Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it recently shipped a Titan vacuum furnace to Utitec’s facility in Watertown, Conn. As this facility’s second Titan, it will enable an increase in the capacity to heat treat the deep-drawn and stamped components Utitec manufactures for various industries, including medical, automotive, and electronics.
Utitec manufactures more than 25 million parts per month, the majority of which require heat treating both during and after forming. In 2013, Utitec made the decision to purchase an Ipsen Titan vacuum furnace and bring heat-treating in-house. Utitec received its first Titan furnace in December 2013, just eight weeks after ordering. This purchase allowed Utitec to improve part quality, shorten delivery times, and reduce costs.
According to Sam Oakes, Director of Engineering at Utitec, “The Ipsen Titan H2 two-bar vacuum furnace was selected based on the quality, price, and quick delivery made possible by Ipsen. Utitec had no prior production heat-treating experience, and only one employee had production heat-treating experience at the time of the purchase. However, we were running production just two months after delivery, and heat treated over five million pieces within the first three months of operation. We have found the furnace to be extremely reliable and user-friendly, even for non-technical furnace users.”
Both of Utitec’s Titan furnaces feature 18 x 18 x 24 in. all-graphite hot zones – one with a 2000-pound load capacity and the other a 1000-pound load capacity. They utilize gas cooling to two-bar absolute pressure, and operate at temperatures of 1000 to 2400°F. These furnaces are also equipped with ten-inch diffusion pumps and Ipsen’s VacuProf control systems.
Designed for ease of use, the Titan is perfect for first-time heat treaters and experts alike. Its standardized, simple-to-master control system operates in 20-plus languages, meets global industry standards, switches easily between units of measure, and stores up to 1000 recipes.
