MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Domestic Steel Producer & Recycler Selects New Flat Roll Mill Site

A domestic steel producer and metals recycler chose Sinton, Texas, as the site for the company’s new electric-arc-furnace (EAF) flat roll steel mill.

Steel Dynamics, Inc., a carbon steel producer which also owns Vulcan Steel Products that services the heat treat industry, recently announced its preferred choice as the Sinton location, 30 miles northwest of the port of Corpus Christi, Texas, because it is strategically located within the targeted Southwest U.S. and Mexico market regions; it’s central to the largest domestic consumption of flat roll Galvalume® and construction painted products; and it provides sufficient acreage to allow customers to locate on-site, providing steel mill volume base-loading opportunities.

Mark D. Millett
President and CEO
Steel Dynamics, Inc.

“We have been developing a flat roll steel business strategy for this region and Mexico for several years,” said Mark. D. Millett, President and Chief Executive Officer, “and the team is ready to execute.  We have extensive experience and a proven track record for successfully constructing and operating EAF steel mills and downstream value-add finishing lines.  Our planned new EAF flat roll steel mill will be the most technologically advanced facility existing today.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo credit: entecfurnaces.com

Domestic Steel Producer & Recycler Selects New Flat Roll Mill Site Read More »

Vacuum Furnace Manufacturer Adds Advanced Firing Capabilities

A high-temperature vacuum and controlled atmosphere furnace manufacturer recently invested in new equipment for advanced firing capabilities.

Centorr Vacuum Industries recently announced it has added new furnace capabilities to its Applied Technology Center for customer use for process proofing, toll work, and process development runs.

The new furnace is based on Centorr’s successful Super VII platform and will join two smaller System VII furnaces, an induction melting furnace, and a continuous belt furnace already in use.

This newly updated 2nd Generation Super VII design comes with several innovative features to allow the processing of a wide variety of metals, hard metals, ceramics, and carbon/graphite composites. The furnace can be used for low temperature degassing, heat treating, annealing, brazing, and sintering of a variety of materials.

 

Vacuum Furnace Manufacturer Adds Advanced Firing Capabilities Read More »

Heat Treat Tips: Testing & Compliance

During the day-to-day operation of heat treat departments, many habits are formed and procedures followed that sometimes are done simply because that’s the way they’ve always been done. One of the great benefits of having a community of heat treaters is to challenge those habits and look at new ways of doing things. Heat Treat Today’s 101 Heat Treat Tips, tips and tricks that come from some of the industry’s foremost experts, were initially published in the FNA 2018 Special Print Edition, as a way to make the benefits of that community available to as many people as possible. This special edition is available in a digital format here.

Today we continue an intermittent series of posts drawn from the 101 tips. The tips for this post can be found in the FNA edition under Hardness Testing, CQI-9 Compliance, and Hardening/Tempering


Heat Treat Tip #22

Properly preparing a hardness sample can save time and money.

Inspection Mistakes That Cost

Rockwell hardness testing requires adherence to strict procedures for accurate results.  Try this exercise to prove the importance of proper test procedures.

  • A certified Rc 54.3 +/- 1 test block was tested three times and the average of the readings was Rc 54 utilizing a flat anvil.  Water was put on the anvil under the test block and the next three readings averaged Rc 52.1.
  • Why is it so important that samples are clean, dry, and properly prepared?
  • If your process test samples are actually one point above the high spec limit but you are reading two points lower, you will ship hard parts that your customer can reject.
  • If your process test samples are one point above the low spec limit but you are reading two points lower, you may reprocess parts that are actually within specification.
  • It is imperative that your personnel are trained in proper sample preparation and hardness testing procedures to maximize your quality results and minimize reprocessing.

Submitted by Young Metallurgical Consulting


Heat Treat Tip #25

CQI-9 Best Practices

Whether you need to meet rigid CQI-9 standards or not, what are the top 3, nay 4 best practices that nearly every in-house heat treat department ought to follow to make sure their pyrometer stuff is together?

Daily furnace atmosphere checks. Use an alternative method to verify your controls and sensors are operating properly and that there are no issue with your furnace or furnace gases.

