Watervliet Arsenal will receive a new ion nitriding thermal processing furnace system with full controls. It will be fully installed and commissioned in a horizontal configuration.
Ben Bernard Vice President of Marketing Surface Combustion
This is the second ion nitriding furnace supplied from Surface® Combustion, to Watervliet Arsenal; the first was originally over 40 years ago. They awarded a contract to Surface so they could again bring their processing capability in-house. Adding control to the supply chain for product was one of the many reasons they acquired an ion nitriding thermal processing furnace system for their plant. This configuration best suits the facility and Watervliet Arsenal's processing needs, and will also include process development.
Surface has always placed a high value on customer relationships and believes that an equipment purchase is the beginning of something much more than a finite transaction. In fact, they have been working with the Watervliet Arsenal location for over 40 years.
"It is always great to see customers coming back to Surface," said Ben Bernard, vice president of Marketing at Surface, "because they appreciate our incredible product lines as well as our engineering capabilities and long standing relationships."
An international electric vehicle (EV) automaker has ordered high-pressure gas quenching (HPGQ), tempering, and nitriding furnaces for heat treatment of large high-pressure casting dies, which will be used in the production of aluminum underbody components for electric vehicles.
The tool & die market serving traditional and EV automotive markets use vacuum heat treating technology extensively to produce bright, high-quality parts. SECO/VACUUM Technologies, a SECO/WARWICK Group company, will provide two furnaces and auxiliaries with working zones that can accommodate loads with dimensions up to 1000mm x 1000mm x 2400mm (40″ x 40″ x 96″) and up to 7.5 metric tons of weight.
“[We] have built a reputation with [this client’s] engineering team,” explained Piotr Zawistowski, managing director of SECO/VACUUM, “[and so] we are capable of achieving the required quenching rates within such a large envelope, which will be accomplished with a powerful 500kW quenching system. The [client] also appreciated the custom engineering that we put into handling such a heavy workload.”
The Vector® vacuum hardening furnace is equipped with a convection heating system to improve heat transfer at lower temperatures, thus reducing internal stresses; the cooling system can quench with nitrogen at pressures up to 25 bar. The furnace will exceed NADCA 207 requirements for the quenching process and Class 2 temperature uniformity requirements per AMS2750F.
The nitriding furnace is a pit-type configuration, with working dimensions to match the hardening furnace. The patented ZeroFlow® nitriding process uses uniform high convection heating, precision nitriding potential, and ammonia control, along with vacuum purging to reduce operating costs.
Michael Johnson Sales Manager Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA successfully vacuum heat treated what is reported to be the largest and longest load of nickel alloy tubing ever in a commercial vacuum furnace. The mission was to preserve the crucial elements of brightness and cleanliness of the 45-foot-long seamless tubing while meeting extremely stringent mechanical properties.
“We spent countless hours reviewing critical systems such as triplicate pumping systems and redundant hot zone controls for any unforeseeable event that might arise during the 100+ hour run,” stated Michael Johnson, sales director at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. “We are also fortunate that we can rely on our furnace manufacturing division, Solar Manufacturing, for guidance should any issue arise. This successful run will ignite a production campaign for the next 5 years, once again boosting confidence that this 48 foot vacuum furnace will surpass our customers’ expectations.”
Editor’s Note:
We suspected that this is a significant heat treating accomplishment, so we asked industry consultant and expert Dan Herring for perspective. Here are the questions and his responses. The following is provided by Heat Treat Today and not Solar Atmospheres of Western PA.
HTT: In what industries might these tubes be used?
DH: Typical examples would include steam generator tubing in nuclear power plants, high temperature aircraft systems, the oil and gas extraction industry, and anywhere applications call for corrosion/pressure/temperature resistant tubes/pipe.
HTT: Is there anything special about processing nickel alloy tubing?
DH: Yes. In order to maximize corrosion resistance, one must keep the surfaces of the tubes as oxide-free as possible. Hence, the use of vacuum. Also, the long lengths of the pipe means fewer welded joints (fewer joints means a stronger pipe, and likely more resistant to corrosion).
HTT: Is this release noteworthy?
DH: It is absolutely noteworthy. This demonstrates size capability available in only a handful (if that many) heat treat shops IN THE WORLD.
A hydroplane racing team located in Cinnaminson, NJ had three propeller blades heat treated to ensure parts were free of scale and keep the blades from shearing apart. The propellers will now withstand the RPM and torque conditions of racing without failing. Also, the hardening will protect the blades from impact with potential debris in the water.
