IperionX Limited and Vegas Fastener Manufacturing, LLC (Vegas Fastener) have agreed to partner to develop and manufacture titanium alloy fasteners and precision components with IperionX’s advanced titanium products.
The commercial focus of this partnership is on developing and manufacturing titanium alloy fasteners and precision components for the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), which is the United States Armed Forces’ research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems. GSVC’s research and development includes robotics, autonomy, survivability, power, mobility, intelligent systems, maneuver support and sustainment.
Additionally, the partners will design, engineer and produce titanium fasteners for critical sectors such as the aerospace, naval, oil & gas, power generation, pulp & paper and chemical sectors. These sectors demand fasteners that provide not only high strength-to-weight ratios but also exceptional corrosion resistance for high-performance applications.
Vegas Fastener, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance fasteners and custom machined components. Together with its allied company, PowerGen Components, Vegas Fastener serves a diverse array of customers in the defense, marine, power generation, oil & gas, nuclear, chemical, and water infrastructure sectors. Vegas Fastener develops and manufactures precision high-performance fasteners using specialized alloys to meet demanding quality specifications.
IperionX’s leading titanium technology portfolio includes high-performance near-net shape titanium products, semi-finished titanium products, spherical titanium powder for additive manufacturing and metal injection molding, and angular titanium powder for a wide range of advanced manufacturing applications. These innovative patented technologies allow for sustainability and process energy efficiencies over the traditional Kroll titanium production process.
Image above: High-performance fasteners manufactured by Vegas Fastener
This press release is available in its original form here.
Solar Atmospheres, Inc. announced their most recent acquisition, Certified Metal Craft (CMC) located in El Cajon (an East County suburb of San Diego). With nearly 55 years of serving the Southern California region, CMC and the Wiederkehr Family have established themselves as a source for heat treating and brazing services. With the addition of CMC to the Solar Family of Companies, CMC establishes Solar’s 6th nationwide location and bolsters their West Coast presence.
Derek Dennis President Solar Atmospheres California
CMC has extensive capabilities to include vacuum, aluminum, atmospheric, endothermic, salt bath and cryogenic processing and currently employs 25 dedicated employees. Servicing the aerospace, medical, and commercial markets, CMC is Nadcap-accredited and holds a long list of customer and prime approvals. Tim Wiederkehr will immediately assume the role of V.P. of Operations and report to Derek Dennis, president of Solar Atmospheres of California, Inc.
Derek Dennis states “Solar is excited to welcome the dedicated CMC team into the growing nation of Solar companies.” He adds, “Together, we will continue to grow our west coast footprint while solidifying our industry leading approach of being the ‘go-to’ choice for all heat treating & brazing needs with an unwavering commitment to honesty and integrity in all relationships.”
This press release is available in its original form here.
Let’s discover new tricks and old tips on how to best heat treat, whatever your application.
In this Technical Tuesday, originally published in the March/April 2024 Aerospace Heat Treatprint edition, Heat Treat Today compiled top tips from experts around the industry to get the best results in your heat treat furnace by optimizing fixtures and fabrications.
#1 Welding Fabrications with Nickel Alloy
Contact us with your Reader Feedback!
“Heat resistant alloys used for heat treating fixtures, muffles, retorts, radiant tubes, and other parts are typically stainless steel or nickel-based austenitic alloys.
“Good welding practices for nickel alloys are centered on the need to remove heat as quickly as possible in order to minimize the time spent in the hot tearing range. The first consideration is to keep the heat input as low as possible to still get a full penetration weld. The actual input in kJ is dependent on the alloy being welded.”
Source: “Marc Glasser on the Tools and Trade Secrets of Heat Resistant Alloy Welding,” reprinted in Heat Treat Today, 2020.
#hottearingrange #austeniticalloys
#2 Consider Corrugated Inner Covers
Inner covers are a component of the batch annealing process in the steel industry. If your inner covers are vertically corrugated, consider horizontally corrugated inner covers instead. Horizontally corrugated inner covers are repairable and, for this reason, offer longer overall life and better value.
Source: Alloy Fabrications
#batchannealing #innercovers #maintenance
#3 Countermeasure To Combat CFC Failure
“It is important to consider the specific process conditions in advance so that unwanted reactions — from carburization to catastrophic melting of the workpieces — can be avoided. Effective countermeasures can be taken.”
