Al-Fe Heat Treating, Fort Wayne, Ind., has just added glycol quenching to its list of Nadcap-accredited aluminum heat treat services at its plant in Wadsworth, Ohio. Glycol quenching has numerous benefits for heat treating, particularly when used with aluminum parts, because it allows for precise control over quenching speeds, something traditional hot water quenching methods don’t offer.
Glycol quenching is ideal for parts with thin sections or wall thicknesses, as well as sheet metal and stamped parts that may be distorted using standard water or air treatments. Although water quenching is the most economical, it can cause metals to lose strength, hardness and flexibility. Glycol’s unique inverse solubility eliminates vapor pockets and provides more even heat extraction, which reduces warpage in finished parts. Precise cooling rates can be achieved by changing the polymer concentration. Because of this, glycol provides consistent quenching results, load after load, reducing downtime and scrap.
Al-Fe Heat Treating’s locations in Wabash, Indiana, and Wadsworth, Ohio provide both low- and high-volume aluminum heat treating with glycol quenching for automotive and commercial applications. Glycol quenching, coupled with water and air quenching methods, is just one more tool Al-Fe Heat Treating offers to help its customers manufacture parts with consistent quality.