Daily endothermic generator checks. Using an alternate method to verify your control parameter (dew point typically) or the gas composition is accurate will alleviate furnace control issues caused by bad endothermic gas.

Verify/validate your heat treat process every 2 hours OR make sure process deviations are automatically alarmed. this is a solid practice to ensure your controls and processes are running properly. This practice can help ensure that parts are being heat treated to the proper specification intended.

Conduct periodic system accuracy tests (SATs) per pre-defined timelines in CQI-9. Good pyrometry practices are an essential part of heat treatment. Because of the importance of temperature in heat treatment, ensure timeliness of all pyrometry practices addressing thermocouple usages, system accuracy tests, calibrations, and temperature uniformity surveys.

Submitted by Super Systems, Inc.


Heat Treat Tip #28

Control of Back Tempering With Induction Heat Treating

Induction heat treating is a selective hardening process. When hardening an induction path close to an area that had previously hardened, the heat from the hardening the second path tempers back the area that was previously hardened. This is a particularly common issue when tooth by tooth hardening of small gear teeth. Back tempering will reduce the hardness on the adjacent area and this effect may range from a few to over 10 HRC points.

Factors to Minimize Back Tempering 

Process Issue  Questions to ask 
Correct & repeatable placement of quenches  Can quench position be verified and set up repeatedly in the same position? 
Verification of quench flow  Is the quench flowing freely through the quench system? Are the quench holes blocked? Are the flowmeters reading accurately? 
Integrity of the quench  Was the percentage polymer measured? Is the quench quality okay? Is the quench contaminated? 
Inductor design  Is the inductor designed to minimize heat on the tip? Is the quench effectively cooling the part? 
Retained heat  Is a skip tooth hardening pattern being used to minimize residual heat in the induction hardening zone? Is the scan speed appropriate? 

Submitted by Midea Group, Inc.


 

Heat Treat Tips: Testing & Compliance Read More »

Heat Treat Company Donates Vacuum & Brazing Furnace to Lehigh University

A thermal processing company donated a $300,000 commercial-grade vacuum heat treating and brazing furnace to Lehigh University’s materials science program to help increase opportunities for its students in the field.William R. Jones, Solar Atmospheres CEO and founder

The new addition, known as The Mentor®, was donated to Lehigh University by thermal processing company Solar Atmospheres and its CEO and founder, William R. Jones. Its sister company, Solar Manufacturing, designs and builds vacuum furnaces at its location in Souderton, Pennsylvania, just 23 miles from Lehigh’s campus.

Additionally, Solar Atmospheres built and donated a transformer and water-cooling system that was specifically designed for the application.

Wojciech Misiolek, professor and cha ir of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science
Wojciech Misiolek, professor and cha ir of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science

“This is a very powerful, advanced piece of equipment that will allow us to conduct important experiments in our metallurgy teaching and research, especially around additive manufacturing, which is a hot topic these days,” explains Wojciech Misiolek, professor and chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. “And we will challenge ourselves to use it up to its full capabilities for heat treatment of metals.”

“With this donation,” adds Misiolek, “suddenly you have the industry-grade equipment. It’s not a miniature version, it’s what you will see out in the field. Our educational system at Lehigh is very hands on, and we have a reputation for that. This furnace will increase opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students and help them hit the ground running when they go into industry.”

The Mentor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat Treat Company Donates Vacuum & Brazing Furnace to Lehigh University Read More »

Induction Heat Treat: Considerations for Inductor Design

 

Source: Fluxtrol.com

Induction heat treaters know that proper coil design is crucial to increasing longevity, improving production quality, and cutting costs. Among the topics addressed in this paper about induction heat treat coil design and fabrication (presented by R. Goldstein, W. Stuehr, and M. Blackby at ASM International) are these:

  • The design and fabrication of induction heating coils over the years
  • The Variable of Flow and the Influence of Frequency
  • Control and Presentation
  • Structure, Quenching, and Cooling
The paper closes out with a case study using computer simulation to show typical temperature distributions in a single-shot induction hardening coil.
A good place to start whenever preparing parts for induction heat treating is the consideration of inductor design. The authors provide this list (an excerpt):
[spacer color="264C84" icon="Select a Icon"]

