A global automotive supplier has placed an order for an electrically heated continuous belt brazing furnace to be installed in Mexico in the 4th quarter of 2020.
Abbott Furnace Company will design and manufacture the industrial furnace for brazing of fuel delivery components and their Mexico location will install and provide after sale support of the four (4) zone line that is rated for 2,150° F and includes a 24” wide belt and silicon carbide domed muffle.
An international aerospace manufacturer orders two furnaces for its factories in the USA and Singapore. While both are single-chamber vacuum furnaces, they will serve different functions. One will be used for the heat treatment of exotic electrical steels, and the second will be used for annealing parts produced by 3D printing technology.
The furnace purchased for the heat treatment of exotic electrical steels has diffusion vacuum levels and a horizontal chamber. The chamber has the workload size of 24” x 24” x 36” and a 1300 lb. hearth capacity. Additionally, each furnace has a single-chamber, high pressure gas quench heat treat system adaptable to a wide variety of thermal processing applications including annealing, brazing, hardening, LPC and LPN, normalizing, solution heat treating, sintering and tempering.
Two SECO?WARWICK Vector Furnaces (photo source: SECO/WARWICK)
Each of the furnaces were bought from SECO/WARWICK Vector furnaces lines. This is the manufacturer's first purchase for a US installation from this supplier. The Vector furnaces lines are used in multiple applications within the aerospace sector, including heat treating turbine blades and landing gear, as well as in the aerospace aftermarket to maintain fleets of aircraft.
Maciej Korecki, Vice President of Vacuum Business Segment, SECO/WARWICK (photo source: SECO/WARWICK.com)
“SECO/WARWICK Group," commented Maciej Korecki, Vice President of Vacuum Business Segment at SECO/WARWICK, "has delivered hundreds of Vector heat treat systems worldwide, many of which are in steady use supporting the aircraft industry. We offer Vector with either a horizontal or vertical chamber depending on part configuration and the process needs of the customer, and we support each customer all over the world with a dedicated team of aftermarket professionals to keep them running at peak efficiency.”
Vector 3D builds upon the single-chamber vacuum furnace technology to combine the advantages of gas quenching capabilities with the growing requirements of the additive manufacturing market. The result allows customers to perform processes such as sintering, debinding, stress-relieving, aging or solution heat treatment, which are essential for the metal 3D printing sector. It has numerous applications in such industries as aerospace, automotive, medical and energy.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA is currently installing a new rapid quenching vacuum furnace that will ultimately eliminate the need for costly helium while increasing production throughput. In helium's place, the new furnace will use nitrogen only in the hardening process.
Solar Manufacturing Rapid Quench Furnace for Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (photo source: Solar Atmospheres)
The new 48” x 48” x 96” deep 10 bar vacuum furnace is produced by Solar Manufacturing. The important difference in this furnace from its older model is the cooling design, which is equipped with a 600 HP blower designed motor. This will allow the new furnace to outperform its older model by processing larger and heavier workloads with the use of nitrogen only.
Bob Hill, President, Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
“The difference in operating costs is a no brainer,” states president of Solar Atmospheres, Bob Hill. “To marginally harden one 2000-pound high-speed tool steel roll die in our older 2 bar vacuum furnace, the use of light helium gas was a necessity. The prohibitive cost of a two atmosphere helium backfill was $1,065. Our new furnace will enable us to fully harden three 2000-pound roll dies at once using the more cost-effective process gas of nitrogen. In contrast the cost of a 10 atmosphere backfill of nitrogen will be only $89.” Hill predicts that with these increased efficiencies and savings, his normal ROI on a new piece of equipment will be significantly advanced.
Once operational, Hill will author a technical paper with the actual cooling data derived from these similarly sized vacuum furnaces.
A family-run, commercial heat treating plant in Rzeszów, Poland, Kuczma Hardening Plant, will expand its heat treating capabilities with a new single-chamber vacuum furnace. A particular addition to this furnace is the directional cooling, which will allow the plant to perform quenching from both the sides and the top and bottom in order to precisely adjust the gas cooling system to the batch configuration.
