Seco Vacuum delivers Vector Furnace to major automotive supplier in Mexico

Seco Vacuum, Meadville, PA, announces that an international Tier 1 automotive supplier headquartered in the USA has ordered a Vector vacuum furnace for one of their facilities in Mexico.

The Vector 15VP furnace is capable of a variety of thermal processes. Its hot zone measures 36x36x48 inches (900x900x1200 mm) and has a 3,300 lb. (1500 kg) capacity. It features convection heating and a mechanical vacuum pump system, meeting or exceeding the specifications necessary for the production line’s brazing process.

Typically, SECO/VACUUM furnaces are custom-engineered; however, this particular furnace was fabricated ahead of time as a stock item to meet the contingency of a customer requesting immediate delivery. This strategic move allowed the heat treat partner to quickly and seamlessly ramp up production capacity. Additionally, if production demand shifts, the new Vector vacuum furnace can be easily repurposed for other heat treat processes, offering significant versatility.

“We built this furnace to be ready to be shipped and put into operation very quickly, which is just the solution they were looking for,” said SECO/VACUUM Managing Director Piotr Zawistowski.

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Kuźnia Jawor installs Nitrex forging systems

Nitrex, Quebec, has announced that Kuźnia Jawor S.A, a European company specializing in the production of hot forged and CNC machined components for the automotive, machinery, mining, and piping industries, has installed a Nitrex nitriding system and a vacuum hardening furnace.

 Located in the southwestern region of Poland, Kuźnia Jawor has solidified its position as a leading provider of forged and CNC automotive parts within Poland, as well as mining parts in international markets such as Czechia and Türkiye.

Kuźnia Jawor leverages its in-house capabilities to design and manufacture forging tools, a crucial element of the production process. This is necessary for obtaining repeatable strength parameters in steel and ensuring their resistance to geometric changes or abrasive wear, factors that are addressed through heat treatment. Building on this foundation, the company recently revamped its heat-treating operations by introducing cutting-edge equipment and technologies, aiming to streamline operations for improved efficiency and to elevate the quality of its forged and machined products. The current production line has been designed using a Nitrex nitriding system and a vacuum hardening furnace.

https://www.nitrex.com/en/kuznia-jawor-elevates-forging-expertise-with-nitrex-installation/

Solar Atmospheres awarded Lockheed Martin space systems approval

Solar Atmospheres, Greenville, SC, has announced that it has been awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems approval. With this approval, now all five Solar Atmospheres facilities are an option for our customers with Lockheed Martin requirements for thermal processing services.

Steve Prout, President of Solar Atmospheres’ Greenville facility states: “We are proud to once again provide our customers in the Southeastern U.S. with another regional option for aerospace and defense thermal processes, saving them time and money while continuing to deliver the high level of quality required.”

With the ability to support vacuum thermal processing needs ranging from development cycles to 50,000 pound loads at temperatures of up to 2400°F, Solar Atmospheres provides AS9100 and Nadcap quality accredited heat treatments, providing our customers with the confidence their product is being processed as specified.

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One Minute Mentor: Vacuum Furnaces

Driven by the development of new tool steels—which were property-wise tailor made for applications such as aluminum die casting, drilling, and tools and dies for the plastic industry—but also due to rising dimensions of the tools, the demands on vacuum-hardening technology have changed in recent decades. One of the most important considerations that must be met is the accomplishment of highest dimensional stability with optimal microstructural properties and minimal change of the surface of the workpieces. Minimizing exposure to air during the heat treatment by reducing the quantity of oxygen in a heat treatment furnace, as with creating a vacuum, is an excellent method for preventing changes in surface appearance and chemical composition.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 14. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Harper Furnace Technology enables high performance silicon anodes

Harper Furnace Technology, Buffalo, NY, announced the development of high temperature thermal process solutions to enable production at several silicon anode battery material companies in 2024. Silicon anode material offers significantly higher specific capacity than traditional graphite anode materials enabling higher power density, faster charge times and smaller carbon footprint than current batteries. 

