Ipsen USA Receives New Vacuum Furnace Order from Urschel Laboratories

Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Illinois, announced a new equipment order from Urschel Laboratories for a MetalMaster HR 54×48 vacuum furnace. The order marks 40 years of partnership between the two companies, with the new unit replacing an original Ipsen furnace installed in 1986.

The MetalMaster HR is designed for high-performance heat treating applications including hardening, tempering, brazing, and annealing in a vacuum or partial-pressure environment. The furnace features a horizontal front-loading design with an integrated high-pressure gas quench system.

Urschel Laboratories, based in Chesterton, Indiana, is a global manufacturer of precision food cutting equipment. The company relies on vacuum heat treatment to achieve the hardness, wear resistance, and dimensional stability required for its cutting components, which operate under demanding production conditions in the food processing industry.

The replacement of the 1986 furnace reflects both the longevity of Ipsen equipment and the ongoing need for modern controls, energy efficiency, and process documentation capabilities in today’s manufacturing environment. Ipsen reported a 45% year-over-year increase in new equipment units sold in 2025.

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ECM establishes new vacuum furnace entity in mexico under MEXVAC ECM name

ECM USA, Pleasant Prairie, WI, announced the official launch of its new Mexican subsidiary, ECM Mexico, operating as MEXVAC ECM, S.A. DE C.V. This development marks a significant step in expanding ECM’s presence and service capabilities within the Mexican heat treatment industry.

The ECM Mexico team is led by operations manager Juan Cruz and field service and PLC engineer José López, under the direction of Pierre-Loic Rousset and Dennis Beauchesne. The team will work closely with ECM USA to provide localized support, reflecting ECM’s long-term commitment to strengthening service infrastructure for customers across Mexico.

The new entity will serve as a dedicated supplier of vacuum furnace technologies and support services, aiming to meet growing demand in the region for high-performance thermal processing equipment.

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Kanthal wins e-prize for industrial heating electrification

Kanthal, Amherst, NY, announced that it has been awarded the prestigious E-prize in the energy optimization category for its innovative technology supporting fossil-free industrial production. Organized by Sweden’s leading business newspaper Dagens Industri, Aktuell Hållbarhet, and the energy group E.ON, the E-prize recognizes groundbreaking advancements in energy innovation. This marks the 16th year the award has celebrated industry-leading solutions.

The jury highlighted Kanthal’s ability to combine a 90-year-old invention with modern innovation to replace natural gas with electric heating in high-temperature industrial processes. This transition enables fossil-free production, reducing emissions and improving working conditions. Kanthal was recognized as a global pioneer in sustainable industrial electrification, with applications ranging from steel production to manufacturing solar cells and batteries.

Robert Ståhl, president of Kanthal, noted the significance of the award, stating that the company’s technology allows industries such as steel, batteries, semiconductors, and glass to reduce emissions by transitioning to electricity for industrial heating. Nicolai Schaaf, sustainability manager at Kanthal, added that electrification not only reduces emissions but also supports the broader expansion of fossil-free energy management.

Kanthal’s technology, rooted in a 93-year-old innovation, is designed to electrify high-temperature processes across industries, eliminating CO2 emissions when powered by fossil-free electricity. These processes, integral to manufacturing sectors such as steel, aluminum, glass, and cement, account for a significant share of global industrial CO2 emissions, making Kanthal’s solutions critical for sustainable industrial transformation.

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Centorr Vacuum names Sean P. Murphy as product manager for laboratory and r&d furnaces

Centorr Vacuum, Nashua, NH, announced that Sean P. Murphy has been appointed as the product manager for its laboratory and R&D furnace product lines. Murphy will oversee more than 30 vacuum furnace lines that cater to laboratory applications across the metals, ceramics, and carbon/graphite/composites industries. His client base includes national laboratories, universities, and industrial customers worldwide who require compact laboratory and R&D equipment.

Murphy brings a wealth of experience to Centorr, having previously served as senior manufacturing manager at Osram Sylvania’s Exeter, NH location, where he focused on micro-LED ceramic automotive products. His expertise spans hydrogen sintering, spark plasma sintering, and annealing, among other manufacturing processes. Murphy holds a bachelor’s degree in materials science from Alfred University and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and is actively involved in the American Ceramic Society, ASM Heat Treat Society, and Society of Automotive Engineers.

Centorr Vacuum Industries, established in 1954 and currently celebrating its 70th anniversary, is known for its high-temperature vacuum and controlled atmosphere furnaces, with over 7,000 units installed globally. The company’s Nashua headquarters includes a dedicated aftermarket field service team and an Applied Technology Center that provides R&D support and toll production services.

For more information please visit www.centorr.com

The aviation industry chooses Seco/Warwick vacuum furnaces

Seco/Warwick, Meadville, PA announced that their previous furnace with an aviation industry client will be retired and replaced by a new, economical, and versatile furnace for brazing jet engine parts.

