ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS

Tube Annealing Furnace for Stainless Steel and Special Alloys Manufacturer

/ ANNEALING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, ENERGY HEAT TREAT NEWS

Alleima, a manufacturer of steel components and special alloys, will receive a new tube annealing furnace. The electric atmospheric furnace line is intended for bright annealing of high-alloy tubes and will be used in the production of nuclear applications components.

SECO/WARWICK is providing the furnace as their 5,000th device.

The tube annealing system
Source: SECO/WARWICK
Piotr Skarbiński
Vice President of Aluminum and CAB Products Segment
SECO/WARWICK
Magnus Mellberg
Production Unit Manager
Alleima
Source: LinkedIn

“Our partnership with SECO/WARWICK has lasted for many years. We are delighted that we could celebrate it in a special way, as our impressively large tube annealing line (over 140 meters long – 460 ft) happens to be the 5,000th SECO/WARWICK device. We feel that together we are creating not only a remarkable history, but also the future as this solution will help us spread our wings,” said Magnus Mellberg, production unit manager at Alleima.

“The furnace was created specifically for this partner’s needs. It will allow them to increase production capacity…This is important as the demand for high-alloy components in this market has increased. It is an unusual construction, verified through analysis and simulations, and implemented in reality. It offers very good technological results after the annealing process,” explained Piotr Skarbiński, vice president of the Aluminum and CAB Business Segments at the SECO/WARWICK Group.

Press release is available in its original form here.

Tube Annealing Furnace for Stainless Steel and Special Alloys Manufacturer Read More »

All-Metal Hot Zone Furnace for Solar Atmospheres

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, HARDENING NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

Solar Atmospheres has expanded its operations with an additional all-metal hot zone furnace. The new system significantly expands the company’s capacity to heat treat highly sensitive materials such as precipitation-hardened stainless steels, nickel-chrome-based superalloys, titanium, and niobium. The new unit is installed at their Hermitage, Pennsylvania facility, and will meet the stringent demands of the aerospace and medical industries.

Additional all metal hot zone furnace for Solar Atmospheres
Source: Solar Atmospheres

Michael Johnson, Sales Director at Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania, stated: “The all-metal vacuum furnace plays a critical role in delivering the purest possible processing environment. This level of cleanliness and control results in pristine end products that meet the most demanding industry standards. We’re proud to partner with the engineers at Solar Manufacturing to bring this advanced technology to fruition.”

The furnace incorporates strategically placed isolation valves, an oversized main valve, a high-capacity diffusion pump, and a polished stainless-steel chamber. Capable of achieving vacuum levels below 5 x 10⁻⁶ Torr, the system ensures bright, contamination-free results.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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2 CAB Furnaces Commissioned for Auto Manufacturer

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, BRAZING NEWS, ENERGY HEAT TREAT NEWS

Two EV/CAB lines will be installed for a major manufacturer of heat exchangers for trucks, passenger cars, and new energy technologies. The furnaces are designed to meet the stringent requirements of the automotive industry for the production of components for commercial vehicles and to ensure long-lasting and reliable operation in demanding industrial conditions.

SECO/WARWICK, a supplier of controlled atmosphere brazing technology and more with North American locations, will deliver the two EV/CAB lines: one installation will occur in Mexico and the other in China for the Chinese manufacturer’s in-house heat treat operations.

Piotr Skarbiński
Vice President of Aluminum and CAB Products Segment
SECO/WARWICK

Both lines are modern aluminum brazing solutions dedicated to the production of key cooling system components for electromobility and classic automotive applications. One line has a belt width of 1900 mm, destined for the Chinese location, and was designed for battery cooling plate production, while the Mexican line is 1800 mm wide and will be dedicated to the production of automotive heat exchangers.

“We are proud that one of the leaders in automotive thermal management consistently chooses SECO/WARWICK technology. Our CAB lines…[fulfill] future requirements regarding automation, efficiency and ecology,” commented Piotr Skarbiński, vice president of the Aluminum and CAB Product Segments at SECO/WARWICK.

The two CAB lines ensure temperature distribution uniformity in the brazing process of wide components. The furnace designs involved a convection preheating chamber, radiant brazing furnace, and cooling zones with air jacket and final cooling.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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Aluminum Brazing Furnace Supports Automotive Industry

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, BRAZING NEWS

Weifang Hengtong Radiator is increasing their efficiency and quality of their aluminum plate and bar heat exchangers with a semi-continuous controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) furnace at their in-house heat treat operations.

Piotr Skarbiński
Vice President of Aluminum and CAB Products Segment
SECO/WARWICK

The SECO/WARWICK furnace was specifically designed for the production of plate & bar heat exchangers. The semi-continuous CAB system is based on a multi-stage cycle division. The line includes: a drying furnace, an entry washing chamber, a convection preheating and brazing chamber, an intermediate air seal cooling chamber, and a final direct cooling chamber. The semi-continuous mode ensures that even large-sized components are evenly heated during the proper process time.

