SECO/WARWICK finds the way to complete successful projects in Brazil

Seco/Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announced a significant milestone in its operations in Brazil. The company has successfully implemented a solution for Nitrion do Brasil, a leading commercial heat treater in South America, in their new production hall to manage the increasing order volume. This achievement underscores the strong synergy between SECO/WARWICK and its strategic partner in the region, Combustol.

SECO/WARWICK’s presence in Brazil has seen dynamic sales growth and promising market forecasts, driven by their popular Vector single-chamber vacuum furnaces. These furnaces are highly favored by commercial heat treaters in the region for their ability to enhance the hardening process and improve economic efficiency. The successful collaboration with Combustol has been instrumental, providing not only sales support but also service activities and the supply of spare parts, which has given SECO/WARWICK a competitive edge.

The Vector vacuum furnace ordered by Nitrion do Brasil is designed to address the challenge of hardening larger elements, thanks to its spacious working area. This feature enhances process economics through energy savings and increased efficiency of the graphite chamber, while also ensuring process cleanliness and speed. The furnace’s convection heating system improves heat transfer efficiency at lower temperatures, and its directional cooling system allows for effective cooling of parts with complex shapes.

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Kuźnia Jawor installs Nitrex forging systems

Nitrex, Quebec, has announced that Kuźnia Jawor S.A, a European company specializing in the production of hot forged and CNC machined components for the automotive, machinery, mining, and piping industries, has installed a Nitrex nitriding system and a vacuum hardening furnace.

 Located in the southwestern region of Poland, Kuźnia Jawor has solidified its position as a leading provider of forged and CNC automotive parts within Poland, as well as mining parts in international markets such as Czechia and Türkiye.

Kuźnia Jawor leverages its in-house capabilities to design and manufacture forging tools, a crucial element of the production process. This is necessary for obtaining repeatable strength parameters in steel and ensuring their resistance to geometric changes or abrasive wear, factors that are addressed through heat treatment. Building on this foundation, the company recently revamped its heat-treating operations by introducing cutting-edge equipment and technologies, aiming to streamline operations for improved efficiency and to elevate the quality of its forged and machined products. The current production line has been designed using a Nitrex nitriding system and a vacuum hardening furnace.

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Constellium Ravenswood to receive $75 million for zero carbon technology

Constellium, Ravenswood, WV, announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to begin award negotiations for up to $75 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding as part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP). This investment will help fund the implementation of breakthrough low-to-no emissions technologies in Constellium’s Ravenswood facility, supporting the decarbonization of the casthouses, the plant’s most energy intensive operation.
This investment will support the installation of low-emissions SmartMelt furnaces that can operate using a range of fuels, including clean hydrogen, paving the way towards a zero carbon casthouse. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, the project is expected to help maximize recycled scrap intake, and to improve worker safety with the introduction of a hands-free casting process.
The project will also contribute to the local communities around Ravenswood with a dedicated budget to build a new training and wellness center for all employees and an onsite childcare, and to provide financial and technical resources for local schools and universities.
Constellium Ravenswood will now enter negotiations on the specific terms of the investment, including operational milestones, and timing of access to funds throughout the life of the project, estimated to be approximately five years. The final details of the project investment are subject to these negotiations.

https://www.constellium.com/news/constellium-ravenswood-selected-by-us-doe-to-receive-usd75million-investment

One Minute Mentor: High-Performance Line

The continuous heat treatment of tool steel is applied to low- or medium-alloyed carbon steel strips as well as martensitic stainless steels. The described lines produce high-quality strip with respect to uniform structure, flatness, and bright surface finish. High quenching rates are necessary, especially for plain carbon steels. Cooling gradients of up to 600 K/s are possible in a molten lead-bismuth quench. Because two-stage quenching technology provides considerable advantages over quenching in oil, this method has been adopted worldwide. It is also possible to achieve isothermal transformation to bainite and pearlite using a molten metal quench, so this type of hardening and tempering line is extremely versatile.

