Seco/Warwick furnace to process Jet Engine components

Seco/Warwick, Meadville, PA, has developed a system to perform clean brazing processes in high vacuum as efficiently as possible, ensuring the highest protection of the treated part surfaces. The solution will be used to process jet engine components.

The German Partner carries out comprehensive repairs of technologically advanced jet engines. The company also has a research center which develops innovative repair techniques for various types of components and entire engines. The group employs several thousand qualified employees in various locations around the world and is a leader among companies repairing and providing full service MRO for jet engines. The purchase of a vertical vacuum furnace will improve production processes and significantly increase the commercial heat treater’s efficiency.

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Wisconsin oven completes spray quench aluminum solution furnace for the defense industry

Wisconsin Oven, East Troy, Wis. announced the completion of a Horizontal Spray Quench Furnace for C/A Design located in Dover, NH. This furnace will be used for the solution treatment of aluminum. The system is designed to soak the product load at temperature in the furnace and then a pusher mechanism rapidly moves the load into the spray quench. The spray quench offers reduced distortion in comparison to submersion quenching.

The maximum temperature for this system is 1,150°F and it has sufficient capacity to heat a 200 pound aluminum load plus the work grid and product fixture. A temperature uniformity survey was documented for +/-10°F at 985°F to verify the furnace has the capability to meet AMS 2750G, Class 2 furnace and Instrumentation Type D requirements.

The spray quench is located in front of the oven and has vertical-lift, pneumatically operated doors on each end. The spray quench system utilizes fifty (50) fine mist nozzles located above, below, and on each side of the quench chamber to rapidly cool the product from all sides. Each nozzle is independently selectable from the touchscreen HMI and a variable frequency drive allows the pump speed to be adjusted to maintain a constant pressure to each spray nozzle. 

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Lindberg ships full muffle mesh belt conveyor furnace to manufacturing industry

Lindberg/MPH, Mich,  a leading manufacturer of heat treat furnaces, announced the shipment of a continuous full muffle mesh belt conveyor furnace to an industrial manufacturer.

This conveyor furnace is designed for applications with a nitrogen atmosphere and a maximum temperature of 1,100°C. Additionally, the furnace has a hydrogen flow meter and combustible gas system so the customer can run a hydrogen atmosphere when needed. The combustible gas system provides a timed nitrogen gas purge of the muffle before process gas can be introduced into the furnace muffle. The conveyor furnace has overall dimensions of 128” L x 22” W 41.5” H. There are tables at both ends of the furnace for loading and unloading of the product. The unit is designed with four (4) temperature zones and a water-cooling section that parts travel through prior to exiting the chamber.

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OMM: Controlled Atmosphere Furnaces

In the past, atmospheric furnaces were used quite often for heat treatment of tool steels. Due to the improved furnace technology of vacuum furnaces and their increased distribution in the market, the percentage of tools heat treated in atmospheric furnaces has fallen significantly over the last 20 to 30 years.

Furthermore, most of the atmospheric furnaces show a maximum temperature of 1100 °C (2000 °F). Therefore, the application of atmospheric furnaces is limited, with the maximum hardening temperature of the tool steel at or below 1050 °C (1925 °F).

However, for atmospheric furnaces it is essential to select an atmosphere that will protect the surface of the tool steel against the addition or the depletion of carbon during heat treatment. Therefore, it is desirable to choose one that requires no adjustment of composition to suit various steels. Ammonia-based atmospheres meet this requirement due to the ammonia dissociation at high temperatures, leading to an excess of hydrogen with the advantage of a sufficient reduction of oxidation even of high-chromium steels.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 4.

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Quintus hot isostatic press powers new UK HIP centre

Quintus, Västerås, Sweden, has supplied a Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) to Wallwork Group’s new HIP Centre stated to open in Bury, North Manchester, England, in September 2023. The press is the model QIH 173L M URC, equipped with Quintus’ proprietary uniform rapid cooling (URC), a feature that delivers the high material uniformity required of parts designed formission-critical applications, while enabling increased productivity with optimal temperature control.

Operating at a maximum temperature of 1250°C (2282°F) and pressure of 207 MPa (30,000 psi), the technologically advanced press has a work zone measuring 800 mm (34.6 inches) in diameter and 2550 mm (100.4 inches) high, and a capacity of over 7000 kg (15,432 lbs) per cycle.

