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
TTT Group, a commercial heat treater serving the automotive and aerospace industries, is expanding its thermal processing capabilities with the addition of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology. The investment establishes a new business unit that will provide HIP processing for aerospace, oil and gas, and other industrial applications.
Andrés Hernando, CEO of Hiperbaric, and Xabier Berasategui, CEO of TTT Group
The new system, to be installed at TTT Group’s facility in Spain, will be supplied by Hiperbaric, a Spain-based manufacturer of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) equipment with U.S. operations in Miami. The Hiperbaric HIP 107 industrial model is capable of operating at pressures up to 2,000 bar (200 MPa) and temperatures up to 1400°C (2550°F), with an option to reach 2000°C (3630°F). The system’s fast cooling technology enables heat treatment and material consolidation to be integrated into a single process step, reducing cycle times and energy consumption.
The investment represents the largest in the company’s 65-year history and supports a strategy to diversify its thermal processing services with a focus on aerospace while also expanding into oil and gas and additive manufacturing applications. The new capability will allow it to offer both conventional heat treatments and HIP densification services under one roof, including support for future powder metallurgy-HIP (PM-HIP) applications.
Hot isostatic pressing subjects components to high temperature and high isostatic gas pressure to eliminate internal porosity and improve material properties such as fatigue resistance, ductility, and toughness. The process is commonly used for cast and additively manufactured metal components intended for demanding applications in the aerospace, defense, and energy sectors.
Press release is available in its original form here. Main image shows members of Hiperbaric and TTT standing in front of a HIP 107 unit under construction. | Image Credit: Hiperbaric
Global commercial heat treater Bodycote is expanding vacuum heat treatment, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and powder metallurgy capabilities across its eastern U.S. network. The investments increase thermal processing capacity for the aerospace and defense manufacturers, supporting production of critical metal components while helping clients meet demanding quality and delivery requirements.
Bodycote has announced a series of investments totaling several million dollars across its East Coast U.S. network. The program includes new vacuum heat treatment equipment, expanded HIP capacity, and additional powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing support capabilities at facilities in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. The investments also form part of its broader North American expansion program, which includes the opening of its Fairfield, Ohio, facility and the acquisition of Spectrum Thermal Processing.
Heidi McNary President, Global Aerospace, Defense and Energy Bodycote
“These investments reflect our ongoing commitment to the high-growth, high-value aerospace and defense sectors,” said Heidi McNary, president of Global Aerospace, Defense and Energy at Bodycote. “Heat treatment and thermal processing play a vital role in improving the properties of metals and alloys and extending the service life of mission-critical components. By investing in capacity and capability today, we are ensuring we can support client growth for years to come.”
The investment includes the installation of a new two-bar, front-loading vacuum furnace at Bodycote’s Roselle, New Jersey, facility. Vacuum heat treatment is performed in a controlled vacuum environment that prevents oxidation and contamination while enhancing the strength, durability, and performance of critical metal parts. The furnace has completed installation and commissioning and is now available for client production, increasing capacity for aerospace, defense, and industrial gas turbine programs.
Bodycote has also modernized its Andover, Massachusetts, facility, strengthening its Powdermet, product fabrication, and HIP-based metal densification capabilities. The site designs and fabricates near-net-shape canisters used to contain powder metal before on-site HIP processing, helping clients produce complex, high-integrity components while reducing dependence on traditional casting and forging supply chains. The facility has also undergone a lean transformation to improve workflow, free up space for future growth, and help accelerate turnaround times.
Bodycote’s Greenville, South Carolina, facility | Image Credit: Bodycote
Further investments at Bodycote’s Greenville, South Carolina, facility add HIP and heat treatment capacity for high-performance metal components, including 3D-printed parts. The site supports a more integrated post-processing route by combining HIP with precision wire EDM operations, allowing printed components to be returned ready for the next stage of production or end-use qualification. This approach helps clients simplify their supply chains, reduce supplier handoffs, and accelerate the route from printed part to application-ready component.
