Seco Warwick Corp., Meadville, Pa., announces that ZAP Mechanika, a Polish heat treating company, reduced its heat treatment costs by 30% with the installation of a CaseMaster Evolution D6 two-chamber furnace for vacuum carburizing and oil quenching. Both chambers are able to operate under vacuum or a partial pressure of inert gas. They are separated from each other with vacuum-tight and pressure-tight internal doors.
The system uses vacuum carburizing, which has the benefit of reducing process time while achieving excellent uniformity when carburizing complex shapes and high-density charges. The furnace also enables elimination of oxidation on the austenite grain boundaries, high accuracy, and repeatability of carburized layer shaping. It minimizes consumption of process gases (hydrocarbons) and energy, and is environmentally neutral. It allows operation at temperatures up to 1200°C (2200°F).
The charge is transferred between chambers with an internal transport mechanism. Integrated into the transport mechanism is a load elevator to quench and remove the load from the quench oil. The heating chamber is used for thermal and thermochemical processes, and is equipped with thermal insulation and a heating system.
Hands-on operation is limited to loading and unloading, selecting a recipe, and starting the process. The furnace operates in either a continuous or a task mode. If necessary, the equipment can be switched on and switched off immediately, and no time is needed for process atmosphere change or conditioning.
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