The days are getting a little longer, you've saved up some vacation hours, it's time for a break this spring!
Make use of some down time to listen in on a couple of Heat TreatRadio series. Putting in some driving miles, relaxing in the sand, or enjoying a staycation all mean some time to peacefully enjoy some heat treat topics. We've put together an original content piece that lets you listen in on a 3-part series on thermocouples, and a back-to-basics series on heat treat hardening. It's nice to know that there is plenty to listen to; you can just click to play each episode!
Thermocouples 101with Ed Valykeo and John Niggle
This series gives the opportunity to learn from an expert all about thermocouples. The first episode digs into thermocouple history, types, vocabulary, and other basics. Hear from Ed Valykeo, as he gives some of his own history and then dives into all things thermocouple.
The second episode covers thermocouple accuracy and classification. Ed Valykeo continues to review and explain necessary information on how thermocouples are calibrated and used.
The final episode in this series gets into discussion with John Niggle about thermocouple insulation types. His review towards the beginning of the episode is helpful, and his discussion of insulation reminds readers that job specifications and requirements are crucial.
Mark Hemsath sits down with Heat TreatRadio to provide an overview of metal hardening basics. In the first part of the series he provides explanation of what it is, what materials can be hardened, why it has to be done, and more.
For the second episode, Mark Hemsath explains five hardening processes: carburizing, nitriding, carbonitriding, ferritic nitrocarburizing, and low pressure carburizing.
In this final episode for the metal hardening series, a discussion is presented on newer advances in metal hardening. A call is even put out for new ideas and engineers willing to experiment with some of these advance.
As you can see above, this resource provides two series -- each with three parts -- that give a comprehensive look at two fundamental components in the heat treat industry. Both the discussion of thermocouples and the investigation of metal hardening provide educational listening with something for everyone in the form of review as well as maybe some basics that have been neglected or forgotten.
A forging tool manufacturer will receive an agitated heated oil quench tank to be used post-heat treatment in order to set hardness. Tools such as nippers and ladles -- critical components in the foundry and in forging equipment -- are heat treated to the required hardness and then quenched in oil to set that hardness.
The L&L Special Furnace Co. small model QTO1224 heated oil quench tank holds 65 gallons of oil and can quench parts from 50 to 75 pounds. The quench tank oil is agitated by an impeller with a ½ HP explosion-proof motor and is heated with a 4.5 kW immersion heater to maintain the oil at a slightly elevated temperature to help eliminate oil flashing and fire potential.
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PWR Advanced Cooling Technology has ordered two universal batch CAB furnaces and a CAB continuous line. The furnaces will be used for brazing aluminum heat exchangers. The 3 solutions will go to 2 continents – Australia and North America.
PWR Advanced Cooling Technology specializes in the production of modern and efficient heat exchangers and has used SECO/WARWICK Group furnaces in the past. Two furnaces, the continuous CAB line and Universal Batch CAB Furnace, will be delivered to production plants in Australia. The second chamber furnace will be delivered at the same time to the American branch of PWR, C&R Racing Inc.
Andi Scott, general manager - advanced technology, PWR Australia Source: PWR Australia
The universal batch CAB furnace meets the requirements for protective atmosphere aluminum brazing technology (Nocolok®) and allows users to braze products in a horizontal or vertical position. The continuous CAB line performs brazing in a protective atmosphere for mass production of various heat exchangers.
“We have already ordered the company’s furnaces twice, and the current contract, although more than 25 years have passed since the first order, is the best proof that we are satisfied with the product quality, cooperation, and after-sales service.” said Andi Scott from PWR Advanced Cooling Technology.
“The current contract is special because we will deliver different solutions simultaneously to two continents but to the same customer,” commented Sławomir Woźniak, CEO of the SECO/WARWICK Group.
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At the end of March, a vacuum aluminum brazing furnace was shipped to a manufacturer that serves the aerospace industry. The North America company produces complex heat exchangers, cold plates, and avionic enclosures.