The Vector® vacuum furnace from SECO/WARWICK is equipped with 1.5 bar gas quenching pressure. It will increase the capacity of the Kuczma Hardening Plant and will enable the plant to process parts with dimensions up to 600x600x900 mm. This furnace model specializes in heat treating many types of materials and metal alloys; additionally, its functionality includes gas hardening and tempering, annealing, brazing and degassing.
"Kuczma Hardening Plant," said Jerzy Kuczma, Kuczma Hardening Plant owner, "specializes mostly in vacuum quenching in gas, oil and gas nitriding of injection mould components and dies... On one hand, the SECO/WARWICK furnace will enable us to process larger components and increase our output for smaller ones on the other it will enable directional cooling sideways or top/bottom."
The hardening plant also performs carburizing, quenching, and tempering under protective endothermic atmosphere as well as clean stress relieving under nitrogen atmosphere.
Magnetic Shields Ltd. of Kent, England, a producer of medical industry equipment, has ordered a new vacuum furnace for their facility, set to be one of the largest horizontal vacuum furnaces in the UK.
Solar HFL-7496-EQ Vacuum Furnace (photo source: Solar Manufacturing)
The new HFL-7496-EQ vacuum furnace, being built with a SolarVac® Polaris control system, will be designed to accommodate loads up to 48” wide x 48” high x 96” deep, (1220 x 1220 x 2440mm) with a maximum weight of 5,000 lbs (2270 kgs). Operating at a vacuum level of 10-5 Torr, the furnace will be able to reach temperatures up to 2400°F (1315°C). It will feature a partial pressure hydrogen gas process and an external quench system designed for negative pressure quenching.
Magnetic Shields Ltd. Director Colin Woolger (see image below) says, “Magnetic Shields is delighted to order our second vacuum furnace from Solar Manufacturing. The new furnace will enable us to more than double the maximum size of shields we can now produce in one piece and also increase the general heat treatment capacity for our growing company... We look forward to the new furnace arriving later this year.”
Magnetic Shields Ltd. of Kent, England began its relationship with their seller, Solar Manufacturing of Sellersville, PA, in 2016 when Magnetic Shields Ltd. bought a vacuum furnace from the heat treating furnaces provider.
Rick Jones, VP of International Sales at Solar Manufacturing also adds, “Solar Manufacturing is very pleased to be selected as the supplier to further support Magnetic Shields in leading the production of equipment for the medical industry and other high technology applications, specifically, high performance large magnetic shields and low field shielded rooms.”
Read more about Magnetic Shields Ltd.'s first vacuum furnace from Solar Manufacturing in this press release.
To read more about the 2017 Magnetic Shields Ltd.'s reception of their first Solar Vacuum Furnace, click here. Pictured on the left is Colin Woolger, Chairman of the company, Suzie McKay, Rob Latter. (Photo source: magnetshields.co.uk)
Youngstown Tool & Die (YTD), an Ohio manufacturer of aluminum extrusion dies, upgrades its in-house atmosphere heat treatment capabilities with the purchase of two high-pressure gas quench (HPGQ) furnaces. The decision to buy stems from the manufacturer’s plans to expand within their community.
Dave Mrdjenovic, General Manager, Youngstown Tool & Die (photo source: Youngstown Tool & Die)
“Our expansion,” said Dave Mrdjenovic, General Manager at YTD, “has been facilitated by a localized government development program to expand employment and business development in our area, so we are moving quickly to take advantage of the program. Upgrading our existing atmosphere furnaces to high pressure gas quench vacuum furnaces will significantly improve our performance as we grow.”
