

Lab tools are ideal for cost-effective product development. However, in order to collect all the necessary data needed for future industrial upscaling, automation including full data logging is a major…

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Lab rod capabilities implemented in dedicated projects

New steel grades or new applications making use of additive manufacturing may require new solutions for welding wire.

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Lab scale heavy gauge hot rolling, now fully automated

The OCAS heavy gauge reversible hot rolling lab scale mill has been fully automated. As manual manipulations are no longer required, blocks with a weight up to 65 kg can…

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Bending the rules?

When bending a steel sheet, both elastic and plastic deformation occur. After removal of the load, both the bend angle and the bend radius change. Therefore, OCAS provides guidelines to…

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Bending: ever stronger, ever thicker

The heavy machinery market seeks to improve the performance and efficiency of their products. To reduce the maintenance cost and to prolong the life time of this equipment, heavy gauge…

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Significantly reduce the number of experimental welding tests

Process simulation is to be understood as a virtual sequence of the process that aims to determine geometrical, metallurgical and technological process results. The simulations allow faster and more precise…

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Hexavalent chromium-free alternative for hard chrome plating within REACH

Back in 2012, driven by the need for REACH* compliant alternatives, OCAS initiated a project on hexavalent chromium-free hard chrome plating. (*REACH: European regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction…

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Testing can be fatiguing!

Although, resistance to repetitive loading or fatigue might not be so well known as material degradation term, it is an important material property.

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Enabling extreme testing conditions in a safe way

Pressure-containing equipment such as pipelines, risers, valves, fittings and pressure vessels are often subject to complex loading conditions during their service life. Extreme testing conditions are required to accurately reproduce…

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Accelerating research towards a new generation of lightweight tough steels

Triggered by environmental issues, the market has an interest in product development of lightweight heavy gauge steels (t ≥ 5 mm), mainly for other than automotive applications. In view of…

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MaDurOS – a private public partnership for material durability breakthroughs in challenging operational conditions

The offshore environment puts severe durability requirements on materials. One of its main inherent characteristics is that material is often exposed to several environmental conditions simultaneously: corrosive environment, fatigue loading,…

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Helping customers reach their design & engineering goals

OCAS has a long standing track record in conducting co-engineering projects with customers in a wide variety of market segments, including agricultural machinery, transportation, heating ventilation and air conditioning, and…

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Help needed for your forming processes?

Thanks to our expertise in finite element simulation, our in-depth knowledge of steel grades and of the deep-drawing process, OCAS selects the best solution – thickness and steel grade selection…

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Filling the gap

A request for technical support from an offshore gas pipeline customer highlighted the importance of the effect of filler wire selection on weld metal toughness. This triggered OCAS to set…

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Bending can be fatiguing

The use of high-strength steel in structural components is becoming more and more attractive. For weight-saving reasons, typical applications include telescopic cranes, tippers, trucks and trailers. However, in spite of…

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Is a crack the end of life?

Many structures and components are used longer than their design life, or operate in conditions different from what was originally expected. As consequence, defects like cracks can be present and…

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Welding energy pipes – much more than joining metals

Thanks to its multi-wire submerged arc welding (SAW) facility, OCAS is able to develop welding guidelines for the most demanding applications in the energy sector. All data on steel properties…

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