 

Harper has entered engineering design and equipment supply contracts for pilot and production scale equipment with its USA-based customers, many of whom are funded in part by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Harper technology includes indirect electrically heated, continuous rotary, vertical and horizontal conveyor furnace systems for each customer’s unique thermochemical processes. The Harper furnaces include tight control of the process atmosphere enabling safe and reliable continuous operation, are rated for temperatures between 800˚C and 1,800˚C and will have capacity up to 1,000 metric tons per year. Beyond the pilot-scale equipment projects, Harper is actively engineering the next generation of equipment solutions for these customers whose commercial scale plants will require capacity of 20,000 – 40,000 metric tons per year for the electric vehicle (EV) market.

 

https://www.harperintl.com/

Solar Atmospheres of Michigan achieves Nadcap accreditation for laboratory

Solar Atmospheres, Chesterfield, MI, has successfully achieved Nadcap AC7101/4 accreditation for their captive metallography laboratory. 

 

The accreditation will allow the Chesterfield plant to continue testing for microhardness, surface contamination, intergranular oxidation and grain size which were all previously completed at the Warren facility. In addition to continued testing capabilities, the addition of new metallographic preparation equipment and metallography software will expand Chesterfield’s R&D capabilities and assist in new product development.

Plant metallurgist Greg Scheuring states, “This was the next step in moving operations from Warren to Chesterfield. To limit downtime and maintain on-time delivery, we gave ourselves a week to make the move and conduct the audit. It was an extremely abbreviated time for such a task but personnel at both facilities pulled together to make it happen. Now the audit is complete with no findings, and we are back up and running. Stellar teamwork all around!”

 

https://solaratm.com/solar-atmospheres-of-michigan-achieves-nadcap-accreditation-for-laboratory/

Quintus cold isostatic press delivered to China’s Lingchuang Special Material Co

Qunitus, Västerås, Sweden, delivered a supersized Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) to China’s Henan Lingchuang Special Material Co. to raise the bar for domestically produced high-quality Isostatic Graphite. 

With its sights set on securing a place as market leader in both product quality and production efficiency, Lingchuang will install a Quintus press model QIC 2.4 x 4.5 – 2000 to maximize operation and output capabilities. The press itself is setting new standards, with its world’slargest vessel dimension—2400 mm x 4500 mm (7.87’ x 14.7’)—along with a new energy management system that offers energy savings of more than 30 percent compared to conventional intensifier solutions.

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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

Rolled Alloys celebrates 70 years in the thermal processing industry

Rolled Alloys, Windsor, Conn., is celebrating 70 years in the thermal processing industry. 

The company was founded in 1953 by introducing RA330 as a wrought replacement to cast HT.

Due to RA330’s versatility and availability, it remains the most widely used wrought alloy by commercial heat treaters. Although RA330 exhibits excellent features, there may be better choices for an application. With this being the case, we offer a wide range of heat-resistant alloys to best suit the needs of your application.

Besides this, RA 602 CA is an alloy developed specifically for the highest temperature process, requiring strength and resistance to atmospheres. 

One last alloy worth discussing is RA253MA. RA253MA is a lean, heat-resistant stainless steel with high strength and oxidation resistance. With excellent high-temperature properties and low nickel content, RA253MA is a cost-effective material that thermal processors frequently utilize for open-air applications.

https://www.rolledalloys.com/70-years-in-the-thermal-processing-industry/\

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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Steel Dynamics named one of America’s best employers for women by Forbes

Steel Dynamics, Fort Wayne, Ind., has been named one of America’s Best Employers for Women for 2023 by Forbes. Steel Dynamics was the only steel producer receiving this designation.

“We are appreciative and honored by this recognition,” said Mark D. Millett, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our people are the foundation of our success and our most important resource. We strive to create a welcoming, open, and inclusive environment. We value our team members, creating meaningful opportunities for growth, leadership development, and career advancement. We believe empowering our people and providing them with the necessary tools for success creates significant value for everyone and will drive our continued success.”

Forbes partnered with Statista to compile the list of America’s Best Employers for Women. Statista surveyed over 60,000 U.S. employees working for companies with a minimum of 1,000 employees. More than 40,000 women were asked to rate their company in areas such as working environment, salary and employee diversity, and then whether they would recommend their company to a friend or family member.

