annealing processing

Dig into the Archives: 5 Technical Articles for Fresh Heat Treaters in Auto

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, TECHNOLOGY

OCAre you a relatively new reader in automotive heat treat? Welcome. Enjoy this archive of articles from the automotive industry, which provides years of technical knowledge to fill any information gaps. Even the "OG" readers with Heat Treat Today will want to investigate this Technical Tuesday original content compilation that plumbs the depths of the archives.

1. What Heat Treatment To Use for Truck Gear Boxes?

Fig. 2. Schematic depiction of pusher furnace (l.) and 3D batch of helical gears (r.)This paper reveals the investigation and conclusions of distortion potentials for case hardening processes. Mainly, the focus was on how the SyncroTherm® concept method compared to conventional case-hardening processes for gears and sliding sleeves.

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Read about how the results effected the bottom line: reduced costs, quicker processes, and less distortion. Also, be sure to examine each of the charts and figures for further understanding of each test.

This article entered the Automotive Heat Treat archive in 2016, and was written by Andreas Schüler, Dr.-Ing. Jörg Kleff, Dr. Volker Heuer, Gunther Schmitt, and Dr. Thorsten Leist.

Read about here: "Distortion of Gears and Sliding Sleeves for Truck Gear Boxes – a Systematical Analysis of Different Heat Treatment Concepts"

 

2. Cracking the Case

Problems in heat treating result in the loss of valuable time and money. Getting to the bottom of those problems also usually takes time and money to investigate what's happening and how to fix it. What is a heat treater to do?

In this article, we follow a case study from the automotive industry to understand how to pinpoint a heat treating problem. This article specifically looks at what was causing cracking in variable valve timing (VVT) plates.

Read the 2018 article, "Part Failure Investigation & Resolution — A Case Study," by Rob Simons.

 

3. Carburizing: The Importance of Temperature Monitoring and Surveying

Temperature Monitoring and Surveying Solutions for Carburizing Auto Components: IntroductionLow pressure carburizing (LPC) furnaces play an important role in the automotive heat treating industry. During LPC, it is essential that processing temperature stays consistent and critical that the processing time frame is monitored.

This article discusses the importance of collecting temperature data and what to do with the data when it's been collected.

Throughout 2019, Dr. Steve Offley wrote for this series, beginning with this part 1, "Temperature Monitoring and Surveying Solutions for Carburizing Auto Components: Introduction." When you're through, enjoy part 2, part 3, and part 4.

 

4. Vacuum Brazing --- Back to the (Automotive) Basics

Vacuum Brazing for Automotive ApplicationsTime to brush up on a vacuum brazing furnace, but automotive industry style. Review the terms, parts, function, and more that are involved in a successful vacuum braze for automotive parts.

This study covers a semi-automatic TAV vacuum brazing furnaces, details the makeup of the furnace, and gives an idea of what happens with a load from start to finish.

Read this 2019 article by Alessandro Fiorese here: "Vacuum Brazing for Automotive Applications."

 

5. Saving Time --- Automation Versus Manual Hardness Tests

If you've ever heat treated automotive crank pins, you're probably familiar with at least one type of hardness test that case hardened crank pins are tested against. The big question is, which hardness testing method is better: automated or manual? This article compares these two methods to make and measure Vickers indentations.

Evaluate for yourself the comparisons between an experienced operator manually entering data to Wilson VH3100 series Vickers Microhardness Tester and a DiaMet software entry. Some additional findings show that the crank pins could be examined by the Wilson tester with far less manipulation in the vice as well as reduction in data recording mistakes.

When you read this 2020 article by Buehler, "Manual Versus Automated Hardness Testing", learn exactly how much time, exactly, is saved with automation.

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Heat Treater Expands Capabilities with Multiple Furnaces

/ FEATURED NEWS, HARDENING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, QUENCHING NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS

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ThermTech, heat treat service provider in Waukesha, WI, has increased their capabilities to provide services for the medical, aerospace, mining and oil, nuclear, and agricultural industries.

Jason Kupkovits, vice president of Sales & Strategic Direction at the company, commented on that ThermTech will be continuing their 40 years of quality assurance, turnaround time, on-site engineering, and customer service standards.

Ben Gasbarre
Executive Vice President of Sales
Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems

Partnering with Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems, ThermTech significantly increased their normalizing, annealing, stress relieving, tempering, and neutral hardening capacity through the acquisition of three new furnaces. These three furnaces --- now fully operational --- include: a dual zone, direct-fired box austenitizing furnace; a large batch tempering furnace; and an additional tempering furnace. These furnaces are compliant with AMS2750 at different class certifications.