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Solar Atmospheres adds Boeing approval

Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA, has announced the addition of Boeing BAC-5613 approval for the processing of titanium for Boeing aircraft. With this approval, all five Solar Atmospheres facilities are approved to process Boeing end-use titanium components requiring vacuum heat treatment.

Mike Moyer, vice president of sales for Solar Atmospheres of Eastern Pa facility said that “We are proud to announce this addition to our scope of approvals for Boeing. Solar has unique expertise and capabilities in the realm of processing titanium, and we are happy to gain Boeing’s confidence in that regard. This new approval opens the door for Solar Atmospheres to better serve Boeing’s suppliers in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, as well as provide overflow capacity for other Solar facilities nationwide.”

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Nitrex strengthens global presence in extrusion

Nitrex, Quebec, successfully commissioned two nitriding systems for Alumil S.A., Greece’s largest extrusion company and the leading producer of architectural systems, with an international sales network in over 60 countries worldwide. 

With this collaboration, Nitrex further strengthens its global presence in extrusion profile manufacturing, demonstrating the industry’s confidence in Nitrex’s expertise to optimize die performance, increase the throughput of extruded profiles, and reduce overall tooling costs.

Catering to various sectors, including construction, automotive, energy, and more, and serving as a key exporter to Europe, the Middle East, and the USA, Alumil has recently started up two pit-type nitriding systems installed at separate locations. The first system, an NX-1215 model with a 3-ton load capacity, is operational at Alumil’s facility in Greece. The second system, an NX-620 furnace model with a 1.2-ton load capacity, is located at the company’s operation in Serbia.

The turnkey solution provided by Nitrex includes the exclusive Nitreg® technology, ensuring consistent and superior nitriding results. In anticipation of Alumil’s plans to expand manufacturing capacities in Greece, the system installed at this location has been specially sized up to accommodate future growth.

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Constellium’s leadership development program receives Silver Award

Constellium, Paris, has received the Brandon Hall Group Silver Award in the “Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Development Program” category. 

This award recognizes the excellence of the Leadership Development Program, a  global learning and development initiative aimed at giving mid-level leaders a broader vision of the business outside of their functions and local market, and to equip them with tools to reflect on their leadership style and inspire their teams. 

The leadership program is a nine-month journey that includes a combination of in-person sessions, virtual individual coaching, team pod sessions, and a 360-degree assessment. 

Entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts, and executives based on these criteria: 

The 2023 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards recognizes best practices for initiatives in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and the Future of Work.

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One Minute Mentor: Salt Bath Furnaces

The salt bath method of hardening is predominant with high-speed steel tools. With correct operating conditions, tools can be heat treated without carburization, decarburization, and scaling. The surface will be fully hard with a minimum of distortion. The four types of salt baths generally used are preheating baths, high-temperature baths, quenching baths, and tempering baths.

Molten salts of various compositions are well adapted to all operations in the heat treatment of tool steels. For tools that cannot be ground after hardening or for tools that require an excellent surface condition and the maintenance of sharp edges, salt bath heating provides excellent results. These salt baths contain different compositions of BaCl2, NaCl2, and KCl as well as additional additives to avoid decarburization. The higher the working temperature, the higher the content of BaCl2 usually is. Higher additions of CaCl2 are typically used in salt baths for the quenching step.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 2.

R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958

Rolled Alloys celebrates 70 years in the thermal processing industry

Rolled Alloys, Windsor, Conn., is celebrating 70 years in the thermal processing industry. 

The company was founded in 1953 by introducing RA330 as a wrought replacement to cast HT.

Due to RA330’s versatility and availability, it remains the most widely used wrought alloy by commercial heat treaters. Although RA330 exhibits excellent features, there may be better choices for an application. With this being the case, we offer a wide range of heat-resistant alloys to best suit the needs of your application.

Besides this, RA 602 CA is an alloy developed specifically for the highest temperature process, requiring strength and resistance to atmospheres. 

One last alloy worth discussing is RA253MA. RA253MA is a lean, heat-resistant stainless steel with high strength and oxidation resistance. With excellent high-temperature properties and low nickel content, RA253MA is a cost-effective material that thermal processors frequently utilize for open-air applications.

https://www.rolledalloys.com/70-years-in-the-thermal-processing-industry/