heat treat buyers guide

Basic Definitions: Power Pathways in Vacuum Furnaces

/ CONTROLS TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, Manufacturing Heat Treat Technical Content, OP-ED, VACUUM FURNACES TECHNICAL CONTENT

Ever wish you had a map to follow when navigating your power source? In the following Technical Tuesday article, Brian Turner, sales applications engineer at RoMan Manufacturing, Inc., charts the route that power takes from the source to the load and back again in a vacuum furnace.

This informative piece was first released in Heat Treat Today’s June 2024 Buyers’ Guide print edition.

In a vacuum furnace, the journey from the load (the material being heat treated) to the incoming power involves a complex arrangement of components that deliver, control, and monitor electrical energy. Here’s a breakdown of the path from the source to the load and back to the source of incoming power of a vacuum furnace:

Load

The material — either an item or batch of items — that is undergoing heat treatment; can be metals, ceramics, or composites.

Heating Elements

Common materials for heating elements include graphite, molybdenum, or tungsten, depending on the temperature range and application.

Electrical Feedthrough

These are used to transmit electrical power or signals through the vacuum chamber wall. They often contain insulated conductors and connectors to ensure safe transmission without leaking air into the vacuum environment.

Conductors

The most common methods to connect power from a vacuum power source to the furnace’s feedthrough include air-cooled cables, water-cooled cables, and copper bus bar. Power efficiency can be improved when selecting the length, size, and area between conductors. This can be achieved by close coupling the power system to the electrical feedthroughs, reducing resistance and inductive reactance, and improving the power factor.

Machined Copper Bar
Source: RoMan Manufacturing, Inc.

Controlled Power Distribution Systems

The furnace market today generally relies on three primary types of control power distribution systems: VRT, SCR, and IGBT. Each of these technologies employs different methods to regulate the power input to the furnace, which in turn generates the required heat.

VRT (Variable Reactance Transformer)

  • The VRT controls AC voltage to the load, this is accomplished by a DC power controller that injects DC current into the reactor within the transformer.

SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifier)

IGBT (Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor)

  • Balanced three-phase voltage is rectified through a bridge circuit to charge a capacitor in the DC bus. The IGBT network switches the DC bus at 1000Hz to control the AC output voltage to a Medium Frequency Direct Current (MFDC) power supply.
  • MFDC power supply transforms the AC voltage to a practical level and rectifies the secondary voltage (DC) to the heating circuit.
  • A line reactor on the incoming three-phase line mitigates harmonic content.

Control Systems

These systems manage the furnace’s operation, including driving the setpoint of the power system, temperature control, vacuum levels, and timing. They often consist of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), sensors, and other automation components.

Incoming Power

This is the origin of the furnace’s electrical energy, typically from a utility grid. It provides alternating current (AC), which is distributed and transformed within the furnace system to power all necessary components. In industrial settings, power companies usually charge for electricity based on several factors that reflect both the amount of electricity used and how it’s used. Some common charges/penalties are energy consumption (kWh), demand charges (kW), power factor penalties, and time-of-use (TOU) reactive power.

Conclusion

The careful arrangement of heating elements, electrical feedthroughs, conductors, and controlled power distribution systems allows for precise temperature control, ultimately impacting the quality of the processed material. Understanding the role of various control systems, such as VRT, SCR, IGBTs, and transformers is crucial for optimizing furnace performance and managing energy costs

About the Author:

Brian Turner
Sales Applications Engineer
RoMan Manufacturing, Inc.
Source: RoMan Manufacturing, Inc.

Brian K. Turner has been with RoMan Manufacturing, Inc., for more than 12 years. Most of that time has been spent managing the R&D Lab. In recent years, he has taken on the role as applications engineer, working with customers and their applications.

For more information: Contact Brian at bturner@romanmfg.com.

Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

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Message From the Editor: How To Use the Heat Treat Buyers Guide

/ EDITOR, FEATURED NEWS

Finding heat treat related equipment and services has never been easier than with the Heat Treat Buyers Guide. Karen Gantzer, senior editor/associate publisher of Heat Treat Today, describes what this one-of-a-kind, searchable resource can do for you.

This article first appeared in Heat Treat Today's June 2022  Heat Treat Buyers Guide print edition. Feel free to contact Karen Gantzer at karen@heattreattoday.com if you have a question, comment, or any editorial contribution you’d like to submit.

Karen Gantzer
Senior Editor/Associate Publisher
Heat Treat Todayy

Welcome to the second edition of the Heat Treat Buyers Guide. We are excited for you to experience this new edition with additional valuable resources. Here’s how you can get the most out of this resource: The Heat Treat Buyers Guide is divided into three major sections.

