MTI MEMBER PROFILES

Mixing close client communication, a unique record keeping system, and two special patents generates a recipe for success — at least for this Midwest heat treat company, GFI Metal Treating, Inc.

Communicating closely with their clients in the agricultural, military, and construction industries, this heat treater worked painstakingly to test and perfect over 150 recipes for a variety of specifications. This process took five years and much in-house research. The research and communication have paid off, however, as they can now process an extra eight loads a day with only two or three nonconformances a year. When clients voiced diverse needs in the ever-changing industry, the company listened and began offering not only heat treating processes like carburizing and induction hardening, but also post heat treatment services such as vibratory deburr and parts cleanings.

In developing these 150 recipes, a second key ingredient was at play: Their record keeping control, notably their proprietary database software, “RUN SHEETS.” RUN SHEETS follow every step in each part’s process, from prepping the basket to running the load, and can be used as a reference when needed. Parts at GFI may be processed in anything from one of two 2,500 lb IQ furnaces to one of two car bottom furnaces, and the software collects data on every step of processing each part. The database holds records since 2004, giving them a wealth of past data to be drawn upon.

The final ingredient? Two special patents pertaining to the agricultural industry. GFI hardens the top edge of crossbars for combines and holds one patent for the hardening process and one patent for the process equipment. This shows just how much they are willing to communicate with their agricultural clients, as they honed and specialized their processes and equipment to achieve these patents, creating a “print to quote” environment where all processes can be completed in house

The next steps in GFI’s recipe are making further developments on their three core ingredients. As they continue to focus on close client communication, growing with the client base, taking on new projects to help clients grow, and finding new clients are significant goals.

Additionally, artificial intelligence is becoming more and more a mainstay of manufacturing, and GFI is excited to see how this may affect their proprietary database software. Whatever new technology may bring — perhaps iPads will replace paper or billing will become instantaneous upon the delivery of work — the company is looking forward to adapting, and maybe even improving, their RUN SHEETS system.

Since the patented hardening equipment is so unique, equipment upkeep (and avoiding breakdowns) is a high priority for the upcoming years. The company has come a long way in a short period since their beginning in May 2000 and is excited to continue applying their recipe for success to new opportunities.

 

For more information:

GFI Metal Treating, Inc.
1531 Preston Street
Rockford, IL 61102-2047
United States
gfimetaltreating@sbcglobal.net
www.gfimetaltreating.com

 

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The journey began in 1953 for this family-run business, which started with only a single salt pot furnace and grew into a company with eight production facilities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Braddock Metallurgical was founded by its namesake, William R. Braddock, who mandated a mission to “help our customers succeed,” a goal still paramount to the company today. His belief that a well-trained workforce would result in superior customer service is the backbone of the company’s client- centered reputation of 70 years.

Today, grandsons Griffith and Clay Braddock, along with the company’s senior management, led by President and CEO, George Gieger, work diligently on developing the company’s eight sites. Going back to the founding belief that a well-trained employee makes all the difference, Griffith and Clay also ensure that all employees are among the best trained and supported in the industry.

Aerospace, military, medical, automotive, and electronics industries are among those served by the company. As a full-service heat treat provider, the company facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and offer a comprehensive range of services including cryogenics, brazing, induction heat treating, black oxide, and more, as well as various metallurgical testing services. Unique capabilities include ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC) with post oxidation, low-temperature nitriding of stainless steels, and vapor degreasing and bright hydrogen processing without discoloration.

When it comes to equipment for these services, quality is of utmost importance. All high-positive pressure-quench vacuum furnaces and batch IQ furnaces are certified to AMS2750E. They have nitriding and induction equipment at select facilities and car bottom furnaces up to 35 feet long in New Jersey and 18 feet long in Tampa for stress relieving and aging. The company holds Nadcap accreditation for heat treating and brazing at four locations and is ISO & AS9100 certified at all facilities. All Nadcap accredited locations have achieved Merit status, thanks to the hard work and dedication of their employees.