This case study/press release from the heat treater, Metlab, goes into detail to describe the propellers and how heat treatment changed the material.
A modern unlimited hydroplane is the world’s fastest racing boat, capable of speeds greater than 200 mph. These boats represent the product of over 100 years of evolution in race boat design and materials with the most powerful engines, most advanced construction techniques, and the best safety systems available in boat racing today. A typical unlimited hydroplane can weigh a minimum of 6,750 pounds.
All unlimited hydroplanes are a “three-point” design, meaning they are designed only to touch the water at three points when racing – at the rear of the two front sponsons (the projections of the hull in front of the driver cockpit) and the propeller at the rear of the boat. Most of the unlimited class boats are powered by Chinook helicopter Lycoming T55 L7 turboprop engines, generating up to 3,000 HP.
Metlab, which is known for offering a wide variety of thermal processing solutions, had the opportunity to heat treat a series of propellers for a hydroplane racing team located in Cinnaminson, NJ.
The propellers must meet strict design criteria imposed by the Union Internationale Motonautique (or “UIM,” headquartered in Europe), not only for propellers but for the entire boat design. The propellers are typically 16″ in diameter and have three blades. Different pitch propellers are chosen for use based on course length, conditions, and starting position. It is not uncommon for a racing propeller to cost more than $15,000.
Propeller: Mercury Racing – T.E. Clever model
The propeller creates the distinctive “rooster tail” behind the boat, raising literally tons of water into the air for up to 300 feet behind the boat. They are made from several different materials, but the steel of choice is 17-4 PH stainless steel chosen for its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The propeller must support a significant portion of the boat’s weight while rotating up to 14,000 RPM.
Three propeller blades were heat treated for the client to the H-900 condition (900°F/ hours at heat). They were age hardened in a vacuum furnace to ensure parts were free of scale. The high tensile strength (200 KSI) produced by the heat treatment keeps the blades from shearing apart; the excellent ductility associated with the heat-treated material allows the propellers to withstand the RPM and torque conditions without failing. And a hardness of HRC 40 protects the blades from impact with potential debris in the water. 17-4 PH stainless steel properly heat treated also benefits from increasing torsional fatigue strength, a common cause of propeller failure.
Metlab provides heat treating solutions for highly technical parts and components. Consult with a metallurgical specialist at Metlab about your specifications and heat treating requirements.
Michael Lister Director of Sales - North America Consarc Corporation
The Doncasters Group recently ordered a vacuum furnace for their Doncasters Southern Tool facility in Oxford, Alabama. The order includes startup and installation with delivery scheduled before the end of 2021.
The new 300-pound Consarc vacuum precision investment casting (VPIC) furnace is equipped with high vacuum capabilities, controls, and increased automation with Teach Pour and other features that will give this furnace exceptionally high productivity for Doncasters Group.
The company is an international manufacturer of high-precision engineering components, designed to operate in the most demanding conditions. They serve the world’s leading OEMs in the aerospace, industrial gas turbine, and specialist automotive markets.
This order represents the 16th VPIC ordered from Consarc for delivery in North America in the last 24 months. Globally, the supplier has received 30 orders for this type of equipment in the same time frame.
"The recent strength in obtaining new orders for this product line is a testament to a customer centric philosophy we have at Consarc," said Michael Lister, director of Sales – North America at Consarc Corporation. "Our clients are sophisticated process owners who are well versed in the equipment and have demanding specifications placed on them by their own customers. Our collaborative approach in design, both before and after the order, is why customers trust [us] with these high value projects. We are able to understand their current problems and engineer long term solutions to mitigate those issues."
The Mint of Egypt which manufactures both circulation and numismatic coin will receive a vacuum heat treat furnace. The furnace will be used to heat treat circulation and numismatic coin, embossing dies, medals, and special orders. This furnace to the Mint of Egypt is the first furnace provided by the furnace manufacturer to the country of Egypt.
The Mint of Egypt was established in 1950. After 70 years of operation, the first Egyptian Museum of Circulating Coins was created at the mint. It displays a rare collection of special coins representing important historic figures and events, such as the construction of the Suez Canal and the Aswan High Dam. The Vector furnace will be used by the Mint of Egypt mostly for producing collection seals.
"We needed equipment that would significantly increase our production capacity," commented General / HossamKhedr, head of Egyptian Mint Authority, "With heat treatment in the vacuum furnace, our embossing dies will provide the highest possible quality and the durability that is important for the customers. Mints are very special companies. The ban on carrying embossing dies outside the mint prevents us from using commercial hardening plants. That is why it was extremely important to us that the equipment for upgrading our mint represented the highest quality."
