STRESS RELIEVING NEWS

Newton Heat Treating Upgrades Enhance Aerospace Processing Capabilities

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, QUENCHING NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS

Newton Heat Treating has completed a major equipment upgrade, replacing steam accumulators that had been in service for 20 years in its uphill quenching/cold stabilization operation. The upgrade directly impacts the company’s aerospace processing capabilities, with many parts destined for optical components in space applications undergoing this critical heat treatment process.

Saying goodbye to the old steam accumulators
SOURCE: Newton Heat Treating
New steam accumulators fully installed
SOURCE: Heat Treating
John Avalos
Quality Engineer
Newton Heat Treating

According to the company, the new steam accumulators have delivered immediate operational improvements. The heat treat transfer time from the steam accumulators to the steam chambers (where parts are inserted) is faster, providing better tensile stress reduction. Energy efficiency has also improved, with steam blasting time cut by about 10%.

John Avalos, quality engineer at Newton Heat Treating, reported, “primary operator who runs this process, Alfred Ojeda, said that the new steam accumulators don’t take as long to pressurize.” This will cut down on processing time, he explains.

Newton Heat Treating partnered with McKenna Boiler Works, Inc. for the installation project, which was completed on time and to specifications.

The uphill quenching/cold stabilization process is essential for aerospace components, particularly those requiring precise dimensional stability and stress relief for mission-critical optical systems used in space.

Want to learn more about uphill quenching? Check out the Heat Treat Radio episode where Newton Heat Treating CEO Greg Newton and John Avalos discuss this little-known but highly effective process for controlling residual stress in aluminum alloys.

Press release is available in its original form here. Additional details provided by the company.

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Vacuum Furnace for 3D Printed Aerospace Components

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, ENERGY HEAT TREAT NEWS, HARDENING NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

A vacuum furnace is being supplied for the heat treatment of 3D printed metal components used in the aviation and energy industries. The furnace will meet the requirements of stress-relieving processes for large components produced using additive technology and highly controlled hardening processes.

Maciej Korecki
Vice President of Business of the Vacuum Furnace Segment
SECO/WARWICK

SECO/WARWICK, a furnace provider with North American locations, will provide the new equipment. The furnace has a working space of 900 x 900 x 1200 mm and an advanced vacuum system which enables clean processes.

“The new investments of our partner in 3D printing are among the most dynamic undertakings in the field of precision metalworking … Our device is a key element in the chain of post-processing technology and has been designed to perfectly respond to the needs related to annealing and stress removal in additively manufactured elements,” commented Maciej Korecki, vice president of the Vacuum Segment at SECO/WARWICK.

The vacuum furnace is equipped with an efficient high vacuum system (HPGQ) based on two SV300 Leybold pumps, a Roots WH2500 pump, and an HS-32 AGILENT diffusion pump, allowing for vacuum in the 10⁻⁴ mbar range. The device also features a partial pressure system for technical gases, which counteracts the sublimation of alloying elements and contamination of the hot zone. An important addition is the dew point sensor, which protects against moisture condensation in the heating chamber and minimizes the risk of oxidation of the batch surface.

SECO/WARWICK Vector furnace produced image
Source: SECO/WARWICK

The recipient plans to use the device primarily for post-3D printing stress-relief processes, but also for hardening turbine and engine system components.

Press release is available in its original form here.

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Batch Oven Shipped for Aerospace Exploration

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, TITANIUM PROCESSING NEWS

An electrically heated batch oven has been shipped to a leading space exploration company. The custom batch oven will be used to stress relieve titanium parts.

Wisconsin Oven Corporation is providing the stress relieving oven, which includes a powered load/unload table. The oven is designed for a maximum operating temperature of 1250°F and provides temperature uniformity of ±15°F at three set points. Uniformity was verified through a nine (9) point profile test before shipment.

The oven is designed to heat and cool loads up to 1,200 pounds per cycle. Parts are placed on a high strength grid and transferred into the 7’ wide x 10’ long x 3’ high work chamber by an automated pusher/extractor system. After processing, the load is extracted onto the load table where 6 high speed fans direct ambient air upwards across the parts for further cooling.