To continue founder William’s commitment to the success of their clients, the company prioritizes upgrading technology and support systems, including instrumentation, laboratory equipment, and computer systems to stay on the cutting edge of technological advancements.

The team members have developed a high proficiency for brazing intricate honeycomb applications. Their expertise and techniques are applicable to a wide range of complex geometries and configurations, achieving results where others fail. Braddock leverages state-of-the-art cleaning processes, brazing filler metals, binders, and atmospheres to deliver braze joints of high quality.

From 50 ton pressure vessels, automotive transmissions, musical handpans, and surgical implants, to NASA space components, they encounter many unique and interesting parts, all of which testify to the creativity and talent of the team and their clients.

Throughout their history, the heat treater has partnered with their customers. From developing and bringing in new processes, investments in additional equipment and capacity, and even expansion into additional facilities, Braddock’s growth has been based on the needs of its customers.

As they look to the future, they will evaluate and act on any required additional capacity or capability and implement new technology when necessary to benefit existing equipment and instrumentation. Braddock Metallurgical  will continue innovating and implementing efficiencies to keep up with growing demand for high quality heat treating.

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Herb Sweny, a returning WWII veteran, founded Modern Industries, Inc. in 1946 with this foundational mission: Do the Right Thing and Do the Thing Right. This meant a tough, fair, and honest business practice with a focus on improvement. Today, these characteristics have led the company to become a primary source of heat treating services in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

To do the right thing and do the thing right, the company uses four vertically integrated divisions of manufacturing and industrial support services. The first division, heat treat, is made up of over 40 furnaces of varying type, size, and process capability. These furnaces are capable of various heat treating processes: carburizing, annealing, vacuum processing, and many more. Certifications in Nadcap, AC-7102, IATF 16949, an ITAR registration, and several zero-finding audits over the past five years aid the heat treat division in doing the thing right.

The three other divisions – machining, lab testing, and products – work with heat treat to be a one-stop-shop for certified parts. The machining division provides production manufacturing and sub-assembly. The lab testing department consists of an on-site laboratory which, through the research division, provides the ability to combine process, testing, and certification. The product department creates work and tool holding products. Herb Sweny’s tough, fair, and honest business practices are now applied to the automotive, aerospace, medical, and military industries, as well as others. A second generation family business, Modern is committed to providing certainty of outcome and demonstrating quality turn-around time. These qualities have propelled the business forward, and the company now supports customers in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada with services that were historically “local” at Erie and Kersey, PA facilities.

For Modern Industries, the final element of doing the right thing is a continued focus on improvement. Over 75 years of business, the company has seen the evolution of heat treating capabilities and changing best practices. In the next five to 10 years, they hope to use this experience to continue to maintain adaptability and meet the evolving market requirements. Their most recent investment in this goal was the addition of the area’s largest 10 bar capable vacuum furnace. A new operating furnace control system is also advancing them towards improvement. With deep roots in the past, Modern Industries is looking steadily toward the future, doing the right thing and doing the thing right.

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In 1947, amidst a global war that touched every corner of the world, a small heat treat company emerged to serve the thriving and diverse manufacturing market of northeast Ohio. That company, Ohio Metallurgical (Ohiomet), was started by William Latiano and Frank Monaco with only a few salt pots in Lorain, but grew into a larger plant in Elyria, adding vacuum, shaker, and integral quench furnaces. Years later in 1977, Don Gaydosh, who was the general manager at the time, purchased 70% of the company, along with fellow employee Jerry Pragg. In 1990, John Gaydosh followed in his father’s footsteps and is the current president and owner.

The company has now grown to include 78 employees who are trained in four core values: Be client focused, be dependable, do business with integrity, and always be improving.

One way they accomplish their first value is by scheduling production based on the client’s need. In order to be dependable and operate safely, efficiently, and with high quality, the company invests in new equipment and controls. Since 1990, almost all equipment has been replaced completely, though a few older furnaces are still in use but with upgraded, modern controls.

To implement their fourth value of always improving, Ohiomet regularly updates its control systems to reduce operator errors and increase accuracy. Using an in-house customized SCADA software package, they monitor furnaces in real-time, so the operators and supervisors can be notified if process parameters are outside of preset parameters.