Vector Vacuum Furnace by SECO/WARWICK
The Vector® vacuum furnace with 15 bar high-pressure gas quenching -- a product sold by North American SECO/VACUUM Technologies, which is the sister company to vacuum furnace supplier SECO/WARWICK -- is equipment that fits the operating performance requirements of mints. Furnaces with a graphite round heating chamber can be used for a majority of standard hardening, tempering, annealing, solution heat treating and brazing processes.
In the mint industry, these vacuum furnaces are popular as they ensure powerful, uniform gas cooling, which guarantees the high hardness and durability of mint tools. The perfect quality of mint punches and other products is ensured by the very high purity vacuum atmosphere. The parameters of the equipment purchased by the Egyptian Mint are very similar to the solutions delivered by SECO/WARWICK last year to the Mint of Poland — one of the most technologically advanced mints in the world. Some of the equipment installed by the Polish supplier has been operated by this customer for over 9 years.
Maciej Korecki Vice President of the Vacuum Furnace Segment SECO/WARWICK (source: SECO/WARWICK)
"Mints are very demanding customers. They manufacture high quality products that requires perfect details and production repeatability. Collectors, who are the customers of mints, expect the highest care, durability and quality of the finished products," said Maciej Korecki, Vice-President, Vacuum Furnace Segment, SECO/WARWICK Group. "This makes us even more happy that our flagship product — the Vector vacuum furnace — will be installed in another national mint."
Worldwide, there are 70 national mints and several dozen privately-owned mints, manufacturing almost 800 various coin denominations. The oldest mint in the world that has been continuously operated since 864 and the eighth oldest company in the world is Monnaie de Paris in France. The British Royal Mint is the tenth oldest company in the world, established in 886. National Mints provide the official currency for their home countries. They need to comply with rigorous standards that guarantees the weight, purity, and face value of the bullion they produce. This guarantee enables the bullion products manufactured by the state to enjoy a global reputation as the ideal source for investment in high-quality noble metals.
Neota Product Solutions, a custom metal injection molding (MIM) manufacturer located in Loveland, Colorado, has recently partnered with a North American heat treat supplier to develop an exclusive sintering partnership.
Jason Osborne President Neota Product Solutions Source: LinkedIn
Neota provides comprehensive MIM solutions from early-stage prototyping to full scale manufacturing. The manufacturer and Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) developed a sintering thermal profile that densifies complex geometric shapes and also controls shrinkage. This results in a solid and strong metallic part, with near 100% density, while maintaining the tight tolerances that are required in their precision components.
Collaborating with Solar Manufacturing, the vacuum furnace production arm of the Solar family, SAWPA recently acquired a vacuum furnace which is engineered to handle MIM processing. The furnace has a work zone of 36” x 36” x 48” and a load capacity of 3,000 pounds.
Robert (Bob) Hill, FASM President Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
"Solar has been a class-act organization and has been instrumental in the aggressive growth of our company," stated Jason Osborne, president of Neota.
"We have sincerely enjoyed our relationship with the Neota team," added Bob Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA stated. "As MIM industry experts, they know what they ultimately want in a finished part. As vacuum thermal processing specialists, we know how to achieve their high temperature processing parameters while not damaging our state-of-the-art vacuum equipment. Investing in our customer’s needs, ultimately results in lasting mutual relationships which become a successful endeavor for both parties."
Global commercial heat treater with 17 locations in North America, Aalberts Surface Technologies Heat in Kalisz (Poland), will receive a vacuum furnace with nitrogen quenching and an atmosphere furnace at their specialized commercial hardening plant. This expansion of its production line builds on their acquisition of a high vacuum furnace at their Dutch branch in Eindhoven last year.
The new SECO/WARWICK furnaces, added to the furnace that they had supplied last year, will create a production line that will be used for successive vacuum carburizing (LPC) and gas quenching (with the new CaseMaster Evolution-T vacuum furnace, or CMe-T furnace), followed by annealing (with the new BREW atmosphere furnace) to reduce the internal stress of the treated metals. Performing so many processes is possible thanks to the combination of vacuum technology with atmosphere technology.
The commercial heat treater believes that this expansion in capabilities will progress their mission. "According to our mission statement," said Wojciech Matczak, plant manager at Aalberts Surface Technologies Heat Kalisz, "‘Best-in-class’ is not about our core technologies but about our commitment to do everything we can to make our clients successful."
