Jewelry Industry Purchases Annealing Furnaces from C.I. Hayes

January 5, 2017 / ANNEALING NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

C.I. Hayes, a Gasbarre Furnace Group company, is pleased to announce the recent installation

of multiple “Solitaire” Conveyor Belt Furnaces for annealing of precious metals to be used in the

jewelry industry. In total, this project consisted of three identical conveyor belt furnaces, all manufactured and installed for the same customer. Named for its compact design and initially developed for brazing and bright annealing of jewelry pieces, the C.I. Hayes “Solitaire” Conveyor Belt Furnace has found great acceptance in other markets requiring brazing and bright annealing of small, intricate parts.

C.I. Hayes continues to enhance the proven design of its “Solitaire” Furnace Line improving the overall lifetime value. Its robust and simple design allows for ease of manufacture, installation and maintenance, ensuring success for those processes that are driven by both technical and commercial demands. The “Solitaire” Conveyor Belt Furnace is equipped with belt widths of 6-12 inches and effective heat lengths of 27-72 inches. Four-sided heat surrounding the muffle provides excellent uniformity and power input with temperature capabilities to 2100°F (1148°C). The furnace remains compact and may be shipped as a single piece, fully assembled, with single point connections for power, water and atmosphere.

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Aerospace Supplier Purchases from Wisconsin Oven

December 12, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Wisconsin Oven Corporation announced the shipment of an electrically heated horizontal quench system to a supplier of the Aerospace industry. The system will be used to solution heat treat and rapidly quench a variety of aluminum parts.

The horizontal quench furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 1,250°F, a work chamber of 6’W x 2’H x 4’L. It is electrically heated with 144kW of heat input and SCR power control. The recirculation system utilizes a 15,000 CFM blower with combination air flow design to maximize temperature uniformity. This horizontal quench system features guaranteed temperature uniformity (+/-5°F at 870° F and 1,000° F) and meets the requirements of AMS 2750E Class 1.

The quench tank is a 12 gauge 304 stainless steel construction, and utilizes a pneumatically actuated quench elevator to lower and raise the load into the tank. The system provides a seven (7) second maximum quench time. The quench tank has a 1,600 gallon capacity and agitation pump rated for 250 gallons per minute. The tank is designed for a 20°F maximum water temperature rise (when load is quenched).

“A Horizontal Quench System is a cost effective option for our customers that perform solution heat treating processes. It offers many of the typical drop bottom capabilities and features with a smaller footprint, saving on the customer’s valuable floor space.” Jim Lucas, Senior Sales Engineer

Unique features of this horizontal quench furnace include:

Seven (7) second maximum quench time
Non-heated stainless steel rinse tank with agitation
Powered load/unload table
Meets AMS 2750E Class 1 specifications
Pusher/extractor (load pusher) system for automatic loading and quenching
Oven relay and sequence control performed by an Allen Bradley PLC
Operator interface control (for oven/quench/pusher) with 10” color touch screen HMI

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Automotive Tier One Supplier Orders AFC-Holcroft Heat Treat Equipment

November 18, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

A Tier 1 automotive supplier located in the Midwest has placed (2) orders with AFC-Holcroft for the supply of heat treating equipment related to the processing of aluminum.

The first order will consist of a Roller Hearth Homogenizing Furnace for processing aluminum products. The complete system includes a multi-position loading table, a multi-position furnace, cooling station and multi-position unload table.

The second order is for a Solution Heat Treat Line, which will also be used for processing aluminum products. This system will include charge and discharge transfer cars, a multi-position solution furnace, water quench system, multi-position age furnace, multi-position accumulation charge and discharge tables, accumulation cross-over mechanism and a tray pull-off station.

Additionally, AFC-Holcroft will provide their Remote Diagnostic Service™ during the furnace warranty period. This service provides a complete remote monitoring and diagnostic package including transmission and analysis of machine data, targeting the most common or noteworthy events and identifying root causes. The Remote Diagnostic Service transmits data automatically to AFC-Holcroft’s secure servers, eliminating the human time and cost associated with manually gathering historical data for the same purpose.

“While AFC-Holcroft is best known for providing equipment for the processing of steel components, we also have a long history of providing equipment to the aluminum industry” stated Mark Johnston, Aftermarket Equipment Sales. “This order is a further inroad into this growing market.”

