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6 Heat Treat Tech Trends Fulfilled in 2022. . .Thus Far

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OCWhat are the heat treat tech trends we're seeing in Heat Treat Today? Perhaps you read the Tech Trends article earlier this year predicting what trends in the industry will continue to develop in 2022. We can see that a point made by Jim Oakes, president of Super Systems, Inc., overlaps all of the trends in this line up: "The pillars in technology remain quality and efficiency with a growing emphasis on connectivity and carbon footprint visibility." Check out the 6 trends below!

Thermal Efficiency To Decrease Carbon Footprint

The technical thoughts that we're seeing surrounding this awareness for thermal efficiency surround the technology of induction. "[Induction] is also a very efficient process," commented Michael J. Zaharof, manager customer information & marketing at Inductoheat, "as induction power supplies are only powered on when needed compared to batch processing (like those requiring an oven)." Additionally, Girish Dahake, senior vice president of Global Applications at Ambrell Corporation, describes this efficient process saying, "The workpiece is placed in the coil where this field induces a current, generating heat in the workpiece. The water-cooled coil is cool to the touch and is placed around or adjacent to the work piece. It does not touch the workpiece and heat is generated by the induced current flowing in the workpiece."

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In the news, there have been companies looking to replace old gas generators with no automatic process controls and lacking in dew point efficiency. The resulting significant CO2 savings for  heat treating operations is in line with the trend of pursuing efficiency for the sake of decreasing carbon footprint.

Read more: "Tempering: 4 Perspectives — Which makes sense for you?" and Why Induction Heating Is a Green Technology

Technology for Remote Monitoring and Integrated Control 

We've seen this in the episode with Matt Wright at C3 Data in his description of integrated control of various systems. Additionally, he related that flow of information in heat treat facilities is a major challenge: "When I look at our industry, one of the things that is the biggest challenge is the flow of information — getting information from where it resides to where it needs to be in the format that it needs to be. I think the technologies that have been successful in our industry are technologies that help lubricate that flow, if you will."

Read more: "Heat Treat Radio: Reimagining Furnace Compliance with C3 Data’s Matt Wright"

Molten Salt Quenchants and Salt Reclamation

This hot -- or rather salty -- topic appeared on Heat Treat Radio with Bill Disler at AFC-Holcroft noting that modern processes allow for 99% of salt in quenching to be reclaimed. The manner that salt is used as a quenchant is different from oil: "With salt, you’ll come out of the quench with some liquid salt on it, you’ll go into a washer but that salt then dissolves back into the water. Generally, there is a multiphase wash with a wash/rinse/rinse. Then, after we get a certain percentage of salt in the wash solution, we thermally evaporate the water off leaving the salt back where it can be reintroduced into the quench tank."

Another representative from the company, Bill Coburn, was recently quoted in a press release that highlighted this feature in a recent installation at an agricultural product manufacturer. While these examples are so far quite consistent within the company, we expect more conversations about this reuse-and-recycle opportunity to be forthcoming.

Read more: "Heat Treat Radio: The Greenness and Goodness of Salt Quenching with Bill Disler" and "Batch Austemper Heat Treat Line for Agricultural Equipment Supplier"

Focus on Vacuum Furnaces

Looking back at the months of June and July, the press release ratio of atmosphere to vacuum furnace focus was 3:9. Check out the latest news in the industry in these press releases:

Electric Heating Systems

One of our partners, heat processing interviewed Mark Bula at H2 Green Steel in a feature revealing how the company was commited to electric generation as part of the industrial process. While there is a fair amount of criticism from the energy sector about what this conversion value could realistically look like, the attempts to make electric happen continue to grow.

Read more: "Going Carbon Free: An Interview with H2 Green Steel"

Digital Transformation and Application of IIoT Technologies

This trend will take a variety of forms, particularly with the catchy term, "predictive maintenance." Learn more about IIoT here, but for some technical conversations that have continued into 2022, turn to the Heat Treat Radio podcast with Fives North American Combustion.

