An aluminum profile manufacturer has ordered a gas nitriding furnace to treat extrusion dies, improving their wear resistance and extending service life. The investment will support production stability and finished profile quality.
SECO/WARWICK, a global supplier of heat treating equipment with operations in North America, will supply the furnace, equipped with its ZeroFlow controlled gas nitriding technology.
Image Credit: SECO/WARWICK
The furnace will measure approximately 40 x 40 x 60 in (1,000 x 1,000 x 1,500 mm), accommodate a maximum gross load of approximately 5,500 lb (2,500 kg), and provide temperature uniformity of ±9°F (±5°C). The technology controls the structure and properties of the nitrided layer while reducing process gas consumption and post-cycle emissions.
The purchase supports the development of a new production site in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. The manufacturer selected the supplier after comparing available equipment and evaluating ten years of performance from its existing SECO/WARWICK furnace.
The equipment will be the largest nitriding furnace of this type delivered by SECO/WARWICK China. The project combines local manufacturing with support from the group’s European headquarters, with both teams responsible for design, manufacturing, commissioning, and operational support.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Metallus, a U.S. specialty steel manufacturer, has commissioned a bloom reheat furnace, roller furnace, and supporting equipment at its Gambrinus facility in Canton, Ohio, to expand production capabilities for critical defense materials.
The investment was supported by the U.S. Army’s nearly $100 million funding commitment, along with workforce and economic development support from JobsOhio. The new assets are expected to improve operational efficiency, product quality, and manufacturing flexibility while supporting efforts to strengthen the domestic munitions supply chain.
Mike Williams Chief Executive Officer Metallus
“These investments strengthen our ability to support the Army’s efforts to increase munitions production, enhance our manufacturing capabilities, and help build a more resilient domestic supply chain for materials that are critical to our nation’s security,” said Mike Williams, chief executive officer of Metallus.
Metallus has supplied specialty steel for U.S. Army artillery and mortar shell applications for more than 30 years. The company manufactures alloy steel bars, seamless mechanical tubing, and manufactured components for the industrial, automotive, aerospace and defense, and energy markets.
Representatives from Metallus, the U.S. Army, regional economic development organizations, and government offices marked the commissioning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the new equipment.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Ninety years is a remarkable milestone for any company. In the heat treating industry, where technologies, markets, and client expectations have continually evolved, reaching that anniversary requires more than longevity — it requires adaptability.
For W.H. Kay Company, that adaptability has been the defining characteristic since William Henry Kay founded the company in 1936, during the final years of the Great Depression. What began as a Cleveland-based manufacturer’s representative for Eclipse Combustion Equipment has grown into a company recognized throughout North America for combustion systems, used heat treating equipment, and practical process solutions.
Along the way, W.H. Kay has come to describe itself as “The Elder Statesman of Used Ovens and Treating Furnaces” — a moniker that reflects both the longevity of the business and the used-equipment specialty it developed over decades.
Doug Glenn, publisher of Heat TreatToday (left), sat down with Michael Kay, president of W.H. Kay (right), about the company’s 90-year journey — from its beginnings as a combustion equipment representative to becoming a trusted resource for industrial thermal processing solutions. | Image Credit: Heat TreatToday
Today, under the leadership of third-generation owner Michael Kay, the company continues to serve commercial heat treaters and manufacturers while maintaining a relationship with Eclipse — now part of Honeywell — that has lasted since the day the company opened its doors.
“It’s amazing,” Kay said. “We’ve represented Eclipse since 1936.”
From Representation to Reinvention
W.H. Kay’s history reflects many of the changes that have shaped industrial thermal processing over the past nine decades.
William Henry Kay, Michael Kay’s grandfather, represented Eclipse Burners and Furnaces throughout northern Ohio. When Eclipse phased out of furnace manufacturing, Michael Kay’s father, Frank, and uncle, Bill, continued serving longtime clients who wanted additional furnaces like the Eclipse equipment they already operated. Using existing furnace prints, W.H. Kay had units fabricated to meet those clients’ needs.
That work eventually opened another avenue for the company as clients purchasing new equipment began asking what to do with their existing furnaces. W.H. Kay started accepting equipment on trade and finding new buyers for it, gradually establishing the used-equipment business that remains a significant part of the company today.
A variety of equipment at the W.H. Kay facility | Image Credit: Heat TreatToday
Today, the company’s Solon, Ohio, warehouse houses hundreds of pieces of equipment ranging from tempering ovens and pit furnaces to vacuum furnaces, integral quench systems, atmosphere generators, and ancillary processing equipment.
The Value of Staying Close to the Client
Although W.H. Kay still supplies combustion products and represents JPW Industrial Ovens & Furnaces, Kay believes the company’s success has never been about simply selling products. “If you’re just taking orders, you’re kind of in trouble,” he said. “You’ve got to be proactive.”
