VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Automotive Parts Supplier Acquires Vacuum Furnace To Conduct Aluminum Brazing Tests

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, BRAZING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

An automotive supplier has acquired a vacuum furnace for brazing aluminum components. The VAB furnace was designed according to the client’s guidelines and will be used by the R&D department to conduct development tests in the field of aluminum vacuum brazing.

SECO/WARWICK previously provided vacuum technology systems to the automotive parts manufacturer and built the VAB furnace based on the design of a single-chamber VECTOR furnace.

Maciej Korecki
Vice President of Vacuum Business Segment
SECO/WARWICK
Source: SECO/WARWICK.com

“Orders requiring a specific approach always make us happy, because it builds, inspires, and develops both our body of knowledge and the technology. This project was certainly a challenge for the entire SECO/WARWICK Team, because the partner’s assumptions, in relation to the requirements placed on our furnace, were really high,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the vacuum furnace segment at SECO/WARWICK. “They required a very complicated and individual solution in the form of a cuboid shape of the heating chamber equipped with flat, large-surface heating elements. They were arranged in twelve independent temperature control zones, ensuring very high dynamics of load heating and ideal temperature uniformity.”

Lukasz Chwiałkowski
Sales Manager
SECO/WARWICK
Source: SECO/WARWICK

“We were tasked with creating a VAB furnace with unique solutions: a special square heating chamber equipped with flat heating elements made of Inconel 600 material, arranged in twelve independent temperature control zones” said Lukasz Chwiałkowski, sales manager at SECO/WARWICK.  

The press release is available in its original form here.

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PAI Industries Bolsters Capabilities With In-House Carburizing Vacuum System

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, CARBURIZING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

PAI Industries, a manufacturer of parts to the heavy-duty truck industry, has expanded its in-house heat treatment with a NANO vacuum furnace system.

The Georgia-based company partnered with vacuum furnace manufacturer ECM USA to transition its production line from out-sourced heat treatment to in-house vacuum technology in order to perform low pressure carburizing and through hardening around the clock.

The upgraded system will increase capacity and expedite production at PAI’s 112,000 square foot manufacturing facility. The NANO furnace system is comprised of one module with three stacked up heating cells (which can be extended to six heating cells, corresponding to two heating modules) and gas quenching cells to quench the parts. The carburizing cells are stacked up to reduce the footprint’s installation as much as possible. The furnace system integrates directly into the production line which allows it to reduce the cycle time while simplifying the flow between the machining and heat treatment.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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East Coast Manufacturer To Replace Aging Fleet of Vacuum Sintering Furnaces

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

An East Coast manufacturer has purchased six new vacuum sintering furnaces to replace the 1980s-era sintering furnaces it has used for heat treating components.

SECO/VACUUM received the commission to transition the production line from nine 40-yr-old SECO/WARWICK sintering furnaces to the six Vector sintering vacuum furnaces with 2-bar gas cooling. The furnace hot zones will be 26″ wide, 30″ high, and 62″ deep (660 x 760 x 1575 mm), which are the same size as the retiring furnaces, allowing them to continue using their existing heat treat fixtures.

Sintering is a critical process used to fuse metals together without reaching melting temperature. It is generally used for fixing the strands of wire mesh in place, consolidating powder metals, or any application where the objective is fusing metals together while remaining below melting temperatures.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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Heat Treater’s Michigan Expansion Progressing

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

The Michigan expansion of a furnace manufacturer and heat treating company has advanced with the erection of the entire steel structure in one week. The new 20,000-sq-ft building for Solar Atmospheres of Michigan Inc. will not only house additional vacuum and air furnaces but will also serve as a new shipping and receiving space.

Solar Atmospheres, headquartered in Souderton, PA, relocated equipment to its Michigan facility in April, 2024, where the ten vacuum furnaces are fully operational. The expansion project, which began in July, 2024, will more than double the company’s current footprint in Chesterfield, MI, and is on track for completion by the end of 2024.

The press release is available in its original form here.

