ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS

The Technology that Is Turning North America Green

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Due to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), United States investment in the energy and transportation sectors is increasing — by some calculations, increasing by about $26 billion USD.

One manufacturer of industrial furnaces, SECO/WARWICK Group, began an initiative to make the most of the IRA program. This initiative, launched as “SECO/ECO,” revolves around vacuum furnaces. Equipment such as the CaseMaster Evolution®, the UniCase Master®, and the Vector® were designed with reducing energy consumption, increasing production efficiency, and decreasing gas consumption in mind.

Ecology, economy, and efficiency are all related — so says SECO/WARWICK USA’s managing director, Marcus Lord, who commented on the importance of eco-friendly tech as a budget-friendly option available to North American heat treaters, “A well-designed furnace means greater efficiency, and thus lower media consumption. So, ecology also means economy. For the implementations protecting the environment to be accepted, they must also bring real profits. That is why we make sure that the innovation brings benefits in the form of shortening the processes time, greater efficiency, or lower gas consumption.”

To learn more about SECO/ECO and new, eco-friendly technologies available for the new, environmentally-conscious market, visit INTRODUCING SECO/WARWICK GROUP GREEN TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE USA or consult their ebook.

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The First of Eight Vacuum Furnaces Migrates Across Michigan

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Solar Atmospheres of Michigan has begun the relocation of the first of eight existing vacuum furnaces from the old Vac-Met premises.

The first vacuum furnace (38” wide by 28” high by 72” deep), decommissioned from the Fraser Michigan plant, will be fully operational this week in the Chesterfield, Michigan, facility.

The migration of the next seven vacuum furnaces and other ancillary equipment, originating from both the Fraser, MI, and Warren, MI, plants, will occur every two weeks. By the end of 2023, the transferred assets will join the new existing Solar vacuum furnaces to form a new state of the art vacuum thermal treating facility in Michigan.

Robert (Bob) Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Michigan, comments, “To have all of our operations under one roof is a massive step for our employees and our company. Ownership of the vacant lot next to us gives the opportunity to grow the business more efficiently in one location. We are excited to get through this transition phase and look forward to 2024 and beyond!”

To view a video of the relocation process, see here.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ySZJX9EIRr0?si=vGgkb67lIHWsxeYm

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Advancement in Automotive Industry with EV Contract

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, CONTROLS NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, NITROCARBURIZING NEWS

A component supplier in the automotive industry has secured a multimillion-dollar contract to receive a turnkey automated nitrocarburizing furnace system for the production of electric passenger vehicle brake components.

Under the contract, Nitrex will design, manufacture, commission, and test continuous-line furnaces, part of the NXL furnace series, which are capable of processing millions of brake parts annually.

In addition to the furnace design, Nitreg®-C and ONC® technologies are integral to this order. This ferritic nitrocarburizing process with post-oxidation improves metal corrosion resistance and effectively reduces rust formation. It is designed to achieve lower non-effluent emissions associated with electric vehicle braking systems.

Furthermore, Nitrex will integrate QMULUS, an AI and machine learning IoT platform, to enhance the supplier’s manufacturing capabilities and drive continuous improvement throughout its operations.

"[This project] empower[s] our customers to thrive as the transition to electric vehicles and more advanced solutions accelerates,” expressed Nitrex CEO Jean-Francois Cloutier.

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Arrival of Atmosphere-Controlled Retort Furnace for Aerospace Applications

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

A leading manufacturer of aerospace components in the Midwestern U.S. has received one of two furnaces, which will be part of a CMC manufacturing facility providing lightweight aerospace components to commercial and military aerospace applications.

These two model XLC3348 furnaces were delivered by L&L Special Furnace. The nano threads in the CMC process are coated with proprietary resins which need to be completely removed from the substructure using heat. It is also vital that there is no oxygen present during the process as this will significantly weaken the part structure.

The model XLC3348 has a work zone of 23” wide by 23” high by 36” deep. It has a single zone of control with a temperature gradient of ±14°C/±25.2°F at temperatures between 1202°F/650°C and 1832°F/1,000°C using six zones of temperature control with biasing to balance any gradients. Constructed of low-mass insulating firebrick, which enables quicker cooldown times, the furnace also features a venturi cooling blower.

The parts are heated to a set temperature in a retort chamber that is pressurized with nitrogen. The byproducts of the outgassing part are directed by pressure and flow out of the rear of the furnace, and then heated in a vacuum furnace to temperatures in excess of 2300°F/ 1,260°C, resulting in a super-strong component that is lighter than titanium.

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Manufacturer in Energy Expands with Heat Treat System

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, ENERGY HEAT TREAT, NITRIDING NEWS, QUENCHING NEWS

A manufacturer for the energy industry has recently announced the installment of a roller hearth furnace system. The heat treat system is comprised of two (2) box furnaces with quench tanks, a dual directional load transfer car, four (4) companion draw batch ovens, and two (2) stationary load/unload tables.

The system from Lindberg/MPH has a maximum operating temperature of 1850°F for the box furnaces, which are designed for nitrogen-based atmosphere applications. The load space dimensions of the box furnaces are 48” W x 96” D x 36” H, with larger internal chambers to provide clearance for baskets or fixtures. A snake chain pusher assembly with a dual-directional pacecar is used by each furnace to transfer the loads from the chamber to the pneumatically operating quench elevator deck.