That approach extends to how the company works with clients, beginning with an understanding of the application rather than simply supplying the equipment initially requested. A client inquiring about a 1600°F furnace, for example, may actually be operating at only 900°F — a distinction that can point to an entirely different equipment solution. “You’ve got to listen,” he said. “What they’re asking for might not be what they actually need.”
The willingness to listen can remain valuable long after the initial sale. Kay recalled a recent call from a client who had purchased a furnace seven years earlier, and, no longer needing it, approached the company about buying it back. Other clients contact the company when they need something larger or have equipment they no longer use. For W.H. Kay, responding to those changing needs has made used equipment more than an inventory business; it has become another way to provide clients with options.
Providing a used-equipment option does not, in Kay’s experience, come at the expense of new furnace sales. Over his four decades in the industry, he said, clients who intend to purchase new equipment generally do so, while those considering used equipment often have a different set of requirements. “In the course of 40 years, I’ve never seen a used [furnace] take over a new account,” he said. “If people are buying new, they’re buying new. If they’re buying used, they’re buying used.” Instead, he sees used equipment as another way to help clients solve a problem.
If a manufacturer needs an oven immediately rather than waiting several months for a new build, used equipment can provide an option that better fits the client’s timeline. “We could quote him a new one in 16 weeks,” Kay said. “Or we could have one in four days.” With hundreds of pieces of equipment in its Solon warehouse, the company can sometimes match a client’s requirements with a unit already in inventory, providing an alternative when lead time is as important as the equipment itself.
Understanding those circumstances requires more than waiting for an inquiry. It also means getting out of the office and spending time with clients. “You’ve got to get in the flow,” he said.
Whether checking on a furnace sold years earlier or simply stopping in to ask how things are going, those visits help the company stay aware of how clients’ operations and equipment needs are changing. A conversation might reveal a furnace the client no longer uses, a need for something larger, or anther equipment requirement that W.H. Kay can help address.
“My father used to say you can waste a lot of time coming into the office every day,” Kay recalled. “You need to be out with [clients].”
The practice has endured even as industrial sales have changed around it. Kay remembers beginning his career in 1985 carrying a substantial Eclipse product catalog on sales calls, followed by the arrival of fax machines that dramatically shortened the time required to submit and acknowledge orders. Email and the internet have transformed the process again, while the number of salespeople regularly making in-person calls has declined. “In some cases,” he said, “people tell me they haven’t seen a salesperson in six months.”
For W.H. Kay, continuing to make those visits is less about maintaining an old-fashioned sales practice than staying close to the client. The tools of industrial sales may have changed considerably over 90 years, but the company still sees listening, understanding the operation, and building rapport as essential to finding the right solution.
Listening before selling, understanding the application, and building long-term relationships have remained central to the company as the business has weathered changing technologies, shifting markets, and multiple generations of industrial manufacturing.
Creating Your Own Good Luck
W.H. Kay’s nine decades have included more than changes in how equipment is bought and sold. The applications themselves continue to evolve.
Kay has seen growing activity around aluminum heat treatment, including aging and drop-bottom furnace applications, as manufacturers pursue lighter materials. The company has also supplied ovens for composite curing and other lower-temperature processes. Additive manufacturing presents another evolving area; even when parts are produced through 3D printing, Kay noted, thermal processes such as stress relieving can remain necessary.
Through those changes, Kay expects industrial heating and thermal processing to continue finding applications in emerging manufacturing technologies. The greater lesson he draws from more than four decades in the business, however, is less about predicting which technology or market will come next than about remaining engaged enough to respond when it does.
Kay returned to one idea again and again: success isn’t about waiting for opportunities to arrive — it’s about putting yourself where they can happen. Whether checking in on clients, making sales calls, or simply staying engaged with the industry, he believes consistent effort creates its own momentum. The advice he offers today is the same philosophy that has guided his career for more than four decades.
“Create your own good luck,” Kay said. “Keep at it. Get out of the office.”
Ninety years after William Henry Kay founded the company, the equipment, technologies, and methods of doing business have changed considerably, but the philosophy remains much the same: listen to clients, stay engaged, and keep showing up. It continues to guide his company — one client visit, one solution, and one furnace at a time.
Main image shows Michael Kay posing with a vacuum furnace with a photo inset of the entrance to the W.H. Kay facility. | Image credit: W.H. Kay Company If you have any comments or queries on this article, let us know at editor@heattreattoday.com.
