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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Ipsen completes ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation for pyrometry services

Ipsen, Cherry Valley, IL, has successfully achieved ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation for calibrations, enhancing its pyrometry services. This accreditation is particularly significant for customers operating under the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) and Aerospace Material Specifications (AMS) 2750G.

A key update in AMS2750G, revised in 2022, mandates that calibration service providers must hold ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation. This requirement encompasses temperature controller calibration, system accuracy testing (SAT), and temperature uniformity surveys (TUS).

Cavan Cardenas, Ipsen’s calibration and pyrometry coordinator, emphasized the importance of this certification: “Obtaining this lab certification reassures our customers of our capability to accurately conduct these tests. It’s crucial for us to verify the precision of our calibration equipment to provide superior support to our clients.”

Ipsen has appointed a dedicated technician for its Calibrations Lab, located at the Vacuum Technology Excellence Center in Cherry Valley, IL. This addition strengthens the company’s commitment to providing advanced calibration solutions.

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Solar Atmospheres South Carolina facility orders 10 bar vacuum furnace

Solar Atmospheres, Greenville, SC, has announced the acquisition of a new 10-bar vacuum furnace for its Greenville, SC facility. Manufactured by Solar Manufacturing, this new horizontal vacuum furnace measures 48 inches wide, 48 inches high, and 96 inches deep. It is designed to handle loads up to 12,000 pounds and is scheduled for installation in late 2024.

The furnace will be equipped with a vacuum pumping system capable of achieving an ultimate vacuum of 1×10-6 Torr, essential for processing titanium and other high-grade alloys. It also features advanced designs for the uniform and rapid cooling of large workloads, enhancing the processing capabilities at the Greenville facility.

Steve Prout, president of Solar Atmospheres Southeast, said, “This new furnace will provide an additional option for high-pressure quenching of large components and workloads in the region. It also offers an opportunity for cost-effective thermal processing in the current economic environment.”

https://solaratm.com/solar-atmospheres-south-carolina-facility-orders-10-bar-vacuum-furnace/

One Minute Mentor: Heat Transfer in a Fluidized Bed Furnace

One of the major attributes of the fluidized bed is the high rate at which heat can be transferred from the bed of particles to an immersed object. Coefficients of heat transfer on the order of 400 to 740 W/m2 · K (70 to 130 Btu/ft2 · h · °F) are possible. This heat flow rate is two to ten times higher than that provided by normal convection or radiation. In addition, the rate of heat transfer in the full bed is relatively independent of the emissivity of the object that is immersed and the temperature level.

The figure illustrates the nature of heat transfer in a fluidized bed. Under curve 1, the bed is nonfluidized in a static state with low heat transfer rates that increase only slightly with velocity. After the minimum fluidization velocity (Vmf) is reached, the heat transfer coefficient, or HTC (h), increases rapidly over a comparatively narrow velocity range (curve 2). At a certain optimal velocity (Vopt), the HTC reaches a maximum (hmax) and then tends to diminish as the fluidized bed attains more gaslike properties (curve 3). The actual heat transfer rate experienced in the fluidized bed depends on the fluidizing gas velocity and its thermal conductivity, the size and density of the bed particles, their thermophysical properties, and on the geometry and structural design features of the furnace.

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.a0005958

Effect of heat treatment on the properties of a high alloying maraging steel fabricated by laser metal deposition

Soochow University, China, successfully demonstrated a novel high alloying element maraging steel (HA-MS1) prepared by laser metal deposition (LMD). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) phase transformation analysis on the as-deposited (AF) specimens was conducted and the reasonable aging heat treatment (AT) and solution + aging heat treatment (ST + AT) were subsequently proposed.

These specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), hardness test, wear test and potentiodynamic polarization test for microstructure, phase, hardness, tribological and corrosive properties. The grain refinement and a large number of Ni3(Ti, Mo) intermetallic compounds in the matrix after AT resulted in superior hardness and wear resistance, while leading to poor corrosion resistance. This phenomenon resulted in a decreasing compatibility of mechanical properties than the AT specimens, but the specimens aged at 490 °C after solution treatment at 820 °C had the best corrosion resistance, mainly due to their good surface and more densification.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12540-022-01218-4

Acquisition of two specialist technology focussed businesses for $145m and plans for the opening of a new HIP facility in Southern California

Bodycote ,Macclesfield, UK, the world’s leading provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, announced a number of strategic steps to enhance and drive further growth in its Specialist Technologies business, through the expansion of the Group’s Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) footprint and scale in the US.