ThermTech has also added two additional vacuum furnaces from Ipsen, USA. The furnaces have dimensions of 36” wide x 36” tall x 48” long with capabilities of quenching up to 6 bars of pressure utilizing nitrogen or argon gas as the quench medium. These large vacuum furnaces are AMS class 3 (+/-15°F) certified capable of AMS2750.

ThermTech added a solution annealing furnace from Williams Industrial Service to give their operational aluminum line additional heat treat capabilities. This line is capable of a sub-15 second transfer to air blast quench, a water quench range of 55°F up to boiling, a sub-7 second transfer to water quench which exceeds AMS 2770/AMS2771 specifications, as well as load thermocouple monitoring during the solution treatment, quenching, and aging.

Daniel Hill, PE
Sales Engineer
AFC-Holcroft
Source: AFC-Holcroft

Another recent acquisition includes a new austempering/marquenching furnace from Michigan based AFC-Holcroft. This furnace can handle a single part racked in the vertical orientation up to 56" long. The working dimension of the furnace is 36" W x 72" L x 56" H and is capable of operating with salt temperatures ranging from 350°F -- 750°F. "The UBQA system is an environmentally friendly ‘green technology,’" commented Dan Hill, sales engineer at AFC-Holcroft, "which can be used to impart resistance to distorting, cracking or warping of heat-treated components.” Applicable processes include marquenching, austempering, and carburizing with additional washing and tempering capacity accompanying the new marquenching/austempering furnace. Installation is expected in early 2023.

The heat treat service provider's long-term strategy is to increase growth in the Midwest and on a national scale. This includes adding more workers and integrating the use of a robotics handling systems, which is expected to be installed in late 2022.

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Sundram Fasteners Ltd. Expands Vacuum Furnace Capabilities

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, ANNEALING NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, HARDENING NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

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Mr. Sivaraman Arjunan
Senior Manager
Sundram Fasteners Limited
Source: LinkedIn

Indian fastener manufacturer Sundram Fasteners Limited will receive a vacuum furnace to heat treat high quality aviation screws.

This will be the second furnace from SECO/WARWICK --- a global heat treat solution provider --- for this manufacturer. The vacuum furnace on order is a compact Vector device that meets the Indian partner’s requirements in the field of fastener heat treatment for use in the aviation industry, particularly for heat treating large loads of manufactured aviation bolts.

“[The] Vector," commented Mr. Sivaraman Arjunan, senior manager at Sundram Fasteners Limited, "will improve and increase the processing capacity of the tempering, hardening and annealing processes, and will improve the process economics, considering energy savings and the graphite chamber efficiency.”

Sundram Fasteners Limited is a world leader in manufacturing precision components for the automotive, energy (windmills) and aviation sectors.

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Aerospace Industry Chooses Vacuum Heat Treat Solution

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, BRAZING NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, HARDENING NEWS, SINTERING POWDER METAL NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

HTD Size-PR LogoA Chinese company has ordered a horizontal vacuum furnace which will help in producing highly specialized cast parts used in the aerospace industry. Delivery of the furnace is scheduled for June 2022.

The Vector® horizontal vacuum furnace with a graphite chamber and a gas quenching system comes from SECO/WARWICK. This type of furnace from the international manufacturer comes with a graphite hot zone and can be used for most standard hardening, tempering, annealing, solution heat treating, brazing, and sintering.

The furnace will be installed in a facility that specializes in the production of high-temperature alloys used in the aviation, shipbuilding, and power industries, offering a wide range of products, including but not limited to, bars, wires, bands, pipes, and specialized castings.

 

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Flipping Through Heat Treat Today’s Technical Files

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

OCWe’re flipping through Heat Treat Today’s technical articles today to highlight four processes: annealing, brazing, carburizing, and forging. Read our top picks of technical articles from these categories like a case study on parts failure (annealing solution) and a new competitor to tried-and-true brazing.

ANNEALING: Part Failure Investigation & Resolution — a Case Study

When an automotive manufacturing began loosing time, money, and the steel itself due to frequent cracking, a third party stepped in to solve the part failure.

[blockquote author=”” style=”1″]In this case, the life cycle of these parts began in a steel mill, where coils of AISI 1045 carbon steel were produced. The parts were then annealed in preparation for fine blanking at our customer’s facility. Then, the parts would be through hardened and sent to the automotive manufacturer.[/blockquote]

BRAZING: The “Next Leap”: Diffusion Bonding for Critical Component Manufacturing

Electric vehicle production, semiconductor development, and a whole wealth of novel products are pushing at the fringes. Does this demand change to tried-and-true heat treat applications? You tell us!