Considerations for Inductor Design

Induction heat treating coils are available in many shapes and sizes and must perform a variety of tasks in a given induction heat treating application. Depending on the application, the induction coil design requirements include:

  • Meet heat treatment specifications in desired production rates
  • Be robust enough to tolerate manufacturing variations
  • Mount into the induction machine
  • Have electrical parameters that match the induction power supply
  • Deliver quench
  • Have a satisfactory lifetime
  • Have satisfactory efficiency
  • Be repeatable from inductor to inductor

In developing a new induction heat treating coil and process, the first question is whether the component will be produced on an existing system or if a new machine must be built. In many cases, the part producer’s desire is to develop new tooling for an existing machine with spare capacity. This reduces the degree of freedom and can make the induction coil design procedure more complicated because a less-than-optimal frequency or coil style will be necessitated to fit the existing machine (Ref 16).

To determine the ability to use existing equipment, it is necessary to make an analysis of the part to be heat treated. Part material, prior processing, geometry, production rate, and heat treatment specifications all play roles. The part material and prior processing determine what the minimum heat treatment temperature should be, along with how much time is allowed for cooling. The part geometry and heat treatment specifications indicate how much energy is required, what the preferred frequency ranges are, and what type of induction method (i.e., single shot, scanning) is best suited for the application. Finally, the production rate determines how much power and/or how many spindles or stations are required.

Read more: "Design and Fabrication of Inductors for Induction Heat Treating"

 

Induction Heat Treat: Considerations for Inductor Design Read More »

Heat Treat Equipment Manufacturer Partners with Tech Giant, Develops Augmented Reality System

A major provider of innovative heat processing solutions recently developed an augmented reality (AR) system in conjunction with a global technological corporation to adapt its holographic computer systems to metallurgical applications in the manufacturing environment.

SECO/WARWICK introduced SECO/LENS, an adaption of Microsoft’s HoloLens, to bring the advances in virtual reality to manufacturing enabling users to view equipment, systems, and processes in 3D; this is the first use of this technology by heat treatment industry.

Slawomir Wachowski, Automation Department Director for SECO/WARWICK
Slawomir Wachowski, Automation Department Director for SECO/WARWICK

SECO/LENS can superimpose a 3D model of a specific piece of heat treating equipment or an entire technological line, providing the most optimal layout of the production line on the plant floor for the line’s monitoring, diagnostics, maintenance, remote repair, and planning. SECO/LENS is intended to create an accurate visualization of the system, permitting staff training on the operation of the equipment without the need for expensive and time-consuming travel.

“SECO/LENS is a new era of working with SECO/WARWICK devices—it’s the era of interaction,” said Slawomir Wachowski, Automation Department Director for SECO/WARWICK. “Introduction of virtual technologies to the production process, training, and operation of our devices are significant benefits, more intuitive device operation, increased mobility, increased efficiency and reduced response times to service requests.”

 

Image credit: SECO/WARWICK YouTube Channel 

Heat Treat Equipment Manufacturer Partners with Tech Giant, Develops Augmented Reality System Read More »

10 Heat Treat Tips: Vacuum Furnaces

Heat Treat 2019 is coming, and one of the great benefits of gathering with a community of heat treaters is the opportunity to challenge old habits and look at new ways of doing things. Heat Treat Today’s 101 Heat Treat Tips is another opportunity to learn the tips, tricks, and hacks shared by some of the industry’s foremost experts. The inaugural list of 101 Heat Treat Tips was published in the FNA 2018 Special Print EditionThis special edition is available in a digital format here.

Today's Technical Tuesday features 10 Tips -- all from the Vacuum Furnaces category and all supplied by the same equipment manufacturer.

Heat Treat Today is compiling the 2019 101 Heat Treat Tips list for the fall issue to be distributed at Heat Treat 2019, the biennial show from the ASM Heat Treating Society to be held in Detroit, Michigan, October 14-17, 2019. If you have a heat treat-related tip that would benefit your industry colleagues, you can submit your tip(s) to doug@heattreattoday.com or editor@heattreattoday.com.