[blockquote author="Justin Dzik, Fives North American Combustion" style="1"]The CertiFire™ is, as you already stated, an automated tuning device for temperature uniformity certifications. I think pretty much everybody that’s going to watch this podcast is probably going to know that they can be extremely time consuming to do, they take a lot of time and a lot of intelligence to actually tune the process. This device takes all of that and does it all itself. It does all the automated burner tuning, all the valve adjustments, it locks it all in and tunes it for whatever class uniformity you need.[/blockquote]

Read more: "Heat Treat Radio: Algorithmic Combustion Tuning With Justin Dzik and Ben Witoff at Fives"

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Horizontal Nitriding System Delivered at Hydro Heat Treat Location

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Marcin Stokłosa
Project Manager
Nitrex Poland
LinkedIn.com

A global aluminum and energy company, Hydro Extrusion Norway, recently received a horizontal nitriding system, configured to replace an old decommissioned furnace

This latest delivery by Nitrex is the only one of its kind at Hydro facilities globally; the rest are pit-type furnaces. The nitriding equipment for Hydro Extrusion Norway in Magnor, Norway will integrate with the existing infrastructure of the plant as well as fit in the specific floor space allocation.

"Before placing the order, Hydro did its due diligence – visiting extrusion facilities with Nitrex equipment to get user opinions on the solution including the technology, die performance, extruded profile quality, and our support services," adds Marcin Stokłosa, project manager at Nitrex. "Moreover, the test trials produced very good results."

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IHEA Monthly Economic Report: Hopeful Horizon Now Approaching

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The most recent monthly Industrial Heating Equipment Association’s (IHEA) Executive Economic Summary released in June shares that there are pessimistic and optimistic readings of the data at every turn. While companies seem to be a little confused about whether to expect constriction or growth, the report rightfully notes that "[the] reality is that the U.S. economy is diverse and at any given moment there are sectors that are growing and shrinking – especially in the manufacturing community." Today's summary highlights the diversity of what to expect in the economy.

"The price of steel and aluminum has been rising and fast. There is nothing especially surprising about this fact but the impact on operating costs can’t be underestimated. Fully 77.6% report rising costs and we all know full well what has been taking place in the energy sector."

A quick aside: The dominant factor influencing global economics is war in the Ukraine. The direct effects of Ukrainian agricultural product disruptions -- like wheat and corn -- is compounded by sanctions on Russia which leads to a decreased supply of oil. This stress in the energy market has triggered global inflation that everyone has experience with. For manufacturers, the price of steel and aluminum is rising fast. "There is nothing especially surprising about this fact," the economic summary reads, "but the impact on operating costs can’t be underestimated."

75% of manufacturers are small businesses, which means they will experience the smallest economic changes very keenly. So, while capacity utilization numbers are growing and have just reached into the acceptable utilization zone -- that is, between 80% and 85% where there is relatively low downtime and few bottle-necks -- many small operations businesses will take longer to adjust to new machinery purchases or employees.

To gauge whether or not to prepare for a recession, one should look at the order activity and employment habits of manufacturers. If order activity is stable or increasing, this is a good indicator that manufacturers expect to be able to fulfill more orders and grow with demand. Similarly with employment, when manufactures hire and keep a stable number of workers instead of laying off or decreasing the number of workers, this is also a good indication of a growth economy. Both of these conditions are shown to be true, reports this month's economic summary.

To end on an encouraging note, there isn't reason to believe that most manufacturers are concerned about a recession. With 55.1% expecting business growth and 31.1% expecting business stability, manufacturers remain on track with their capital investment plans to handle these positive expectations. Part of this is linked to the shortage of workers with the right skill set; so expect manufacturers to continue investing in technologies and robots to meet this lack.

Anne Goyer, Executive Director of IHEA
Anne Goyer
Executive Director
IHEA

Check out the full report to see specific index growth and analysis which is available to IHEA member companies. For membership information, and a full copy of the 11-page report, contact Anne Goyer, executive director of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA). Email Anne by clicking here.

 

 

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Letter From the Publisher: Keto & Carbon

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Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in the Heat Treat Buyers Guide print edition.

Doug Glenn
Publisher and Founder
Heat Treat Today

In the world of dieting and food, it is pretty much commonly accepted that today’s diet or medical advice will be proven wrong tomorrow. For example, it used to be that coffee was good for you; then it became bad for you; then good again. The Atkins Diet, heavy on protein and light on carbs and fats, was once considered the best way to lose weight — today, not so much.