With their updated equipment and software, the company serves the automotive, aerospace, military, and mining industries, and more. While the integral quench lines containing 12 IQ furnaces make up the largest part of their business, they also offer multiple types of processes and services from one location. In addition to their IQ lines, they have vacuum furnaces capable of 2-bar nitrogen gas quench, bright age hardening, tempering, and annealing, all of which are qualified to meet AMS2759 specifications and are Nadcap accredited.

In addition to these processes, Ohiomet has both automatic and manual straightening equipment, induction equipment with various frequencies for use on vertical and horizontal scanners, and bell furnaces performing atmosphere annealing and stress relieving. A Nadcap accredited, modern quality control laboratory contains multiple automated microhardness testers along with a metallograph with digital imaging capabilities.

Among the unique items they have been heat treating are the ribs used in crash test dummies. They harden and temper the steel crash test dummy ribs and the ribs are fitted with sensors to detect how extensive the damage would be in a real car wreck.

While remembering their humble beginnings, Ohiomet looks to the next five to ten years anticipating an increase in automation, not only in material handling, but also for machine control, allowing them to continue fulfilling their founding principle of serving the manufacturing market of northeast Ohio.

 

 

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Technicians with a combined 100+ years of metallurgical and heat treating experience . . . one of the largest commercial nitriding departments in the country . . . and the recipient of the 2022 Master Craftsman Award . . . All of these attributes characterize The Cincinnati Steel Treating Company (CST), a heat treater serving clients in multiple industries, a few being the large gear, automotive, and industrial knife, as well as hundreds of general-purpose machine shops.

The company was founded in 1941 to accommodate the gear industry’s metal-treating needs in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area. By 1950, they had diversified and moved to 5701 Mariemont Avenue in Cincinnati. Now, after two major expansions, the 45,000 square-foot facility provides heat treating services nationwide. Some of these heat treat services include: carbonitriding, FNC, sub-zero metal treating, and tool steel processing. The dimensional capacities of their furnaces accommodate large loads of smaller parts as well as parts too large for most furnaces. For example, their pit furnace vertically processes parts up to 120″ to prevent warpage, and the max capacity of their car bottom and nitriding furnaces is 8′ x 17′ x 6′ and 57″ x 107″ respectively.

In addition to their heat treatment services, CST also provides metallurgical lab testing services and failure analysis for both in-house and outside treated parts. A fully equipped metallurgical laboratory includes a metallurgical cutoff saw, metallographs, microscopes, stereoscopic equipment, and more. The lab includes capabilities for macro-etching, quench oil testing, and other chemical testing for metallic parts. Some applications of metallurgical analysis include tool steel industrial knives, highly alloyed rolling mill rolls, flat-rolled carbon sheet steel products, and carburized and hardened gears. With experience analyzing various types of materials, such as stainless steel, brass, aluminum, titanium, and cast iron, the company’s lab analysis has saved CST’s clients thousands of dollars, both by helping them to improve their processes and determining the root cause of a failed component.

Cincinnati Steel Treating is proud of the difference that it has made in terms of the parts it has heat treated over the years. Two specific jobs stand out; first, heat treating the armor plating of the military’s Humvee for combat. The client emphasized that the job was an integral part of saving lives, and the company saw letters from soldiers and their families expressing their gratitude.

The second job was solution treating and aging an aluminum mounting bracket for the external booster rockets affixed to a space shuttle for NASA. These parts were designed to withstand being jettisoned from the space shuttle (with the external booster rockets) once the rockets’ fuel depleted. Made of aluminum, the components could more easily disintegrate during re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. CST even purchased a high-speed crane and affixed it to the bridge of their existing overhead crane to maintain the desired quench delay time specific in the military specifications for aluminum. This program ceased when the space shuttle program ended, but the high-speed crane is still used for jobs requiring specific quench delays.

Plans for the future are looking bright as Cincinnati Steel Treating rounded out 2022 with the Master Craftsman Award for Commercial Heat Treater of the Year. At the beginning of 2023, CST added a new IQ furnace and continues to increase capacity and capabilities as needed.