Dr. Demmel gives the following countermeasures:
Ceramic oxide coatings such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3) or zirconium oxide (ZrO2) layers placed onto the CFC
Hybrid CFC fixtures having ceramics in key areas to avoid direct contact with metal workpieces
Alumina composite sheets
Boron nitride sprays
Special fixtures made of oxide ceramics
Source: Dr. Jorg Demmel, “CFC Fixture Advantages and Challenges, Part 2,” Aerospace Heat Treating (Heat Treat Today, March 2023).
#CFC #fixtures
#4 Allow for Thermal Expansion
When bringing furnaces to operating temperature, always be aware of thermal expansion of your alloy components. Muffles, retorts, and radiant tubes all expand with heat input. These components must be free to expand within the furnace or early failure may result.
Source: Alloy Fabrications
#thermalexpansion #heattreatfailure
#5 Batch Rotary Retorts — Stay Put and Stay Clean
Batch rotary retorts are positioned on furnace rollers at the front of the furnace. In time, these retorts expand until they no longer track on the rollers. Extend the life of your batch rotary retorts by using adjustable roller brackets (available from Alloy Engineering). And to keep the outlet tubes clean, use Alloy Engineering pigtails and augers to self-clean batch rotary retort outlet tubes.
Source: Alloy Fabrications
#thermalexpansion #heattreatfailure
#6 Corrosion at Every Corner
“[All] materials are chemically unstable in some environments and corrosive attacks will occur. It can often be predicted or modeled. . . In the real world, however, it is important to recognize the various forms of corrosion, namely:
Kuźnia Jawor, a company specializing in the production of hot forged and CNC machined components for the automotive, machinery, mining, and piping industries, has enhanced its manufacturing capabilities through the addition of an oil-hardening furnace and two nitriding furnaces from a supplier based in North America.
Kuźnia Jawor replaced their production line with an oil-hardening furnace and two outdated nitriding furnaces from Nitrex. The decision to upgrade was prompted by the need to eliminate outdated technology and address controls issues. The current production line has been designed using a Nitrex nitriding system and a vacuum hardening furnace.
Kuźnia Jawor leverages its in-house capabilities to design and manufacture forging tools, a crucial element of the production process. This is necessary for obtaining repeatable strength parameters in steel and ensuring their resistance to geometric changes or abrasive wear, factors that are addressed through heat treatment. The new equipment enables them to actively reduce CO emissions, decrease energy consumption, and more.
Nitrex furnace
The company’s forging and CNC processes are marked by meticulous precision, with dies initially undergoing treatment in the vacuum furnace before proceeding to the nitriding phase. This multi-step approach is essential for achieving a zero-white layer, effectively preventing surface cracking in the H11, H13, and WNL hot work steel dies subjected to high-pressure hammer forging. A crucial part of this initiative was the installation of a Nitrex horizontal-loading system, featuring the furnace model NXH-9912, a custom solution designed to facilitate the seamless automatic transfers of loads between operations.
The turnkey system is equipped with Nitreg® nitriding technology, which enhances the wear and corrosion resistance of treated tooling. This technology improves efficiency gains, leading to savings in process time and resources, including electricity and process gases. Furthermore, the system adheres to industry standard 2759/10 controlled nitriding, ensuring the highest quality and precision in the heat treating process.
Interestingly, Kuźnia Jawor is also engaged in an ongoing collaborative research and development project with a local university, exploring hybrid coatings that combine Nitreg® nitriding technology with PVD and CVD processes, with the aim of further enhancing tool performance.
Located in the southwestern region of Poland, Kuźnia Jawor is a provider of forged and CNC automotive parts within Poland and mining parts in international markets such as Czechia and Türkiye.
Marcin Stokłosa, Nitrex Technical Sales Manager, NITREX Poland (Source:LinkedIn.com)
Marcin Stoklosa, manager of Technical Sales at Nitrex, who oversaw this endeavor, sums it up, “Kuźnia Jawor’s choice to partner with Nitrex was driven by the need to replace outdated equipment, modernize, and expand their production facility. The result? Improved quality, enhanced performance, and a stronger position in the forging industry.”
An international manufacturer of heat exchangers is expecting a new EV/CAB line to support their production of components, subsystems, and system solutions for thermal management in cars. The company provides energy-saving and high-performance products for regular petroleum and diesel fueled cars, as well as solutions for new electric vehicles.
