Confluent Medical opens Nitinol Wire Center of Excellence in Hyderabad, India

Confluent Medical Technologies, Fremont, California, announced the opening of its Nitinol Wire Center of Excellence in Hyderabad, India on May 4, 2026 — the opening day of the SMST 2026 Conference and Exposition in La Jolla. The new 26,000-square-foot facility doubles the company’s nitinol wire output and provides a dedicated location for nitinol wire manufacturing, allowing Confluent’s Fremont, California, location to focus on nitinol tubing.

The facility is ISO 13485 compliant and offers four-week lead times for wire diameters from 0.004 in. to 0.100 in., with ultra-tight tolerances down to ±0.0002 in. The investment is the latest step in a multi-year program to vertically integrate Confluent’s nitinol supply chain, which already includes melt and conversion partnerships, premium tubing, drawn wire, components, and finished medical-device assemblies.

“Opening our Nitinol Wire Center of Excellence in Hyderabad marks an important milestone in Confluent’s continued investment in a resilient, vertically integrated nitinol supply chain,” said Dean Schauer, chief executive officer, president, and chairman of Confluent Medical Technologies. “This facility expands our global manufacturing capacity and strengthens our ability to support the industry with the highest quality of nitinol material.”

Confluent Medical Technologies is a global contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in nitinol components and complex medical device assemblies. The company serves cardiovascular, structural heart, neurovascular, peripheral vascular, and other minimally invasive markets, with manufacturing operations in Fremont, California, and now Hyderabad, India.

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Solar Atmospheres expands California operations with new 10-bar vacuum furnace

Solar Atmospheres, Fontana, California, announced the installation and commissioning of a new 10-bar vacuum furnace at its California facility. Manufactured by sister company Solar Manufacturing, the horizontal furnace features a hot zone measuring 48-in. wide by 48-in. high by 96-in. deep, with a maximum load capacity of 12,000 pounds and an ultimate vacuum level of 1×10⁻⁶ Torr. The furnace expands the facility’s high-pressure quenching capabilities for processing titanium and high-performance alloys serving the aerospace, defense, medical, and power generation markets. “This investment gives our customers another regional solution for high-pressure quenching of large components and heavy workloads,” said Derek Dennis, President of Solar Atmospheres California.

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Solar Atmospheres adds new 10-bar vacuum furnace at South Carolina facility

Solar Atmospheres, Greenville, SC, announced the installation and commissioning of a new 10-bar vacuum furnace at its Southeast facility. Designed and built by sister company Solar Manufacturing, the advanced horizontal furnace expands the company’s capacity to process large, high-performance materials, particularly titanium and specialty alloys.

The furnace features a working zone measuring 48 inches wide by 48 inches high by 96 inches deep, with the ability to handle loads up to 12,000 pounds. Equipped with a high-efficiency vacuum pumping system, the furnace achieves an ultimate vacuum level of 1×10⁻⁶ Torr, enabling precise processing in clean environments critical for aerospace and other high-specification applications.

Steve Prout, president of Solar Atmospheres Southeast, noted that the new equipment enhances the company’s regional offerings for high-pressure quenching while improving cost efficiency through scale. He emphasized that the addition reflects Solar Atmospheres’ continued focus on innovation, quality, and customer support.

https://solaratm.com/solar-atmospheres-commissions-new-10-bar-vacuum-furnace-in-greenville-sc/

Norman Noble receives NTMA Superior Safety award for second consecutive year

Norman Noble, Highland Heights, Ohio, has been honored with the National Tooling & Machining Association’s (NTMA) 2024 Superior Safety Award for the second year in a row. The accolade recognizes member firms achieving exceptional workplace safety performance, and Norman Noble earned this distinction by keeping its incident rate well below the industry average across all advanced manufacturing sites.

The company uses a daily management system to track key performance indicators—such as lost-time claims, recordable injuries, first-aid incidents, near misses, days of restricted work activity, and streaks without a lost-time claim—to monitor progress toward its health, safety and environmental objectives. Julie Bennett Lowry, director of facilities and environmental health and safety, explained that integrating safety observations into daily gemba walks and immediately logging any issues ensures rapid follow-up. Thanks to this proactive process, the firm recorded zero lost-time claims in 2024 and, as of May 1, 2025, has surpassed 1092 consecutive days without a lost-time incident.