 


Heat Treat Tip #24

Dirt In, Dirt Out!

Parts going into the furnace should be as clean as possible. Avoid placing parts in the furnace that contain foreign object debris (FOD). FOD on work surfaces going into the furnace will contaminate the furnace and the parts themselves. Dirty work in, dirty work out. FOD comes in many forms. Most common: oil, grease, sand in castings or grit blasting operations, and metal chips that generally originate from the manufacturing process before the parts are heat treated. It could also be FOD from the shipping process such as wood or plastic containers used to ship the parts.


Heat Treat Tip #26

Solenoid valves could be the problem if helium detection fails.
Solenoid valves could be the problem if helium detection fails.

When a Helium Leak Detector Doesn't Help

If an air leak cannot be found with a helium mass spectrometer, take apart the gas backfill or partial pressure solenoid valves to ensure they are clean. A small piece of debris can cause a valve to leak a process gas into the furnace that will not be found with a leak detector. Debris is often found in the valve seats when piping to the valve was disturbed in some way such as new piping or repair that stirs up contaminants in the line.


Heat Treat Tip #46

O2 Analyzer Helps Ensure Gas Purity

In addition to monitoring dewpoint at the farthest location from the gas source in your heat treat facility, an oxygen analyzer is also recommended as an additional tool for monitoring gas purity. Generally, the analyzers used to measure dew point drift low over time. One may think they have a very low dew point gas, however, it could be the dew point analyzer is beginning to fail. Quarterly checks of the dew point analyzer's accuracy should be taken; some OEMs recommend replacing the sensors annually. Oxygen analyzers provide a more stable reading over a period of time and build redundancy in confirming gas purity when coupled with the dew point analyzer.


Heat Treat Tip #48

Seal Threaded Connections

SWAK from Swagelok is a great thread sealing option. (photo source: LinkedIn)
SWAK from Swagelok is a great thread sealing option. (photo source: LinkedIn)

Ensure threaded connections have adequate sealing protection on them to prevent air leaks through the threads where applicable. Wipe off excess sealant once the connection is made.

  1. SWAK from Swagelok is excellent
  2. Apply to the male threads only, not on any other surface as it could contaminate the system the component is being installed on.
  3. Excess SWAK can be removed with a solvent such as acetone
  4. Finger tight first, then tighten with a wrench
  5. After the sealant is dry (recommend 24hrs by manufacturer) do not loosen as this could break the seal once cured.

Heat Treat Tip #61

Start With the Obvious

When a problem arises with the furnace, always start the troubleshooting process with the last item that was worked on. Start with the obvious; don't look for a needle in the haystack. For example, if the furnace will not pump into high vacuum and maintenance was just performed on the furnace with the pneumatic pressure valves being shut to perform that maintenance operation, the pneumatic valve to the main poppet valve on the diffusion pump may not have been re-opened, causing the diffusion pump main poppet valve to not open.


Heat Treat Tip #74

Make Sure Your Gas Meets Spec

Ensure each delivery of process gas is accompanied by a certification identifying purity, oxygen content, and dew point. For example, nitrogen should be 99.998% pure, 10 ppm oxygen max, and a dewpoint no higher than -89°F. With contaminated gas or gas that does not meet the criteria above, parts processed in the furnace and subjected to the partial pressure of the gas or quenched with the gas may also become contaminated, typically in form of oxidation and/or decarburization. Generally varying purity is not a concern, however, the specific purity of the gas required needs to be conveyed to the gas supplier and a certification supporting the gas type you ordered was delivered. An accompanying certification by the gas supplier goes a long way in audits and other disputes.


 

Heat Treat Tip #76

Specification Checklist for Vacuum Furnace Purchase

If you're planning on purchasing a new vacuum furnace, create a technical specification for the manufacturer(s) that clearly outlines the performance, functions, and accessories required on the furnace. The specifications should be reviewed by multiple departments including but not limited to engineering, quality, production, and management.

