Ipsen repurposes ceramics facility for expanded hot zone production capacity

April 5, 2023
Source: ASM International

Ipsen repurposes ceramics facility for expanded hot zone production capacity

Ipsen, Pecatonica, Ill., formerly known as Ipsen Ceramics, is expanding its vacuum furnace hot zone assembly. The refurbishments include new lighting, HVAC, roofing, and other interior and exterior upgrades. Located at 325 John Street, less than 30 miles from Ipsen’s Vacuum Technology Excellence Center in Cherry Valley, the factory will initially employ up to eight material assemblers.

Incorporating the Pecatonica location into Ipsen’s vacuum furnace production and aftermarket process will provide added benefits to customers. Jake Hamid, Ipsen’s director and chief Operating Officer, stated that “Our goal is to reduce delivery times and better control the critical phase of assembly.” In the future, Ipsen is considering other manufacturing activities in Pecatonica to supplement the needs of the Vacuum Technology Excellence Center.

The move to repurpose the Pecatonica plant aligns with Ipsen’s commitment to providing high-quality vacuum furnace equipment and services to customers. The company’s dedication to meeting customer needs and reducing delivery times will be further enhanced by this strategic move, ensuring that Ipsen remains a leader in the vacuum furnace industry.

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Wisconsin oven ships pin conveyor oven to automotive manufacturer


Source: ASM International

Wisconsin oven ships pin conveyor oven to automotive manufacturer

Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, has shipped one electrically heated conveyor oven to an automotive manufacturer, which will be used for tempering automotive parts. The conveyor oven features a chain style conveyor system with vertical pins, ensuring the uniform transfer of parts through the heating and cooldown zones of the oven. The maximum temperature rating of the conveyor oven is 260° C, with interior chamber dimensions of 3’6” W x 20’10” L x 9” H.

The conveyor oven also features a top-down bottom-up airflow configuration designed with a 55,000 CFM @ 50 HP blower, ensuring optimal temperature uniformity of ±2.5° C at 163°C, documented with a temperature uniformity test. The oven is equipped with a continuous chain conveyor with vertical pins, programmable temperature controller, and recorder with Ethernet capabilities.

The unique features of this tempering oven include the ability to automatically scan the parts while being loaded onto the conveyor and validate that the correct part is being loaded, providing a pass/fail regarding heating time and temperature. The conveyor oven also includes an ambient cooldown zone and supervised installation with start-up and training.

Mike Grande, vice president of sales,said that, “Our continuous designs provide customers with innovative solutions to meet their load and process requirements. This conveyor oven was designed with high-velocity impingement air nozzles for rapid, uniform heating and optimal part results.” The equipment was fully factory tested and adjusted prior to shipment from the facility, ensuring it met all Wisconsin Oven quality standards. The equipment comes with a 2-year warranty, providing peace of mind for the automotive manufacturer.

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Leading die manufacturer adds Seco/Vacuum furnace to increase capacity


Source: ASM International

Leading die manufacturer adds Seco/Vacuum furnace to increase capacity

Seco/Vacuum, Meadville, Pa., has announced that a U.S.-based international manufacturer has placed an order for a Vector high-pressure gas quench furnace. The new furnace will increase the partner’s heat treat capability while improving part quality. The Vector will allow the partner to heat treat larger parts, at higher quantities per cycle than their existing furnace, all with improved quality control and reliability.

The partner’s equipment requires the use of large dies that require precise heat treating. Their current heat treatment setup includes a pair of vacuum furnaces, which have some limits compared to the Vector they are about to receive.

The new furnace, a bottom loading Vector vacuum furnace with 6 bar nitrogen gas quench, has a 60″ diameter, 72″ tall, and a 3-ton capacity working zone. It is equipped with convection heating which allows them to run their tempering cycle in the same furnace without having to move parts after hardening, a tremendous time and labor savings.

The furnace is also equipped with SECO/WARWICK’s FineCarb low-pressure carburizing system for future process developments. The Vector will increase production capacity to meet the rising market demand of today and tomorrow. The new furnace’s vertical configuration and rotary hearth were built specifically to accommodate more large dies, allowing the partner to meet the elevated demand with ease. SECO/VACUUM’s intuitive process controls ensure greater heating uniformity than their existing equipment in both convection mode and in vacuum mode.

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Bodycote receives science based target initiative approval for emissions targets

March 6, 2023
Source: ASM International

Bodycote receives science based target initiative approval for emissions targets

Bodycote, Macclesfield, UK, has announced that its near-term science-based emissions target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi is an independent global body enabling businesses to set and validate emissions reduction targets in line with the latest climate science and strict criteria.

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Lindberg/MPH ships steam atmosphere pit furnace to a tooling manufacturer


Source: ASM International

Lindberg/MPH ships steam atmosphere pit furnace to a tooling manufacturer

Lindberg/MPH, has announced the shipment of an electrically heated, steam atmosphere pit furnace for steam treating parts. Manufacturers use the steam treating process to create a uniform blue-black finish on the surface of parts which improves wear and corrosion resistance.

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One Minute Mentor: Fluidized-bed heat treating furnace


Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Fluidized-bed heat treating furnace

The indirectly heated fluidized-bed furnace is heated electrically though a fluidized-bed furnace may also be gas heated. Fluidized beds have been designed to perform a wide variety of heat treating tasks including stress relieving, preheating, hardening, quenching, annealing, and tempering, as well as a variety of surface treatments such as carburizing, nitriding, and steam tempering.

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One Minute Mentor: Fluidized-Bed Furnace

November 30, 2022
Source: ASM International

One Minute Mentor: Fluidized-Bed Furnace

A fluid bed results when a gas is passed upward through a bed of small solid particles at a rate fast enough to lift these particles and to create turbulence. This motion of particles, which are usually made of aluminum oxide or silica oxide, is similar to that of a fluid.

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