Piotr Skarbiński Vice President of Aluminum and CAB Products Segment SECOWARWICK Source: LinkedIn
“The EV/CAB line on order is designed specifically for the production of “Snake” type battery coolers,” said Piotr Skarbiński, VP of the Aluminum Process and CAB Business Segment in SECO/WARWICK. He further commented that the heating and cooling design “contributes to the final product’s exceptional quality using our unique technology that achieves excellent temperature uniformity across the width of the belt, which is the key to successful production.”
The company will execute their first “Snake” battery coolers in SECO/WARWICK furnaces. This is the eighth CAB line which will operate in this automotive industry manufacturer’s plants and the second one with a width of 2,300 mm.
The controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) line on order will include a convection preheating chamber, a radiation furnace and two cooling chambers. The entire system will be equipped with a dedicated control system.
“This cooperation opens new perspectives for the SECO/WARWICK Group development in our region. The excellent heating and cooling design contributes to perfect temperature uniformity across the 2300 mm belt width, which is the key to successful production. We have already sold over 20 such solutions in China, and the demand for them is constantly growing,” commented Liu Yedong, Managing Director of SECO/WARWICK China.
Around the world, the demand for battery coolers is increasing due to the increasing production of electric vehicles.
This press release is available in its original form here.
A leading heat treat and HIP processing director, Humberto Ramos Fernández has overcome business and technologic challenges to make HT-MX the successful commercial heat treat company it is today.
In this NextGen profile on Heat Treat Radio — with host and Heat Treat Today publisher, Doug Glenn — we’re learning the heart of an engineer, from early education and metallurgy interests to cycling and how-to-start-a-business.
Below, you can watch the video, listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button, or read an edited transcript.
The following transcript has been edited for your reading enjoyment.
Meet Humberto (00:00)
Doug Glenn: Well, welcome everyone to another Heat Treat Radio episode. We have the great privilege today of having another one of our 40 under 40 award recipients here to tell us a bit about himself.
Contact us with your Reader Feedback!
So, Humberto, I would like for you to tell us your name and tell us a little bit about your upbringing. Where were you educated, for example?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: My name is Humberto Ramos Fernández. I'm born and raised here in Chihuahua, Mexico. I've spent my whole childhood living here, and when I went to college, I moved to , Mexico, had my degree there, and then spent a few years working around there. For a little while, I lived in Houston, Texas. I also lived in Australia for a little bit. I spent a few months in Argentina as well, and then got back to working in Monterrey, and eventually moved back to Chihuahua, where I'm currently living. I am very happy to be here, actually.
Doug Glenn: Do you have a family? I know you have parents, obviously. But married, kids, the dog, a cat. What do we have actually?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I am actually engaged. I am about to get married in September later this year.
Humberto shares about coming from a family of engineers.
Doug Glenn: Congratulations! Very nice, very nice. Yeah, best to you. That's great.
What was it that first made you think about metallurgy or heat treatment, that type of stuff?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: Well, I always knew I would want to be an engineer. My dad's an engineer. My brother is an engineer. Since a very young age, I've always been into cars and racing and stuff like that. So, engineering and mechanical engineering was kind of an obvious choice for me when deciding my degree after high school.
I never really thought of metallurgy as a career; it was kind of more of a business choice or business decision. When I started as a mechanical engineer I was very interested in the mechanical aspect of the parts and design more than the metallurgy.
But eventually, while still working in Monterrey, I had the opportunity to come back home in Chihuahua and visit for a weekend. I got submerged in the environment of business leaders where there were a lot of opportunities for businesses — one of those was heat treating.
That's when my real interest in it started. It's been around 13 years or so since then. I've learned a lot. I mean, there's a lot to learn yet.
But I'm happy in what I'm seeing and what I'm learning.
"The decision to go into metallurgy and heat treat adventure was a decision I made alongside my dad. You know, we decided that this was a good business opportunity for both of us."
- Humberto Ramos Fernández
Doug Glenn: I do want to mention that besides being one of Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 recipients, you've also authored a couple of articles with us as well. Obviously you're learning. It's been going well, and you've been contributing, giving back to the industry, which is really good.