A top-down airflow system delivers heats air vertically down through the chamber for even distribution across the product load. This oven is capable of meeting the requirements of AMS2750G, Class 3, Instrumentation Type A.

The control system features an Allen-Bradley CompactLogix PLC, a Eurotherm programmable temperature controller with advanced auto-tune, and a Eurotherm digital recorder for precise temperature control and data logging.

Mike Grande, Vice President of Sales, Wisconsin Oven Corporation

“This custom batch oven was designed to deliver exceptional temperature uniformity…and optimized airflow distribution ensures consistent processing and superior part quality,” commented Mike Grande, vice president of Sales for Wisconsin Oven Corporation.

This stress relieving oven was fully factory tested and adjusted prior to shipment from the furnace supplier’s facility. All safety interlocks were checked for proper operation and the equipment was operated at the normal and maximum operating temperatures. This equipment is backed by Wisconsin Oven’s 3-Year WOW™ warranty. 

Press release is available in its original form here.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

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US Defense Contractor Upgrades with Vacuum Retort Furnace

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

A U.S. military firearms manufacturer announced its plan to update its in-house stress relieving operation with a new vacuum retort furnace. The new equipment will be replacing an outdated vacuum stress relieving furnace in order to keep up with production demands.

Piotr Zawistowski
Managing Director
SECO/VACUUM
Source: SECO/VACUUM

The SECO/VACUUM retort furnace will be used to stress relieve firearms components at 1400°F (760°C). At this relatively low temperature, the process is used to prevent subsequent part distortion while enhancing the quality of the firearms. 

“Their old furnace was showing its age,” said Piotr Zawistowski, managing director of SECO/VACUUM, USA. “Once we showed them the control system advancements, the cycle time improvements, and the more competitive lead time we could offer, the upgrade really made sense from both a quality control and production pace standpoint.”

Switching from the vertical configuration of the old furnace to the new horizontally configured furnace will shorten loading times. The turbo-cooling option selected by the firearms manufacturer decreases the cooling cycle from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours. Improved loading paired with shorter cooling will bring total heat treat cycle times down by as much as 2.5 hours.

The press release is available in its original form here.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

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Vacu-Braze Receives New Quenching Furnace for Specialty Aerospace Materials

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, ANNEALING NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, QUENCHING NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS, TITANIUM PROCESSING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Vacu-Braze recently installed a new water quenching furnace in their Quakertown, PA, facility. This acquisition will allow for the expansion of capabilities to include rapid quenching of specialty aerospace materials such as steels or titanium.

The new furnace from Lucifer Furnaces, measuring 45.5”x29.5”x28,” contains argon and nitrogen atmosphere capabilities which allow for processing in a protective atmosphere even at high temperatures while maintaining AMS 2750 compliant uniformity. The pyrometry team at Vacu-Braze was able to achieve Class 2 pyrometry, opening up more available processes such as annealing, austenitizing, normalizing, stress relieving, solution treating, and tempering.

"Lucifer Furnaces was selected for the order," commented Jerry Novak, process engineer at Vacu-Braze, "[as their furnaces] are locally made and could be custom designed for the application. They are built in Eastern Pennsylvania to our desired specifications. Vacu-Braze is always happy to partner with companies that manufacture quality equipment and products in the USA."

The heat treat company also noted that this piece of equipment expands their services to existing clients while providing processes for new clients.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

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Tool Steel Manufacturer Amps Up With 2 Box Furnaces

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS

HTD Size-PR LogoA manufacturer of saw blades and tool steels will amp up its heat treating capabilities with two floor-standing box furnaces. The new furnaces will be used for stress relieving and tempering large steel castings.

L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc. will deliver the model XLE3648 furnace with an electric vertical door, an alloy hearth, and a complete control system. This model has an effective work zone of 34" x 34" x 44" and will be used for heat treating various tool steels for saw blades. The model FB336, with an effective work zone of 36" x 36" x 72", is fiber-lined and will be used to temper and stress relieve steel castings.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

 

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Grand Blanc Processing to Integrate New Furnace

/ ANNEALING NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS

HTD Size-PR LogoA roller-hearth furnace will soon be processing wire products at Grand Blanc Processing's high quality processed wire production facility in Holly, MI. The furnace will be used to spherodize anneal and stress relieve wire products.