Press release is available in its original form here. Main image shows colleagues at Bodycote’s Greenville facility discussing production planning for vacuum processing that supports delivery of specialist thermal processing services for aerospace and defense clients across the eastern United States. | Image Credit: Bodycote
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.
Defense suppliers gain additional time as the U.S. Department of War (formerly the U.S. Department of Defense) reviews its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. However, Heather Falcone, founder and principal of Falcone Consulting, LLC and Heat TreatRadio host and producer, cautions manufacturers with in-house heat treating and commercial heat treaters against interpreting the pause as a relaxation of their cybersecurity obligations.
What the Announcement Revealed
The U.S. Department of War has suspended the transition to Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Phase II requirements while it conducts a comprehensive review of the program.
The suspension pauses pending and future Phase II implementation milestones across Department of War solicitations and contracts. However, Phase I self-assessment requirements remain in effect, and contractors must continue protecting covered defense information under existing contractual requirements, including DFARS clause 252.204-7012. During the 60-day review period, cybersecurity compliance will continue through NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2 self-assessments and select government-led assessments.
Kristin A. Davies Chief Information Officer U.S. Department of War
The review is intended to reduce compliance burdens on small, medium-sized, and non-traditional defense suppliers while maintaining cybersecurity protections. A newly established CMMC Reform Task Force will evaluate industry feedback and submit recommendations within 60 days.
“In support of Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive to reduce compliance barriers for small and medium-sized businesses, we are suspending the CMMC Phase II requirements and initiating a 60-day study of the future of this program,” said Kristin A. Davies, chief information officer for the Department of War. “Robust cybersecurity and operational resilience remain critical to protecting American innovation and supporting warfighter readiness. We believe the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) can achieve both, while we reduce unnecessary government red tape.”
What This Means for Heat Treaters: An Industry Expert Weighs In
While the announcement delays the rollout of Phase II certification requirements, Falcone said manufacturers should avoid assuming that cybersecurity preparation can be put on hold.
Heather Falcone Founder and Principal of Falcone Consulting LLC / Host and Producer of Heat TreatRadio
“The most dangerous interpretation of this announcement would be that cybersecurity preparation can stop,” Falcone said. “Phase II has been suspended, but manufacturers remain responsible for protecting defense information and meeting their existing contractual requirements. Companies should use this period to confirm their scope, close material NIST 800-171 gaps, and strengthen the evidence supporting their compliance.”
Falcone described the announcement as a meaningful reprieve for many small and midsized captive and commercial heat treaters that supply the defense industry. Many companies, she noted, have been preparing for significant compliance costs while lacking dedicated cybersecurity staff or access to enough certified assessors.
“A rushed implementation could consume capital that would otherwise support equipment upgrades, workforce development, capacity expansion, and other investments the defense supply chain needs,” she said.
She added that the review provides an opportunity to address longstanding concerns over how controlled unclassified information (CUI) is identified, marked, and shared throughout the defense supply chain, as well as the availability of qualified assessors and the affordability of compliance for small manufacturers.
“This suspension acknowledges the capacity and cost problems small manufacturers have been raising for years,” she said. “A successful CMMC reset should preserve a serious cybersecurity baseline while giving small defense suppliers requirements they can clearly understand, afford, and execute.”
Although the November implementation deadline has been suspended, Falcone recommends that heat treaters continue strengthening their cybersecurity programs while reviewing spending decisions driven solely by the former deadline. She also encourages companies to consult with prime contractors before changing any contract-specific commitments.
Learn More About CMMC
For readers looking for additional background on cybersecurity requirements for defense suppliers:
A titanium casting manufacturer is expanding its vacuum melting capacity with the installation of a vacuum arc remelting consumable casting furnace, increasing capacity for near-net-shape titanium components serving the aerospace industry. The investment is intended to improve production lead times while supporting growing demand for titanium castings used in high-performance applications.
Castings Technology chooses Retech VAR. | Image Credit: SECO/WARWICK Group
Castings Technology, the United Kingdom’s only commercial titanium casting specialist, selected a VAR Consumable Caster (VAR-CC) furnace from Retech, a global vacuum metallurgy company within the SECO/WARWICK Group based in North America. The furnace will be installed at the company’s new 18,000-square-meter facility, where it will be used to cast titanium ingots into ceramic molds.