The glycol quench tanks are designed for quick and uniform quenching, featuring an immersion oil heater and an externally mounted air-to-quench media heat exchanger. The tanks’ agitation systems include four agitators with draft tubes. The gross load capacity of the car is 10,000 lbs., and it travels linearly in front of the equipment on two embedded floor rails.

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New Furnace Hits the Road To Heat Treat Steel Bar Stock

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, TEMPERING NEWS

A mesh belt temper furnace has been shipped to a manufacturer in the U.S. South. The client will use this heat treat furnace for preheating and tempering steel bar stock.

Mesh belt temper furnace packed and shipped
(Source: Premier Furnace Specialists. Inc./BeaverMatic)
Steve Ignash
Sales Engineer
Premier Furnace Specialists, Inc./BeaverMatic
Source: Premier Furnace/BeaverMatic

"We had built the client a similar furnace in 2022," commented Steve Ignash, sales engineer at Premier Furnace Specialists, Inc./BeaverMatic. "Our furnace gave them the confidence to purchase five more of the similar style to replace outdated equipment and add to their current increase in production."

The remaining four furnaces from the recent purchase will be completed and installed through January 2024.

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Castool Heat Treat Capabilities Expand with Nitrocarburizing

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, NITRIDING NEWS, NITROCARBURIZING NEWS

Castool Tooling Systems, a tooling provider to extrusion and die-casting companies, expanded its in-house capabilities with a nitrocarburizing system.

The new pit-type nitrocarburizing furnace, a model NX-1625 from Nitrex, is capable of processing large workloads of up to 6000 kg (13,200 lb.) with dimensions of 1550 mm (61”) in diameter and 2500 mm (98.5”) in height. The turnkey solution includes Nitreg®-C controlled nitrocarburizing and ONC® post-oxidation technologies, which can treat shot sleeves made of H13 tool steel while improving strength and longevity and preventing distortion when used in high-temperature and corrosive environments.

Nikola Dzepina
Nikola Dzepina
Account Manager
Nitrex
Source: NITREX

Commenting on the recent nitrocarburizing furnace, Nikola Dzepina, account manager at Nitrex, notes, "[Castool, a division of Exco Technologies] have been outsourcing nitriding to our heat treating services for many years and have been impressed with the quality of service and customer experience."

The large capacity furnace is part of a significant investment project that saw several furnace OEM suppliers collaborating to outfit the New Market, Canada, facility with various pieces of heat treating process equipment.

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C/A Design Adds Horizontal Spray Quench Furnace

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, QUENCHING NEWS

A horizontal spray quench furnace has been completed for C/A Design’s heat treat facility in Exeter, NH. The system will help treat components for the aerospace and defense industry.

The furnace, from Wisconsin Oven, will be used for the solution treatment of aluminum. The system is designed to soak the product load at temperature in the furnace and then a pusher mechanism rapidly moves the load into the spray quench. The spray quench offers reduced distortion in comparison to submersion quenching.

The maximum temperature for this system is 1150°F and it has the capacity to heat a 200 pound aluminum load plus the work grid and product fixture. C/A Design’s new furnace has the capability to meet AMS 2750G, Class 2 furnace and Instrumentation Type D requirements.

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3 Heat Treat Rod Overbend Furnaces Shipped

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, ANNEALING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, HARDENING NEWS

Three electrically heated RO pit furnaces with air-cooled fans have been shipped from Riverside, MI. The furnaces will be used for heat treating various steel components.

“These pit furnaces are designed for a nitrogen atmosphere,” commented Kelley Shreve, general manager at Lindberg/MPH. “They have been designed to utilize three independent heating zones for optimal temperature uniformity and meet AMS 2750G Class 3.”

These heat treating pit furnaces from  have a maximum temperature rating of 2,000°F and are designed to handle a wide range of part sizes. Two of the units have work chamber dimensions of 28″ x 36” and a maximum gross workload of 2,000 lbs. each. The third furnace has work chamber dimensions of 60” x 109” and a maximum gross workload of 20,000 lbs.

All of the pit furnaces have pneumatically operated lids with three-way hand control valves and limit switches that disconnect power to the heating elements when the covers are open. The pit furnaces are electrically heated with heavy duty rod overbend heating elements.

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NC Forgings Producer Secures Heat Treat Line

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

A roller hearth iso-thermal annealing line for steel automotive impression forgings is to be installed for a major American producer located in North Carolina.

The system comes from CAN-ENG Furnaces International Limited. It will be capable of both iso-thermal annealing and normalizing with a high temperature furnace operating under exothermic atmosphere. The line includes a separate low temperature roller hearth furnace, automatic bin dump and loading system, integrated tray/basket return system, and level II automation technology. The time frame for the heat treat line installation is in Q2, 2024.

Prior to the sale of this heat treat furnace, the furnace supplier had provided a mesh belt normalizing furnace, cast link belt normalizing furnace, and a roller hearth iso-thermal annealing furnace to the forgings producer.

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