Operating over 275,000 square feet of manufacturing space with more than 500 employees, Norman Noble produces precision components for life-saving medical vascular and orthopedic implants. The company said its continued focus on safety underpins both employee well-being and its commitment to maintaining rigorous quality standards.

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Solar Atmospheres expands vacuum heat-treating capacity in Eastern Pennsylvania

Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA, announced the commissioning of two additional 2-bar vacuum furnaces at its Eastern Pennsylvania facility. The expansion is aimed at supporting increased demand from the aerospace and industrial gas turbine industries, as well as specialized hydride/dehydride processing of reactive metals such as titanium, tantalum, and niobium.

The newly installed furnaces, manufactured by Solar Manufacturing, feature large working hot zones measuring 45 inches wide by 45 inches high by 72 inches deep. They are rated for temperatures up to 2400°F and maintain a temperature uniformity of ±10°F, meeting the stringent requirements of high-performance heat treatment applications.

Mike Moyer, vice president of sales at Solar Atmospheres, noted that the new equipment, outfitted with the latest control systems from Solar Manufacturing, enhances operational efficiency and safety. He added that this expansion supports the company’s commitment to providing reliable service, competitive pricing, and fast turnaround times to its customers.

The additional capacity reflects Solar Atmospheres’ ongoing investment in advanced thermal processing technology to meet the evolving needs of its industrial and aerospace clients.

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Solar Manufacturing ships Mentor Pro furnaces for renewable energy applications

Solar Manufacturing, Sellersville, Pa., announced that it has shipped two Mentor Pro vacuum furnaces to a customer focused on developing advanced renewable energy technologies for large-scale industrial applications. The furnaces were selected after a collaborative process with the customer’s engineers, supported by the Research and Development team from Solar Manufacturing’s affiliate, Solar Atmospheres. The customer valued the furnace’s capabilities and compact design.

The Mentor Pro furnaces feature a molybdenum shielded hot zone, a maximum temperature capacity of 2500°F, and a workload capacity of up to 1000 pounds. They are equipped with SolarVac Essentials, a PLC-based control system, and include an internal gas quenching system with a 50 HP motor and variable frequency drive (VFD), offering flexibility in using nitrogen or argon gas for optimal metallurgical results. These features make the Mentor Pro well-suited for a variety of metallurgical applications in renewable energy development.

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Furukawa Electric announces simplified absorption-type split for Optical Fiber and Cable products business

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., announced that its Board of Directors has approved a reorganization plan to streamline its optical fiber and cable products business. The company will establish a new wholly-owned subsidiary, referred to as the “New Company,” which will succeed its optical fiber and cable business through an absorption-type split. Additionally, the new company will assume the shares of Shoden Seiwa Co., Ltd., a subsidiary engaged in optical fiber and cable products.

To support this restructuring, Furukawa Electric will create another subsidiary, the “Holding Company,” to manage its global optical fiber operations, including OFS Fitel, LLC in the U.S. and Furukawa Electric LatAm S.A. in Brazil. The reorganization aims to integrate the company’s operations more efficiently on a global scale.

The split, effective April 1, 2025, is intended to strengthen Furukawa’s market position and enhance its ability to respond to evolving industry challenges while maintaining its focus on innovation and operational efficiency.

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One Minute Mentor: Distortion of High-Speed Steels

High-speed steels show a typical distortion behavior depending on the heat treatment parameters. The figure shows the change in length of cylindrical bars (diameter = 20 mm, or 0.8 in.) and length = 140 mm, or5.5 in.), with rolling direction longitudinal to the sample) for various heat treatment conditions with austenitizing, salt bath quenching, and double tempering.

