Solar Atmospheres expands California operations with new 10-bar vacuum furnace

Solar Atmospheres, Fontana, California, announced the installation and commissioning of a new 10-bar vacuum furnace at its California facility. Manufactured by sister company Solar Manufacturing, the horizontal furnace features a hot zone measuring 48-in. wide by 48-in. high by 96-in. deep, with a maximum load capacity of 12,000 pounds and an ultimate vacuum level of 1×10⁻⁶ Torr. The furnace expands the facility’s high-pressure quenching capabilities for processing titanium and high-performance alloys serving the aerospace, defense, medical, and power generation markets. “This investment gives our customers another regional solution for high-pressure quenching of large components and heavy workloads,” said Derek Dennis, President of Solar Atmospheres California.

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Solar Atmospheres expands vacuum heat-treating capacity in Eastern Pennsylvania

Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA, announced the commissioning of two additional 2-bar vacuum furnaces at its Eastern Pennsylvania facility. The expansion is aimed at supporting increased demand from the aerospace and industrial gas turbine industries, as well as specialized hydride/dehydride processing of reactive metals such as titanium, tantalum, and niobium.

The newly installed furnaces, manufactured by Solar Manufacturing, feature large working hot zones measuring 45 inches wide by 45 inches high by 72 inches deep. They are rated for temperatures up to 2400°F and maintain a temperature uniformity of ±10°F, meeting the stringent requirements of high-performance heat treatment applications.

Mike Moyer, vice president of sales at Solar Atmospheres, noted that the new equipment, outfitted with the latest control systems from Solar Manufacturing, enhances operational efficiency and safety. He added that this expansion supports the company’s commitment to providing reliable service, competitive pricing, and fast turnaround times to its customers.

The additional capacity reflects Solar Atmospheres’ ongoing investment in advanced thermal processing technology to meet the evolving needs of its industrial and aerospace clients.

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Solar Manufacturing ships Mentor Pro furnaces for renewable energy applications

Solar Manufacturing, Sellersville, Pa., announced that it has shipped two Mentor Pro vacuum furnaces to a customer focused on developing advanced renewable energy technologies for large-scale industrial applications. The furnaces were selected after a collaborative process with the customer’s engineers, supported by the Research and Development team from Solar Manufacturing’s affiliate, Solar Atmospheres. The customer valued the furnace’s capabilities and compact design.

The Mentor Pro furnaces feature a molybdenum shielded hot zone, a maximum temperature capacity of 2500°F, and a workload capacity of up to 1000 pounds. They are equipped with SolarVac Essentials, a PLC-based control system, and include an internal gas quenching system with a 50 HP motor and variable frequency drive (VFD), offering flexibility in using nitrogen or argon gas for optimal metallurgical results. These features make the Mentor Pro well-suited for a variety of metallurgical applications in renewable energy development.

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One Minute Mentor: Distortion of High-Speed Steels

High-speed steels show a typical distortion behavior depending on the heat treatment parameters. The figure shows the change in length of cylindrical bars (diameter = 20 mm, or 0.8 in.) and length = 140 mm, or5.5 in.), with rolling direction longitudinal to the sample) for various heat treatment conditions with austenitizing, salt bath quenching, and double tempering.

Quenching and tempering up to 500 °C (930 °F) results only in very small changes in length (either growth or shrinking). Higher tempering temperatures lead to a transformation of the retained austenite into martensite and a corresponding growth in length. For typical tempering temperature of 560 °C (1040 °F) changes in length of about 0.2% take place. Additional alloying with Co (5%) leads to slightly higher changes in length. The effect of an additional third tempering shifts the curve slightly to the left, whereas oil quenching leads to a slight reduction of the change in length.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 9. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980

One Minute Mentor: Improving the Homogeneity of the Distortion Behavior

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 announces rapid progress on Michigan facility expansion

Solar Atmospheres, Chesterfield, MI, announced significant progress on the 20,000-square-foot expansion of its Michigan facility. The Delta Industrial team quickly erected the steel structure in just one week. The new expansion will accommodate additional vacuum and air furnaces and provide a dedicated shipping and receiving area. The project remains on schedule for completion by the end of 2024, marking a key step in enhancing Solar Atmospheres’ operational capabilities.