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One Minute Mentor: Horizontal Retort Furnace

Gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing processes can be processed with fixed gasifying amounts of ammonia, nitrogen, and, for nitrocarburizing, a carburizing and oxidizing agent. However, this does not produce consistent results if different load surfaces are treated with the same fixed gasifying amounts. Furthermore, especially for nitriding processes, the ammonia gasifying has to be reduced or diluted with nitrogen after several hours because the nitrogen uptake of a load decreases. Another quite popular method, usually called the “Floe process,” is a two-step nitriding, where two different nitriding temperatures and different gas flows allow adjustment of the nitriding potential (KN) to the requirements.

Therefore, modern gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing furnaces are equipped with sensor systems and a process control unit that allow the measurement and automatic control of the nitriding potential (KN). The figure shows a schematic of a typical horizontal retort furnace. Similar to the vertical execution, a good circulation of the process gas is needed to get uniform results, which can be reached by the use of a muffle and a high circulation rate. Indirect cooling is performed with an external cooling fan, blowing cold air along the retort. 

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 24

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; H. Altena; T. Müller; P. Seemann, Processes and Furnace Equipment for Heat Treating of Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Solar Atmospheres of California adds Airbus approval

Solar Atmospheres, Fontana, Calif., has announced that they are now Airbus approved for heat treating.

Frank Trujillo, director of Sales for Solar Atmospheres of California, stated that, “Many Airbus suppliers were in need of a heat treater in the West that could process parts, plates and bars in support of increased Airbus production rates. SCA is proud to be a partner on the Airbus Team!”

With our wide range of furnaces, we are capable of processing very small pieces or loads of 50,000 pounds and up to 24 feet in length. This approval will translate into improved lead-times and greater efficiencies for all Airbus suppliers that require heat treat services in the Western Region.

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Quintus Technologies supplies high pressure Flexform press to airframe manufacturer

Quintus Technologies, Vasteras, Sweden, announced that they will supply a high pressure fluid cell press to France’s LAUAK Group, a Tier 1 supplier to the aerospace industry. The press will be installed at the LAUAK Aerostructures factory in Grandola, Portugal, in September 2023. 

Reaffirming its continued commitment to productivity enhancement, LAUAK selected the Quintus model QFC 0.7×1.8-800 press with high pressure technology to bolster its manufacturing efficiency. “The forming press is undoubtedly at the heart of sheet metal production,” says Mikel Charritton, LAUAK Group Managing Director. “Especially in the context of the current aerospace ramp-up, in particular the A320, A350, and B737 programs, LAUAK’s capital equipment investments are strongly influenced by the imperatives of competitiveness. This press significantly increases and secures our production capacity.” Quintus’s proprietary hydroforming process requires only one rigid tool half, an innovation that not only generates significant tool cost savings but also eliminates several forming operations, intermediate heat treatments, and operator dependencies. 

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One Minute Mentor: Gas nitriding equipment

Gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing can be processed in horizontal or vertical chamber furnaces with refractory insulation. However, to allow a quick change of the atmosphere and to avoid influences resulting from previous processes in the same furnace, retort furnaces are preferred.

To enable an acceptable production capacity, large vertical retort furnaces are used. The figure is a schematic sketch of a vertical retort furnace with a compensator for sealing against the atmosphere. Nowadays large horizontal retort furnaces are also used. Horizontal retort furnaces of different size and execution are preferred for nitrocarburizing processes. Similar to the vertical execution, a good circulation of the process gas is needed to get uniform results, which can be reached by the use of a muffle and a high circulation rate. Indirect cooling is performed with an external cooling fan, blowing cold air along the retort. Other designs allow direct cooling of the process gas with an external heat exchanger.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 23

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; H. Altena; T. Müller; P. Seemann, Processes and Furnace Equipment for Heat Treating of Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Seco/Warwick to supply a vacuum furnace specifically designed for the MRO industry

Seco/Warwick, Meadville, Pa., will supply a vacuum furnace specifically for the maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) industry. The solution will be utilized for repair solutions for both complex aircraft engines and gas turbines for the energy industry in Hungary.

The furnace on order is a unique solution due to the effective size of the heating chamber. It has been adapted to the AeroSpace Power requirements and has a working area of 1300 x 1000 x 1500 mm. Thanks to this, the furnace can accommodate large components – mainly aircraft parts, as well as gas turbines for the energy sector.

The featured technology on order, in addition to non-standard dimensions, is designed to process work in the presence of two gases: argon (used for partial pressure) and nitrogen, which is used mainly in the cooling process.