Quenching and tempering up to 500 °C (930 °F) results only in very small changes in length (either growth or shrinking). Higher tempering temperatures lead to a transformation of the retained austenite into martensite and a corresponding growth in length. For typical tempering temperature of 560 °C (1040 °F) changes in length of about 0.2% take place. Additional alloying with Co (5%) leads to slightly higher changes in length. The effect of an additional third tempering shifts the curve slightly to the left, whereas oil quenching leads to a slight reduction of the change in length.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 9. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980

One Minute Mentor: Improving the Homogeneity of the Distortion Behavior

Controlling out-of-roundness is important for certain precision applications, such as class C and D cutting hobs made of high-speed steels. Class C and D hobs must be held close to size limits because they are not ground to size after heat treatment, but rather are used in the unground condition.

Normal size distortion in hardening and tempering can be accommodated by making the tool slightly oversize or slightly undersize, as required, before heat treating. High-speed steel bars, however, have been observed to go out-of-round as much as 0.05 mm (0.002 in.) during heat treatment. The pattern of size distortion shown in Fig. 8 can occur. It appears to be related to the initial shape of the cast ingot and to the specific primary-mill processing used to reduce the ingot into bars.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 8. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980

Solar Atmospheres announces rapid progress on Michigan facility expansion

Solar Atmospheres, Chesterfield, MI, announced significant progress on the 20,000-square-foot expansion of its Michigan facility. The Delta Industrial team quickly erected the steel structure in just one week. The new expansion will accommodate additional vacuum and air furnaces and provide a dedicated shipping and receiving area. The project remains on schedule for completion by the end of 2024, marking a key step in enhancing Solar Atmospheres’ operational capabilities.

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SECO/WARWICK announces expansion of Meadville facilities

SECO/WARWICK, Meadville, PA, has announced plans to expand its manufacturing facilities to enhance service for North American customers. The expansion involves relocating part of its manufacturing operations and a metallurgical lab for vacuum furnaces from Poland to Crawford County, PA.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) will support this initiative with a $2 million grant under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), which SECO/WARWICK will match. Additionally, $69,000 in matching funds will be provided for job training through the Workforce & Economic Development Network (WEDnet).

The expansion will occupy a 120,000 sq. ft. facility in the Crawford Business Park, a site redeveloped from the former American Viscose Corporation mill. This development is expected to benefit the community and bolster SECO/WARWICK’s capabilities in producing heat-treating and aluminum melting furnaces.

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Nitrex announces second endoflex generator order from South American automotive company

Nitrex, Quebec, announced that an automotive company in South America has placed a follow-up order for a second EndoFlex generator from UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company. Following the successful installation of a 200 m³/h EndoFlex unit last year, the new generator, with a similar capacity, aims to enhance stability, ensure consistent composition and gas flows, and prioritize top-tier quality in automotive gear boxes while achieving efficiencies in heat treatment operations.

Before adopting the EndoFlex solution, the manufacturer relied on four outdated generator units, each with a capacity of 70 m³/h and consuming 80 kW of power. Remarkably, with the same 80 kW of power consumption, the EndoFlex generator delivers an impressive 200 m³/h capacity. This transition represents not only a remarkable 75% reduction in power consumption but also a significant boost in efficiency and cost-effectiveness for the customer.

The shift to EndoFlex also signifies a substantial contribution to operational efficiency and sustainability efforts. The new generator streamlines maintenance procedures, adheres to stringent quality standards, and reduces CO2 emissions. EndoFlex’s precision control over gas quality and production for the neutral hardening furnace enhances product quality, reduces operating costs, and optimizes energy consumption. By automatically adjusting gas production to match real-time furnace demand, EndoFlex effectively eliminates overproduction and waste.

This order underscores the automotive company’s commitment to leveraging advanced technologies for enhanced productivity and sustainability in their operations.

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Solar Manufacturing ships Mentor Pro Furnace to a global leader of wire mesh products

Solar Manufacturing, Sellersville, PA, has shipped a Mentor Pro Model HFL-3036-2IQ vacuum furnace to a customer specializing in engineered knitted wire mesh solutions. 

They are a USA-based company and a global supplier for the automotive, food service, and janitorial industries. The furnace will be primarily utilized for vacuum annealing materials that are susceptible to adverse effects of their mechanical properties when exposed to any levels of oxygen or nitrogen.