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Just this week, I was visiting with a heat treat industry legend in Brighton, Michigan. He and his wife own a building in downtown Brighton where their son runs a successful microbrewery business. On the wall near the bar area, there is an old, 1900s-vintage newspaper advertisement for a miracle elixir that was purported to cure any ill. The ingredients in the elixir were ingredients that one would be arrested for possessing in today’s world — think cocaine, etc. — and are known to be poisonous today. But back in the day when the ad for this elixir was published, the contents were widely accepted as a miracle cure for many ailments.

The point being that yesterday’s “truth” quite frequently is shown to be untrue over time.

Enter the “carbon” debate.

This last week I also attended three trade shows: AISTech in Pittsburgh, Fastener Fair USA, and Rapid+TCT (both in Detroit). Especially at AISTech, but also at the other two events, the discussion of carbon neutrality and green technologies was rampant. It is safe to say that carbon is today’s bad boy element. According to the prevailing science of the day, carbon is the source of many of our societal problems. Carbon dioxide (the stuff we exhale until we die) is considered to be the single most dangerous compound in the universe — one that will be responsible for the extinction of man if it goes unchecked.

What if we’re wrong about carbon in the same way that we’ve been wrong about a myriad of other things? What if carbon really is good? What if increased levels of carbon dioxide result in more vegetation growth (because green things LOVE carbon dioxide), resulting in a natural stabilization of the environment? What if we fi nd out that our concern about the badness of carbon has been misguided? What if we fi nd out that we’re actually doing more harm to the earth by minimizing the amount of carbon dioxide?

I know it sounds crazy, but if we can learn anything from history, it is this: We are often wrong about those things that we feel so strongly about and those things we once thought were right are wrong, and those things we once thought were wrong are right.

Based on history, approaching the carbon problem with a degree of humility and caution seems appropriate. Much like the Keto Diet has recently been all the rage but may well be yesterday’s diet fad, we should also remember, although on a much longer timeframe, that carbon and carbon dioxide may one day be our friend.

It could happen!

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Fringe Friday: Turning Up the Heat (Safely)!

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Source: EHS Today

Sometimes our editors find items that are not exactly "heat treat" but do deal with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing. To celebrate getting to the “fringe” of the weekend, Heat Treat Today presents today’s Heat Treat Fringe Friday best of the web article that identifies ten ways you can keep yourself and your people safe from constant heat exposure.

An excerpt:

When the body cannot stay cool, the inner core temperature rises too high and body systems break down, resulting in heat illness. Heat illness can range in severity from minor heat rash, sunburn and heat cramps to heat syncope (fainting), heat exhaustion, Rhabdomyolysis (loss of muscle tissue) and heat stroke, which can be fatal. Heat can also be an underlying cause of other types of workplace injuries, such as falls and equipment accidents

Read more at: "10 Key Elements for a Workplace Heat Safety Program"

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Redline Chambers Joins Heat Treat Product Provider

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Source: Thermal Product Solutions

Redline Chambers, a U.S. manufacturer of vacuum chambers and systems for the aerospace, defense, energy, electronics, and medical industries, has been acquired by a global provider of thermal processing products and test solutions.

Located in Salt Lake City, UT and specializing in vacuum technology and leak testing solutions, Redline Chambers will support the continued growth of Thermal Product Solutions, LLC (TPS), within the vacuum chamber market.

Greg Jennings
President and CEO
Thermal Product Solutions, LLC
Source: Thermal Product Solutions

TPS product offering for thermal processing and test solutions includes Baker Furnace, Blue M, Gruenberg, Tenney, Lindberg, MPH, Wisconsin Oven, and now Redline Chambers. "Redline’s ability to engineer and manufacture vacuum chambers and systems will bolster TPS’s ability to serve customers in this expanding market," commented Greg Jennings, president and CEO of TPS.

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Heat Treat Provider Increases HIP Capacity in Greenville, SC

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Stephen Harris
Bodycote Group Chief Executive
Source: Bodycote

Bodycote, a global thermal processing services provider, is expanding its hot isostatic pressing (HIP) capability in Greenville, SC in the U.S. The two vessels will be online by the end of 2022.

The new HIP capacity will focus on developments in additive manufacturing and advanced materials. This pairs well with the numerous vacuum furnaces and other capabilities at the facility that would support additive manufacturing clients. The Greenville site will serve the aerospace, defense, medical and general industrial customers in the Southeastern region.

