AFC-Holcroft, Wixom, Mich., announces that Sona BLW Precision Forge, Selma, N.C., has purchased a new UBQ (Universal Batch Quench) furnace and support equipment for its heat treating facility. AFC-Holcroft customized a standard UBQ furnace, typically rated at 3500 lb load capacity, to the 4000-lb capacity the customer required. The new equipment consists of a UBQ integral quench batch furnace with an effective work zone that is 36 in. wide x 48 in. long x 36 in. high. It has all the standard features: two UBTN Universal Batch Nitrogen Temper Furnaces, a UBW Universal Batch Spray-Dunk Washer, and a two-module array of “E-Z Series” endothermic gas generators providing 9000 cubic feet/hour of endothermic gas.
Sona set out to find equipment that met their needs for flexible production and high quality, and which also included the added features they required. AFC-Holcroft teams met with Sona personnel to discuss their specific requirements in depth. Following site visits to view UBQ lines in operation in the region, it selected AFC-Holcroft to provide the new heat treat equipment.
Mike Neumann of AFC-Holcroft stated, “This equipment showcases AFC-Holcroft’s ability to take a proven, standardized product and customize it to meet the individual needs of the customer while providing the fast delivery time possible.”
Sona BLW Precision Forge Inc. designs and manufactures transmission and axle components for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. With six plants in Germany, the United States, and India, it is now the world’s only precision forge with presence in three continents. It has approximately 1980 employees producing precision forged gear and axle components, as well as heavy-duty truck components for leading car, heavy-vehicle, and axle manufacturers.
