aluminum heat treating

Manufacturer Expands Aluminum Heat Treat Capabilities

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, ENERGY HEAT TREAT NEWS, FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A provider in the power solutions industry has enhanced its operations with a heat treat drop-bottom furnace for the solution heat treatment of aluminum castings. This installation will increase the company’s production capabilities, with the furnace having a load setting of 48 in (123 cm) wide x 36 in (91 cm) high x 141 in (358 cm) long.

The furnace, the fifth designed and manufactured by NUTEC Bickley, has a single temperature control zone, typically operating at 1000°F (573°C), with a maximum of 1075°F (580°C). The load setting will accommodate up to three baskets, equivalent to around 3600 lb (1635 kg) of aluminum parts per cycle. The furnace has been customized to be indirect gas-fired using radiant tube burners. Additionally, the project incorporates a motorized quench tank, rails, movement system, and load/unload platform with elevator device.

Arturo Arechavaleta
Vice President, Metal Furnaces
NUTEC Bickley

“Efficient and effective solution heat treatment is a vital part of the aluminum casting process,” said Arturo Arechavaleta, vice-president of Metal Furnaces at NUTEC Bickley. “Without the sort of advanced system that we have custom-designed, volume production of high-quality aluminum parts is not feasible. We’re proud to have played an important role in this technology partnership.”

The indirect gas firing is via single centrifugal recirculation that produces a vertical flow pattern. Heating is achieved with four radiant tube burners that have individual flame safety devices. The burner system incorporates a motorized control butterfly valve, and the gas flow is controlled by proportional ratio regulators. This design, with its baffle arrangement, delivers an even flow pattern, providing excellent temperature distribution and control in the furnace’s load chamber and high-efficiency heat recirculation (convection) horizontally across the aluminum castings. Excellent temperature uniformity was always considered an important parameter, and this has been shown to be ±5.4°F (±3°C) under full test in the provider’s manufacturing facility.

In order to maintain excellent thermal efficiency in operation, the furnace walls are fully lined using ultra large proprietary ceramic fiber modules. Their configuration and fixing provide for excellent insulation and long life coupled with low maintenance. The insulation layer is 6 in (150 mm) thick and has a density of 12 lb/ft3 (192 kg/m3).

The installation will see the drop-bottom furnace itself stationary — in a fixed elevated position — with the quench tank and loading car moving to accommodate baskets at the selected position. The furnace has a single, pneumatically operated horizontal slide door. For these particular aluminum castings, the company will employ a motorized water quench system provided by NUTEC Bickley, as well as its rails included leveling and installation. The tank has been designed to accept a full load of pieces within the work basket when the furnace is positioned vertically above it.

Press releases are available in their original form here.

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Tech Round Up: Helpful, Readable, and Applicable Content

/ HARDNESS TESTERS TECHNICAL CONTENT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT TECH, THERMOCOUPLES TECHNICAL CONTENT

On just about any given Tuesday, Heat Treat Today features an article that aims to educate our heat treating readers — be it in a process, equipment, metals, analysis, critical parts, or more. On this Thursday, enjoy this sampling of Technical Tuesday articles from the past several months. 

Case Study: Heat Treat Equipment Meets the Future Industry Today 

How has one heat treat furnace supplier contended with modern challenges of manufacturing? In this case study about a shift away from traditional forms of heat treat, explore how vacuum furnace technology has more technological horizons to bound. 

Figure 1. Construction and schematic furnace cross-section CMe-T6810-25 

Several key features discussed are the various challenges that characterize modern industry; the differences between historical heat treat furnaces and vacuum furnaces; furnace features that can meet these obstacles; and a close look at what one equipment option from SECO/WARWICK can offer. Additionally, explore the case study of a process that resulted in the following assessment: All technological requirements have been met, obtaining the following indicators of efficiency and consumption of energy factors calculated for the entire load and per unit net weight of the load (700 kg).” 

Read the entire article at “Case Study: Heat Treat Equipment Meets the Future Industry Today”

How Things Work: Thermocouples 

How do thermocouples work? How would you tell if you had a bad one? Those ever-present temperature monitors are fairly straightforward to use, but when it comes to how it works — and why — things get complicated.  

Figure 2. Eric Yeager of Cleveland Electric Laboratories explaining the 101 of all things thermocouple

This transcript Q&A article was published in a print edition, but there was too much information to fit the pages. Click below to read the full-length interview, including the final conversation about how dissimilar metals create electromotive force (EMF). Included in the discussion is proper care of T/C and guidance on when it’s time to replace. 

Read the entire article at “How Things Work: Thermocouples”

A Quick Guide to Alloys and Their Medical Applications 

Figure 3. Sneak peak of this medical alloys resource 

If you’re pining for a medical heat treat quick resource in our “off-season,” we have a resource for you. Whether you are a seasoned heat treater of medical application parts or not, you know that the alloy composition of the part will greatly determine the type of heat treat application that is suitable. Before you expand your heat treat capabilities of medical devices, check out this graphic to quickly pin-point what alloys are in high-demand within the medical industry and what end-product they relate to. 

The alloys addressed in this graphic are titanium, cobalt chromium, niobium, nitinol, copper, and tantalum.  

Check out the full resource at “A Quick Guide to Alloys and Their Medical Applications”

Resource — Forging, Quenching, and Integrated Heat Treat: DFIQ Final Report 

How much time and energy does it take to bring parts through forging and heat treatment? Have you ever tried integrating these heat intensive processes? If part design, forging method, and heat treat quenching solutions are considered together, some amazing results can occur. Check out the report findings when Direct from Forge Intensive Quenching (DFIQTM) was studied. 

Figure 4. Examples of DFIQ equipment

Forgings were tested, in three different locations, to see if immediate quenching after forging made a difference in a variety of steel samples. The report shares, “The following material mechanical properties were evaluated: tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, reduction in area, and impact strength. Data obtained on the mechanical properties of DFIQ forgings were compared to that of forgings after applying a conventional post-forging heat treating process.” 

Read the entire article “Forging, Quenching, and Integrated Heat Treat: DFIQ Final Report”

3 Top Tips for Brinell and Rockwell Hardness Tests 

Figure 5. Testing hardness 

Accurate hardness testing is a critical business for numerous industries, not least heat treatment. In this guide, evaluate “best practice” for getting the best possible reading for your hardness test with the most efficiency. These comprehensive tips include proper set up for test equipment and need-to-know information regarding the preparation and execution of both Brinell and Rockwell hardness tests. 

In fact, while there are some practices that overlap, knowing the differences is critical to determine whether or not a piece has reached the appropriate hardness. For Brinell, grease may skew a reading so that “at 300 HBW the material may appear 20 HBW softer than it actually is.” On the other hand, the precision in measuring indentation depth (versus indentation width) makes it imperative to keep the surfaces clear of any contamination.  

Read the entire article at “3 Top Tips for Brinell and Rockwell Hardness Tests”

Trending Market Insights for Aluminum Thermal Processing 

Figure 6. State of the North American aluminum industry

In this survey on recent and developing changes in the aluminum market, we asked industry players about the impact of trending technology and the overall state of the industry. Their responses to our questions in August 2023 described a steady and increasing melters’ demand; a limited, or lack of, business increase from additive manufacturing and 3D printing; the impact of — and response to — slow supply chains; the status of sustainability in the aluminum market; and how they plan to meet future market demand. 

Read the entire article at “Trending Market Insights for Aluminum Thermal Processing”

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