Alphabetic Supplier Listing

The first section, from pages 13-23, contains an alphabetic listing of all the suppliers of heat treating equipment and related services in the North American heat treat marketplace. You’ll notice that some of the companies listed in this section have a red star before their name. These are the advertisers who make this guide possible. Please lend your support to these industry-leading companies when it comes to purchasing.

Other companies have a boldface listing along with their company logo, but no red star. These are our Gold Level suppliers who have paid extra to be in the online version. These companies are also worthy of your serious consideration.

Those companies without a red star, no logo, and no blue asterisk are what we call our Basic Level companies. They’ve also contributed a nominal yearly amount to be listed in the online and print versions of this buyers guide. These companies should be considered, too.

There are still other companies who have not yet completed their online listing and therefore have relatively little information in the print edition. You’ll be able to recognize these companies because they have a blue asterisk (*) next to their name. More and more of these companies are signing up daily, so our suggestion is to check our website for the latest information about these companies OR go directly to these companies’ websites, which are listed along with their company names in this first section.

Heat Treat Equipment and Related Services

The second major section of this buyers guide is an exhaustive listing of heat treat equipment and related services. There is a comprehensive index of these services listed between pages 24 and 26. This is a good place to start your search.

Immediately after the Index of Equipment & Related Services are six sub-categories with hundreds of products and companies who provide them. The six sub-categories are: 1) Heat Treat Furnaces, Ovens & Induction Equipment, 2) Heat Treat Components, Supplies & Materials, 3) Heat Treat Controls, Instrumentation & Sensors, 4) Heat Treat Auxiliary, Sub-Systems, Ancillary Equipment & Services, 5) Heat Treat Lab, Testing, & Materials Characterization Equipment, and 6) Heat Treat Gases & Atmosphere Generation Equipment. There are too many products and services to reproduce here, but you can see them all on pages 28-71.

Alphabetic Commercial Heat Treater Listing

The third and final section of the Heat Treat Buyers Guide runs from pages 76 to 91 and includes an alphabetic listing of commercial heat treaters as well as the two new sections highlighting the services and processes they perform. If you’re looking for a company to perform heat treating on a product your company makes, this is a good place to start.

A final thought. If you are a supplier of heat treating equipment or related services OR if you are a commercial heat treater and you are NOT listed in this directory, there is a quick and easy remedy. All you must do is go to www.heattreatbuyersguide.com and search for your company’s name. If you are there, all you need to do is “claim” your listing. If you are not there, you can easily create a listing for your company in less than 15 minutes. If you have any trouble, please feel free to contact us at buyers_guide@heattreattoday.com with any questions. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

 

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Letter from the Publisher: Heat Treat Help – Looking Forward to 2022

/ PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today's September 2021 Trade Show print edition.

Doug Glenn
Publisher and Founder
Heat Treat Today

We believe people are happier and make better decisions when they are well informed. That’s the mantra that every Heat Treat Today team member knows by heart. These simple words drive pretty much every thing we do.

Be helpful. That’s it. Simple.

As we round the fourth corner and head for the finish line of 2021 – yet another pandemic year (!) – let’s set our sights on 2022 and some new and interesting things that Heat Treat Today  will be doing to help you make better decisions.

(1) Our new, big launch in 2022 will be Heat Treat Boot Camp (see the ad on page 22A). This will be a never-before-seen face-to-face event for those who want to get up to speed quickly on the commercial side of the North American heat treat industry. Ideal for new employees or for investors wanting to understand the basics of the marketplace, heat treat industry expert Thomas Wingens and I will spend a day and a half cramming 2+ years’ worth of information into the heads of the attendees. From a 30,000-foot level, we’ll cover the materials, markets, products, processes, and players that make up the North American heat treat market. When attendees leave this seminar, they’ll be way ahead of their peers who have not taken this course. They’ll be happier because they will be well informed and able to make better decisions.

The actual date(s) and location(s) have not been confirmed, but you can check the latest information at www.heattreattoday.com/bootcamp.

(2) Heat Treat Buyer's Guide is another helpful tool that will assist our readers – manufacturers with their own in-house heat treat shop especially in aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy as well as general manufacturing – make better decisions. We launched this industry-leading platform earlier this year (2021) and so far, it has been very successful. If you haven’t seen it, take a minute to visit www.heattreatbuyersguide.com. You’ll love it. And if you’re a supplier to the industry and you are not listed in this valuable resource, please contact me and we’ll get you listed ASAP.