[blockquote author=”” style=”1″]The most sophisticated global companies in electronic instrumentation and semiconductors view diffusion bonding as the wave of the future. The functional-value that 21st-century diffusion bonding technology now offers is a unique-and-beneficial solution in a class by itself; designers came to this realization after being confronted with component performance issues that could not be resolved by traditional brazing. Materials currently under consideration include pure aluminum, aluminum alloys, stainless steels, and nickel-based alloys as well as any other material, such as coated substrates for power electronics or glass and special material combinations (dissimilar joints).[/blockquote]

CARBURIZING: Elevate Your Knowledge: 5 Need-to-Know Case Hardening Processes

This technical article can be found under “Carburizing” in the navigation bar, but as the name implies, you’ll be diving into five essential case-hardening processes. BONUS! this one includes an excellent table to break down the differences.

[blockquote author=”” style=”1″]Case hardening processes are some of the most common heat treatments performed, but each process has its own unique needs. The table below [in the article] provides a summary of the considerations that need to be made when selecting the optimum process. This list is by no means exhaustive; it is encouraged to work with a furnace manufacturer familiar with each process to help select the correct process and equipment needed.[/blockquote]

FORGING: Forging, Quenching, and Integrated Heat Treat: DFIQ Final Report

Here’s a brain spinner: Direct from Forge Intensive Quenching. If you just asked “What?” Best read the full report (or at least the abstract) that tests this novel method — a method that could eliminate normalizing, quenching, and tempering.

[blockquote author=”” style=”1″]Data obtained on the mechanical properties of DFIQ forgings were compared to that of forgings after applying a conventional post-forging heat-treating process. Values of heat transfer coefficients in the DFIQ tank were determined experimentally using a special probe. This data was needed for calculating an optimal dwell time when quenching forgings in the DFIQ tank. It was shown that the application of the DFIQ process allows elimination of. . .[/blockquote]

 

 

 

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Heat Treat Furnace Received for Annealing RF/Microwave Components

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

HTD Size-PR LogoA US manufacturer of radio frequency (RF) and microwave components recently received a small box furnace reaching 2300°F. This furnace will be used for precision heating to anneal their parts before milling.

The small load custom box furnace was delivered by Lucifer Furnaces. It is their furnace model HL7-A12 with a 6” x 6” x 12” chamber and is insulated with a combined 5” hot face insulating firebrick and cold face mineral wool backup. This box furnace is complete with a cast hearth plate to protect the floor insulation and heats with easy-to-replace coiled heating elements in cast assemblies for easy replacement, while still being built at the same quality as larger models.

Controls include a Honeywell digital time proportioning temperature controller and a TP1 Soak Timer which starts when the furnace reaches setpoint temperature and shuts off the elements at the end of the heating cycle. A door safety switch automatically disengages power to the elements when the door is opened. This furnace is part of Lucifer’s standard, general purpose, series 7000 box furnace line, a line which helps bring clients’ heat treating in-house and gain control over work flow and product quality.

 

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thyssenkrupp Steel Europe to Receive Retrofit Combustion System

/ BULK GASES & SYSTEMS NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

HTD Size-PR Logothyssenkrupp Steel Europe (tkSE) has given a parent company of a North American combustion company in Ohio an order to retrofit a FBA 8 combustion system.

Within the scope of a larger modernization project, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG (tkSE) will upgrade the combustion system of the FBA 8 galvanizing line, which is located at the Dortmund plant. The newly implemented heating system will provide drastically lower emissions.

The purchase order for delivery, assembly and commissioning of 195 modernized self-recuperative burners has recently been placed with WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH. The heating system will achieve exceptionally low NOx emissions due to proven double P-tube design and the patented FLOX® combustion process. The retrofit is to be completed by mid 2022. Detailed planning will keep line down time to a minimum for the duration of the retrofit.

Dr.-Ing. Joachim G. Wünning
President
WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH

In the future, the tkSE plant in Dortmund will operate three vertical strip lines, positioning it as an advanced and modern site for annealing and surface treating of steel strip globally. Up to 2.000.00 tons of steel can be processed annually, once all three lines are in full operation. tkSE employs and fully relies on proven and environmentally friendly heating technology. A technology that even today is suitable for a future with green combustion gases. After the conversion, approximately 800 low emissions burners will be in operation at the Dortmund facility.

WS can rely on decades of experience with the FLOX® combustion technology. Experience gained from tens of thousands of burners successfully in operation worldwide. FLOX® enables highly efficient burners to operate while simultaneously maintaining very low NOx emissions. "It is our ambition at WS," states Dr.-Ing. Joachim G. Wünning, president of WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH, "to provide solutions for all continuously operated strip lines which can reliably attain NOx emissions well below 100 mg/Nm³, with simultaneously high combustion efficiency over 80% and which are, already today, suited for a future with green combustion gases."

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