  • Lake City HT based in Warsaw, Indiana, a leading Medical market HIP and vacuum heat treatment business primarily supplying the orthopaedic implant market as well as Civil Aerospace customers.
  • Stack Metallurgical Group based in the Pacific Northwest of the US, a key provider of HIP, heat treatment and metal finishing services primarily for the Civil Aerospace, Defence and Energy markets.

The businesses are highly complementary to Bodycote’s existing operations and will both expand our geographic footprint in North America and provide additional customer reach. The businesses comprise two HIP and three heat treatment sites, which will be integrated into Bodycote’s existing Specialist Technologies business and Aerospace, Defence and Energy classical heat treatment business respectively.

https://www.bodycote.com/press-releases/press-release-2023/acquisition-of-two-specialist-technology-focussed-businesses-for-145m-and-plans-for-the-opening-of-a-new-hip-facility-in-southern-california/

Constellium completes the sale of its Landau, Crailsheim and Burg facilities

Constellium, Paris, announced the completion of the sale of three of its soft alloy extrusion facilities located in Landau, Crailsheim and Burg in Germany to Vaessen Aluminium, for a total cash consideration of €48.8 million.

This announcement follows the completion of the regulatory approval process.

https://www.constellium.com/news/constellium-completes-the-sale-of-its-landau-crailsheim-and-burg-facilities

Nitrex secures largest order In company history

Nitrex, Quebec, announced the receipt of a multi-million-dollar contract to provide a turnkey automated nitrocarburizing installation exclusively designed for the production of brake components for electric passenger vehicles.

Under the contract, Nitrex will design, manufacture, commission, and test two cutting-edge continuous-line furnaces capable of processing millions of brake parts annually. The NXL furnace series, with its automation capabilities and continuous flow-through design, precisely meets the supplier’s requirements for improved process efficiency and optimized production.

In addition to the advanced furnace design, Nitreg®-C and ONC® technologies are integral to this order. This ferritic nitrocarburizing process with post-oxidation improves metal corrosion resistance and effectively reduces rust formation. It is the right solution for staying ahead of changing industry standards and achieving lower non-effluent emissions associated with electric vehicle braking systems.

The turnkey installation, combined with Nitrex’s skilled R&D team, who craft and develop process recipes for optimal results, further distinguishes the company. Through its holistic approach, Nitrex delivers solutions that set it apart in the industry and reinforce the supplier’s choice to partner on this transformative project.

https://www.nitrex.com/en/nitrex-secures-largest-order-in-company-history/

One Minute Mentor: Indirectly heated fluidized-bed furnace

Most fluidized-bed furnaces are used at temperatures below 1095 °C (2000 °F), although some manufacturers have furnaces capable of treating components to temperatures through 1205 °C (2200 °F). Initially, the gas flows upward through the permeable base to agitate the particles as the pressure is gradually increased. (b) Eventually, the gas flow is sufficient to lift the small particles of refractory materials and to transform the particle movement into a violent turbulent motion.

In the early 1980s, this furnace technology seemed to be on the right track as an alternative to salt bath technology, showing similar advantages and applications but without the environmental hazard of salt compounds, waste disposal, recycling of salts, and so on. Nowadays it can be concluded that salt bath technology was partially substituted by vacuum technology, but especially for bainitic hardening (austempering processes), salt baths are still commonly used and show a slightly growing tendency, whereas fluidized beds are hardly used any more.

This temperature limitation is related to the wear and tear on the retort materials at high temperatures, which was one of the reasons for the reduced interest in this furnace type after the initial hype.

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.a0005958

Lindberg/MPH completes roller hearth furnace system for the energy industry

Lindberg/MPH, Mich., announced the installation of a roller hearth furnace system for a manufacturer of products used in the energy industry. The heat treat system is comprised of two box furnaces with quench tanks, a dual directional load transfer car, four companion draw batch ovens, and two stationary load/unload tables.

The maximum operating temperature of the box furnaces is 1850°F and they are designed for nitrogen-based atmosphere applications. The load space dimensions of the box furnaces are 48” W x 96” D x 36” H, and the internal chambers are larger to provide clearance for baskets or fixtures. A snake chain pusher assembly is used by each furnace to transfer the loads from the chamber to the quench elevator deck.

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