Richard Cook Managing Director Castings Technology
“The delivery of the new VAR furnace will help us fulfill the growing needs of our exacting client base,” said Richard Cook, managing director of Castings Technology. “Due to dynamic growth and significant constraints within our current facility, we are in the process of relocating to a new site of about 18,000 square meter just a short distance away. The relocation is on plan, with a period of parallel operation continuing throughout 2026 to fully mitigate any risk to our clients’ programs.”
The new furnace is expected to support increased demand for titanium, especially from the aerospace sector, where backlogs have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Titanium’s high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance have made it a widely used material across many sectors, including aerospace, motorsport, medical prosthetics, restorative dentistry, and high-duty rotating equipment. Near-net-shape titanium casting also provides mechanical properties comparable to forged or wrought material while increasing fatigue resistance.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Federal funding will support expanded domestic production of titanium plate and large-format titanium components for defense applications, helping strengthen U.S. manufacturing capacity for mission-critical materials. The initiative supports efforts to scale advanced titanium processing technologies that reduce reliance on conventional production routes while increasing supply chain resilience for aerospace, defense, and other strategic industries.
IperionX, an American titanium metal and critical materials company, has been awarded up to $6.8 million through the U.S. Department of War’s Office of the Secretary of War-Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base (OSW-SWIB) program to expand manufacturing capabilities at its Titanium Manufacturing Campus in Virginia. The award is part of a broader, multi-organization effort to increase domestic production of high-performance titanium alloy products, including ballistic-grade titanium plate for land and maritime defense platforms.
The project will be completed in two phases. An initial $200,000 will fund project scoping and testing. Pending successful completion of Phase 1, IperionX expects to receive an additional $6.4 million to expand the manufacturing capacity and purchase capital equipment for its Virginia facility.
Conventional titanium plate production involves multiple thermal and metallurgical processing steps, including sponge production, vacuum melting and remelting, ingot or slab casting, breakdown forging, hot rolling, repeated annealing, and final surface conditioning. These processes contribute to long production lead times, high capital and energy requirements, and material yield losses.
IperionX’s patented titanium technologies are designed to simplify and shorten this production route. Its proprietary HAMR™ process can produce low-cost titanium powder from titanium materials or recycled titanium while its HSPT™ and THRM™ technologies processes hydrogen-enabled thermodynamics and powder metallurgy processing to deliver high-performance, wrought-like titanium properties without reliance on conventional melt-remelt-forge pathway.
Anastasios (Taso) Arima CEO IperionX Source: IperionX
Together, these technologies support IperionX’s powder-to-plate titanium manufacturing platform, which aims to reduce process steps, improve material utilization, lower energy consumption, and strengthen domestic supply-chain resilience. “By combining lower-cost titanium feedstocks with our patented HAMR™, HSPT™ and THRM™ technologies, we are developing a more efficient domestic manufacturing platform for high-performance titanium plate and components,” said Taso Arima, CEO of IperionX.
The project is a systematic metallurgical study to demonstrate how THRM/HSPT microstructural engineering can be used to achieve ballistic performance. It complements separately DoW-funded IperionX programs for powder-to-plate production. Together, these DoW-funded activities provide an alternative pathway that has the potential to reduce the U.S. dependency on imported titanium sponge.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Kittyhawk Inc., a commercial provider of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) services, has placed a purchase order for a new HIP vessel at its facility in Garden Grove, California. The planned investment is intended to expand processing capacity for commercial aerospace, space, defense, and other industries that rely on HIP technology to improve material performance and component integrity.
The new vessel will complement Kittyhawk’s existing HIP operations and support growing client demand across critical manufacturing sectors. The company provides HIP processing services through facilities in California and Oregon.
Brandon Creason CEO Kittyhawk Inc.