Solar Atmospheres, a U.S. commercial heat treater, is preparing to commission a titanium solution heat treating system that will expand processing capacity for large titanium bars, forgings, and other components used in aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. The system combines a drop bottom furnace with an 11,000-gallon recirculating water quench tank designed to rapidly cool large workloads and achieve consistent metallurgical properties.
The company recently installed the stainless steel water quench tank at its Hermitage, Pennsylvania, facility as preparations continue for commissioning the titanium drop bottom furnace. The furnace remains on schedule to be fully commissioned and operational by September 2026.
Designed primarily for solution treating titanium bars, titanium forgings, and other large titanium components, the furnace features a 14-foot-long x 54-inch-wide x 48-inch-high workload envelope. During processing, parts will be transferred into the 11,000-gallon recirculating, agitated water quench tank within five to seven seconds, providing the rapid, uniform cooling required to achieve consistent metallurgical properties.
The investment expands its capability to process large titanium components for demanding aerospace, defense, and industrial applications.
Press release is available in its original form here. Images show the installation of the drop bottom furnace at the Hermitage facility. Image credit: Solar Atmospheres
An advanced aluminum T6 heat treatment system has been selected to replace an existing line that no longer meets increasing production requirements and evolving quality expectations. The new system combines solution heat treatment, rapid water quenching, and artificial aging to improve thermal processing performance, metallurgical consistency, energy efficiency, and productivity for aluminum casting applications.
CAN-ENG Furnaces International, a furnace manufacturer based in Niagara Falls, Ontario, has been awarded a contract to design and manufacture the continuous roller hearth aluminum casting T6 heat treatment system. The system will incorporate continuous roller hearth solution heat treatment and artificial aging furnaces, along with the company’s rapid quench transfer system.
The integrated design is intended to provide precise thermal processing while minimizing transfer time to the water quench, helping to achieve consistent metallurgical performance and product quality. The client selected the new system to replace an existing heat treatment line that could no longer satisfy increasing production requirements and evolving quality expectations.
The replacement system is expected to provide improved furnace temperature uniformity, enhanced product handling and process reliability, automated rapid transfer water quenching for improved metallurgical consistency, reduced energy consumption, a lower risk of part damage and distortion, and increased equipment uptime and productivity compared with conventional conveyor-based systems.
The project expands CAN-ENG’s installed base of aluminum heat treatment systems in North America and international markets.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Outokumpu Stainless USA will upgrade its secondary metallurgy operations with a new 180-ton twin ladle furnace at its Calvert, Alabama, facility. The project will add electrical heating capacity following argon oxygen decarburization processing, improving operational flexibility and supporting stainless steel production.
Outokumpu has contracted Primetals Technologies to supply the furnace, which will replace a ladle treatment stand installed in 2012. Startup is scheduled for March 2028.
At the Calvert facility, Outokumpu melts up to 100% stainless steel scrap in an electric arc furnace before processing the material in an oxygen decarburization (AOD) converter. Upgrading one of the plant’s two ladle treatment stands will add electrical heating capacity after the converter and provide greater flexibility in the AOD process.
The project will use the plant’s existing layout and foundation. Primetals Technologies’ scope includes a water-cooled ladle cover integrated with a swing gantry system, an electrode conducting arm with a high-current system, automated argon lancing equipment, a hydraulic system, a power solution, Level 1 automation, and the supplier’s Melt Expert electrode control system.
The Melt Expert system provides dynamic control of the melting process to improve process stability, furnace productivity, and energy consumption. The upgrade is also expected to reduce the plant’s carbon footprint.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Bodycote, a global commercial heat treater serving manufacturers across North America and Europe, is expanding its hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and thermal processing capabilities to support growing demand from the aerospace and defense sectors. The expansion adds HIP equipment and powder metallurgy capabilities designed to increase processing capacity for critical, high-performance components.
More than €20 million is being invested at Bodycote’s Magny-Cours facility in France, one of the company’s European hubs for hot isostatic pressing. HIP combines high temperature with isostatic gas pressure to eliminate internal porosity and improve the mechanical properties of critical metal components.
The investment includes the installation of multiple large-format HIP vessels designed to increase available processing volume, allowing larger components to be treated while improving capability and energy efficiency. Once fully operational by the end of 2026, the expanded installation will provide Magny-Cours with multiple HIP units to support increased production across the aerospace, industrial gas turbine (IGT), and defense sectors. The expansion is also expected to create additional employment opportunities at the site.
Bodycote has also expanded HIP capacity at its Haag-Winden facility in Germany with the addition of two HIP vessels. The site specializes in both hot isostatic pressing and the company’s Powdermet product fabrication process, enabling near-net-shape components ot be manufactured and HIP processed on-site while also providing standalone HIP services for client-supplied parts.