Tenova, a developer and provider of sustainable solutions in the metals industry, has been contracted through Tenova Inc. for this turnkey supply of an STC® (Short Time Cycle) furnace. This project will mark the third furnace installation of its kind at Grand Blanc Processing’s facility, and the new furnace will be integrated with the existing furnaces in operation. Furnace start-up is expected to take place at the end of 2022.

The furnace will include advanced nitrogen control technology that will reduce nitrogen consumption by up to 30% per cycle and reduce fuel consumption by 2% per cycle. Tenova Inc. will also design and supply three product cooling tables as well as the complete control and automation package.

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Looking for annealing furnaces? See listings for equipment in the Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

 

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Large Car Bottom Furnace for US Heat Treater

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS

HTD Size-PR LogoFrom the southeastern U.S., a leading manufacturer of specialty alloys, pipes, tubes and fittings has placed an order for a large gas fired, car bottom furnace that is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2021.

The furnace from L&L Special Furnace Company will be used for normalizing various steels and specialty alloys at temperatures up to 2,200°F (1,200°C). It will also be used to preheat, stress relieve and temper various steels and large pipe fittings.

The L&L model FCG4410 has working dimensions of 48” wide by 48” tall by 120” deep. Uniformity of ±25°F ( 12.5°C) or better is expected throughout the work zone. Complete factory testing and on-site commissioning is included.

The gas fired furnace uses six medium velocity burners that fire over and under the load. The furnace car moves in and out of the unit on supplied railroad type rails. The door is mounted to the car and is motorized with all required stops and clearances. The side seals are pneumatic and seal to the car bottom once the car is inside the furnace. Castable piers provide good support for up to a 10,000 pound load. The furnace is completely insulated with ceramic fiber modules.

The control is a floor-standing NEMA12 panel with fused disconnect at the source. All fusing and interconnections are included. The furnace is controlled by a Eurotherm Nanodac program control with two slave units. Three-zone control is provided to promote uniformity. Overtemperature protection is provided along with a six-input paperless chart recorder and jack panel.

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Global Metal Equipment Producer Acquires Two Heat Treatment Furnaces

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS

A global producer of highly engineered metal earth moving, construction, and mining wear equipment recently commissioned two large capacity heat treatment furnaces. As part of this turn-key contract, Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd. designed and commissioned individual tempering and stress relieving furnaces. Both heat treatment systems were assembled and tested at Can-Eng’s Niagara Falls facility prior to shipment and commissioning at the customer’s facility.

The furnace systems were part of a major expansion by the customer to satisfy increased demand for large steel castings and weldments used as part of their equipment designs. Both furnaces are equipped with high efficiency, natural gas-fired heating and recirculation systems that have demonstrated to exceed the requirements of AMS-2750 temperature uniformity. Both systems integrated the company’s preferred PLC hardware, which was upgraded to include a more flexible safety rated PLC over conventional hardwired safety circuits.

(source: CAN-ENG)

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SDB Furnaces Shipped to Metal Treating Facility

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, STRESS RELIEVING NEWS

Mark Schahczinski, Sales Engineer, Wisconsin Oven Corporation

A metal treating company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently purchased five electrically heated standard draw batch (SDB) series furnaces to be used for stress relieving at its facility.

East Carolina Metal Treating received shipment of the equipment, which have maximum operating temperatures of 1250°F, from Wisconsin Oven Corporation, a Thermal Products Solutions company. Guaranteed temperature uniformity of ± 10°F at set points 300°F, 750°F, and 1250°F was documented with a 9-point temperature uniformity survey in empty oven chambers under static operating conditions.

“East Carolina Metal Treating has been incredible to work with,” said Mark Schahczinski, Sales Engineer, “and we look forward to working with them for many years to come. ECMT even filmed the installation process for these five batch ovens, and the time lapse video is available to watch on both the WOC and ECMT Facebook pages.”

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