“The semi-continuous Universal CAB System ensures shorter cycle time, lower investment costs, and higher process efficiency of each batch. These are the main advantages of the CAB system compared to vacuum brazing furnaces,” says Piotr Skarbiński, vice president of the Aluminum and CAB Products Segment at SECO/WARWICK Group.

The furnace is characterized by high flexibility, allowing the brazing of exchangers of various masses and dimensions in subsequent cycles while maintaining process parameters.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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Batch Oven Shipped for Aerospace Exploration

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, TITANIUM PROCESSING NEWS

An electrically heated batch oven has been shipped to a leading space exploration company. The custom batch oven will be used to stress relieve titanium parts.

Wisconsin Oven Corporation is providing the stress relieving oven, which includes a powered load/unload table. The oven is designed for a maximum operating temperature of 1250°F and provides temperature uniformity of ±15°F at three set points. Uniformity was verified through a nine (9) point profile test before shipment.

The oven is designed to heat and cool loads up to 1,200 pounds per cycle. Parts are placed on a high strength grid and transferred into the 7’ wide x 10’ long x 3’ high work chamber by an automated pusher/extractor system. After processing, the load is extracted onto the load table where 6 high speed fans direct ambient air upwards across the parts for further cooling.

A top-down airflow system delivers heats air vertically down through the chamber for even distribution across the product load. This oven is capable of meeting the requirements of AMS2750G, Class 3, Instrumentation Type A.

The control system features an Allen-Bradley CompactLogix PLC, a Eurotherm programmable temperature controller with advanced auto-tune, and a Eurotherm digital recorder for precise temperature control and data logging.

Mike Grande, Vice President of Sales, Wisconsin Oven Corporation

“This custom batch oven was designed to deliver exceptional temperature uniformity…and optimized airflow distribution ensures consistent processing and superior part quality,” commented Mike Grande, vice president of Sales for Wisconsin Oven Corporation.

This stress relieving oven was fully factory tested and adjusted prior to shipment from the furnace supplier’s facility. All safety interlocks were checked for proper operation and the equipment was operated at the normal and maximum operating temperatures. This equipment is backed by Wisconsin Oven’s 3-Year WOW™ warranty. 

Press release is available in its original form here.

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Walking Hearth Furnace for Vinton Steel

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, ENERGY HEAT TREAT NEWS

Vinton Steel, headquartered in Vinton, Texas, has commissioned a new walking hearth reheating furnace. The furnace will be engineered for high-carbon steel billets used to manufacture large-diameter grinding media, a high demand product for the mining sector.

This addition is intended to operate alongside a new initiative to increase Vinton Steel’s rebar production capacity up to 400,000 tons per year. The initiative is called Green CityMill™ Flex, which represents an efficient and sustainable long products production platform.

Francesco Memoli President & CEO Tenova Inc.

“This project is part of the strategic expansion of Kyoei Steel in the vital North American market and a clear demonstration of our long-term commitment to the State of Texas,” said Masahiro Kitada, board director & executive managing officer for Kyoei Steel Group and chairman of Vinton Steel. “With this additional project, we contribute even more to the continued growth of the El Paso region.”

Francesco Memoli, president and CEO of Tenova Inc., added: “We are honored that Vinton Steel continues to place its trust in Tenova’s technologies. This new reheating furnace will be the most advanced of its kind, equipped with sophisticated control systems and our proprietary low-NOx burners.”

The reheating furnace is scheduled for commissioning in parallel with the Green CityMill™ Flex startup in the first half of 2027.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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Gas-Fired Car Bottom Furnace for Heat Treatment

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A heat treater in the U.S. Midwest anticipates greater heat treat abilities of ingots with a new gas-fired car bottom furnace. The furnace will be capable of handling both steel and aluminum ingots, with loads up to 150,000lb per cycle.

Arturo Arechavaleta
Vice President, Metal Furnaces
NUTEC Bickley
Source: NUTEC Bickley

NUTEC Bickley designed the furnace to operate across a wide temperature range. The high levels of temperature uniformity to be delivered by the combustion system mean that this furnace will be qualified to undertake AMS2750 compliant surveys.

Arturo Arechavaleta, NUTEC Bickley’s vice president of Metal Furnaces, said: “Our customer for this important project has been serving the industry with a dedicated heat treat facility for many decades, and is a widely recognized and trusted name in steel and aluminum circles.”

The working dimensions of the furnace are 12ft w. by 35ft l. by 14ft 6in h. Normal operational temperatures range between 300°F (150°C) and 1650°F (900°C), with a maximum of 2000°F (1095°C). With burners firing above and below the load, there are 11 automatic control zones (five top, six bottom). The optimum approach to heat treat these heavy loads is pulse firing with variable excess air.