Heidi McNary President, Global Aerospace, Defence and Energy Bodycote
“The new and upgraded sites will help deliver increased capacity for thermal processing at a time when demand from aerospace and defense [clients] is growing at a double-digit annual rate,” said Heidi McNary, president of Global Aerospace, Defence and Energy at Bodycote. The company plans to discuss the expanded capabilities with clients during the Farnborough International Airshow, scheduled for July 20–24.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT), a global provider of commercial heat treat services and metallurgical solutions, is expanding its Waterloo, Iowa, facility to increase capacity for carburizing, through hardening, normalizing, and other heat treatment processes. The 18,000 sq. ft. project broke ground on April 6 and is expected to be completed by fall 2026.
The expansion will include a custom-built furnace designed to accommodate larger components in length, height, and weight. “This expansion is about giving our [clients] more — more capacity, more capability, and more confidence in turnaround,” said Adam Kane, plant manager at AHT’s Waterloo facility pictured above. “With added production space and additional equipment, we’ll be able to process larger and heavier components, and we’ll have room to add even more equipment and services in the future.”
Mikel Woods President Advanced Heat Treat Corp.
The facility, in operation at Burton Ave. since 1981, provides services including induction hardening, annealing, cryogenic treatment, carbonitriding, and stress relieving. A second Waterloo location on MidPort Blvd. serves as the company’s corporate office and offers nitriding and nitrocarburizing services.
“Between the two Iowa locations, [clients] have access to multiple heat treatments within a short drive, allowing them to consolidate their vendors and potentially reduce freight costs,” added Mikel Woods, president of AHT.
Press release is available in its original form here. Main image shows AHT plant manager Adam Kane standing on the construction site of the 18,000 sq. ft. building expansion in Waterloo, Iowa.
We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat TreatFringe Fridayinstallment: a custom split tube furnace engineered for elevated-temperature materials testing highlights how thermal processing equipment is being adapted for complex research environments serving aerospace and defense applications. Designed to support vibration testing while maintaining precise thermal control, the system reflects the growing need to simulate real-world thermal conditions while monitoring material performance.
While not exactly heat treat, “Fringe Friday” deals with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing.
A custom split tube furnace designed for elevated-temperature materials testing demonstrates how specialized thermal processing equipment can be integrated into complex research environments. Thermcraft, a U.S.-based manufacturer of thermal processing equipment serving global markets, has completed the system for an application requiring materials to be tested under vibration while held at high temperature.
The system was engineered to maintain a stable and uniform thermal environment while allowing measurement systems to interact directly with the test sample. The design includes two distinct vestibules — one configured to securely hold the test sample during vibration testing and the other sized to accommodate measurement fixtures and instrumentation.
By working closely with the client during the design process, Thermcraft engineers incorporated custom vestibule geometry, instrumentation access, and system integration features that allow the furnace to function as part of the overall testing platform rather than simply as a standalone heating device.
The system uses a split tube configuration that allows the furnace to open along its length, simplifying sample loading, integration with test rigs, and routine maintenance. A compact external control cabinet provides temperature control and monitoring while enabling the furnace to integrate with the client’s existing testing infrastructure.
Systems like this are commonly used in advanced materials development testing environments, including aerospace and defense materials development, research laboratories, universities, and materials science programs. These applications often require the ability to simulate elevated-temperature service conditions while monitoring material performance.
“Projects like this highlight how important collaboration is between equipment manufacturers and [clients], said Mike Weaver, sales manager at Thermcraft. “Every testing application has its own challenges, and our goal is to work closely with [clients] to engineer thermal systems that support their exact process requirements rather than forcing them to adapt their process to standard equipment.”
Press release is available in its original form here. Additional information provided by Thermcraft.
Metco Industries has added a new seven-zone continuous belt sintering furnace to improve process control and consistency in the production of powdered metal components. The installation supports tighter thermal processing parameters and enhanced monitoring capabilities, helping ensure repeatable results for parts used across industrial manufacturing applications.
Continuous belt furnace installed at Metco Industries incorporating fully digital atmosphere control technology developed in-house at Abbott Furnace Company | Image Credit: Abbott Furnace CompanyParts entering the sintering furnace | Image Credit: Abbott Furnace Company
The furnace was engineered and manufactured by Abbott Furnace Company, incorporating fully digital atmosphere control technology developed in-house. Digital flow control, advanced monitoring, and data-driven diagnostics allow operators at Metco to track furnace performance in real time and adjust sintering conditions as needed.
The technology is designed to improve repeatability and provide greater visibility into furnace operations. These capabilities allow manufacturers to optimize thermal processing conditions and maintain more consistent production outcomes.
Press release is available in its original form here. Main image shows the full seven-zone continuous belt furnace installed at Metco Industries. Image Credit: Abbott Furnace Company