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Over the last few months, the Metal Treating Institute requested comments from members on how their current business insurance programs have been progressing with property, liability, errors-omissions, commercial auto, and workers compensation. What we learned is this is a huge pain point for most heat treaters of any size.

Many are experiencing cancellation of coverage, refusal to be offered a quote, or large rate increases. The insurance industry is really backing away from writing policies for heat treating companies.

To help heat treaters deal with this huge challenge, the board of trustees of MTI is excited to announce that they have partnered with Precision Manufacturing Insurance Services out of California as the official insurance agency partner for business insurance coverages. They have already written several MTI members’ policies and provided quality coverage with significant savings averaging 35% to 50%.

Precision Manufacturing Insurance Services (PMIS) provides heat treating companies with comprehensive competitive insurance and risk management solutions. They are dedicated to protecting the future of this vital industry. They offer their knowledge, experience, and service to many types of metalworks that put people to work, contribute significantly to the U.S. national GDP, and deliver quality products worldwide.

They know there is nothing cookie-cutter about what a heat treating company does when altering the physical properties of material. That work is precise and custom. With PMIS, your company will get the same type of focused approach with your insurance and risk management plan. Recognized nationwide for their specialization in working with metalworking manufacturers, they’ll provide you with tailored solutions based on your unique risks. Their professional staff is available to support your industry and business.

When prospective clients ask why they should partner with PMIS for their insurance and risk management needs, the answer is simple: They are metalworking manufacturing insurance specialists. This is who they are and the only thing they do. They are not a generalist broker who happens to write a few manufacturing accounts. PMIS has written over 1,000 policies for metalworkers – all attributed to their expertise, experience, and longstanding relationships with insurance markets. This enables them to deliver affordable solutions to MTI members that protect property, assets, employees, and reputation, while reducing risk and costs. The following are the types of coverages PMIS can create for you:

• Custom Manufacturing Insurance
• General Liability Insurance
• Property Insurance
• Workers’ Compensation
• Manufacturers’ Errors and Omissions
• Equipment Breakdown
• Commercial Auto

To see more details on Precision Manufacturing Insurance Services and the MTI Insurance Program, including a link to request speaking to a PMIS team member about getting a free quote for your company, visit HeatTreat.net and click on the Business Insurance link under the Benefits tab at the top.

If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Tom Morrison at tom@heattreat.net

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Within any heat treating operation, quality drives everything, including quotes, contract review, and overall production. The #1 influences on quality are the technical specifications: the ones designed by the AMEC Committee in aerospace; the Nadcap checklist heat treaters must audit; and CQI-9 specifications in the automotive industry, which are overseen by AIAG. There are also major influences from ASTM in hardness testing and ISO 9000 and AS 9100 in quality department operations.

Needless to say, there are a plethora of specifications, data, and information required in the quality department to operate a heat treat plant. Sometimes it can seem impossible to keep up with all of the changes.

This is where the Metal Treating Institute’s Technical Standards Committee becomes so valuable to any heat treat plant. The MTI Technical Standards Committee was established during the MTI’s Winter Strategic Planning Committee meeting in 2015. After plentiful discussion on challenges facing heat treaters, the leadership felt heat treaters needed to be involved in the specification groups, giving them a voice in the design of the specifications and keeping them updated as specifications were being reviewed or changed.

The committee is now made up of 25 people from commercial heat treaters and suppliers. The committee meets three to four times a year to discuss all the specifications and audit checklists under review or issues needing improved. The committee thus determines any actions steps needed to make sure specifications maintain high levels of quality and safety without becoming onerous or cost prohibitive.

From each of the committee meetings, five to six key leaders on the committee provide a full report on each technical standard group’s activity via a virtual Zoom meeting. The volunteer work and member reports on committee activities have become very valuable to quality departments by giving real time information on potential changes in specifications that could have a big impact on equipment purchases or overall quality process for audits.