The Mentor® Pro features a molybdenum shielded hot zone measuring 18” wide x 18” high x 36” deep, capable of operating temperatures up to 2400°F, and a workload weight capacity of up to 1,000 lbs and includes the SolarVac® Essentials PLC-based control system. The internal gas cooling system with a 50 HP drive motor is capable of quenching workloads at 2-bar positive pressure in either nitrogen or argon.

Jason Davidson, regional sales manager, said that, “Our customer started running trials with our affiliate commercial heat treater, Solar Atmospheres. Once the trial results proved the heat-treat cycle, and the furnace demonstrated it could process the required quantities, the customer had confidence to place the purchase order with us.”

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Wisconsin Oven ships batch ovens to the manufacturing industry

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, announced the shipment of two custom-designed Gas Fired Batch Ovens with roll-up doors. The ovens will be used to hold molded urethane wheels prior to a curing process.

The batch ovens have a maximum operating temperature of 350°F and work chamber dimensions of 9’ wide x 4’6” long x 10’6” high. The ovens are designed with electrically operated roll-up doors in the front of the oven constructed from high-temperature fabric. The door controls allow the door to open halfway or all the way by a command from a loading robot. In addition to the roll-up door on the front, a bi-parting, side-hinged, horizontal swing door is located on the rear of each oven.

These batch ovens feature a horizontal airflow arrangement, which is ideal for products arranged in multiple tiers where heated airflow cannot be directed vertically through the product. Both ovens utilize a Watlow F4T digital controller that includes a 4.3″ color touch screen, PID temperature control with adaptive tuning, and Ethernet communication capabilities for temperature control. A remote display for the flame relays is also mounted to each control panel to provide an annunciation of operation along with fault and diagnostic information.

 

https://www.wisoven.com/news/wisconsin-oven-ships-batch-ovens-manufacturing-industry

One Minute Mentor: Salt Bath Furnaces

The salt bath method of hardening is predominant with high-speed steel tools. With correct operating conditions, tools can be heat treated without carburization, decarburization, and scaling. The surface will be fully hard with a minimum of distortion. The four types of salt baths generally used are preheating baths, high-temperature baths, quenching baths, and tempering baths.

Molten salts of various compositions are well adapted to all operations in the heat treatment of tool steels. For tools that cannot be ground after hardening or for tools that require an excellent surface condition and the maintenance of sharp edges, salt bath heating provides excellent results. These salt baths contain different compositions of BaCl2, NaCl2, and KCl as well as additional additives to avoid decarburization. The higher the working temperature, the higher the content of BaCl2 usually is. Higher additions of CaCl2 are typically used in salt baths for the quenching step.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 2.

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Wisconsin Oven ships curing conveyor oven to aerospace industry

Wisconsin Oven Corporation, East Troy, Wis., has announced the shipment of one belt conveyor oven that will be used for curing polystyrene on aluminum parts for the aerospace industry.

This industrial conveyor oven has a maximum temperature rating of 300° F and interior chamber dimensions of 5’4” W x 8’4” L x 6” H. The recirculation system is designed with a top-down airflow configuration and utilizes a 10,000 CFM @ 10 HP blower. Guaranteed temperature uniformity of ±10° F at 210° F was documented with a temperature uniformity test.

The conveyor system is a continuous belt style and utilizes an Allen-Bradley variable frequency drive that allows for speed adjustments. A digital screen on the control panel door displays the conveyor speed during operation. The oven temperature and conveyor speed are controlled by a Watlow F4T digital controller located on the control panel door with PID control and adaptive turning.

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Special fasteners to be processed in a Seco/Warwick vacuum furnace

Seco/Warwick, Meadville, Pa., will deliver a  Vector vacuum furnace to a plant producing highly advanced fasteners for the largest manufacturers in the aerospace industry. 