The two Vector® HPGQ furnaces were provided by SECO/VACUUM (a SECO/WARWICK Group company).These furnaces are designed for the heat treatment of dies in all types of applications, such as stamping, molding, and extrusion as well as for other uses. Because Vector’s HPGQ system cools dense masses both evenly and quickly without distortion, die quality and consistency are improved compared to the more historically used atmosphere heat treatment methods. These furnaces create a bright and clean final product.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) will expand their material hardening repertoire by adding vacuum oil quench (VOQ) capabilities. The decision to go with a vacuum oil quench was influenced by serious concerns for the environmental and furnace operator safety. The Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) provides standards for health and safety, some of which caused Solar Atmospheres to question heat treating processes that utilize explosive endothermic gases and flammable open oil quench tanks. As a result of these concerns, Solar Manufacturing and Solar Atmospheres commenced engineering meetings in 2019 to design and build a US-manufactured, safe and quality VOQ.
Solar Atmospheres Vacuum Oil Quench Furnace (Photo source: Solar Atmospheres)
Early this week, Bob Hill, president, SAWPA, Hermitage, PA, announced that the company had purchased and will install a new 36” x 36” x 48” VOQ furnace capable of safely quenching 2,000-pound loads without carbon potential concerns. The furnace, the first of its kind manufactured by Solar Manufacturing, Sellersville, PA, will be operational in early 2021.
Additionally, SAWPA is constructing a 15,000 square foot building to make room for the VOQ furnace line. Besides the VOQ furnace, the line also includes a parts washer, two tempering furnaces, and a charge car. The building expansion will be completed mid-summer 2020 making the entire SAWPA complex 120,000 square feet under one roof.
The parent company of a North American furnace manufacturer provided a furnace to Kamyanka Machine Building, an international leader in the production of pumps for manufacturing thread and chemical fibers, metallurgy and oil. The furnace will be equipped with a closed water system and gas installation so that the device can work independently.
Maciej Korecki, VP, Vacuum Furnace Segment at SECO/WARWICK (source: SECO/WARWICK)
Additional equipment from SECO/WARWICK in Meadville, Pennsylvania, will also include a vacuum carburizing option as well as quenching, heating in gas, and isothermal cooling. This will enable Kamyanka Machine Building Plant LLC, based in the Ukraine, to carry out full heat treatment processes in one device in accordance with their requirements. They will be able to perform three heat treatment processes in a single furnace instead of in separate operations.
(source: SECO/WARWICK)
"The solution we implement in Kamyonka Machine Building Plant is the result of many years of experience in the construction and service of the world's best heat treatment solutions," added Maciej Korecki, Vice President of the Vacuum Furnace Segment at SECO/WARWICK.
This is the first order from the Kamyanka Machine Building for SECO/WARWICK.
A manufacturer in the aerospace market with captive heat treating capabilities received a custom built atmosphere tempering furnace. With a working load size of 84” wide, 42” deep, and 60” tall, coupled with a max load weight of 6,000 pounds, the furnace is specifically designed for the customers' key manufactured components.
The electrically heated furnace, shipped by Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems, has an operating temperature range of 350℉ to 1600℉, and passes uniformity at +/- 10℉ per AMS2750E. The system is equipped with custom controls, including Eurotherm brand temperature controlling instrumentation and an Allen-Bradley PLC and HMI.
Automatic atmosphere control is included for running under nitrogen, argon, and/or a hydrogen blend. Custom designed atmosphere cooling systems are installed to reduce overall cycle time. The equipment configuration also enabled the customer to switch from pit furnace style processing, which eliminated infrastructure costs and maintenance concerns.
Solar Atmospheres of Souderton, PA, has received a new, state-of-the-art vacuum gas nitriding furnace to support an increasing demand for high-value gas nitriding. The furnace was built by sister company, Solar Manufacturing.
The front-loading furnace incorporates the latest nitriding and recipe system from Solar Manufacturing. The automated control system is useful for single stage as well as two-stage (Floe) processing. All hot zone components are made completely of graphitic materials inert to the anhydrous ammonia used during the nitriding process.