Family (05:20)
What did your family think of your decision to go into heat treatment and metallurgy?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: The decision to go into metallurgy and heat treat adventure was a decision I made alongside my dad. You know, we decided that this was a good business opportunity for both of us. Even though he's never been involved in the day-to-day operations, he's been very supportive, and he's the actual president of the board at HT-MX.
We started this business together, and he's been with me all the way. We've had some very dark periods within the last 10 years. Pretty much everything that could happen did happen — a pandemic and multiple industry crises and everything.
He's been very supportive. One of the main reasons we've had some success, and I've been able to lead this company through some hard periods is because of his support and his knowledge. It's a very valuable thing to have, and I'm very grateful for sharing the experience with him and still having him give so much.
HT-MX (07:04)
Doug Glenn: Tell us a little bit about HT-MX. I don't think we've really mentioned it in particular. Did it exist before you started, or did you start it from scratch?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: After I graduated as a mechanical engineer, I got a job at GE Oil & Gas. I worked at this facility where we were manufacturing and oil and gas equipment. I spent a couple of years there. I learned a lot on the engineering side of it.
I got to work in the corporate offices in Houston, TX, for a while, and this led me to realize that there were a lot of supply chain gaps in the Mexican industry. There were heat treaters, but none like the ones we were looking for from the quality side of the requirements.
Being from the engineering side of things, I would visit some of these suppliers and realize that there were opportunities everywhere for more .
While that was happening, there was this pretty cool idea here in Chihuahua: A group of businessmen got together and organized a visit “from Chihuahua to Chihuahua,” trying to understand all the manufacturing happening here. A lot of people didn't really know. Over here, there are four OEMs. There's aerospace OEMs. There's a Ford engine plant. There's a lot of industry happening here. They defined several supply chain gaps, and one of that was heat treatment.
One weekend I was here visiting my parents, and we got to talk about the potential opportunities. We just decided to go for it. We started the company officially in 2010, 2012. We've been operating since.
We have a business partner as well. And I think we made a pretty cool team. And you know, we've survived a lot of things throughout this.
What Is the Most Enjoyable Part of HT-MX? (10:04)
Doug Glenn: What's been the most enjoyable part? What do you really enjoy about it?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I really enjoy whenever we have and then trying to translate that into an actual service — looking at the potential growth and the equipment requirements and the pyrometry and all that.
I think that's what we take a lot of care for at HT-MX, and I think that's one of the parts I enjoy the most.
Also, you know, just walking through the shop and seeing the furnaces — the floor being clean and organized. That’s just relaxing at some point.
“After lunch I used to drive around some of the old neighborhoods where there's these machine shops, and a single part gear or a shaft, and then go and do the heat treatment. And now we're doing hot isostatic pressing for airplane engine parts.”
Doug Glenn: It's got to be relatively satisfying for you to know that you started from zero.
Humberto Ramos Fernández: When we started, during the first few months, after lunch I used to drive around some of the old neighborhoods where there's these machine shops, and a single part gear or a shaft, and then go and do the heat treatment. And now we're doing hot isostatic pressing for airplane engine parts. So that's a big jump, you know.
It’s very satisfying. But at the end of the day, we still have a lot of challenges and a lot of things to do. So it's never about focusing on what we've already done, but what can be done and what lies ahead.
A bigger business also brings extra worries, you know.
More About HT-MX (11:58)
Doug Glenn: Little business, little problems; big business, big problems. Not a lot of people in the world have built a business from the ground up, so I'm sure it's worth taking some time, and just acknowledging that accomplishment.
So how furnaces? How many HIP units? How many employees do you have?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: Since the pandemic we went through an evolution. We refocused our company and became much more focused on the aerospace industry.
We were running high volume, automotive parts, and oil and gas parts. Since the pandemic and the increase in energy prices and a lot of the inflation issues that we had here in Mexico — especially with the energy costs — we were forced to focus on what we believe is the real volume behind a heat treatment. Which is, in my opinion, the engineering of aspect of it.
We started focusing on these clients where their requirements were higher and where we would be able to better service them with what we had. So, we refocused. We're currently running around eight furnaces and one HIP unit.
We’re expecting to add a couple of furnaces this year and we're in the process of adding a couple of other additional services.
So, we're growing. We kind of moved away from the high volumes work, and we're focusing more on more aerospace industry and work.
Top Industry Resources (13:55)
Doug Glenn: What are some of the resources that you use to help yourself stay well informed?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I guess the Internet, obviously.