"We are pleased to address our customer needs by bringing HIP services closer to their facilities," commented Stephen Harris, Chief Executive at Bodycote Group. "With the largest HIP operational capacity in the world, our continued investment demonstrates Bodycote’s commitment to align resources to serve our customers across North America."

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Fives North American Combustion CertiFire® Presentation at AISTech

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OCSource: Fives North American Combustion, Inc.

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This presentation was featured in a Heat Treat Radio episode with Justin Dzik, manager of business development, and Ben Witoff, manager of data engineering, at Fives North American Combustion, Inc. In the episode, Heat Treat Radio #77: Algorithmic Combustion Tuning With Justin Dzik and Ben Witoff at Fives, Heat Treat Today publisher Doug Glenn learns about a never-before-seen combustion system tuning technology from Justin and Ben. Hear from the experts themselves how this system will save time, money, and personnel and can be adapted to virtually any furnace system.

An excerpt from the episode:

"Where we’ve focused on is direct-fired heat treat furnaces and torch furnaces, and we’re looking to branch out into other things. We’ve even had discussions internally of using this on resistive heaters for electric heaters because we know 'the green wave' is coming. The product itself has been stated pretty well. The algorithm has no idea that it’s even a furnace. It could be applied to pretty much everything."

Access the full episode: Heat Treat Radio #77: Algorithmic Combustion Tuning With Justin Dzik and Ben Witoff at Fives

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AM Heat Treat Solutions Expected From New Partnership

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AddUp, a provider in the field of metal additive manufacturing (AM), and a creator of thermal solutions have signed a partnership to develop high value-added solutions for the thermal treatment of 3D printed metal parts.

The AM solution provider's expertise lies in two technologies: first, powder bed fusion (PBF), useful for the manufacture of metal parts with complex geometries and improved performance, and second, directed energy deposition (DED), which is ideal for the repair of parts and adding function. They manufacture 3D printing machines and produce AM industrial metal parts.

The ECM Group provides vacuum furnace expertise to the heat treat production needs of sectors such as: medical, aeronautics, e-mobility, and renewable energies. With experience in the control of atmospheres, gases, and thermal applications, the ECM Group is will play a critical role in the partnership to help AddUp meet the requirements of the aforementioned four sectors.

"At ECM, we are convinced of the potential of metal additive manufacturing, some applications of which will lead to mass production," says Yvan Trouillot, sales director for ECM. "Together, our ambition is to develop these technologies to help our customers progress by offering them the best solutions on the market."

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Heat Treating A-LU-mi-num

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OCAl-u-MI-ni-um. A-LU-mi-num. Heat treating aluminum is not something we often get a chance to talk about, but it is everywhere. From the bikes we ride to the foil bound around last night's burger, this light-weight metal certainly has a place in our daily life. Today's Technical Tuesday original content article highlights some of our favorite aluminum processing features over the years.

Aluminium is the most widely available lightweight bike frame material, up to three times lighter than steel frames. It provides the low weight, stiff, durable, rust resistance, and affordable ride that we look to enjoy up mountains, through city roads, and along park trails. But aluminum also has a bunch of other uses, as in the medical and automotive industries. How is this lightweight metal heat treated? Let's review these three content pieces from Heat Treat Today's files.

Combatting Corundum 

Taking it a step back to aluminum melting and refractory, hear what Dan Szynal, VP of Engineering & Technical Services at Plibrico, has to share about the causes and mediation of corundum growth.

Read more: Conquering Aluminum Furnace Corundum: Effective Controls for Corundum Growth That Improve Quality and Cut Costs

Study Al Processing the Historic Way

What better way to learn about aluminum processing and heat treat rather than watching it happen in this 1940s-1950s video? It's got the classic black & white, intense masculine voice narrator, and the illustrated graphics everyone loves. What do you think of this 22 minute video? Let us know!

Read more: HISTORIC VIDEO: Aluminum Heat Treatment

Eliminating Greenhouse Gases 

"When fully developed and implemented," this piece of news reads, "it will eliminate direct greenhouse gas emissions from the smelting process and strengthen the closely integrated Canada-United States aluminum and manufacturing industry." Learn more about this innovative process for aluminum processing and then compare with current greenhouse advances in the steel industry.

Read more: World’s First Carbon-free Aluminum Smelting Process Developed in Joint Venture

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