  1. List of department sign-offs required (engineering, production, maintenance, quality)
  2. Applicable documents required (i.e., AMS2750E, AMS2769)
  3. List of parameters to be recorded (temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc.)
  4. List of required alarms
  5. Physical location of furnace and associated components such as control system and surge tank
  6. Units of measurement (°F or °C, torr or Pascals, minutes or hours)
  7. How many process gases and what type
  8. Cooling rate requirements (This will help decide what quench pressure design furnace is required, for example, 2 bar or 10 bar.)
  9. How many work thermocouples are required
  10. What pre-testing verification is required for final acceptance. For example, thermal uniformity survey temperature points and tolerances, vacuum pump downtime and levels, leak up requirements, quench tests, process validation tests.

Wipe both door flanges and O-ring every time.
Wipe both door flanges and O-ring every time.

Heat Treat Tip #84

Clean the Door—Every Time!

Wipe down the front door O-ring and both flanges every time before the door is closed to ensure there is no debris on the O-ring or flange. Over time, the debris will damage the O-ring and pit the flange causing sealing issues.

 


Heat Treat Tip #91

Include Maintenance Team in New Vacuum Purchase Process

Include the maintenance manager in any furnace purchase decision. The manager and team are the ones tasked with troubleshooting, repair, and preventative maintenance. The maintenance manager will make sure the furnace has clear access for maintenance and replacement of major components including vacuum pumps, cooling motor, hot zone, and heat exchanger. The longer it takes to repair the furnace, the more downtime and lost revenue because the furnace is not running.


Heat Treat Tip #94

A properly greased O-ring will ensure a solid, leak-free seal.
A properly greased O-ring will ensure a solid, leak-free seal.

Inspect Replacement O-Rings

When replacing an O-ring, be sure the new O-ring is clean and undamaged (free of cuts, nicks, tears, or gouges) and that the splice joint is solid and true. Use a conservative amount of vacuum grease on the O-ring to ensure a tight sealing furnace. Not too much grease is needed. Rule of thumb: a light gloss or sheen, but no build-up.

 

 

 

All of today's tips were submitted by Solar Manufacturing.


If you have a heat treat-related tip that would benefit your industry colleagues, you can submit your tip(s) to doug@heattreattoday.com or editor@heattreattoday.com

 

10 Heat Treat Tips: Vacuum Furnaces Read More »

Powder Metal Alloys Facility Expansion to Support A.M. Demand

A North American manufacturer of powder metal products recently announced plans to expand its Pennsylvania facility, adding new production capabilities to support additive manufacturing and other technologies.

Photo: Daily American

North American Höganäs High Alloys, founded in 1896 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, will construct a 24,000-square-foot building this location and purchase new machinery to support the global demand for high alloy products, which include stainless steel powders, iron alloy powders, nickel alloy powders, electrolytic iron powders and chips, manganese and silicon powders, and the proprietary GLIDCOP dispersion strengthened copper products.

Linda R. Thomson, president and CEO of the non-profit economic development organization JARI

“Pennsylvania’s powder metals industry is a major contributor to our manufacturing sector,” said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. “Höganäs’ decision to expand here is great news for Pennsylvania manufacturing, and will provide at least 25 reliable, family-sustaining jobs for Cambria County workers.”

“JARI is pleased to provide support to Höganäs as the company expands their operations in the City of Johnstown,” said Linda R. Thomson, president and CEO of the non-profit economic development organization JARI. “Höganäs is a world-class, internationally recognized company with state-of-the-art products that is meeting the demands of the new manufacturing age. We appreciate the continuation of the proud Cambria County tradition of leading the way for innovation and we thank the Wolf Administration for their continuous support.”

“This exciting investment, with the greatly appreciated support from the Governor’s Action Team and JARI, will help Höganäs continue to grow in Pennsylvania and provide innovative products for our customers in several quickly developing market areas,” said Dean Howard, President Americas Continent.

