HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

APT Hiller Orders New Billet Heating Furnace

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SMS Group and Apt Hiller GmbH
From left to right: Thomas Brockmann (Head of Technology apt Hiller GmbH), Hans-Uwe Rode (SMS group), Thomas Boddenberg (Managing Director apt Hiller GmbH), Frans Kurvers (Managing Partner apt Group), Toni Herrmann (SMS group).

apt Hiller GmbH headquartered in Monheim, Germany, has meanwhile ordered already the fourth frontloading extrusion press from SMS group. The new extrusion press operates with an extrusion force of 27 MN (2,700 tons) in front-loading design, thus enabling high productivity and product quality. At the Monheim location, it replaces an older 20/22-MN extrusion press of apt Hiller GmbH. At the same time, a new highly effective billet heating furnace will be installed and part of the runout equipment will be newly built. Moreover, the new press is equipped with an “ecoDraulic“ system, an intelligent automatic start-stop system which is able to deactivate unused pumps. By installing a particularly fast hydraulic system shortest idle times can be achieved. Compared to conventional presses, the employment of these energy-efficient components and systems enables energy savings of 25 percent. Hence, the new press at apt Hiller meets the criteria of the distinctive ecoplants mark for especially energy efficient machines of SMS group. “apt Group stands for reliable top quality. In accordance with our slogan “Essential Parts. Essential Partners“, we are pleased to have SMS group as such a reliable partner at our side and we are sure that the forth front-loading press will also satisfy our expectations as regards quality and reliability,“ said Thomas Boddenberg, Managing Director apt Hiller GmbH. On the 27-MN extrusion press line, apt will be producing high-end aluminum profiles primarily applied in the construction and construction product sectors.
The new line will go into operation in the first quarter of 2018.

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Los Angeles and Toronto Host Heat Treat Training Events

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One-day seminars will be held in both LA and Toronto this spring to cover heat treat topics such as CQI-9, AMS 2750 E, control of atmospheres during heat treating processes, troubleshooting both heat treat equipment and processes, as well as a recap of the latest technologies used by leading heat treat companies. Improving day-to-day operations, efficiency, and quality will be the focus of these two events,

Los Angeles Event: Thursday, March 16, 2017
Toronto Event: Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Events are produced and sponsored by Super Systems, Inc.

For more information and to register: www.supersystems.com/seminar-signup/

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Sandvik Increases its Presence in Offshore Egypt

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Sandvik, a developer and producer of advanced stainless steels, special alloys, titanium and other high-performance materials, has extensively increased its presence in offshore Egypt in 2016, booking several large orders. The total contract values from the orders in 2016 across the scope of supply are in excess of 100 million Euros (107 million USD), which represents a milestone development for Sandvik in the region. This means that Sandvik will provide a comprehensive scope of oil and gas solutions for the ongoing giant gas field developments in the region.

Sandvik has seen double-digit growth in the region over the past three years, and recently established its EMEA Oil and Gas headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to service major projects happening in the region and to remain in close proximity to regional customers.

The East Mediterranean is brimming with opportunity. For example the recently discovered Zohr offshore field near Egypt, the largest natural gas discovery in the Mediterranean in the last decade, will greatly boost the country’s energy potential. The “super giant” field potentially boasts an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Phil Cherrie, Regional Sales and Marketing Manager, Oil & Gas, EMEA, Sandvik, said, “Operating in an offshore environment such as the Mediterranean Sea requires materials that are able to withstand the harsh conditions that these operations present. Having been chosen by the operators as well as equipment manufacturers and service providers to provide these solutions serves as testament to the quality of Sandvik’s products and solutions.”

As part of the contracts Sandvik will be providing: Super Duplex steel umbilical tubing; SANICRO 28, a high-alloy, high strength austenitic stainless steel for OCTG downhole production tubing together with alliance partner Tenaris; seamless alloy 625 control line and chemical injection lines encapsulated with tubing encased conductor (TEC lines).

Deliveries of these solutions have already begun in 2016 and will continue on throughout 2017.

According to Phil Cherrie, Egypt and the region continues to be an important market for the company. The company has been active in the region for more than 30 years now and continues to invest actively in people and partnerships to support the wide customer base.

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Spectrum Thermal Processing Retrofits with Super System, Inc.

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Spectrum Thermal Processing of Cranston, RI continues to update their “State-Of-The-Art Heat Treat” with Super Systems Inc (SSI) control technology.   Building on the technology path and a partnership with SSI, Spectrum recently retrofitted SSI’s Series 9220 Vacuum Controller on a CI Hayes Vacuum Oil Quench furnace.