The furnace, from PVT, Inc., has an AMS 2750 qualified work zone of 36” x 30” x 90” with type B instrumentation and Class 1 temperature uniformity. In addition to this furnace, PVT delivered two furnaces in Q4 and one furnace in Q3 2022 to companies manufacturing components for avionics, MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul), and electromechanical assemblies.
How clean is clean enough? Insufficient cleaning before heat treating can interfere with results; insufficient cleaning after heat treating can impact perception of the part. Discover four methods of measuring part cleanliness that can take place within your heat treat operations in this article provided by SAFECHEM Europe GmbH.
This Technical Tuesday article is drawn from Heat Treat Today's March Aerospace Heat Treatingprint edition. If you have any information of your own about cleaning after heat treating, our editors would be interested in sharing it online at www.heattreattoday.com. Email Bethany Leone at bethany@heattreattoday.com with your own ideas!
Previously we talked about the importance of cleaning for demanding heat treat applications — in particular gas nitriding, or ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC), low pressure carburizing (LPC), and brazing. So, if cleaning is a nonnegotiable for certain heat treatment processes, one might ask: how clean is clean enough?
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The basic definition of clean is removing unwanted substances, particles, and contaminations. However, when applied to surface cleaning, “clean enough” is determined by what you want to do next in your processing. Parts are generally clean enough if satisfying outcomes can be achieved in the subsequent application.
First, Do You Know the Expectations?
Unlike measuring hardness, monitoring or determining part cleanliness is by no means a straightforward matter.
There are two different kinds of contaminations to consider:
Particle contaminations
Film-type contaminations
Types of contamination Source: SAFECHEM Europe GmbH
Whereas there are industry definitions or standards for particle contaminations (e.g., VDA-19 or ISO-16232 for the automotive industry), standards for film-type contaminations are not yet fully established.
This inadequacy also explains why many companies do not fully know what to expect when it comes to cleanliness, and they do not fully grasp the potential impact that insufficient cleaning could cause.
Especially when it comes to the heat treat industry, it is important to differentiate between the component cleanliness requirements before and after heat treatment.
Film-type contaminations are the primary factor which could negatively impact heat treat results. Requirements on particle contaminations (VDA-19) usually come from the automotive industry and need to be ensured/monitored after heat treatment.
Therefore, a distinction must be made between a) surface requirements for heat treatment and b) client cleanliness requirements on the final components.
What Is the Right Measurement Method?
The analysis of film-type contaminations and particle contaminations are two different subject matters. Measurement methods for one cannot replace the measurement methods for the other. Often, it is quite common for companies to have requirements on both film-type contaminations (e.g., surface energy in dyne/cm or mN/m) and particle contaminations (e.g., max. particle load) in their component drawings.
Some common measurement methods for determining contaminations include:
White wipe test: A simple visual inspection test using a clean and dry white wipe to wipe across the surface for the detection of colored residues. Because contaminations can negatively impact heat treat results, inspection should take place prior to heat treatment. The test is limited to colored particles whose size can be perceived by the eye.
Water break free test: An easy test to check if oil droplets might be present on the surface is when parts are rinsed with clean water at an angle. If there are contaminations, water will separate around those areas, showing a “break” in the water surface.
Dyne testing: This method is commonly used for measurements of film-type contaminations. Dyne inks and fluids are applied to a substrate for measurement of its surface energy. The surface energy (measured in dyne/cm or mN/m) can be identified as the highest dyne solution that wetted out the substrate surface. The higher the dyne level, the better the adhesion of the surface for painting, coating, or bonding. However, the test does not provide information on the types of contaminations present.
Millipore filter measurements/solvent extraction test: This measures surface contamination on parts as a weight per 0.1 m2. Samples are obtained by flushing the cleaned part with an organic solvent where particulates are collected on a filter disc (solvent will be evaporated off later). The test can determine the nature, number, sizes of particles, and if there are reflecting/ non-reflecting metallic particles. Moreover, oil film on parts can be measured after evaporation of the extraction solvent. For automotive, aerospace, or electrical, the level of cleanliness typically ranges between 0.01–0.001g per cm2.