Photo credit: Höganäs

 

Powder Metal Alloys Facility Expansion to Support A.M. Demand Read More »

Dr. Valery Rudnev on . . . Equipment Selection for Induction Hardening: Single-Shot Hardening, Part 1

This article continues the ongoing discussion on Equipment Selection for Induction Hardening by Dr. Valery Rudnev, FASM, IFHTSE Fellow. Six previous installments in Dr. Rudnev’s series on equipment selection addressed selected aspects of scan hardening and continuous/progressive hardening systems. This post continues a discussion on equipment selection for induction hardening focusing on single-shot hardening systems.

The first part on equipment selection for continuous and progressive hardening is here. The second part in this series on equipment selection for single-shot hardening is here; the third part is here. To see the earlier articles in the Induction Hardening series at Heat Treat Today as well as other news about Dr. Rudnev, click here. This installment continues a discussion on equipment selection for continuous and progressive hardening applications.


Why Single-Shot Hardening?

With the single-shot method, neither the workpiece (cylinder shaft, for example) nor the coil moves linearly relative to each other; the part typically rotates instead.¹ The entire region that is to be hardened is heated all at once rather than only a short distance, as is done with scan hardening.

With conventional scan hardening of cylindrical parts, induced eddy currents flow circumferentially. In contrast, a single-shot inductor induces eddy currents that primarily flow along the length of the part. An exception to this rule would be the half-moon regions (also called the crossover or bridge sections) of a single-shot inductor, where eddy current flow is circumferential.

Normally the single-shot method is better suited for hardening stepped parts where a relatively short (1.5–2 in. [38–50mm] long heated area is commonly minimum) or moderate length area is to be heat treated. This method is also better suited to cylindrical parts having axial symmetry and complex geometry including various diameters.

When scanning these types of parts, improper austenitization of certain areas may occur due to localized electromagnetic field distortion, for example. Insufficient quenching due to the deflection of quench flow not allowing it to properly impinge on the surface in various diameter regions may also occur. Both factors are considered undesirable and can cause low hardness, spotted hardness, or even cracking. For example, the use of scan hardening on stepped shafts with large shoulders, multiple and sizable diameter changes, and other geometrical irregularities and discontinuities (including fillets, flanges, undercuts, grooves, etc.) may produce severely non-uniform hardened patterns. In cases like this, a scan hardening inductor or progressive/continuous hardening system would be designed around the largest diameter that would have sufficient clearance for safe part processing.¹ However, variations in the shaft’s diameter, to a significant extent, will result in a corresponding substantial deviation in the workpiece-to-coil coupling in different sections of the shaft, potentially causing irregular austenization.

Besides that, sharp corners have a distinct tendency to overheat owing to the buildup of eddy currents, in particular when medium and high frequencies are used. The electromagnetic end and edge effects may also cause the shoulders to severely overheat while the smaller-diameter area near the shoulder (including undercuts and fillets) may have noticeable heat deficit. These factors may produce a hardness pattern that might grossly exceed the required minimum and maximum case depth range, making it unacceptable. Single-shot hardening is usually a better choice in such applications. As an example, Figure 1 shows some examples of components for which single-shot hardening would be a preferable method of heat treating.

Examples of components for which a single-shot hardening would be a preferable method of heat treating. (Courtesy of Inductoheat Inc., an Inductotherm Group company)

 

In some not so frequent cases, when hardening larger parts, there are advantages to the single-shot method over the scanning method, such as the reduction of shape/size distortion, enhanced metallurgical quality, and increased production rate.

Single-shot hardening may also be the preferred choice when shorter heat times/high production rates are desired. For example, in some applications, the time of heating for single-shot hardening can be as short as 2 s, though 4 to 8 s is more typical.

However, the single-shot method has some limitations as well. One of them is cost. Single-shot inductors are typically more expensive to fabricate compared to the coils used for scanning. This is because the single-shot inductor, to some degree, must follow the contour of the entire region required to be heated. Additionally, a single-shot inductor is usually able to harden only one specific part configuration, whereas a coil used for scanning may be able to harden a family of parts.