Follow the development of this story in the previous Heat Treat Today posts found here, here, and here.

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SECO/WARWICK Group Expands US Footprint

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

The SECO/WARWICK Group, the parent company of SECO/VACUUM Technologies and SECO/WARWICK USA, has announced plans to bolster its production capacity in the U.S., increasing its footprint and workforce. The expansion will include relocating a portion of its manufacturing and a metallurgical lab for vacuum furnaces from its headquarters site in Poland to Crawford County, Pennsylvania.

The 120,000-sq ft facility located in Meadville, PA, will house equipment for furnace production and serve the company’s North American customers through the addition of parts, service, and training capacity, resulting in an increase in its heat treat manufacturing workforce. an international furnace manufacturer

SECO/WARWICK Group announced that this expansion received support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through a $2 million package of matching fund grants from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) through its Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). The primary use and intent of RACP funds is for reimbursement of eligible construction costs which SECO/WARWICK Group companies will match on a 1:1 basis. The Commonwealth will also provide an additional $69 thousand in matching funds for job training through the Workforce & Economic Development Network (WEDnet).

Employees of SECO/VACUUM Technologies and SECO/WARWICK at the announcement of the Meadville, PA, site expansion, held jointly by The SECO/WARWICK Group and the Commonwealth of PA Department of Community and Economic Development
Source: Heat Treat Today

State, county and local officials as well as representatives from the international and US-based offices of the SECO/WARWICK Group were present at an event marking the expansion.

“Governor Shapiro is committed to making Pennsylvania an economic leader by investing in the growth of businesses like SECO/VACUUM and SECO/WARWICK,” stated the Commonwealth in the grant award letter. “In addition to the financing package outlined above, the Governor’s Action Team is prepared to provide both companies with any assistance that may be required throughout the application process, as well as to coordinate the involvement of all other state agencies in the project.”

“We look forward to working with our local partners including the City of Meadville, the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County (EPACC), the Workforce and Economic Development Network (WEDnet), and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to make this expansion happen!” said Piotr Zawistowski, president and managing director of SECO/VACUUM.

Pictured in feature image (L to R): Don Marteeny, vice president of engineering; Slawomir Wozniak, president and CEO, SECO/WARWICK Group; Piotr Zawistowski, president and managing director of SECO VACUUM Technologies

The press release is available in its original form here.

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2 Vacuum Furnaces Increase Heat Treat for Alternative Energy Company

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

A company developing advanced alternative renewable energy technologies large-scale industrial applications is expanding their heat treat capabilities with two identical vacuum furnaces.

The Research and Development team of Solar Manufacturing, Solar Atmospheres, assisted the client’s engineers to verify the process in the Mentor® Pro vacuum furnace prior to sending this furnace. Solar Manufacturing shipped the identical vacuum furnaces and assisted the company’s engineers to verify the molybdenum shielded hot zone operation of the new equipment at the developer’s facility. The furnace’s internal gas quenching system processes workloads to quench at 2 bar positive pressure in either nitrogen or argon gas, a flexibility that assists the company in achieving results across a wide range of metallurgical applications.

The client also finds benefit from the compact design of the Mentor® Pro features a molybdenum shielded hot zone measuring 18” wide x 18” high x 36” deep, capable of temperatures up to 2500°F, and a workload weight capacity of up to 1,000 lbs.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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Automotive Manufacturer Expands Brazing Capabilities with Vacuum Furnace

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, BRAZING NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

A U.S.-based automotive manufacturer is expanding its production capacity for brazing stainless heat exchangers with the order of a single-chamber vacuum furnace. The equipment will be integrated into an existing line’s thermal process operations, which is located at their Mexico facility.

Peter Zawistowski
Managing Director
SECO/VACUUM TECHNOLOGIES, USA
Source: SECO/WARWICK

The heat treater ordered the furnace from SECO/VACUUM specifically for immediate delivery, allowing brazing of automotive components to begin without delay.