Additionally, the furnace will be equipped with a dew point sensor for each of the gases. It is a system which solves one of heat treatment’s very critical operational requirements, which is to control the quality/purity of gas used during the process. Vector also features a partial pressure control system based on three gases (hydrogen, argon, and nitrogen) to help prevent evaporation and sublimation of alloying elements from the load surface during the vacuum heat treatment or vacuum brazing process.

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Wisconsin oven completes spray quench aluminum solution furnace for the defense industry

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, Wis. announced the completion of a Horizontal Spray Quench Furnace for C/A Design located in Dover, NH. This furnace will be used for the solution treatment of aluminum. The system is designed to soak the product load at temperature in the furnace and then a pusher mechanism rapidly moves the load into the spray quench. The spray quench offers reduced distortion in comparison to submersion quenching.

The maximum temperature for this system is 1,150°F and it has sufficient capacity to heat a 200 pound aluminum load plus the work grid and product fixture. A temperature uniformity survey was documented for +/-10°F at 985°F to verify the furnace has the capability to meet AMS 2750G, Class 2 furnace and Instrumentation Type D requirements.

The spray quench is located in front of the oven and has vertical-lift, pneumatically operated doors on each end. The spray quench system utilizes fifty (50) fine mist nozzles located above, below, and on each side of the quench chamber to rapidly cool the product from all sides. Each nozzle is independently selectable from the touchscreen HMI and a variable frequency drive allows the pump speed to be adjusted to maintain a constant pressure to each spray nozzle. 

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Processing of nano-reinforced aluminum hybrid metal matrix composites and the effect of post-heat treatment: a review

A review from the School of Engineering and Technology, India, describes the increasing demand for cutting-edge materials with a high strength-to-weight ratio and economic considerations. Lightweight materials such as aluminum (Al) and its alloys are attractive, but some properties such as low thermal stability and high wear rate limit the application of aluminum alloys (AA) to some extent. Many researchers have developed various composites to get around these restrictions and increase the performance of aluminum and its alloy. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) with nanoparticles have revealed greater mechanical and tribological properties compared with micron-sized reinforcements. This review summarizes the latest developments in this field.

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Solar Atmospheres of Michigan’s relocation charges forward

Solar Atmospheres, Chesterfield, MI, formerly known as Vac-Met Inc., has successfully reached its first milestone in the relocation phase. Solar invested over $5 million of new equipment installed with all new utilities. 

The new equipment includes two vacuum furnaces, an air tempering furnace, and a freezer. As a result, Solar was able to host their first AS9100D audit at the new facility in Chesterfield Michigan. This quality management system audit for aviation, space and defense organizations which incorporates ISO9001 standards passed with zero findings.After purchasing the company one year ago, the goal was to build a new facility with no impact on the existing customer base. 

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Nitrex and Linde renew their 13-year collaboration

Nitrex, Quebec, and Linde are celebrating their 13-year collaboration, which today covers Europe and North America. Nitrex said that this partnership emphasizes both companies’ positioning in terms of technology, digital, and green footprints. 

The cooperation between Linde (previously Praxair) and UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company, began in the USA in 2010, when Linde approached UPC-Marathon to build gas panels. Eventually, the company started sending some of its clients who needed technical support in UPC’s direction.

Nitrex supplies Linde with equipment and analyses to control gas atmospheres, thanks to its competence in heat treatment and electrical fields, technical solutions, support, and world-class gas panels.

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Constellium’s operations in Muscle Shoals and Bowling Green certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)

Constellium, Pairs, announced that it has received the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard certificate for its facilities in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Bowling Green, Kentucky. This certification, verified by an independent third-party audit, means that the plants operate according to a strict set of governance, environmental, and social standards, including greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and labor rights.

The Constellium Muscle Shoals plant is a major aluminium cansheet supplier for the packaging market with over 450,000 metric tons of finished aluminium coils per year. The facility also produces aluminium automotive coils, which are processed at the Bowling Green plant. Muscle Shoals’ world-class recycling center is able to recycle the equivalent of 20 billion aluminium cans per year. Constellium’s Bowling Green plant produces flat rolled aluminium Auto Body Sheet products for the automotive market, with a capacity to produce 100,000 metric tons annually.