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TITAN® Vacuum Furnaces Take a Journey

November 7, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Ipsen’s TITAN® product line has had quite the journey over the past few years. Found in facilities around the world, these vacuum furnaces can operate in most languages, feature several sizes and configurations and have a small footprint. Now, the PdMetrics® software platform for predictive maintenance also comes standard on TITAN heat-treating systems.

Most recently, Ipsen delivered two TITAN H2-size vacuum furnaces with 1.9-bar gas quenching and the PdMetrics platform to Japan. Shipped within three weeks of each other, these furnaces will be used by separate commercial heat treaters and feature 18” x 24” x 18” (455 mm x 610 mm x 455 mm) graphite hot zones with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) load capacity. They operate at temperatures up to 2,400 °F (1,320 °C) with ±10 °F (±6 °C) uniformity, and are capable of meeting applicable AMS 2750E and Nadcap requirements.

Through the PdMetrics platform – which securely connects to a network of integrated sensors on the furnace to gather and analyze data, run algorithms and provide real-time diagnostics – these TITAN furnaces provide sophisticated monitoring of critical systems and key parameters that improve the health and integrity of the equipment. Both companies also took a proactive approach to preventative maintenance by ordering one of Ipsen’s many spare parts kits. These kits consist of consumable and preventative maintenance items to help ensure equipment uptime and keep the furnace running smoothly.

Ipsen’s TITAN vacuum heat-treating systems provide an advanced solution in the form of speed, reliability and versatility of process capabilities. However, Ipsen is more than just an equipment manufacturer. They also offer expert-driven solutions for customers’ needs through all stages of the system’s life cycle, no matter the location – whether it is facilitating on-site installation, providing expert training and start-up assistance or delivering responsive field support and spare parts.

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Novelis China Supplying Sheet for Aluminum-Intensive Jaguar XFL

October 24, 2016 / AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

Source: Light Metal Age –

Novelis China is supplying aluminum solutions for the all-new, aluminum-intensive Jaguar XFL, the first Jaguar model from Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Co., Ltd. Chery Jaguar Land Rover started up production at its Changzhu Plant – China’s first purpose-built aluminum body shop, where the Jaguar XFL will be assembled. Most of the aluminum alloys for the Changzhu body shop will be supplied by the Novelis sheet finishing and heat-treatment plant located in Changzhu, China.

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Majority of Heat Treatment Done In-House at SKF — New Equipment Purchased

September 6, 2016 / ANNEALING, BRAZING, CARBURIZING, FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, QUENCHING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Ipsen recently installed both atmosphere and vacuum heat-treating systems at SKF’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in St. Louis, Missouri. With the relocation of their existing facility to a new location, SKF continues to focus on enhancing the quality, efficiency and overall effectiveness of their heat-treating equipment. Among this new Ipsen equipment was a complete ATLAS atmosphere heat-treating system, including two ATLAS integral quench batch furnaces and ancillary equipment – washer, temper, endo generator, loader/unloader and a feed-in/feed-out station. SKF also purchased a TITAN^® vacuum heat-treating system to round out their production capabilities.

Heat-treating is considered a core competency at SKF, and this new equipment will allow them to bring the majority of heat treatment in-house and efficiently handle the increase they’ve seen in production demands and volume of parts. Reflecting on the equipment purchased and what appealed to SKF, Bryan Stanford said, “Initially, I would say it was the general purposefulness of these Ipsen products that appealed to us. We run a very large variety of parts and batch quantities here. A custom solution designed to run tens of thousands of the same parts was not going to work for us. We wanted a low-cost, off-the-shelf-type solution that would allow us the flexibility we required – which is what the ATLAS and TITAN delivered. Now after having performed some pre-training, I would say what stands out the most is the ease of use and control of the equipment.”

The ATLAS batch furnaces feature a 24″ W x 36″ D x 30″ H (610 mm x 910 mm x 760 mm) load size with an 1,100-pound (500 kg) load capacity. They also operate at temperatures of 1,400 °F to 1,800 °F (750 °C to 980 °C) and have a quench oil capacity of 1,030 gallons (3,900 L). The TITAN vacuum furnace features an 18″ W x 24″ D x 18″ H (455 mm x 610 mm x 455 mm) load size with a 1,000-pound (454 kg) load capacity. It operates at temperatures of 1,000 °F to 2,400 °F (538 °C to 1,316 °C). Overall, this Ipsen equipment will be used for carburizing, carbonitriding, brazing and annealing and will process a wide variety of parts that support SKF’s Lubrication Business Unit.