Heat Treat Today is one of the main sources. There are other sites out there where heat treatment is focused on that I follow. And I talked to colleagues. I'm very involved in the aerospace cluster here in Chihuahua, also in Aerospace Federation in Mexico, and with the Chamber Commerce in Chihuahua — also federally in Mexico as well.
Nowadays with the Internet, and all that kind of stuff, there's a lot of information around. The key aspect is to kind of know how to filter the good info from the bad info.
“We started focusing on these clients where their requirements were higher and where we would be able to better service them with what we had. So, we refocused. We're currently running around eight furnaces and one HIP unit.”
- Humberto Ramos Fernández
Rapid Fire Round (14:56)
Doug Glenn: Let me ask you a couple of rapid fire questions, just to kind of get to know you a little bit more as a person, if you don't mind.
Are you a Mac or Apple user, as far as your computer goes? Or are you a PC guy?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: No, I'm an Apple user.
Doug Glenn: Is that right? You have an Apple computer.
Humberto Ramos Fernández: Yeah, I'm actually on an Apple computer right now.
Doug Glenn: Are you more of a digital person? Do you like hard copy print, or digital, or both, or neither?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I grew up reading physical magazines, and I still really enjoy car magazines and stuff like that. But other than that, books and podcasts and all, it's on digital.
Doug Glenn: So I don't know if this applies so much to you, because you own the company. Do prefer a flexible work schedule or a high paying job? Being the owner of the company, you have neither, so maybe you would take either.
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I'll take whatever I can get. I think that the flexibility is a very, very valuable part of any kind of work. And I try to offer that to the people that we work with. But also, you need to have high pay to retain the good employees and the good engineers. We are trying to balance both.
Doug Glenn: Tell me about your car passion. Are you still doing anything with your car passion here? You like car magazines and stuff like that?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I have a couple of old cars I like to work on. I work with my brother on restoring as well. I still keep that passion going. It's something that I really enjoy.
Doug Glenn: So you gotta tell us: What's the 40 year old car?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: It's a 1983 BMW 320I.
Humberto’s big interest is working on old cars, especially a 1983 BMW 320I.
Doug Glenn: If you could travel somewhere else that you haven't already been, where would you go, and why?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I haven’t been to Japan. And I would love to experience the culture. I feel fascinated by their history and their culture and even their food. So that would be one of my first options.
Doug Glenn: What was it about Japan in the past that caught your attention?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: Those kind of cultures that are so radically different from what we experience here in Latin America are very interesting to look at and to visit.
I've been through China. I've been through other Asian countries. And you know I've been through some other countries in Europe. So considering that I've never been, never been there I would definitely choose Japan.
Doug Glenn: What do you do with your free time? Assuming you have any?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I like to spend my weekends cycling. I do a lot of road cycling as well. Endurance sports, mostly cycling. So recently, I've done a lot of long, long days out there on the bike. I love the weather here, and here in Chihuahua, we're close to some very nice mountains and the canyons are absolutely beautiful places to go and visit on your bike.
Doug Glenn: What’s your favorite app on your phone or movie or magazine?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: My favorite movie I think it would be the Shawshank Redemption.
Doug Glenn: What future plans do you have for your company and life? Obviously, I know you're getting married. So that's one. But company life, generally speaking, what are you looking forward to?
Humberto Ramos Fernández: I'm looking forward to a period of continuous growth in the company, and where we can stabilize the operation and allow me to explore new and bigger opportunities within the heat treatment industry. I think there's a lot to be done here, and I think as a country and as a state, we're coming into a very good period of time.
Personally, I feel optimistic of what we can achieve here, and that still drives me every day to try and improve our company and continue to learn and to establish ourselves as a reliable and valuable heat treater for our clients.
Doug Glenn: That's great, Humberto. It's been a real pleasure to talk with you. Thanks for spending some time with us.
About the Expert
Humberto Ramos Fernández is a mechanical engineer with a master’s degree in Science and Technology Commercialization. He has over 14 years of industrial experience and is the founder and director of HT-MX Heat Treat & HIPing, which specializes in Nadcap-certified controlled atmosphere heat treatments for the aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas industries. With clients ranging from OEMs to Tier 3, has ample experience in developing specific, high complexity secondary processes to the highest requirements.
