Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., has been awarded a new technology patent for Pit-LPC furnaces that have set a new direction for carburizing processes. The LPC abbreviation refers to the “low-pressure carburizing” formula, which is a process conducted under pressure or in a vacuum, in an oxygen-free atmosphere by means of hydrocarbons.
The technology was developed out of the need for a solution that will be more effective and at the same time more cost-efficient than traditional atmosphere carburizing. Maciej Korecki, Ph.D. Eng., vice president of the Vacuum Furnace Segment, explained that “Atmosphere carburizing is a traditional technology, proven in numerous production enterprises. It has, however, certain constraints. To overcome them, we have developed at Seco Warwick an entirely novel approach to carburizing processes. Low-pressure carburizing in vacuum by means of hydrocarbons delivers indisputable advantages over the traditional technology.”
This technology is effective, efficient, precise, and accurate. Pit-LPC furnaces present significantly greater efficiency and reliability than atmosphere furnaces and allow for the application of advanced LPC technology along with all its advantages. Most of all, the process time is reduced considerably along with energy and gas consumption, which directly translates into production cost cuts and better quality-related results compared to traditional technology. Moreover, the LPC process and vacuum furnaces are absolutely safe and do not use flammable atmospheres, therefore there is no risk of fire or explosion and open flame contrary to traditional furnaces.
Considering the low energy consumption and emissions as well as purity, LPC technology is environmentally friendly and emits no greenhouse gases (CO2 ). LPC in vacuum furnaces has no temperature restrictions, contrary to atmosphere furnaces where the material used allows for reasonable work in temperatures up to 920-940°C, which considerably reduces carbon diffusion speed and carburized layer formation. Seco Warwick views the LPC technology as a complete and better alternative to atmosphere carburizing.