The configuration of a high-performance line involves an entry and exit section of the strip handling equipment. The hardening section consists of the austenitizing furnace, the molten metal quench or hydrogen quench, and a martensite cooler.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 10. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014 

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ALD develops a new powder recycling process for a sustainable circular economy

ALD Vacuum Technology, Germany, has developed an additive manufacturing solution, the EBuild 850 that can process powder with a wide distribution, enabling it to be used not only in industrial-scale part production, but also in powder recycling efforts. 

Using selective electron beam melting to create powder-filled ingots, ALD achieves an unprecedented build rate of over 1000 cm³ per hour. These ingots can be seamlessly converted into new powder, for example in ALD’s EIGA Premium systems, promoting a sustainable circular economy.

ALD’s approach not only reduces waste, but also offers versatile options for downstream processes. The powder-filled solid cased ingots are much safer to handle and process than loose powder. This flexibility increases the overall efficiency of the recycling process and enables integration into established processing routes.

By adopting ALD’s innovative approach, industries can now achieve economical production while contributing to a circular economy. ALD remains committed to driving sustainable practices within the industrial sector, paving the way for a greener future.

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Quintus cold isostatic press delivered to China’s Lingchuang Special Material Co

Qunitus, Västerås, Sweden, delivered a supersized Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) to China’s Henan Lingchuang Special Material Co. to raise the bar for domestically produced high-quality Isostatic Graphite. 

With its sights set on securing a place as market leader in both product quality and production efficiency, Lingchuang will install a Quintus press model QIC 2.4 x 4.5 – 2000 to maximize operation and output capabilities. The press itself is setting new standards, with its world’slargest vessel dimension—2400 mm x 4500 mm (7.87’ x 14.7’)—along with a new energy management system that offers energy savings of more than 30 percent compared to conventional intensifier solutions.

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Medical implant hardening in a SECO/WARWICK furnace

SECO/WARWICK, Meadville, PA, announced that they will supply a Vector vacuum furnace to the Marle Group, a global manufacturer of orthopedic prostheses. The furnace on order will be used for the heat treatment of cobalt implants. Cobalt alloy hardening requires very high temperatures, and the heating process for these materials require a high puriity environment, temperature uniformity and very fast and effective cooling.

In order for cobalt alloys to be used in implantology, they must be deprived of their ferromagnetic properties. This shiny, hard metal loses this property only when it reaches a temperature higher than 1131°C. Such a high temperature makes it necessary to use a vacuum furnace in the implant production process. The furnace can not only provide such a temperature, but also guarantees its maintenance over a longer period of time. As a comparison, the temperature, above which a ferSECO/WARWICK, Meadville, PA, announced that they will supply a Vector vacuum furnace to the Marle Group, a global manufacturer of orthopedic prostheses. The furnace on order will be used for the heat treatment of cobalt implants. Cobalt alloy hardening requires very high temperatures, and the heating process for these materials require a high puriity environment, temperature uniformity and very fast and effective cooling.


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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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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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Lindberg/MPH ships rod overbend box furnace to the manufacturing industry

Lindberg/MPH, Mich., has announced the shipment of a rod overbend box furnace with powered load/unload table to the manufacturing industry. This heat-treating furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 2000°F and a load capacity of 900 lbs. 

The workspace dimensions of the furnace are 24” W x 36” D x 18” H and it is designed for air atmosphere applications. The box furnace features an automated actuator to flip the push/pull mechanism on the load table to eliminate the operators need to manually flip it into push position. This option allows the push/pull head to retract from the furnace once the work grid is in the furnace chamber and increase operator safety by removing the need to reach into the hot furnace with a hook to flip the push/pull head and.

The furnace chamber is heated with a radiant heating system the utilizes heavy gauge alloy rod over-bend heating elements mounted along the side-walls and the floor. The furnace temperature is controlled by an Allen Bradley ControlLogix Programmable Logic Controller that includes digital setpoint and display. A Honeywell DC2500 high limit controller disconnects the power to the heating elements and sounds an audible alarm if the temperature exceeds desired set-point. 

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