The furnace uses high-velocity nozzle-mix burners in a staggered configuration to fire above and below the load, maximizing heat transfer and providing optimum temperature uniformity. One of the IMPS® (Integrated Multizone Pulsing System) modes is Excess Air Firing. Among other things, it allows control over very low temperature while high turbulence is maintained to achieve temperature distribution.

Interior furnace view
Source: NUTEC Bickley
Furnace opening view
Source: NUTEC Bickley
Exterior furnace view
Source: NUTEC Bickley

In the Ratio Firing mode, the air and gas valves pulse in a synchronized pattern, from low to high fire in stoichiometric ratio, to ensure optimal fuel efficiency. This is made possible by using the kinetic energy generated by the flame speed and the rapid transition from low to high fire which increases entrainment and turbulence, thus promoting a better temperature distribution without the need for a high level of excess air.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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Wieland Grows In-House Heat Treat With New Furnace

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A new reheating walking hearth furnace has been commissioned for Wieland Rolled Products North America. The new furnace has a processing capacity of up to 110 metric tons per hour and will support Wieland’s expansion plans in the production of high-grade copper products.

Greg Keown President Wieland Rolling & Recycling
Source: Tenova

Wieland Rolled Products North America was delivered the furnace by Tenova, which is integrated with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) deNOx emissions control system. The equipment will enable Wieland to expand the production of high-grade copper products, essential for several key industrial sectors. This installation is a key element of Wieland’s broader investment to upgrade and expand its East Alton, Illinois facility.

“We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Tenova as we enter the next phases of this expansion project. Their technology and project management expertise are expected to support our production goals and sustainability efforts,” said Greg Keown, president of Wieland Rolling & Recycling.

Francesco Memoli remarked, “This project is particularly meaningful for us because it integrates advanced combustion and fume treatment technologies to meet both performance and environmental targets. It’s a clear example of how we tailor heat treatment solutions to the unique requirements of non-ferrous production.”

Francesco Memoli President & CEO Tenova Inc.
Source: Tenova

The furnace, engineered by Tenova Italimpianti, has a processing capacity of up to 110 metric tons per hour. Powered by a natural gas combustion system, it features Tenova’s proprietary TR Flat Flame Roof burners equipped with integrated recuperators and post-combustors. The configuration ensures a substantial 90% reduction in NOx emissions. This technology has already delivered positive environmental performance in both reheating and heat treatment applications.

Wieland’s expansion project includes a new hot rolling mill designed to increase production capacity for copper and copper alloy components used in electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging networks, and renewable energy systems.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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Furnace Expansion for Portland Heat Treater

/ ANNEALING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Stack Metallurgical Services has added a new furnace to their Portland facility. The furnace adds significant capacity for stress relieving, sub-annealing, and high-temperature annealing, under protective atmosphere.

Source: Stack Metallurgical Services

The furnace has a working zone of 48″ W x 96″ L x 36″ H, it can handle up to 12,000 lbs, and is certified for temperatures up to 1650°F.

Jeff McLaughlin, owner of McLaughlin Furnace Group, was on-site to help commission the new equipment. Stack also partnered with Super Systems, Inc for charting, testing, and running simulated loads.

Kimberly Chaussee
General Manager
Stack Metallurgical Group

“We are very happy to partner with McLaughlin Furnaces to add this new equipment to Stack’s Portland facility. We’ve always taken a proactive approach to expanding our capabilities and capacity to stay ahead of our clients’ evolving needs. I want to thank Jeff McLaughlin and his team for designing, building, and commissioning this equipment on schedule — it’s been a seamless collaboration,” shared Kimberly Chaussee, general manager at Stack Metallurgical Group.

Stack plans for other significant short-term and long-term investments in both equipment and facilities. They are anticipating additional major announcements later this year. These ongoing investments reflect their commitment to meeting the needs of their clients.

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Cleveland-Cliffs Commissions Stainless Bright Anneal Line

/ ANNEALING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS

Cleveland-Cliffs has announced the commissioning of its new vertical stainless bright anneal line at its Coshocton Works facility in Coshocton, Ohio. This $150 million investment is now completed and will supply premium stainless steel for high-end automotive and critical appliance applications.

Lourenco Goncalves
Chairman, President & CEO
Cleveland-Cliffs

The new annealing line uses a 100% hydrogen atmosphere, replacing the conventional acid-based processing, and includes a hydrogen recovery unit to recycle hydrogen and use a 50/50 mix of new and used hydrogen in the process.

Lourenco Goncalves, chairman, president and CEO of Cliffs said: “By using hydrogen and advanced automation, we’re dramatically improving the quality and productivity of this critical product that our customers rely upon Cleveland-Cliffs for.”

To mark the opening, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday, July 2 at 11:00 a.m. ET at Cliffs’ Coshocton Works facility. The event was attended by key elected officials along with Cleveland-Cliffs’ executives, employees, and key customers.

Cleveland-Cliffs is a leading North America-based steel producer with focus on value-added sheet products, particularly for the automotive industry. 

Press release is available in its original form here.

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