Integer, Plano, TX, announced that its Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors had the honor of ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
The event marks a significant moment for Integer as the company continues its growth trajectory, focused on better serving customers and improving patient outcomes worldwide. The recognition reflects Integer’s commitment to innovation and progress in the medical device industry.
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, 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.
Nitrex Vacuum, Quebec, has installed a turnkey nitriding system at Akademi Metalurji, a full-service commercial heat-treating solutions provider located in Turkey. The project includes a mid-sized pit-type furnace, advanced controls, three process technologies along with accelerated cooling.
The decision to invest in a new nitriding system was driven by the company’s objective to overcome efficiency and quality challenges faced with their previous furnace at the Gebze facility. The prior system consumed excessive amounts of process gases and yielded inconsistent nitriding results. With the addition of a Nitrex NX-1015 pit furnace, Akademi Metalurji can now save on process gases and production time, while also expanding their heat treatment capabilities to accommodate wider-dimensioned parts. The nitriding furnace offers an effective work zone of 39” diameter by 59” high (1000 x 1500 mm) and can handle a load of up to 4400 lbs. (2000 kg). The supplied library of Nitreg-based recipes is tailored to meet different application requirements, resulting in a hardened surface that is highly wear-resistant. For applications like machinery components, tooling, dies, and molds, where Akademi Metalurji specializes, Nitreg delivers improved tooling performance, ensuring longer service life and higher throughput. Ultimately, this leads to tool cost savings for their customers.
The system was successfully installed at the Gebze facility, located southeast of Istanbul, and commenced operations in April 2023. Since then, it has been running smoothly, delivering excellent results.
Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, announced the shipment of an Electrically Heated Horizontal Quench System to a manufacturer of products for the automotive industry. This system will be used for the solution treatment of aluminum.
The maximum temperature for this horizontal quench furnace is 1200°F and interior chamber dimensions of 2′ wide x 2′ high x 2′ long. The system has the capacity to heat 450 pounds of aluminum parts and the steel basket within 60 minutes. Temperature uniformity of +/- 10°F at set points 850°F and 1050° F was verified with a nine point profile test prior to shipment.
This horizontal quench system provides a 15 second quench delay from when the door begins to open until the load is fully submerged in the tank. The quench is manual, where the operator pulls the load out of the oven and onto the quench elevator using a hook. The quench delay time is recorded and enforced using sensors to detect the start and end of the quench operation, and to stop the process if the quench delay time expires.
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.
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.
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a coating for steam condensers used in fossil fuel steam-cycle generation that is made with fluorinated diamond-like carbon, or F-DLC.
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Enovis Corp., Wilmington, Del., has announced today that it has been recognized as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023 by Newsweek.
Newsweek partnered with Plant-A Insights Group, a market-data research firm, to identify America’s Greatest Workplaces by conducting a large-scale employer study based on over 389,000 company reviews in the United States. “Enovis is proud to provide a positive work environment where employees can thrive through our culture of continuous improvement and a commitment to improving patient outcomes,” said Matt Trerotola, chief executive officer of Enovis. “This award recognizes our passionate drive to create better together every day as we develop the next generation of medical technology, and we are honored to be named one of the greatest workplaces in America.”
Already recognized as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, Enovis places significant importance on building and sustaining a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment while fostering a collaborative culture that empowers its team of extraordinary talent to reach their full potential.
Dr. Kathy Hayrynen, FASM, vice president of research and development, Aalberts Surface Technologies, Cleveland, has been awarded the 2023 Fred Linebarger Teaching Award by the Cast Iron Division of the American Foundry Society Technical Council.
The award was established in 2015 and honors the late Dr. Fred Linebarger (Director of Technology for Miller & CO) who devoted his career to the development of treatment alloys and processes for the production of both ductile and compacted graphite iron.
Dr. Fred was known for his teaching skills, namely an ability to take complex concepts and break them down into simple bites that anyone could understand. He served as a mentor to many technical employees in the metalcasting industry.
The award honors Dr. Kathy’s efforts mentoring and sharing her knowledge. It emphasizes her role in and the importance of education in the metalcasting industry. It also recognizes her willingness to share knowledge with others by teaching fundamentals of metalcasting to students, customers and industry peers. She serves as a mentor to the next generation of metalcasting professionals, especially women in the industry.
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, has shipped one electrically heated conveyor oven to an automotive manufacturer, which will be used for tempering automotive parts. The conveyor oven features a chain style conveyor system with vertical pins, ensuring the uniform transfer of parts through the heating and cooldown zones of the oven. The maximum temperature rating of the conveyor oven is 260° C, with interior chamber dimensions of 3’6” W x 20’10” L x 9” H.
The conveyor oven also features a top-down bottom-up airflow configuration designed with a 55,000 CFM @ 50 HP blower, ensuring optimal temperature uniformity of ±2.5° C at 163°C, documented with a temperature uniformity test. The oven is equipped with a continuous chain conveyor with vertical pins, programmable temperature controller, and recorder with Ethernet capabilities.
The unique features of this tempering oven include the ability to automatically scan the parts while being loaded onto the conveyor and validate that the correct part is being loaded, providing a pass/fail regarding heating time and temperature. The conveyor oven also includes an ambient cooldown zone and supervised installation with start-up and training.
Mike Grande, vice president of sales,said that, “Our continuous designs provide customers with innovative solutions to meet their load and process requirements. This conveyor oven was designed with high-velocity impingement air nozzles for rapid, uniform heating and optimal part results.” The equipment was fully factory tested and adjusted prior to shipment from the facility, ensuring it met all Wisconsin Oven quality standards. The equipment comes with a 2-year warranty, providing peace of mind for the automotive manufacturer.
Seco/Vacuum, Meadville, Pa., has announced that a U.S.-based international manufacturer has placed an order for a Vector high-pressure gas quench furnace. The new furnace will increase the partner’s heat treat capability while improving part quality. The Vector will allow the partner to heat treat larger parts, at higher quantities per cycle than their existing furnace, all with improved quality control and reliability.
The partner’s equipment requires the use of large dies that require precise heat treating. Their current heat treatment setup includes a pair of vacuum furnaces, which have some limits compared to the Vector they are about to receive.
The new furnace, a bottom loading Vector vacuum furnace with 6 bar nitrogen gas quench, has a 60″ diameter, 72″ tall, and a 3-ton capacity working zone. It is equipped with convection heating which allows them to run their tempering cycle in the same furnace without having to move parts after hardening, a tremendous time and labor savings.
The furnace is also equipped with SECO/WARWICK’s FineCarb low-pressure carburizing system for future process developments. The Vector will increase production capacity to meet the rising market demand of today and tomorrow. The new furnace’s vertical configuration and rotary hearth were built specifically to accommodate more large dies, allowing the partner to meet the elevated demand with ease. SECO/VACUUM’s intuitive process controls ensure greater heating uniformity than their existing equipment in both convection mode and in vacuum mode.