“This new vessel is another step in our ongoing investment in long-term growth. As demand continues to increase, we want to make sure our [clients] have access to the HIP services they need when they need them,” said Brandon Creason, CEO of Kittyhawk.
The vessel will measure 46 inches in diameter by 100 inches high. Once operational, the additional system is expected to help reduce production bottlenecks, support faster turnaround times, and meet evolving needs of clients operating in highly regulated and performance-driven markets.
Press release is available in its original form here.
We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat TreatFringe Fridayinstallment: the completion of a strategic investment project at a U.S. vacuum metallurgy facility highlights ongoing efforts to expand plasma gas atomization (PGA) and advanced materials processing capabilities. The project reflects continued investment in the infrastructure behind high-performance manufacturing.
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 strategic investment in vacuum metallurgy and advanced materials processing capabilities has been completed in the U.S., expanding capacity for plasma gas atomization and manufacturing operations serving aerospace, defense, energy, medical, and specialty materials sectors.
SECO/WARWICK concludeds Retech’s Strategic Investment Project in the U.S. | Image Credit: Retech
SECO/WARWICK and Retech marked the completion of the project during a ceremony at Retech’s facility in Buffalo, New York. Attendees of this milestone event to commemorate the expansion of Retech’s capabilities included representatives from PFR TFI, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Congress.
The event program included presentations on the growth of the SECO/WARWICK Group, the company’s operations in the United States, Retech’s technological capabilities, and the results of the investment project. Participants also toured Retech’s laboratories and technological facilities, where the Group’s U.S. company presented its processes and solutions. The investment expands Retech’s infrastructure, research, and technology base to support client needs across industrial markets.
Earl Good Managing Director Retech Systems, LLC Source: Retech
“This project is strategically important for Retech. It enables us to expand our technological capabilities, develop our laboratory resources, and respond even more effectively to the needs of [clients] operating in the most demanding industries. Buffalo is an important point on the U.S. industrial map, and Retech, as part of the SECO/WARWICK Group, combines American engineering expertise with the organization’s global potential,” emphasized Earl Good, managing director of Retech.
The project was co-financed by the Foreign Expansion Fund 2 FIZ AN. As part of the cooperation, Retech secured a long-term $10 million loan from the Fund for the development of metal powder production technology, including the development and installation of plasma gas atomizer (PGA) furnaces and the expansion of manufacturing and assembly operations. The investment was undertaken to support continued growth in advanced metallurgical technologies and related markets.
Image Credit: SECO/WARWICK Group
Press release is available in its original form here. Main image shows the shop floor at Retech’s headquarters in Buffalo, New York. Image Credit: Retech
Isostatic Toll Services (ITS) has opened a new hot isostatic pressing (HIP) facility in Ohio, expanding certified thermal processing capacity for aerospace, defense, additive manufacturing, and advanced industrial applications. The new operation adds HIP processing capability to the company’s global network, supporting clients with additional capacity, scheduling flexibility, and supply-chain resilience.
Located in Mount Vernon, Ohio, the new ITS-Ohio facility joins the company’s existing operations in Bilbao, Spain, and Mississippi. All ITS facilities operate under Nadcap accreditation and AS9100D certification, providing HIP processing services for aerospace and other high-performance components.
The Ohio facility adds large-format and high-pressure HIP capability, including systems capable of processing components up to 44″ in diameter by 100″ in height at pressures up to 25,000 PSI. The facility is equipped with HIP systems manufactured by American Isostatic Presses, Inc. (AIP), based in Columbus, Ohio.
“Our investment in Ohio reflects our commitment to supporting [clients] with certified capacity, responsive service, and direct technical engagement,” said Tyler Persaud, general manager of ITS-Ohio. “The addition of ITS-Ohio strengthens our global network and positions us to meet growing demand across aerospace, additive manufacturing, and advanced industrial markets.”
ITS-Ohio has achieved Nadcap accreditation, AS9100D certification, and client approvals, including approval from Rolls-Royce, enabling the facility to support qualification programs and production requirements.
Press release is available in its original form here. The main image shows the shop floor at the ITS-Ohio facility in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Image Credit: ITS-Ohio