In general, these methods differ in their complexity and informative value, and also if they can be carried out on site or off site (e.g., in a laboratory). The table below provides an overview of common measurement methods:
Cleanliness measurement methods Source: SAFECHEM Europe GmbH
Determining Cleanliness — An Art and a Science in Itself
As you now see, the variances and potential limitations of different measurement methods can add to the complexity of cleaning validation. Consider the following:
Should you measure a specific surface area, or the entire part? And how do you measure pre-assembled components with different parts molded together?
It might be easy enough to measure surface cleanliness, but what about blind holes and crevices?
Visual inspections have many shortcomings. It is subjective, time consuming, and does not cover total level of contamination. The quality of inspection will very much depend on the operator. While automated particle counting is efficient and objective, it does not offer insights on specific contaminants.
Extraction methods targeting nonvolatile residues (NVR) can help determine a total level of contamination, but not spot contamination. It does not account for inextricable contaminants either, which could impact part functionality.
Meaningful Measurement Begins with Understanding the Big Picture
This is why, in order to measure and monitor cleanliness in a meaningful and reliable way, you should consider:
What potential contaminations could come about in your process/facilities?
What contaminants are you looking to remove?
What are the next processing steps?
What are the risks involved in removing the contaminants?
What are the risks associated with the potential residue?
Since every test has its own limitations, you should be mindful of the test specifications, too — for example, how it is conducted, result variability and reproducibility, as well as biases.
Cleaning can be a crucial step in heat treat, but more cleaning does not always equal better. More cleaning also implies more costs, more time, more resource usage. What’s really key is understanding what you, or your clients, are trying to achieve.
As you see, cleaning and measurement require expertise and knowhow — context is everything. Reach out to a cleaning specialist or trusted cleaning solutions expert for advice. If insufficient component cleanliness seems to be affecting your heat treat results, our cleaning specialists, along with our partners, would be happy to advise.
Marcin Stokłosa Project Manager NITREX Poland LinkedIn.com
Arslan Aluminyum recently added three new extrusion presses to its production, increasing the demand for nitriding their dies and necessitating a large-capacity nitriding system for the biggest press. The system will nitride H11 and H13 dies that extrude aluminum profiles for the construction, renewables, joinery, furniture, and equipment sectors.
When the plant upgraded, the new nitriding system furnace was required to help double the production capacity. Arslan selected a NX-1015 pit furnace designed to treat workloads up to 4400 lbs that are 39″x59". The collaboration with Nitrex and Arslan Aluminyum started in 2011, when the family-run business purchased an NX-812 turnkey nitriding system.
Pit furnace Source: Nitrex
“The people of Arslan['s] high regard for our products and company has helped us tremendously in getting new contracts in Turkey.” commented Marcin Stokłosa, project manager at Nitrex.
Pictured above: collaborators from Turkey. Photo Source: Nitrex.
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Peter Zawistowski Managing Director SECO/VACUUM TECHNOLOGIES, USA Source: SECO/WARWICK
A U.S.-based international manufacturer of dies will expand their operation with a high-pressure gas quench furnace. The equipment will accommodate increasing orders for the company’s largest dies.
The manufacturer’s equipment requires the use of precisely heat treated large dies. Currently the company utilizes a pair of vacuum furnaces that have some limits. The Vector® furnace they are about to receive from SECO/VACUUM, a SECO/WARWICKGroupcompany isbottom loading with 6 bar nitrogen gas quench, 60”x 72”, with a 3-ton capacity working zone. This is room enough to treat 3 of their largest dies at once compared to only 2 per cycle for the old furnace.
“With [the furnace’s] wide range of quenching features, [the manufacturer will] have room to grow, even enabling them to conduct low-pressure carburizing processes if they ever need to,”saidPeter Zawistowski, managing director of SECO/VACUUM.
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Let’s discover new tricks and old tips on how to best serve air and atmosphere furnace systems. In this series, Heat Treat Today compiles top tips from experts around the industry for optimal furnace maintenance, inspection, combustion, data recording, testing, and more. Part 4, today's tips, examines carbon probes and carbon control. Look back to Part 1 here for tips on seals and leaks, Part 2 here for burners and combustion tips, and Part 3 here for data and record keeping tips.