Many of the specifications the MTI Technical Standards Committee has covered over the last seven years include AMS2759 (and all the slash specs), pyrometry with AMS2750, CQI-9 in the automotive industry, and hardness testing specs with ASTM.

In the MTI Technical Standards Committee, heat treaters have the power to fi nd out the full details of specifications as they are reviewed prior to approval – not when the auditor shows up at audit time. Volunteering for one of these committee groups like AMEC, Nadcap, ASTM or CQI-9 includes getting to be part of the spec writing process and influencing what the final specification requires.

MTI would like to say thank you to the co-chairs of the MTI Technical Standards Committee: Ed Engelhard from Solar Atmospheres and Bob Ferry from FPM Heat Treating for providing to the industry their leadership of this very important committee. MTI would also like to thank the following companies for supporting their quality team’s involvement in the committee:

• Applied Thermal Technologies, Inc.
• Aremac Heat Treating East, LLC
• Cincinnati Steel Treating
• Continental Heat Treating, Inc.
• Euclid Heat Treating, Co.
• Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems
• Ipsen
• King Tester
• Midwest Thermal-Vac
• Pacifi c Metallurgical, Inc.
• Paulo Products
• Peters’ Heat Treating, Inc.
• Pinson Valley Heat Treating
• Southwest Metal Treating Corp.
• Super Systems Inc.
• ThermTech
• Throughput | Bluestreak
• Winston Heat Treating

If you have any questions or would like more information on MTI’s Technical Standards Committee, feel free to contact Tom Morrison at tom@heattreat.net

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If ThermTech was a person, they would make it into Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2022 as a notable company at 40 years old. In May, ThermTech of Waukesha, Wisconsin celebrated 40 years, having been founded in 1982 by Charles E. Wiberg. Wiberg’s previous company, Midland Metal, was sold in 1980 and he used his industry knowledge to start ThermTech and in turn worked with his son and daughter, Steven Wiberg and Mary Wiberg Springer, who now own and run the company.

The company specializes in everything except induction hardening, and they have three operating business units: carburizing/bath unit, vacuum/tool steel unit, and the austemper/foundry products unit. ThermTech believes in investing in their people, so that they will invest in the company. This has proven to be true as over 70 of their 137 employees have over 10 years of experience.

ThermTech has grown significantly since the beginning when they had only a couple of used furnaces, including two Ipsen T11s from the 60s. Mary and Steve’s father always told them to “Witness the turtle: he moves forward slowly with his neck fully extended.” Though it may be slow movement, their goal is to never stop moving forward. Every couple of years they take on equipment and physical expansion projects. Current projects include a new office facility and a new austemper line for the austempering facility.

This Waukesha company serves the automotive and aerospace industries as well as military, mining, agriculture (heavy equipment), and construction (housing). Processes include hardening, tempering, vacuum treatments, annealing, and surface treatments such as flame hardening, carburizing, and
more. They can also perform blast cleaning, cryogenic treatments, normalizing, straightening, and stress relieving.

The company focuses on partnering with customers on the front end of projects to help them understand complex specifications. Their job launch team is composed of metallurgical engineers, quality experts, and people with excellent practical knowledge. The internal maintenance department is headed by an engineer with 30 years in the industry.

Many different things can pass through a heat treatment facility, whether that be parts up to 6,000 lbs., parts that have come from all over the world, or a robot! Right now, the company is most excited about their first robot which they will receive in September. They are eager to see how robotic technology can help during this labor shortage, hopefully gaining efficiency and decreasing costs.

ThermTech wants to be known as a company that does not live in the past, but moves forward in innovation, vitality, and creativity driven by a core of younger employees in the management group, always striving for quality, fair pricing, excellent service, and technical partnership.

As they look to the future, the team plans to continue taking on new customer challenges and serving them into the next century as the hands of the third generation and many dedicated staff guide the company forward with innovation and efficiency.

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A company that does tough jobs no one else wants to and has a big personality? That’s Kowalski Heat Treating (KHT). They specialize in PIA (pain in the @%$) jobs. The company was started in 1975 by Robert S. Kowalski in a 3,000 sq. ft. facility to service the needs of tool and die industries in northern Ohio using salt bath technology. Since its inception, KHT has grown to encompass over 80,000 sq. ft. of processing capacity on nine campuses with 48 employees.