Seco/Warwick has been a recognized metal heat treatment equipment manufacturer for decades. In fact in many plants, units were manufactured in the 1980s and 1990s. The partners are gradually replacing these units with modern solutions, continuing to be loyal to the SECO/WARWICK brand.

“The aviation industry is a very important partner that has been cooperating with Seco/Warwick for decades. This is proof of satisfaction with the products we create, but also an expression of trust. Long-term, strategic, good relationships are key. Our furnaces are designed to operate without failure for many, many years, as evidenced by the replacement of this furnace after so many years,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the Vacuum Furnaces Segment at Seco/Warwick Group.

The new solution is based on a standard Vector vacuum furnace with a working space of 900x900x1200 mm, equipped with screen insulation and metal heating elements. It has been specifically adapted to meet the unique needs of the aviation industry, capable of heat treating complex jet engine components such as gears and main shafts.

This latest advancement underscores Seco/Warwick’s dedication to innovation and excellence, ensuring their continued partnership with the aviation industry for years to come.

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Researchers overcome manufacturing challenges in aluminum alloys with nano-treatment

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have achieved a significant breakthrough in the field of metal additive manufacturing (AM), specifically with Al–Cu alloys like AA2024, which are prevalent in the aerospace and automotive industries. 

These alloys are known for their high strength and good fatigue resistance but have been notoriously difficult to work with in additive manufacturing due to issues like hot cracking and other solidification defects.

The UCLA team has successfully developed a nano-treated AA2024 deposition that incorporates TiC nanoparticles, leading to a groundbreaking enhancement in the manufacturing process. This new method allows for the additive manufacturing of AA2024 without the occurrence of cracks, a common issue that has hindered broader adoption of these materials in high-precision sectors.

Microstructural analysis conducted by the researchers reveals that the TiC nanoparticles not only reduce the susceptibility to hot cracking but also refine and homogenize the grain structure of the alloy. The grains were significantly refined to an average size of 23.2 ± 0.4 μm. This refinement contributes to the material’s enhanced properties, including its mechanical performance.

These findings highlight the potential of nano-treatment techniques in overcoming the longstanding challenges associated with high-strength aluminum in additive manufacturing. This advancement not only paves the way for more reliable production of critical components in aerospace and automotive applications but also promises to expand the capabilities and applications of metal additive manufacturing technology.

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Wisconsin Oven ships two horizontal quench systems to the semiconductor industry

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, WI, announced the shipment of two Electrically Heated Horizontal Quench Systems to the semiconductor industry. These systems are designed for the annealing and rapid cooling of various high purity alloy parts.

The operation of each horizontal quench system begins with loading the product onto a work grid located on the loading platform. After the load is lifted into position, a pusher/extractor mechanism at the front of the quench tank moves the load onto the quench lift platform. Then, the furnace pusher/extractor mechanism transfers the load into the furnace for annealing. Once the heating cycle is complete, the vertical lift door opens, and the furnace pusher/extractor moves the load back onto the quench lift platform, lowering it into the water quench tank for cooling. After adequate cooling, the quench lift raises the load, and the front-mounted pusher/extractor mechanism returns it to the scissor lift, where a blow-off system removes most of the water from the load. A video demonstrating this system’s operation is available through a provided link.

Each horizontal quench furnace can reach a maximum temperature of 1,250°F and has the capacity to heat and support a 4,500-pound gross load. These furnaces are designed to achieve a temperature uniformity of +/-10°F. The customer requested a uniformity tolerance of ±20°F at 500°F, 900°F, and 1200°F, which was documented for each system through a nine-point profile test conducted in an empty oven chamber under static conditions.

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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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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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EndoFlex generator chosen for fastener heat treatment

UPC-Marathon, Quebec,, a Nitrex company, has commissioned a 100 M3H EndoFlex endothermic gas generator for a South American manufacturer of industrial fasteners.

This is a repeat customer that has UPC-Marathon‘s gas panels, flowmeters, oxygen probes, and Protherm plant automation software installed in their heat treatment operations. With the addition of the EndoFlex generator, they will now be able to supply gas to a new continuous mesh belt neutral hardening furnace for the treatment of metal fasteners used in automotive applications.

The customer had the option to choose between a nitrogen-methanol system or an endothermic gas generator for their neutral hardening furnace. After careful consideration, they selected UPC-Marathon’s EndoFlex generator in order to achieve better control and consistency of the process atmosphere. The result is an improved hardening process and higher-quality hardened fasteners, along with reduced operating costs. The EndoFlex mixes ratios more accurately and efficiently, ensuring a constant furnace atmosphere and consistent gas quality, leading to immediate cost savings through reduced electricity and gas consumption and zero waste.

The system was started in March 2023, and its consistent performance has exceeded the customer’s expectations.

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