This Technical Tuesday article is compiled from tips in Heat Treat Today's February Air & Atmosphere Furnace Systems print edition. If you have any tips of your own about air and atmosphere furnaces, our editors would be interested in sharing them online at www.heattreattoday.com. Email Bethany Leone at bethany@heattreattoday.com with your own ideas!
1. Slight Positive Pressures Are Best
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Atmosphere furnace pressure should be only slightly above ambient. The range should be between 0.25-0.35 inches water column. Higher pressures in multiple zone pusher furnaces will cause carbon control issues. High pressures in batch furnaces will cause high swings when doors and elevators move.
If you’re having atmosphere problems with a furnace that has been operating normally for some time, avoid the temptation to remove the carbon probe. There are several tests you can run on nearly all carbon probes while the probe is still in the furnace, at temperature, in a reducing atmosphere. Super Systems Inc. provides an 11-step diagnostic procedure in a white paper on their website, in a paper titled, “Carbon Sensor Troubleshooting” by Stephen Thompson.
"Review process date for abnormalities." Source: Super Systems Inc.
Many factors can contribute to why parts are not meeting the correct hardness readings. According to Super Systems Inc., here is a quick checklist of how to start narrowing down the culprit:
Review process data for abnormalities. The first thing to do is make sure the parts were exposed to the right recipe. Check the recorders to make sure the temperature prof le and atmosphere composition were correct. Make sure all fans and baffes were working correctly. Determine if any zones were out of scope and that quench times were acceptable. If any red flags appear, hunt down the culprit to see if it may have contributed to soft parts.
Check the generator. Next, check the generator to make sure it is producing the gas composition desired for the process. If available, check the recorders to make sure the gas composition was on target. If not, check the generator inputs and then the internal workings of the generator.
Check the furnace atmosphere. If the generator appears to be working correctly, the next step would be to check the furnace itself for atmosphere leaks. Depending on what type of furnace you have, common leak points will vary; for continuous furnaces, common leak points are a door, fan, T/C, or atmosphere inlet seals. Other sources of atmosphere contamination may be leaking water cooling lines in water-cooled jackets or water-cooled bearings. More than likely, if the generator is providing the correct atmosphere but parts are still soft, there is a leak into the furnace. This will often be accompanied by discolored parts.
Check carbon controller to make sure it matches furnace atmosphere reading (verify probe accuracy and adjust carbon controller). This can be done using a number of different methods: dew point, shim stock, carbon bar, three gas analysis, coil (resistance), etc. Each of these methods provides a verification of the furnace atmosphere which can be compared to the reading on the carbon controller. If the atmosphere on the carbon controller is higher than the reading on the alternate atmosphere check, that would indicate the amount of carbon available to the parts is not as perceived. The COF/PF on the carbon controller should be modified to adjust the carbon controller reading to the appropriate carbon atmosphere. If the reading is way off, it may require the probe to be replaced.
Heat Treat Today is partnering with two international publications: heat processing, a Vulkan-Verlag GmbH publication that serves mostly the European and Asian heat treat markets, and Furnaces International, a Quartz Business Media publication that primarily serves the English-speaking globe. Through these partnerships, we are sharing the latest news, tech tips, and cutting-edge articles that will serve our audience — manufacturers with in-house heat treat.
In this installment, we look at updates on industry events around the globe, such as two celebrations, a brand new EAF, and a benchtop measurement predictor.
International Heat Treat and Metallurgy Company Sees Doubling Profits
Seco/Warwick announces positive figures for 2022. Source: Seco/Warwick
"The great results of the Group were influenced by several factors. The growth of production activities in China and dynamic market development in America. Furthermore the huge number of orders [are] related to the electromobility industry expansion. In the first three quarters of 2022, the company had over 100 % more profit than in the previous year. Sales revenues amounted to PLN 448.87 million in this period (PLN 335.09 million in 2021). . . . For Seco/Warwick, 2023 will be the year of American companies."