The new controls provide an easy-to-operate interface that reduces operator error while providing the most sophisticated furnace cycles with complete process traceability.  The standard vacuum retrofit package from SSI includes recipe control, digital data recording, remote configuration/recipe building, touch screen interface and electronic connectivity to the existing SuperDATA SCADA package.

“The vacuum oil quench furnaces are an important part of our operation,” said Richard Houghton  of Spectrum. “SSi has been great to work with as we upgrade our equipment.  Our focus is delivering quality and repeatability throughout all our processes, and maintaining the latest controls and data acquisition technology provides the foundation for making that happen. This is the ninth furnace that we have upgraded using SSi controls, which has vastly improved our ability to automatically control all parameters of the process.”

For the last decade, Super Systems Inc., based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been developing and manufacturing products for the thermal processing industry. SSi’s products include probes, analyzers, controllers, software solutions and engineered systems. With over 100 years of combined experience, SSi continues to satisfy industry demands with innovative technology, enabling customers to be more efficient and to produce higher quality products.

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Automotive Industry Orders New Pit Furnace

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No. 1040 is a 2200°F (1204°C), inert atmosphere pit furnace from Grieve, currently used for heat treating automotive parts in baskets at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this furnace measure 36” wide x 36” deep x 48” high. 78 KW are installed in heavy gauge, high temperature Kanthal AF alloy wire heating elements of rod overbend design and powered through a low voltage transformer to heat the workload.

This Grieve pit furnace has 11” thick insulated walls comprising 4 ½” thick 2600°F firebrick, 2 ½” thick 2300°F firebrick and 4” 1900°F block insulation, as well as an insulated floor comprising 7” of castable refactory and 4” block insulation. Other features include a ¼” plate steel exterior reinforced with structural steel and an air-operated, rear-hinged door. Inert atmosphere construction includes continuously welded outer shell, high temperature door gasket, sealed heater terminal boxes, inert atmosphere inlet, outlet, flow meter and manual gas valve.

Controls on the No. 1040 include a digital indicating temperature controller, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors and an SCR power controller.

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Orion Engineered Carbons Expands in Sweden

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Orion Engineered Carbons S.A., a worldwide supplier of specialty and high-performance Carbon Black, recently announced that it will expand production capacity at its Norcarb Engineered Carbons AB plant in Malmö, Sweden. Debottlenecking of a line will provide additional specialty carbon black to supply the growing fibers, wire & cable and adhesives & sealants markets.

“The expansion of capacity in Malmö is one more step in Orion’s rapid realignment of our portfolio toward higher value added specialty and technical rubber applications,” said Jack Clem, Orion’s Chief Executive Officer.  “Products from Malmö will primarily support our customers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. This action is a reflection of the high confidence of our customers in Orion’s products and technical support capabilities.”

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Ipsen Expands Controls Retrofit Options

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Steve Hartenberger, Ipsen, Heat Treat Industry Supplier News

Steve Hartenberger – Ipsen

Ipsen is introducing a new, competitively priced option for controls retrofits in the form of CompuCore™. Available for installation on most brands of vacuum heat-treating systems, these newly enhanced controls reduce the potential for human error and maximize uptime, allowing users to achieve greater efficiencies.

This controls software package is a cost-effective option for those that want to automate their manual system with the latest technology. It helps users gain comprehensive control of all furnace functions while also achieving repeatable throughput and results. CompuCore features five main screens, which allow operators to monitor and control operations – including viewing and editing an entire recipe – while it monitors and controls vacuum levels and temperatures. Other key features include:

Capable of meeting applicable AMS 2750 requirements
Gain greater control over temperature uniformity with DigiTrim® and DigiPID™ heat zone control (five temperature ranges each)
Create, edit, store and execute process recipes with ease via a menu-driven screen that shows the entire recipe
A streamlined solution, the CompuCore controls upgrade helps companies increase their capabilities while maximizing their equipment’s potential. To learn more, contact Steve Hartenberger at Steve.Hartenberger@IpsenUSA.com, or visit www.IpsenUSA.com/CompuCore.

In addition to controls upgrades and retrofits, the ICS (Ipsen Customer Service) Team also facilitates system installations and provides expert training, startup assistance and 360° support throughout the entire life span of the equipment for any brand.

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Novel Carburizing Method with Endocarb System Has Patent Awarded

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On January 10, 2017, the United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded patent number 9,540,721 to George Barbour, President of Heavy Carbon Company for a Method of Carburizing which allows a carburizing process in a furnace at high temperatures in a protective atmosphere.  The primary function of this carburizing method  is soot control with an atmosphere flow providing a constant low CH4 to produce a strong reaction for a high quality atmosphere regardless of carbon potential set point.