“We built this furnace to be ready to be shipped and put into operation very quickly, which is just the solution they were looking for,” said Piotr Zawistowski, managing director of SECO/VACUUM.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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Heat Treater Breaks Ground in Michigan Expansion

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS
RObert (Bob) Hill <br>President<br>Solar Atmospheres Michigan <br>Source: Solar Atmospheres
Robert (Bob) Hill, FASM
President
Solar Atmospheres of Michigan
Source: Solar Atmospheres

After successfully relocating and commissioning ten vacuum furnaces into their current facility, Solar Atmospheres of Michigan Inc. is poised for further expansion. Bulldozers have commenced work on a new 20,000-square-foot building, which will more than double the current footprint at their Chesterfield, Michigan, location.

Bob Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Michigan, commented, “This expansion will create a larger shipping and receiving area to better serve our customers’ needs and position us for future growth. Come watch us grow!”

Source: Solar Atmospheres

This press release is available in its original form here.

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jet engine exposed parts in bg; inset of man, glasses, beard, suit jacket

Aerospace Parts Manufacturer Upgrades Vacuum Heat Treating Capabilities

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, BRAZING NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

A global manufacturer of aircraft parts has ordered a single-chamber vacuum furnace for brazing jet engine parts. The new equipment will replace a 30-year-old unit previously operating in its Poland-based plant.

Jędrzej Malinowski
Sales Manager
SECO/WARWICK Group
Source: LinkedIn

The new Vector® vacuum furnace is being supplied by SECO/WARWICK, which also manufactured the retiring equipment. The upgrade is based on a standard Vector vacuum furnace with a working space of 900 x 900 x 1200 mm, with screen insulation and metal heating elements. The solution has been adapted to industry specific needs and can heat treat jet engine components, such as complex gears or main shafts.

“This unit is distinguished by the ability to carry out efficient and clean high vacuum processes thanks to the use of a molybdenum heating chamber and a very efficient pumping system. This ensures very high purity and the dynamics required for brazing processes. Another big advantage is the very good temperature uniformity in the molybdenum heating chamber and compliance with the strict requirements of industry standards such as AMS2750,” said Jędrzej Malinowski, sales manager, SECO/WARWICK Group.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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Heat Treat Operations Modernize with 9 Hardening Furnaces

/ HARDENING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Nine heat treat furnaces are set to modernize the operations of a manufacturer’s heat treat facilities. This move is intended to create cleaner, safer, more cost-effective operations while also allowing for finer process control and a reduced carbon footprint.

The nine furnaces are being fabricated by SECO/VACUUM, a division of SECO/WARWICK Group: three Vector® vacuum furnaces and six tempering furnaces with supporting auxiliary systems. This returning heat treat client currently operates twelve SECO/VACUUM furnaces at their various locations throughout North America. They will incorporate the new furnaces as a continuation of their strategic planning to modernize all facilities from atmospheric heat treatment to vacuum processes.

Piotr Zawistowski
Managing Director
SECO/VACUUM TECHNOLOGIES, USA
Source: SECO/WARWICK

Each of the nine units are front-loading, horizontally configured furnaces with a 36″ x 36″ x 48″ working volume and a 3300 lb. capacity. The Vector® is a single-chamber gas quenching vacuum furnace using high pressure quench (2 to 25 bar) which can be applied to a variety of heat treating processes and applications. These particular Vectors will be used primarily for hardening. Tempering is a process primarily used to increase the toughness of hardened ferrous-alloy parts. The tempering process is typically applied after a hardening process.

Heat treating operations will have to shut down entirely during the modernization changeover. To minimize disruption, SECO/VACUUM will also serve as the general contractor, overseeing the installation of the new furnaces, auxiliary systems, wiring, piping, and ventilation needed prior to commissioning and operator training.

“It is a testament to our commitment to our partner’s success that they not only continue to return for more furnaces, but that they place their trust us in to manage the entire project in order to get them back to serving their customers,” said Piotr Zawistowski, managing director at SECO/VACUUM.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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