Maciej Korecki Vice President of the Vacuum Furnace Segment SECO/WARWICK (source: SECO/WARWICK)
The three-chamber CaseMaster Evolution-T furnace has 1 ton per batch capacity and an annual output of up to 2,000 tons of parts. It can replace 3 conventional atmosphere furnaces. Additionally, it has fast cooling nitrogen chamber, achieving results similar to helium and oil cooling, creating an environmentally friendly system. Using the nitrogen taken from and discharged to the air eliminates both the use of expensive and difficult to obtain helium and harmful quenching oil. This makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by 300 tons annually, which is the amount generated by three standard atmosphere furnaces.
“Aalberts Surface Technologies Heat had special requirements," explained Maciej Korecki, VP, of the Vacuum Business Segment at SECO/WARWICK, "regarding the components and solutions used, and thus [the vacuum furnace] will replace the existing semi-continuous processes under protective atmosphere followed by oil quenching with complete vacuum heat treatment with low pressure carburizing and nitrogen quenching (25 bar!), delivering process precision and repeatability. . ."
The second furnace, the BREW 6810 solution, will make it possible to perform the annealing process immediately after vacuum carburizing. It can operate between 572 and 1382°F (300 and 750°C) and is equipped with a system to enable treatment under nitrogen atmosphere, preventing oxidation on the heat-treated workpieces.
NexGen Advanced Fuel Systems (AFS), a gas turbine component overhaul facility that is a company of Allied Power Group, ordered a new vacuum furnace to help increase their capacity and reduce turnaround time for their heat treating and brazing operations. It is built specifically to heat treat land-based turbine equipment with attention to specific cooling specifications required by the company's clients.
Built by Solar Manufacturing, the furnace features a Solarvac® Polaris Control System and a graphite hot zone accommodating loads up to 48" wide x 48" high x 72" deep. The furnace has a maximum load weight capacity of 6,000 pounds.
The furnace achieves a vacuum level of 10-5 Torr, and reaches a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F. A 300 HP gas fan will allow NexGen to quench a load from 2150°F to 1000°F in just three minutes, using only 2-bar.
Solar Manufacturing Vacuum Furnace Source: Solar Manufacturing
"The interface makes running the furnace easy for operators of all skill levels," states Mark Dion, president of Nexgen-AFS, and the general manager ofAllied Power Group Combustion Technologies. "For furnace installation and operation, Solar provides knowledgeable engineering and support staff. The Solar furnace has a robust design, with some nuances such as stainless steel internals, brass fittings, made in USA valving, and in our case, a beefed up blower allowing super-fast cooling abilities. . . . Nexgen hopes business growth supports purchasing a second Solar vacuum furnace."
A Scandinavian manufacturer of heat exchangers, SonFlow will receive a vacuum furnace from the parent company of a North American manufacturer for copper brazing adapted to the individual needs of the company's clients. A special nozzle design and electrical penetration assembly will ensure that the device is specific for the production of the latest, high-capacity plate heat exchangers for industrial, HVAC, off-shore and sanitary purposes to be manufactured in the Kolding plant.
Maciej Korecki Vice President of the Vacuum Furnace Segment SECO/WARWICK (source: SECO/WARWICK)
SonFlow is a European manufacturer which has historically been known for manufacturing high-capacity industrial pumps. The company is now expanding into the plate heat exchanger business. Manufacturing state-of-the-art, powerful heat-exchangers has provided the incentive for the plant to purchase a furnace from SECO/WARWICKthat will satisfy the current production challenges associated with the brazing process.
The working area of the device (900 x 900 x 1200) will enable the plant to perform in-house brazing, without the need to outsource work to third-parties. Power savings, one of the pillars of their mission, is ensured by the graphite chamber, and the shortened cycle time is guaranteed, thanks to the vacuum level of 10-3 mbar.
"Years of experience," explained Maciej Korecki, VP of the Vacuum Business Segment at SECO/WARWICK Group, "and the above approach have resulted in developing a special design of the cooling nozzles, optimum for brazing companies. This dedicated solution consisting of the special nozzle design for these radiator applications prevents excessive deposits of brazing residues in undesired areas of the heating chamber. With this design, the risk of damaging the device during the brazing process is eliminated."
Watervliet Arsenal will receive a new ion nitriding thermal processing furnace system with full controls. It will be fully installed and commissioned in a horizontal configuration.
