Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., introduces the UniCase Master, which is said to provide a single flow, precision case hardening system for low-pressure vacuum carburizing; and 4D high-pressure gas quenching with low distortion for high-volume gear manufacturing.
The UniCase Master system is very flexible, as it can be resized depending on part shape and size, and is not limited to case hardening. It can be adapted for through hardening, brazing, annealing, and other heat treatment processes for in-line production. The system is dedicated to high-volume manufacturing for continuous, automated, single-piece flow, and can be operated with no human intervention. With a part exiting the system at a rate as short as 30 seconds each, customers can experience throughput as high as one million parts per year. This process is ideal for the automotive, transmission, and bearing industry and related industries.
The company also introduces ZeroFlow, a new method of controlled gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing based on nitriding with a single-component atmosphere – raw ammonia (NH3). The nitriding potential Kn is controlled by temporary stop and reactivation of the NH3 feeding into the furnace. Industrial applications to date have shown that the ZeroFlow gas nitriding technology is characterized by much lower consumption and emission of post process gases. The system requires a simpler control system and allows for forming the layer phase structure, while at the same time it delivers even better precision as processes with double-component atmospheres.