(3) Heat Treat Radio, Heat Treat Consultants, and the ever-popular Heat Treat Daily are three other resources that are constantly helping our readers stay happy by being well informed. You can get to Heat Treat Radio at www.heattreattoday.com/radio. You can check out Heat Treat Consultants at www.heattreattoday.com/consultants. And you can subscribe to our weekday e-newsletter, Heat Treat Daily, by going to www.heattreattoday.com/subscribe. The Consultants Page is especially helpful for those in-house heat treaters who are experiencing heat treat "brain drain". Call one of the consultants listed on this page, and they’ll give you a hand.

(4) And finally, if you want more can’t-miss-resources, check out the list of 39 Top Heat Treat Resources listed in this month’s edition. We’ve gathered some super helpful information from around the industry – information that will make you happy. . . because you’ll be well informed and able to make better decisions.

The most helpful thing we can do is keep you and your people well informed, with “people” being the operative word. People (you) truly are our most valuable asset. Read Ken Gronbach’s column on page 8 for more insights into gaining and maintaining people over the next decade and enjoy learning about the 40 Heat Treat Today’s rising young leaders in the North American heat treat industry – 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 found on pages 32-55.

Here’s to you being well informed and happy. Enjoy this issue.

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Message from the Editor: How to Use This Guide

/ EDITOR, FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, OP-ED

OCAre you someone who is satisfied with the same services and equipment that you've used for years, regardless of how mediocre the results are? Would you like to use a new guide to find better heat treat solutions?  

This original content article was written by Karen Gantzer, editor of Heat Treat Today, for Heat Treat Today's June 2021 Heat Treat Buyers Guide print edition. Feel free to contact Karen Gantzer at karen@heattreattoday.com if you have a question, comment, or any editorial contribution you’d like to submit.

80%-90% of you tell us that you prefer to have a print, hard-copy magazine – and the Heat Treat Buyers Guide is no exception. While it is the “hip,” “cool,” or “in” thing to “go digital,” the facts say otherwise. So, slap this hard-copy, bad boy down on your desk or table and let it sit around until you’re ready to buy something in the North American heat treat market. Then pick it up and enjoy all of the resources it has to offer.

Here’s how you can get the most out of this resource:

The Buyers Guide is divided into three major sections.

1. The first section, from pages 17-27, contains an alphabetic listing of all the suppliers of heat treating equipment and related services in the North American heat treat marketplace. You’ll notice that some of the companies listed in this section have a red star before their name. These are the advertisers who make this print version possible. Please lend your support to these industry-leading companies when it comes to purchasing.

Other companies have a boldface listing along with their company logo, but no red star. These are our Gold level suppliers who have paid extra to be in the online version. These companies are also worthy of your serious consideration.

There are still other companies who have not yet completed their online listing and therefore have relatively little information in this print edition. You’ll be able to recognize these companies because they have a blue asterisk (*) next to their name. More and more of these companies are signing up daily, so our suggestion is to check our website (www.heattreatbuyersguide.com) for the latest information about these companies OR go directly to these companies’ websites, which are listed along with their company names in this first section.

Those companies without a red star, no logo, and no blue asterisk are what we call our Basic Level companies. They’ve also contributed a nominal yearly amount to be listed in the online and print versions of this Buyers Guide. These companies are also very much worthy of your consideration.

2. The second major section of this Buyers Guide is an exhaustive listing of heat treat equipment and related services. There is a comprehensive index of these services listed between pages 28 and 32. This is a good place to start your search.

Immediately after the Index of Equipment & Related Services are six sub-categories with hundreds of products and companies who provide them. The six sub-categories are: 1) Heat Treat Furnaces, Ovens & Induction Equipment, 2) Heat Treat Components, Supplies & Materials, 3) Heat Treat Controls, Instrumentation & Sensors, 4) Heat Treat Auxiliary, Subs-System, Ancillary Equipment & Services, 5) Heat Treat Lab, Testing, & Materials Characterization Equipment, and 6) Heat Treat Gases & Atmosphere Generation Equipment. There are too many products and services to reproduce here, but you can see them all on pages 34-78.

3. The third and final section of this Buyers Guide runs from pages 79 to 83 and is a state-by-state listing of commercial heat treaters. If you’re looking for a company to perform heat treating on a product your company makes, this is a good place to start. There wasn’t room in this print edition to list the processes that these commercial heat treating companies perform, but if you go to the website, www.heattreatbuyersguide.com, you’ll be able to search for a commercial heat treater by the processes they perform AND their proximity to you.

A final thought. If you are a supplier of heat treating equipment or related services OR if you are a commercial heat treater and you are NOT listed in this directory, there is a quick and easy remedy. All you have to do is go to www.heattreatbuyersguide.com and search for your company’s name. If you are there, all you need to do is “claim” your listing. If you are not there, you can easily create a listing for your company in less than 15 minutes. If you have any trouble, please feel free to contact us at buyers_guide@heattreattoday.com with any questions. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Happy shopping!

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