Besides that, in some case hardening applications using a scanning method, it is possible to apply certain pre-programmed pressure/force on a workpiece during heat treating. This allows distortion to be controlled. Single-shot hardening might also permit applying this technique but there might be some limitations.

Design Features of Single-Shot Inductors

Single-shot inductors are made of tubing, either 3-D printed or CNC-machined from solid copper to conform to the area of the part to be heated. This type of inductor requires the most care in fabrication because it usually has an intricate design and operates at high power densities, and the workpiece’s positioning is critical with respect to the coil copper profiling. Figure 2 shows several examples of induction heating of different components using single-shot inductors.

Several examples of induction heating of different components using single-shot inductors. (Courtesy of Inductoheat Inc., an Inductotherm Group company)

 

In order to provide the required temperature distribution before quenching, heat is sometimes applied in several short bursts (pulse heating) with a timed delay/soaking between them to allow for thermal conduction toward the areas that might be difficult to heat.

Single-shot inductors typically require higher power levels than used in scan hardening because the entire area of the workpiece that needs to be hardened is austenitized at once. This is the reason why single-shot hardening normally requires having a noticeably larger power supply compared to scan hardening, resulting in increased capital cost of power source. Additionally, the increased power usage and power densities combined with complex geometry can reduce the life of the inductor. For this reason, single-shot inductors often have shorter lives than scan inductors.

It is always important to keep in mind that, electrically speaking, the inductor is typically considered the weakest link in an induction system. For this reason, most single-shot inductors have separate coil-cooling and part-quenching circuits. The inductor will fail if power is increased to the point at which the water cannot adequately cool it. Additional cooling passages may be needed with high-power density, single-shot inductors. A high-pressure booster pump is also frequently required.

The next several installments of Dr. Valery Rudnev on . . . will continue the discussion on design features of single-shot inductors and equipment selection.

 

References

  1. Rudnev, D.Loveless, R.Cook, Handbook of Induction Heating, 2nd Edition, CRC Press, 2017.

 

Dr. Valery Rudnev on . . . Equipment Selection for Induction Hardening: Single-Shot Hardening, Part 1 Read More »

International Demographic of Bright World of Metals Factor in Success

Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, the Global Portfolio Director for Metals and Flow Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH

After five eventful days at the trade fair, the Bright World of Metals concluded successfully on Saturday, June 29, 2019, fortifying its leading position as the world’s most important trade fair platform for metallurgy and casting technology. Results were excellent for both exhibitors and visitors at GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST, particularly in terms of how international the demographic was in comparison to previous events: 70% of the exhibitors hailed from abroad (65% in 2015) and 66% of the visitors came from foreign countries (62% in 2015).

“With approximately 2,360 exhibitors from all over the world, GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST have almost covered the entire international market. Global players, small, innovative newcomers, and providers of niche technology alike are all represented here,” said Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, the Global Portfolio Director for Metals and Flow Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. Around 72,500 visitors from 118 countries were welcomed into the halls during the trade fair’s five-day run. “The mix of nations in our visitor and exhibitor demographics is a crucial factor for success of the Bright World of Metals; indeed, that’s what makes this quadruple trade fair so unique. GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST are an absolute must for metallurgy and casting professionals from all over the world,” added Kehrer.

Dipl.-Ing. Heinz Nelissen, President of GIFA & NEWCAST and CEO of Vesuvius GmbH FOSECO Foundry Division

“Right after the trade fair started, any remaining uncertainty caused by the economic slump simply lifted and the rush of visitors was enorm,” said Dipl.-Ing. Heinz Nelissen, President of GIFA & NEWCAST and CEO of Vesuvius GmbH FOSECO Foundry Division. “This huge crowd of high-quality visitors from an incredibly diverse range of international countries were here to see the innovations from our exhibitors. Above all, digitalization, automation, additive manufacturing and resource efficiency were the focal points of the talks. We undoubtedly proved that GIFA has reinforced this trade fair’s status as a global leader.

The next Bright World of Metals, comprised of the leading trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST will be held in June 2023; the precise date will be set over the next few months.

 

Photo credit: Exxpo

International Demographic of Bright World of Metals Factor in Success Read More »