ALD Vacuum Systems Inc., Wixom, Mich., has received a purchase order from a North American based aerospace manufacturer for a SyncroTherm brand, fully integrated vacuum heat treating system. This system will primarily carry out low pressure carburizing (LPC), and is the direct replacement for two vintage batch IQ atmosphere carburizing furnaces. Other operations of the system will include austenitizing, vacuum brazing, gas quenching, cryogenic treating, and tempering. This fully integrated, compact heat treating cell will be among the first known captive LPC operations west of the Mississippi.
ALD continues to expand the SyncroTherm presence in the heat treating world with applications for the automotive drivetrain, consumer tool, textile, bearing, commercial heat treating, hydraulics, aerospace and fuel systems markets. This will be the third SyncroTherm to support the needs of NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program). It will be comprised of five independently controlled hot zones, each rated for load sizes of 24x20x9 inches and up to 110 pounds.
SyncroTherm systems operate using recipe-selectable high pressure gas quench, and they incorporate support processes such as cryogenic and temper sequences in a fully automated, lights-out fashion. Individual part tracking and complete process history retention are key functions within the system, along with a consistent process cadence.