This new method carburizes at a carbon potential well into the soot range while maintaining a controllable carbon potential with a stable CH4.  This stability maintains a constant reaction, cracking an air/gas mix in a self heated retort to a temperature of 1825f before entry into the furnace.  The high carbon potential penetrates the steel surface at a rate up to 30% faster saving time and money while producing higher quality parts.

In addition to the speed at a higher carbon potential at high temperatures, the atmosphere will also penetrate lower grade steels at lower temperatures without using ammonia to raise the HRC.  The air/gas mix is cracked in a retort outside the furnace to form the atmosphere and is heated at the same high temperature of 1825f before entry into the furnace.  In this manner, the low furnace temperature does not hinder the reaction that must take place in the furnace.

Soot control takes place simultaneously while the carburizing cycle is in operation therefore no time is lost to clean soot from the furnace, instead of using furnace time to remove soot and clean the furnace, loads can be run instead.  Time is money and soot burn out takes time.  Because less time is required per load less gas and power is used resulting in more cost savings.

The Heavy Carbon Company manufactures the patented system which is known as the Endocarb System.  The Endocarb System can be added to existing furnaces or built into a furnace at the time of manufacture.

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Textron Aviation Selects Triumph for Cessna Components

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Rick Rosenjack - Triumph
Rick Rosenjack – Executive VP for Triumph Precision Components

Textron Aviation Inc. selected Triumph Group, Inc. to supply aluminum machined parts for the new Cessna Citation Longitude super-midsize aircraft. Triumph Precision Components’ Complex High Speed Center of Excellence based in Wichita will produce the aluminum spars and wing skins for the Longitude program.

To add manufacturing capacity, Triumph invested in a new Makino A6 5-axis horizontal machining center that became operational in August 2016. The A6 machine is built specifically for high-efficiency machining of complex aluminum monolithic parts of up to six meters in length.

“We are pleased to see our relationship with Textron Aviation continue with the Longitude program,” said Rick Rosenjack, executive vice president for Triumph Precision Components. “Our focus on performance coupled with our investment in new technology provided us with this opportunity to further demonstrate our capability in high- speed, complex monolithic machining.”

The new agreement continues a long-standing relationship between Triumph and Textron Aviation. Triumph currently provides a number of structural components and systems for Textron Aviation, including stringers, bulkheads, frames and spar caps.

This agreement will contribute to organic growth for Triumph. Delivering on customer commitments, becoming predictably profitable, and driving organic growth are fundamental to the company’s long-term strategy.

 

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Modern Industries Receives Control System Upgrade

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Modern Industries,  a Pennsylvania – based commercial heat treater, received a plant wide Control System upgrade from the Engineering Division of Conrad Kacsik Instrument Systems. The project consisted of the replacement of the legacy controls on over 30 furnaces and pieces of equipment within the facility. This included vacuum furnaces, integral quench lines, tempers, nitriders, cast belt’s, and generators.

All of the upgraded equipment is now encompassed within a plant wide Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System. The system is comprised of Honeywell HC 900 controllers and control station operator interfaces for logic and process control; and Specview HMI (Human Machine Interface) Software for centralized furnace supervision and data collection. The individual control stations are capable of storing over 200 days-worth of data; and Specview allows all of this information to be archived to a server on the plant-wide network.

Conrad Kacsik’s Engineering Team worked closely with the facility’s personnel to develop customized programs that would enhance operational productivity. For example, Specview was programmed to mirror all of the individual control station screens, and to provide furnace operators with Recipe Management capability. Customized screens were also developed to enable customer names, part numbers, part quantities, and additional information to be combined with individual furnace data.

The combination control station / Specview    HMI package delivers a redundant control and data acquisition system that eliminates the possibility of data loss.

Remote seat licenses were also incorporated into the system. Facility personnel now have the capability of logging in to a network pc to control the furnaces, develop new programs, or review production charts.

The system also enables remote access for Conrad Kacsik’s Engineering Team to provide assistance with control scheme changes, problem diagnostics, and general system maintenance and support.

According to Dennis Sweny, Co-President of Modern Industries, he was somewhat skeptical at the inception of the project. Modern had never embarked on such a large scale, plant-wide upgrade. Maintaining production capacity during the installation was imperative. Conrad Kacsik’s Engineering Team worked with Modern’s staff to ensure this was accomplished. Dennis also stated that upon completion of the project, he was pleasantly surprised at the timeliness and ease of transition from the legacy controls to the new system; as well as the minimal number of problems encountered compared to what he had anticipated for a project of this magnitude. In fact, Modern has worked with Conrad Kacsik to expand upon the original scope of the project to further customize the system to meet the specific needs of Modern Industries. Sweny concluded by stating that the benefits of the project have far exceeded his expectations.

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