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Three from Aalberts Surface Technologies included in this years 40 under 40

Aalberts Technologies, Livonia, announced today that Angella Sell, Connor Montgomery, and Chris Pietszak are members of Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. The Heat Treat Today 40 Under 40 award recognizes rising leaders in the heat treat community who are giving their time, talent, and education to make the industry a great place to work.

Angella Sell, Research & Development Engineer, is a proven leader, having chaired the ASM Detroit Chapter from June 2020 to June 2021. In 2022 Angella received the ASM Detroit Chapter President’s Award for her leadership role during the challenging pandemic years. Angella is the vice-chair of the AFS Cast Iron Research Committee and will assume the role of chair in May 2024. 

Connor Montgomery, Oshkosh Plant Manager, is focused on hiring and retention practices as well on effective communications. Connor is leading major efforts to improve flow, efficiency, and throughput in the Oshkosh plant. He has introduced the use of modern lean tools such as 5S, FIFO, and Supermarkets to reduce unproductive manhours. He is actively involved in the reduction of additional waste within plant processing. 

Chris Pietszak, Quality Manager, is focsed on the implementation of and support of ISO, IATF, and Nadcap as well as CQI-9 compliance. He is a trained ISO and IATF auditor and an MTI YES Program graduate. Chris played an important role implementing the quality systems during the start-up of the Fort Smith facility. 

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Medical implant hardening in a SECO/WARWICK furnace

SECO/WARWICK, Meadville, PA, announced that they will supply a Vector vacuum furnace to the Marle Group, a global manufacturer of orthopedic prostheses. The furnace on order will be used for the heat treatment of cobalt implants. Cobalt alloy hardening requires very high temperatures, and the heating process for these materials require a high puriity environment, temperature uniformity and very fast and effective cooling.

In order for cobalt alloys to be used in implantology, they must be deprived of their ferromagnetic properties. This shiny, hard metal loses this property only when it reaches a temperature higher than 1131°C. Such a high temperature makes it necessary to use a vacuum furnace in the implant production process. The furnace can not only provide such a temperature, but also guarantees its maintenance over a longer period of time. As a comparison, the temperature, above which a ferSECO/WARWICK, Meadville, PA, announced that they will supply a Vector vacuum furnace to the Marle Group, a global manufacturer of orthopedic prostheses. The furnace on order will be used for the heat treatment of cobalt implants. Cobalt alloy hardening requires very high temperatures, and the heating process for these materials require a high puriity environment, temperature uniformity and very fast and effective cooling.


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Wisconsin Oven to ship three custom conveyor ovens to the molded-fiber industry

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, is scheduled to ship three custom dryers to a manufacturer in the molded-fiber industry. The ovens will be used for drying thick-walled paper pulp molded fiber packaging material used in a variety of products. Molded fiber packaging is made of 100% recycled materials, making them an environmentally friendly solution for companies looking to use sustainable packaging and reduce their environmental impact.

These paper pulp drying conveyor ovens are designed with four temperature zones, and each has the sufficient capability to remove 850 pounds of water per hour from the molded pulp. The ovens feature a maximum temperature rating of 500°. The work chamber dimensions are 8’ W x 120’ L x 1’ H. A total of twelve personnel access doors with explosion relief latches are located on the sides of each unit. Each unit also has stainless steel sheet metal and structure on the wet end to reduce corrosion.

The conveyor ovens are designed with top-down and bottom-up airflow to maximize the drying rate of the paper pulp shapes. The flat wire belt continuous conveyor system uses a variable frequency drive that is adjustable from 0-3 FPM. Emergency stop buttons are located at the load and unload sections of each oven for operator safety.

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Lindberg/MPH completes roller hearth furnace system for the energy industry

Lindberg/MPH, Mich., announced the installation of a roller hearth furnace system for a manufacturer of products used in the energy industry. The heat treat system is comprised of two box furnaces with quench tanks, a dual directional load transfer car, four companion draw batch ovens, and two stationary load/unload tables.

The maximum operating temperature of the box furnaces is 1850°F and they are designed for nitrogen-based atmosphere applications. The load space dimensions of the box furnaces are 48” W x 96” D x 36” H, and the internal chambers are larger to provide clearance for baskets or fixtures. A snake chain pusher assembly is used by each furnace to transfer the loads from the chamber to the quench elevator deck.

