Ambrell, an Ameritherm company, Scottsville, N.Y., has released the flexible, 25 ft EasyCoil. It can be used with Ambrell Ekoheat induction heating systems-up to the 250 kW model-and is designed for large, oddly shaped parts that cannot be heated with a traditional copper coil. The EasyCoil is ideal for slow and bulk heating applications such as preheating, annealing, stress relieving, die heating, and much more.

ThyssenKrupp Aerospace North America, Hutchinson, Kan., announces that it has entered into a three-year contract extension with Cessna Aircraft Company to remain its service provider for aluminum sheet products and related supply chain services. The company will service Cessna’s facilities in Wichita, Kan., as well as Cessna’s key subcontractors throughout the North American region.   ThyssenKrupp is a diversified technology and materials group based in Essen, Germany.

Praxair Inc., Danbury, Conn., has started up a second nitrogen plant at its facility in Kirtland, N.M., to support growing nitrogen demand in the San Juan basin, which includes southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The new plant, along with an additional liquefier expansion to be completed later this year, will increase total capacity at the site to 300 tons per day of liquid nitrogen.

Ralph P. Poor, Surface Combustion Inc., Maumee, Ohio, presented “Batch Integral Quench Furnace Innovations: Heating, Quenching, Automation” at Heat Treat 2013 in Indianapolis. Original batch integral quench (BIQ) furnace technology was introduced in the 1950’s, and the paper covered innovations for the 21st Century.   Sealed quench furnace designs mate a quench to a carburizing hot zone, with the goal of maximizing throughput and uniform properties.

Hoganas AB, Bruksgatan, Sweden, announces the implementation of a combined vacuum sintering and low pressure carburizing (LPC) furnace technology to provide more cost-efficient and higher quality PM component solutions. LPC also results in reduced distortions during the heat treatment process and consequently improves the overall dimensional quality and tolerances of PM components.   Chromium-alloyed powders provide a cost-efficient way to manufacture high-performance applications.

Phoenix Thermal Measurement, Clearwater, Fla., has developed a new thermal barrier designed for use in brazing aluminum parts. It addresses the problems of protection from hydrofluoric acid produced from chemicals in the flux combining with moisture within the thermal barrier, and oxygen in the air leaking from the thermal barrier that can “pollute” the nitrogen atmosphere inside the furnace.

Ipsen Group, Cherry Valley, Ill., will be shipping 27 vacuum furnaces to diverse customers and regions all over the world.  Model types to be shipped include thirteen Titan  furnaces, four TurboTreater furnaces, two vertical bottom-loading furnaces, two Turbo2Treaters, two VFCK (vacuum furnace with convection heating) models, one VFS  HEQ (horizontal external quench), one MetalMaster, one Vacuum Oil Quench with AvaC carburizing, and one VTL (vertical top load) furnace.

Evraz North America, Chicago, announces Board approval of its plan to expand heat treat and threading capacity at its tubular facility in Calgary, Alberta. The multimillion dollar project, which will commence next month, includes expanding heat treat capacity by over 150% and threading capacity by about 40%. Work is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Hardide Coatings Ltd., UK, has developed a TSP (thermally stable polycrystalline) diamond coating to extend the life and improve the performance of drilling tools operating in extremely abrasive environments. This is the first successful high-performance coating that can withstand the higher temperatures associated with TSP brazing, extreme loads, and aggressive media.

The Linde Group, Munich, Germany, will invest more than $ 200 million to build a large, state-of-the-art air separation unit (ASU), a new gasification train, and supporting equipment and facilities in La Porte, Texas.  The ASU will be the largest operated by Linde in the U.S. and the addition of a new gasification plant will create the world’s largest natural gas based partial oxidation complex for the production of syngas products for petrochemicals.