Today’s News from Abroad installment highlights more carbon-cutting trends from the steel industry, ranging from robots in the cast house to recycling best practices.
Heat Treat Today partners with two international publications to deliver the latest news, tech tips, and cutting-edge articles that will serve our audience — manufacturers with in-house heat treat. heat processing, a Vulkan-Verlag GmbHpublication, serves mostly the European and Asian heat treat markets, andFurnaces International, a Quartz Business Media publication, primarily serves the English-speaking globe.
Robots Bring Safety to Casting
Primetals Technologies’ new customized LiquiRob robotics system in operation at Siam Yamato Steel’s Map Ta Phut plant
Source: Primetals Technologies
“Thai steel producer Siam Yamato Steel has implemented a new robot concept from Primetals Technologies, including LiquiRob, at its steelworks in Map Ta Phut . . .. Thanks to the robotics solution, safety and occupational health in the steelworks have significantly improved. Previously, workers who manually operated the shadow tube had to stand directly next to the distributor and the stream of steel flowing out of the ladle. In the case of a so-called ‘frozen pan.’”
CELES EcoTransFlux™ brings green high heating abilities to the induction heating technology.
Source: Furnaces International
“Nippon Steel Stainless Steel Corporation and Sojitz Group met with our induction team at Fives headquarters in Paris for a detailed design review of the transverse flux induction heating system. CELES EcoTransFlux™ is an induction heating technology with very high heating rates at extremely high temperatures, and a compact footprint. It also has a minimal environmental footprint, making it beneficial for steelmakers to improve their carbon, stainless or electrical steel production.”
EAGP members signed an agreement to engage in a standardisation project for beverage cans.
Source: Anrita1705/Pixabay
“Four leading flat-rolled aluminium manufacturers and members of the European Aluminium Packaging Group (EAPG), Constellium, Elval, Novelis and Speira, have signed an agreement to engage in a standardisation project to maximise the recycled content levels of the beverage can and thus substantially lower carbon emissions, focused on increased recyclability of the can end.”
Mini-Mill Investment Transforms Future for Swedish Metal Manufacturer
Fossil-free mini-mill
Source: Furnaces International
“SSAB’s Board of Directors have taken the decision to proceed with the next step in SSABs transition, building a state-of-the-art fossil-free mini-mill in Luleå, Sweden. When completed SSAB will close the current blast furnace-based production system. This will reduce Sweden’s CO2 emissions with 7% in addition to the 3% from the Oxelösund mill conversion.”
Operating a hot isostatic press? The stages for HIP processing can become faster and more effective with gas detection technology. Learn about real-time leak detection analysis and continuous monitoring for outgassing.
ThisTechnical Tuesdayarticle byErik Cox, manager of New Business Development at Gencoa, was originally published inHeat Treat Today’sMarch/April 2024 Aerospaceprint edition.
The Problem in HIP
Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is a widely employed method for densifying powders or cast and sintered parts. It involves subjecting materials to extreme conditions — high pressure (100–200 MPa) and high temperature (typically 1652°F–2282°F, or 900–1250°C) — in a specialized vessel.
Contact us with your Reader Feedback!Figure 1. Pumping times based on residual water vapor
One aspect of HIP comes before introducing metal or ceramic powders to the vessel: Operators must test for any leaks in the canisters. This ensures that the proper HIP processing can be completed. Secondly, outgassing of the powder must be performed, and thirdly, outgassing the HIP chamber should be done. All three are essential steps that are typically time consuming and inefficient, but new gas detection technology can make this pre-processing stage faster and more effective.
Real-Time Analysis for Leak Detection
Leak detection is normally performed with a helium leak detector, which are expensive and require significant technical knowledge to operate. Some HIP processing providers simply forego leak checking of the canister, fill the HIP canister with powder, and perform the degas; but in this case, any leaks will be identified during the degas process, and powder must then be removed to repair the canister.
HIP users must look to technology that effectively detects leaks before they proceed to outgassing. One example of this is Gencoa’s Optix gas sensor: As the pumping procedure commences and pressure reaches 0.5 mbar (which typically occurs within 15–30 seconds), the device switches on and employs a sophisticated analysis of the nitrogen that enters the canister from the atmosphere to discern the leak rate of the canisters. When a leak is detected, argon gas can be sprayed around the canister to accurately detect the leak point and allow repair.