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Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota Completes Forgings for Boeing

August 17, 2016 / AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, FORGING NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

On July 19, 2016, Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota, LLC (ETFN) made its first production shipment of 15-5PH flap-track forgings for the 737 program to the Boeing Portland (Oregon) fabrication facility. Ellwood and Boeing had concluded negotiations on a new multi-year contract in May of 2015, and shortly thereafter began the qualification processes and testing required, ultimately resulting in the successful production of the flap track forgings. ETFN looks forward to a long term relationship with Boeing, exploring new opportunities across all airplane programs.

About Ellwood Texas Forge Navasota, LLC

ETFN is one of two closed die forging companies owned by Ellwood Group Inc., headquartered in Ellwood City, PA. Located in southeast Texas, ETFN uses conventional hammers, computer controlled counter blow hammers and computer controlled presses to manufacture near net closed die forgings out of carbon, alloy, stainless and titanium. ETFN also has in-house die sinking, cutting, heat treatment, testing and machining capabilities.

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How to Keep Process Cooling Systems Running

August 8, 2016 / COOLING SYSTEMS TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

Source: Dry Coolers

“Just like your plant electrical system, telecommunications equipment, or data network infrastructure, a process cooling water failure can shut down a facility and may even involve safety issues. Let’s outline some of the steps you can take to minimize downtime.”

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AICHELIN Group Acquires AFC-Holcroft, a US Market Leader in Heat Treatment Solutions

July 13, 2016 / FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

On July 12, 2016, the Austrian AICHELIN Group acquired US-based Atmosphere Group, holding company of AFC-Holcroft. The two groups are a perfect fit: Both are leading market players with a long-standing history and state-of-the-art technologies and services in the industrial area of heat treatment solutions. AICHELIN Group – with its manufacturing companies AICHELIN, EMA Indutec, SAFED, BOSIO and Noxmat – is a leading provider of high-quality plants and systems. AFC-Holcroft is the US market leader in the production of industrial furnace equipment for ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Other main companies of Atmosphere Group are Atmosphere Heat Treating and Austemper Inc. Until now, Atmosphere Group was privately held. The parties agreed not to disclose details and the price of the transaction.

The acquisition complements the geographic presence of AICHELIN Group and strengthens the Group’s overall market position as one of the leading global heat treatment groups. The AICHELIN Group is now the largest provider of Atmosphere furnaces world-wide. With a strong presence in Europe, North America and Asia, the joint annual turnover generated by 1,100 employees amounts to over EUR 195 million (2015). The group operates a network in 32 countries.

“This is a major step in AICHELIN Group’s strategy of building a global, dynamic group of companies specializing in heat treatment solutions”, says AICHELIN Group’s CEO Peter Schobesberger. “With AFC-Holcroft as a member of our Group, we further evolve into a truly global company with strong local roots in the most important markets. We have an excellent, complementary geographical footprint and will further strengthen our leading positions.” Bill Disler, CEO of AFC-Holcroft, adds: “AFC-Holcroft celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. With AICHELIN Group as our new owner, we are sure to combine our long-standing traditions with an innovative future. AFC-Holcroft will benefit from being embedded into a family of strong global companies and brands.”

Extended product portfolio and services for customers AICHELIN Group’s business model covers all stages of the lifecycle: From design, engineering, manufacturing and installation at customer sites to comprehensive maintenance and spare part services. By combining the networks of AICHELIN Group and AFC-Holcroft, customers will get the best of two worlds: An enlarged, high quality product portfolio as well as a process innovative, world-wide service network. “Together, we have an ideal position to service our customers in the best possible way. They can benefit from our extended project capabilities and the most reliable technology of three continents. Additionally, we will continue to focus on innovation and exploit all our joint possibilities”, says Schobesberger.

As the next step, a process will start to integrate AFC-Holcroft and its sister companies into AICHELIN Group’s network in the coming months. AFC-Holcroft’s headquarters will remain in Wixom, Michigan. The current top management stays in place and most customers will keep their key account managers.

“We want to play an active role in the consolidation of the heat treatment market. We aim at joint growth and a sustainable profitability, for the benefit of our customers, stakeholders and employees”, closes CEO Schobesberger.

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