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One Minute Mentor: Indirectly heated fluidized-bed furnace

Most fluidized-bed furnaces are used at temperatures below 1095 °C (2000 °F), although some manufacturers have furnaces capable of treating components to temperatures through 1205 °C (2200 °F). Initially, the gas flows upward through the permeable base to agitate the particles as the pressure is gradually increased. (b) Eventually, the gas flow is sufficient to lift the small particles of refractory materials and to transform the particle movement into a violent turbulent motion.

In the early 1980s, this furnace technology seemed to be on the right track as an alternative to salt bath technology, showing similar advantages and applications but without the environmental hazard of salt compounds, waste disposal, recycling of salts, and so on. Nowadays it can be concluded that salt bath technology was partially substituted by vacuum technology, but especially for bainitic hardening (austempering processes), salt baths are still commonly used and show a slightly growing tendency, whereas fluidized beds are hardly used any more.

This temperature limitation is related to the wear and tear on the retort materials at high temperatures, which was one of the reasons for the reduced interest in this furnace type after the initial hype.

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.a0005958

One Minute Mentor: Plasma Nitriding Equipment

Cold-walled (double-walled water-cooled) systems were the first generation of plasma nitriding furnaces. This technology is also a vacuum-based process but employs the principle of glow discharge to provide energy for heating and nitriding at one time. Therefore, the independent control of the temperature stability and the nitriding intensity is not possible because both processes are using the same energy source—the plasma.

The hot-wall plasma nitriding furnaces, the next generation of cold-wall ion nitriding systems, are mainly used and built now. This system ensures optimal nitriding quality by fulfilling the highest demands on temperature and nitriding process control. The big advantage of this technology is the separation of the control of the heating and the plasma nitriding parameters. 

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 26

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; H. Altena; T. Müller; P. Seemann, Processes and Furnace Equipment for Heat Treating of Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Seco/Warwick delivers Vector vacuum furnace to revolver manufacturer

Seco/Warwick, Meadville, Pa.,  received another order for the supply of a Vector vacuum furnace to a South American international manufacturer of weapons and military equipment. The furnace will process various components including barrels, reels, locks, and firearm magazines, which are expected to be reliable, of the highest quality, and perform with outstanding resistance to negative external conditions.

This will be the second solution of this type in the South American defense industry leader’s internal hardening plant. It is a single-chamber gas-cooled vacuum furnace which can be used for a variety of metal heat treatment processes and applications. This solution has been adapted to the customer’s requirements so that it is as effective as possible at delivering the precision heat treatment results required for quality weaponry.

Thanks to the large working space (900x900x1200 mm), the Vector system is designed to process quite large elements. A characteristic feature of the design is convection heating, which improves heat transfer efficiency when heating at lower temperatures, and directional cooling, which enables differentiated cooling of problematic parts in terms of shapes.

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Constellium to sell three german extrusion plants to Vaessen Aluminium

Constellium, Paris,  announced that it signed a binding agreement with Vaessen Aluminium for the sale of three of Constellium’s soft alloy extrusion facilities located in Landau, Crailsheim and Burg in Germany for a total cash consideration of €48.8 million.

With nearly 450 employees, the three Constellium plants specialize in soft alloy extruded products for the Building & Construction, Transportation and Industry markets in Europe.

Vaessen Aluminium belongs to a longstanding family-owned industrial group, headquartered in Belgium, active in aluminum billets and profiles (E-Max), in lighting and ceiling (Kreon) and in wall cladding (Limeparts Drooghmans).

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2023 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval.

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Lehigh’s summer engineering institute students tour Solar Atmospheres

Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA, hosted over 40 high school students enrolled in the Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) at Lehigh University. The SEI program, under the guidance of Director Dr. Laura Moyer, is a two-week residential program, running two sessions back to back. 

Students are nominated by faculty of local high schools, and the program specifically targets under-represented groups including girls, first-generation students, and students who might otherwise have limited opportunities to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Solar Atmospheres provided a tour of the campus, exhibiting materials and processes for intriguing applications in a variety of markets. The students experienced a manufacturing setting encompassing related topics from their curriculum, gaining a better understanding of heat treating and manufacturing, and how cutting edge technology reshapes centuries-old processes.

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