Both the tungsten and silicon types of shock-resisting tool steel resist softening during tempering to a greater degree than carbon tool steels. Secondary hardening does not occur in these steels, except to a minimal degree in some high-W or high-Mo compositions (e.g., S5 and S7). The effect of tempering temperature on the hardness of various types and compositions of S steels is shown in Fig. 6.

Tools made of shock-resisting steel should be tempered immediately after quenching, or cracking is likely, especially if they are quenched in water or brine. Ideally, quenched tools should reach 50 to 70 °C (120 to 160 °F) before tempering begins. Some tool records indicate that double tempering is beneficial for S steels. It is especially important where higher toughness is required, for large parts (>50 mm, or 2 in.), and for the higher-alloyed grades (e.g., S5 or S7).

Surface treatments such as carburizing and carbonitriding are often applied to S1 steel. Types S4 and S5 do not take an effective carburized case.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 6.

Rafael Agnelli Mesquita; Reinhold Schneider; Cristiane Sales Gonçalves, Heat Treating of Cold-Work Tool Steels — Low- and Un-Alloyed Water and Oil Hardening Steels, ASM International, 2014. https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005972

Can-Eng Furnaces International, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, was awarded a contract to design and supply a high-temperature plate processing austenitizing furnace system. The system will produce critical wear components used in ground-engaging equipment that operates in severe service conditions. The customer was not named.

Austenitizing is the high-temperature step that precedes quenching when hardening steel. The new system is designed to provide precise temperature control, metallurgical consistency, and production capacity for heavy-duty applications.

The furnace uses an air-cooled walking beam design that allows waste heat to be recovered and used as part of the building’s heating system. Engineered to accommodate plates up to 8 ft (2.44 m) wide, the walking beam configuration minimizes product distortion while providing reliable material handling throughout the heat treatment cycle.

Thermal input is supplied by direct-fired, auto-recuperative burners, which provide efficient heat transfer while reducing fuel consumption. Furnace combustion, process control, and walking beam motion are integrated through a Siemens S7-1500F programmable logic controller.

Can-Eng has more than 60 years of experience designing and manufacturing walking beam furnace systems for customers worldwide. The ISO 9001:2015-certified company supplies thermal processing systems for steel, aluminum, and other metals.

Read further here: https://www.can-eng.com/news/can-eng-has-been-awarded-a-contract-to-design-and-supply-a-high-temperature-plate-processing-austenitizing-furnace-system

Aichelin, Mödling, Austria, delivered, installed, and commissioned a vacuum heat treatment system for Ayhan Takım Çelik A.Ş., a Türkiye-based provider of tool steels and technical materials. The investment expands the customer’s heat treatment capabilities for premium tool steels, particularly for demanding aluminum extrusion and die-casting applications.

The installation consists of a vacuum gas-quenching furnace with 10-bar nitrogen quenching and a vacuum tempering furnace. It handles batch weights of up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) and combines oxidation-free heat treatment with precise temperature control, providing good surface quality and highly reproducible process results.

Following commissioning and final acceptance, the system has been fully integrated into the customer’s production environment. The two companies worked together through the engineering, manufacturing, installation, and startup phases.

“The new Aichelin system offers the precision and reliability we need,” said Ayhan Dere, CEO, Ayhan Takım Çelik. The company continuously invests in technologies that strengthen production capacity, meet high quality standards, and support its long-term growth strategy.

Andaç Güzel, director, AICHELIN ST Vakum Fırınları A.Ş., said the project combines proven vacuum technology with process reliability and energy efficiency.

The Aichelin Group designs and builds industrial furnace systems for the heat treatment of metals and supplies vacuum heat treatment solutions for high-performance tool steels to customers worldwide.

Read further here: https://prozesswaerme.net/stahl/aichelin-liefert-leistungsstarke-vakuum-waermebehandlungsanlage-an-ayhan-takim-celik/

Hiperbaric, Burgos, Spain, will supply TTT Group, a Spanish provider of heat treatment and surface coating services, with a Hiperbaric HIP 107 hot isostatic pressing system. It is the first HIP system built with Spanish technology to be sold in Spain, and it will allow TTT to launch a new HIP business unit serving the aerospace, defense, energy, and oil and gas sectors.

The HIP 107 post-processes critical metal components, particularly castings and additively manufactured parts, to eliminate internal porosity and improve fatigue life, ductility, and other mechanical properties. It operates at pressures up to 2,000 bar (29,000 psi) and temperatures up to 1,400°C (2,550°F), with an option to reach 2,000°C (3,630°F). Its Fast Cooling technology combines heat treatment and material consolidation in a single step, reducing energy costs and cycle times.

“We are immensely proud that our first HIP system installed in Spain is being deployed by a leader like TTT Group,” said Andrés Hernando, CEO, Hiperbaric.

“This operation represents the largest investment in our company’s 65-year history,” said Xabier Berasategi, CEO, TTT Group. “With this equipment, we not only eliminate microscopic internal pores in mechanical parts to ensure their extreme fatigue resistance, but we also provide the market with a comprehensive competitive advantage: heat treatments and HIP densification under one roof.”

The order follows Hiperbaric’s sale of its first HIP system to Plus Metal, Taiwan, last year. Founded in 1999, Hiperbaric designs and manufactures high-pressure processing equipment for the food and beverage industry, HIP systems for industrial components, and high-pressure hydrogen compression systems. It also operates the first HIP Innovation Center in Southern Europe.

Read further here: https://www.hiperbaric.com/en/hiperbaric-suministra-primer-equipo-hip-en-espana-a-la-guipuzcoana-ttt-group-nueva-unidad-de-negocio/

SECO/WARWICK, Świebodzin, Poland, received a repeat order for a Vector single-chamber vacuum furnace from a Chinese manufacturer of gas turbine and aircraft engine components. The furnace will heat treat turbine blades made from high-temperature alloys.

The order follows a vacuum furnace with a graphite hot zone that SECO/WARWICK delivered to the same customer in 2023. Based on that unit’s performance, the customer ordered a more technically demanding version for its turbine blade work.

The customer’s process required capabilities beyond the standard Vector configuration: gas cooling at up to 12 bar instead of the standard 10 bar, and temperature uniformity of ±3°C (±5.4°F) instead of ±5°C (±9°F). The furnace operates at temperatures up to 1,400°C (2,550°F), handles a maximum gross load of 600 kg (1,300 lb), and maintains vacuum levels of 10⁻³ Pa to minimize oxidation. It uses an all-metal hot zone rather than graphite, which the company notes is particularly important in processes that require a highly clean environment.

“In this project, the key was to combine two things: the proven design of the Vector vacuum furnace and a very specific adaptation to the customer’s process,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the vacuum segment, SECO/WARWICK Group.

Pan Gaojun, managing director, SECO/WARWICK China, said, “The first unit we delivered to this partner proved its value in everyday production. That is why the order was repeated.”

SECO/WARWICK Group designs and manufactures vacuum, atmosphere, and aluminum heat treatment furnaces and vacuum metallurgy equipment, with operations in Poland, the U.S., China, and India.

Read further here: https://www.secowarwick.com/en/news/another-vector-for-turbines/