The machine will process self-locking nuts, nut plates, barrel nuts, stud nuts, spline nuts, clamp nuts, as well as a wide range of washers and flanges. The Italian Partner is an innovator in the field of comprehensive fastening solutions. The Vector furnace will become part of a modern production plant, increasing not only its efficiency, but also guaranteeing thermally treated fasteners of the highest quality.

The furnace on order is a standard solution perfectly suited to aviation industry needs. Thanks to a very refined design without any additional modifications, the furnace will perform at high operating temperatures, up to 1300°C.

The furnace on order is equipped with a dew point sensor for each of the gases. It is a system solving one of heat treatment’s very critical requirements, which is to control the quality/purity of the gas used during the process. Vector also features a partial pressure control system which helps prevent evaporation and sublimation of alloying elements from the load surface during the vacuum heat treatment.

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Lindberg ships full muffle mesh belt conveyor furnace to manufacturing industry

Lindberg/MPH, Mich,  a leading manufacturer of heat treat furnaces, announced the shipment of a continuous full muffle mesh belt conveyor furnace to an industrial manufacturer.

This conveyor furnace is designed for applications with a nitrogen atmosphere and a maximum temperature of 1,100°C. Additionally, the furnace has a hydrogen flow meter and combustible gas system so the customer can run a hydrogen atmosphere when needed. The combustible gas system provides a timed nitrogen gas purge of the muffle before process gas can be introduced into the furnace muffle. The conveyor furnace has overall dimensions of 128” L x 22” W 41.5” H. There are tables at both ends of the furnace for loading and unloading of the product. The unit is designed with four (4) temperature zones and a water-cooling section that parts travel through prior to exiting the chamber.

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Seco/Warwick furnace to process Jet Engine components

Seco/Warwick, Meadville, PA, has developed a system to perform clean brazing processes in high vacuum as efficiently as possible, ensuring the highest protection of the treated part surfaces. The solution will be used to process jet engine components.

The German Partner carries out comprehensive repairs of technologically advanced jet engines. The company also has a research center which develops innovative repair techniques for various types of components and entire engines. The group employs several thousand qualified employees in various locations around the world and is a leader among companies repairing and providing full service MRO for jet engines. The purchase of a vertical vacuum furnace will improve production processes and significantly increase the commercial heat treater’s efficiency.

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Shape memory alloy reinforcement for strengthening of RCC structures

Raisoni College of Engineering, India, has published a critical review of significant performance and safety issues that arise from the deterioration of reinforced concrete (RC) structural components brought on by ageing processes and high stress occurrences. 

Shape memory alloys (SMAs), one of the options for restoring such components, have special qualities including recovering inelastic strain when unloaded (super elasticity) or heated (shape memory effect, SME). To lessen permanent deformations into RC constructions, super elasticity and SME of SMA bars can be used. The stiffness and strength of RC structures can also be improved by the addition of SMAs, allowing them to withstand loads of high intensities with minimal damage. 

Despite the wide range of studies done on the applications of SMAs in structures, a comprehensive analysis of the present state, key results, potential drawbacks, and future contemplation of SMA bars for the reinforcement of RC structures is lacking in the literature. 

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Lindberg/MPH ships rod overbend box furnace to the manufacturing industry

Lindberg/MPH, Mich., has announced the shipment of a rod overbend box furnace with powered load/unload table to the manufacturing industry. This heat-treating furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 2000°F and a load capacity of 900 lbs. 

The workspace dimensions of the furnace are 24” W x 36” D x 18” H and it is designed for air atmosphere applications. The box furnace features an automated actuator to flip the push/pull mechanism on the load table to eliminate the operators need to manually flip it into push position. This option allows the push/pull head to retract from the furnace once the work grid is in the furnace chamber and increase operator safety by removing the need to reach into the hot furnace with a hook to flip the push/pull head and.

The furnace chamber is heated with a radiant heating system the utilizes heavy gauge alloy rod over-bend heating elements mounted along the side-walls and the floor. The furnace temperature is controlled by an Allen Bradley ControlLogix Programmable Logic Controller that includes digital setpoint and display. A Honeywell DC2500 high limit controller disconnects the power to the heating elements and sounds an audible alarm if the temperature exceeds desired set-point. 

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