Outgassing: Traditional vs. Continuous Monitoring
Outgassing is a critical step in the preconditioning of powders for HIP processed components, involving the removal of adsorbed gases and water vapor from the metal powder through vacuum pumping. Traditionally, the endpoint for this process is not monitored, leading to an overly long vacuum pumping stage of up to several days to ensure that the powders are correctly prepared.
Th is challenge is addressed by providing continuous monitoring throughout the entire degassing process, reducing the time to degas through the ability of the Gencoa Optix gas sensor to precisely determine the degas endpoint.
Figure 2. Gencoa Optix
By offering real-time feedback and notifying users when degassing is complete, this sensor saves time and ensures the production of high-quality components with traceability. With the Optix, one user saw their degas times reduced from 24 hours to 4 hours. The sensor is capable of residual gas analysis, providing a comprehensive solution for improved productivity. Its wide-range pressure measurement capabilities, coupled with efficient leak checking of HIP processing enclosures, further enhance the overall operational efficiency.
Optix operates as a highly sensitive, stand-alone device that utilizes a small plasma (“light”) that detects the gas species present. This design ensures that the detector remains impervious to contamination or vacuum issues, maintaining continuous monitoring and avoiding potential damage. Because the device also eliminates the need for filament replacement or disassembly of components for maintenance, the design will perform at 100% operational uptime even in the harshest environments.
Indispensable Tools for HIP Processing
HIP operators need to maintain equipment efficiently and effectively, and technologies that integrate solutions not only enhance overall productivity, leak detection, and control of the degassing process, but are indispensable to improving the overall quality and traceability of components. Leveraging technologies that allow for early detection and increase uptime will only enhance the future HIP can offer to the AM-focused aerospace industry.
About the Author
Erik Cox, Manager of New Business Development, Gencoa
Dr. Erik Cox is a former research scientist with experience working in the U.S., Singapore, and Europe. Erik has a master’s degree in physics and a PhD from the University of Liverpool. As the manager of New Business Development at Gencoa, Erik plays a key role in identifying industry sectors outside of Gencoa’s traditional markets that can benefit from the company’s comprehensive portfolio of products and know-how.
For more information:
Contact Erik at sales@gencoa.com
Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com
Hubbard-Hall, a provider of specialty chemicals for industrial manufacturing processes, announced the acquisition of Prosys Finishing Technology.
Jeff Davis, SVP—Business Development & Distribution, Hubbard-Hall (Source: LinkedIn)
With this acquisition, Hubbard-Hall expands its product portfolio and welcomes Randy DiSano, former owner of Prosys, to its team as senior product manager under Jeff Davis, SVP—Business Development & Distribution.
DiSano stated, “While it was a difficult decision to sell Prosys after 25 years . . . I am excited to join the Hubbard-Hall team and continue serving our customers with the same dedication and expertise.”
Molly Kellogg, CEO of Hubbard-Hall, commented, “Randy is . . . always in the customer’s corner.” She continues enthusiastically commenting about Pavco’s legacy of innovative plating chemistry.
This acquisition adds to Hubbard-Hall’s product offerings and strengthens customer support in the Northeast plating market. As part of the acquisition, Hubbard-Hall becomes a distributor of Pavco, a leading supplier of plating specialties.
Additionally, Hubbard-Hall will consolidate the distribution of MetalChem EN products in the Northeast, streamlining operations and enhancing customer service. The acquisition also grants Hubbard-Hall the rights to Prosys’s proprietary formulas for cleaning and finishing.
This press release is available in its original form upon request.
A custom-built vacuum induction melting (VIM) equipment is set to expand thermal processing for a manufacturer, whose operations already has two VIM solutions.
The furnace will be fabricated at the Buffalo headquarters of Retech, a SECO/WARWICK Group subsidiary, to capitalize on available schedule improvements. As custom equipment, the subsidiary’s furnaces are not dependent on assembly-line style construction, so they can be fabricated and assembled just in either location.
While this client prefers not to divulge this VIM’s application, Retech’s solution can handle casting a wide range of materials used in applications from automotive and consumer products to critical, high-value equiaxed, directionally solidified, or single-crystal aerospace parts. Almost every furnace Retech makes is modified to meet the specifications and associated applications of its clients.
VIM from the Retech Buffalo, NY location.
Source: SECO/WARWICK