Today the company is led by next generation President Stephen Kowalski, who is supported by family members and specialists in sales, manufacturing, procurement, logistics, delivery, warehousing, lab technicians, and supply chain management. It is a family business that works to have fun dealing with customers’ never-ending stream of problem jobs. They can fixture/clamp over one million pieces of various sizes up to 60″ per week.

Over the years, based on customer demand, KHT has consistently invested in service capacity in its specialty divisions which include K-Vac (high pressure quench vacuum processing), K-Salt (rack salt to salt – austempering and marquenching), K-Flat (high volume fixture flattening up to 60″ in diameter), K-Life (deep cryogenic processing),
K-Glow (pulsed plasma ION nitriding), and K-Labs (specialty on-site laboratory for performance testing). Also included is K-Solve: prototype development of processes, equipment, and tooling for the heat treating industry with 3D development of tooling to optimize processing. Together these divisions are serving a vast array of industries like
automotive, military, agriculture, power transmission, oil and gas, transportation, construction equipment, heavy industrial, and outdoor power equipment.

These services ensure consistent processing of distortion sensitive, highly engineered components. The most important process for KHT is rack salt to salt which enables unique flexibility to solve marquenching and austempering problems.

There are the usual parts a heat treat company can work on, and then there are. . . swords! They may seem like a thing of the past but are still being made. Hand-made, period-specific broad swords are the most interesting parts the company has worked on. The customer had put 2,000 hours into the blade, and asked KHT to manage the blade and edge hardening. Now that was downright scary!

As far as future planning goes, the company will continue investing in both technology and people to service their markets, while providing the training, tools, and opportunities for the next generation of KHT problem solvers to grow both professionally and personally.

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In 1974, Richard Armitage saw an opportunity for a quality and service focused commercial heat treater in southeastern Wisconsin and that’s how the story of Service Heat Treating began. They started small with two batch furnaces and have grown over the years to have 18 furnaces total. The company began servicing agricultural and construction equipment suppliers and have diversified over the years to include automotive, consumer products, mining equipment, and other available markets. Included in their staff of 35 employees, Service Heat Treating has top metallurgical and QA experts to support engineering and process design and help solve metallurgical problems.

The company provides nitriding and nitrocarburizing processes in seven state-of-the-art Nitrex nitride furnaces, which are 1 meter diameter by 2 meters deep and have a 4400lb capacity. Austenitic nitrocarburizing for specialized applications is also available. Their six 36″ x 72″, 5000lb capacity batch furnaces are capable of austenitic nitrocarburizing, neutral hardening, carbonitriding, carburizing, and a wide variety of specialized annealing processes. Their 36″ x 48″, 4000lb capacity vacuum furnaces have 15-bar quench capabilities with services including hardening and annealing stainless steel and high-volume tool steels, and specialty annealing processes.

With their wide variety of processes, this commercial heat treater can engineer specialized processes to meet demanding strength, wear, and corrosion requirements. Their quality system is certified to ISO 9001 by BSI under certificate number FM522321 which ensures consistency and high quality. Inspection procedures exceed the MTI-2000 industry standard and can be tailored to your unique requirements.

Though some of the most interesting projects can’t be discussed due to trade secrets, industrial clients throughout the area know Service as a top metallurgical solutions provider with a record of achievement in case hardening medium and large production runs. That reputation doesn’t come without hard work. Every load is scrutinized: the vacuum department delivers standard stainless steel and tool steel processing quickly and cost effectively; the company develops boutique annealing cycles for making difficult bends; and they other vacuum carburizing capabilities for the most distortion critical applications.

Service Heat Treating is a company based on the principles of the founder: principles like service, as their name suggests, but also a focus on quality and reinvesting in the company to persistently improve services. As a greener future in the heat treat industry edges nearer, the company will continue to pursue cleaner, environmentally friendly technologies and improved process control while looking to new technologies to continually improve growth.

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