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SECO/WARWICK announces expansion of Meadville facilities

SECO/WARWICK, Meadville, PA, has announced plans to expand its manufacturing facilities to enhance service for North American customers. The expansion involves relocating part of its manufacturing operations and a metallurgical lab for vacuum furnaces from Poland to Crawford County, PA.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) will support this initiative with a $2 million grant under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), which SECO/WARWICK will match. Additionally, $69,000 in matching funds will be provided for job training through the Workforce & Economic Development Network (WEDnet).

The expansion will occupy a 120,000 sq. ft. facility in the Crawford Business Park, a site redeveloped from the former American Viscose Corporation mill. This development is expected to benefit the community and bolster SECO/WARWICK’s capabilities in producing heat-treating and aluminum melting furnaces.

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Nitrex announces second endoflex generator order from South American automotive company

Nitrex, Quebec, announced that an automotive company in South America has placed a follow-up order for a second EndoFlex generator from UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company. Following the successful installation of a 200 m³/h EndoFlex unit last year, the new generator, with a similar capacity, aims to enhance stability, ensure consistent composition and gas flows, and prioritize top-tier quality in automotive gear boxes while achieving efficiencies in heat treatment operations.

Before adopting the EndoFlex solution, the manufacturer relied on four outdated generator units, each with a capacity of 70 m³/h and consuming 80 kW of power. Remarkably, with the same 80 kW of power consumption, the EndoFlex generator delivers an impressive 200 m³/h capacity. This transition represents not only a remarkable 75% reduction in power consumption but also a significant boost in efficiency and cost-effectiveness for the customer.

The shift to EndoFlex also signifies a substantial contribution to operational efficiency and sustainability efforts. The new generator streamlines maintenance procedures, adheres to stringent quality standards, and reduces CO2 emissions. EndoFlex’s precision control over gas quality and production for the neutral hardening furnace enhances product quality, reduces operating costs, and optimizes energy consumption. By automatically adjusting gas production to match real-time furnace demand, EndoFlex effectively eliminates overproduction and waste.

This order underscores the automotive company’s commitment to leveraging advanced technologies for enhanced productivity and sustainability in their operations.

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Solar Manufacturing ships Mentor Pro Furnace to a global leader of wire mesh products

Solar Manufacturing, Sellersville, PA, has shipped a Mentor Pro Model HFL-3036-2IQ vacuum furnace to a customer specializing in engineered knitted wire mesh solutions. 

They are a USA-based company and a global supplier for the automotive, food service, and janitorial industries. The furnace will be primarily utilized for vacuum annealing materials that are susceptible to adverse effects of their mechanical properties when exposed to any levels of oxygen or nitrogen.

The Mentor® Pro features a molybdenum shielded hot zone measuring 18” wide x 18” high x 36” deep, capable of operating temperatures up to 2400°F, and a workload weight capacity of up to 1,000 lbs and includes the SolarVac® Essentials PLC-based control system. The internal gas cooling system with a 50 HP drive motor is capable of quenching workloads at 2-bar positive pressure in either nitrogen or argon.

Jason Davidson, regional sales manager, said that, “Our customer started running trials with our affiliate commercial heat treater, Solar Atmospheres. Once the trial results proved the heat-treat cycle, and the furnace demonstrated it could process the required quantities, the customer had confidence to place the purchase order with us.”

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Wisconsin Oven ships batch ovens to the manufacturing industry

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, announced the shipment of two custom-designed Gas Fired Batch Ovens with roll-up doors. The ovens will be used to hold molded urethane wheels prior to a curing process.

The batch ovens have a maximum operating temperature of 350°F and work chamber dimensions of 9’ wide x 4’6” long x 10’6” high. The ovens are designed with electrically operated roll-up doors in the front of the oven constructed from high-temperature fabric. The door controls allow the door to open halfway or all the way by a command from a loading robot. In addition to the roll-up door on the front, a bi-parting, side-hinged, horizontal swing door is located on the rear of each oven.

These batch ovens feature a horizontal airflow arrangement, which is ideal for products arranged in multiple tiers where heated airflow cannot be directed vertically through the product. Both ovens utilize a Watlow F4T digital controller that includes a 4.3″ color touch screen, PID temperature control with adaptive tuning, and Ethernet communication capabilities for temperature control. A remote display for the flame relays is also mounted to each control panel to provide an annunciation of operation along with fault and diagnostic information.

 

https://www.wisoven.com/news/wisconsin-oven-ships-batch-ovens-manufacturing-industry