System aids in production of various steel grades. Source: Tenova
“Tenova, supplier of sustainable solutions for the metals industry, has recently completed the start-up of the new 70t EAF at the Valbruna ASW Inc. plant, located in Ontario, Canada. Valbruna ASW is a specialty steel producer that produces steel and stainless-steel, based in Ontario. Tenova’s latest generation EAF unit has replaced an older EAF vessel. The spout shape of the new furnace will provide an increase in melt shop productivity, says Tenova, as well as an improvement to the production reliability of manufacturing specific high-quality steel and stainless-steel grades.”
German blast furnace is 50. Source: Furnaces International
"A blast furnace in operation at thyssenkrupp Steel's Schwelgern steel mill in Germany, turned 50 years old on 6 February. Known officially as Schwelgern 1 – the Black Giant – the blast furnace is 110 meters in height and has a daily capacity of 10kt of pig iron; it is regarded as one of the biggest blast furnaces in the western world."
"The hot forged parts are picked up as they leave the press and directly placed into the measuring cell." Source: Nokra
“At METEC 2023, nokra will be showing for the first time its new alpha.hot3D system for 3D laser-based measurements of hot forging specimens. The system can predict the cold dimensions of a forged part in a matter of seconds after forging. This makes it possible to verify as early as the first few parts have been produced that the forming process is working without a hitch. If it is not, you can immediately take measures to adjust it.”
Current energy developments turn our thoughts to the possibility of future innovations. For example, is there a way to generate energy, usable energy, from fusion? Is there hope that this energy can be created and made available to the heat treat industry and other sectors? There seem to be many, many questions that have yet to be answered in the production and utilization of fusion energy.
John Clarke, technical director at Helios Electric Corporation, holds out confidence in the future by standing on the foundation of the past. Comparing the current position of science and research on fusion energy to the early days of aviation exploration, he thinks the sky is the limit for what can be accomplished.
John B. Clarke Technical Director Helios Electric Corporation Source: Helios Electric Corporation
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On December 5, 2022, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history. This experiment produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. In this test, the nuclei of two lighter elements were combined to form one new, heavier nucleus. During the process, some of the mass of the lighter elements was converted to energy.
How will this incredible breakthrough affect our lives? Will the promise of limitless, clean, and cheap energy be realized, and if so, when?
I don’t think we can know the answers to the above questions with certainty. It has always been difficult to foresee the final results of any technological leap forward, and even more difficult to provide a timeframe that encompasses the change.
Think about a time before jumbo jets and commuter flights. That was a time when not a single person had been carried by airplane through the skies. History shows that scientists and thinkers were able to come up with ideas and machines that flew through the air while carrying many. Look at a brief overview of how quickly the aircraft improved.
On December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, NC, Orville Wright completed the first powered flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft known as the Wright Flyer. The flight lasted just 12 seconds, traveled 120 feet, and reached a top speed of 6.8 miles per hour. 15 years later, we saw the first airmail and scheduled commercial service. 24 years later, Lindberg flew across the Atlantic. 36 years later, we witnessed the introduction of jet engines, and Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound just 44 years after the first flight in North Carolina.
Example from early advances in aviation: the Wright Flyer Source: unsplash.com/historyhd
Obviously, Orville and Wilber Wright would have had difficulty foreseeing the aircraft's advancements and would never have predicted a time frame. Why is timing the rate of advancement so difficult? Airplane development benefited from the convergence of multiple independent and unrelated technology, and there was the will to develop more advanced aircraft for both military and civilian use.
So, back to the first question posed – will the promise of limitless, clean, and cheap energy from fusion be realized? I am going to say yes. Not that I know much about fusion, it is simply that history teaches us not to bet against technology. As for when, well that is a known unknown.
About the Author:
John Clarke, with over 30 years in the heat processing field, is currently the technical director of Helios Corporation. John’s work includes system efficiency analysis, burner design as well as burner management systems. John was a former president of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association and vice president at Maxon Corporation.
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