Nine furnaces were shipped to six states in America, Canada, and the United Kingdom this past July from an international supplier of heat treat equipment. This same supplier will be providing five vacuum furnaces to four customers within the aerospace, defense, and commercial heat-treating industries. The products are all uniquely designed to meet the customers' specific heat treating requirements.
The ability for the international supplier, Ipsen USA, to deliver these products reinforces their transition into the Vacuum Center of Excellence within Ipsen.
Ipsen Vacuum Furnace (photo source: ipsenusa.com)
"Ipsen has worked with international operations teams for decades," said Patrick McKenna, president and CEO of Ipsen USA, "shipping equipment from the US to countries all over the world[...] With the identification of Ipsen USA as the Vacuum Center of Excellence, we can continue servicing those companies with the level of quality they expect and deserve."
Mikros Technologies, located in New Hampshire, designs and produces liquid cooling systems and micro-machined nozzle plates for applications requiring micron-level dimensions and sub-micron accuracy. So when Mikros needed new multipurpose furnaces for vacuum brazing and diffusion bonding that could withstand continuous production and allow operators to seamlessly change recipes and easily pick up where the last person stopped, they turned to Ipsen USA. Mikros increased production capacity by purchasing two more TITAN® H2 2 bar vacuum furnaces. The first was installed in January 2019, the second in October 2019.
The furnaces met their needs by supporting a variety of heat-treating processes, providing tight temperature uniformity and delivering clean parts. With the high-efficiency design and fast door-to-door cycle times, the furnaces helped Mikros gain manufacturing volume to accommodate the company’s rapid growth.
(source: IPSEN USA)
As a leading provider of complex thermal management solutions for critical applications in power computing, laser optics, semiconductor testing, renewable energy generation, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicle systems, Mikros plays a critical role in allowing data centers and equipment used for transportation, aerospace, and defense to perform optimally and keeping high heat-generating components from overheating and failing prematurely. Some of the microchannel cold plates they manufacture are small and delicate, no larger than a penny. Others are large assemblies that occupy a full computing server rack. Specialized parts like these require careful planning when it comes to heat treatment.
In the last five years, Mikros doubled their workforce and expanded their manufacturing facilities. Mikros makes over 10,000 cold plates per year, and the addition of the furnaces has helped them quadruple their production capacity.
Welcome to Heat Treat Today'ssecond installment of This Week in Heat TreatSocial Media.As you know, there is so much content available on the web that it's next to impossible to sift through all of the articles and posts that flood our inboxes and notifications on a daily basis. So, Heat Treat Todayis here to bring you the latest in compelling, inspiring, and entertaining heat treat news from the different social media venues that you've just got to see and read!
1. Plibrico Company Sponsors Project for Shriner's Hospitals for Children
The Plibrico Company recently sponsored a Happy Craft Day for Shriner's Hospitals for Children, during which many locations took part in assembling craft kits for kids needing a smile.
2. Innovations and Services on the Front Line
During this difficult and uncertain time, many companies are offering support to fight the spread of COVID-19, and some have come up with unique innovations.
Stack Metallurgical Group has announced its support for manufacturers in fighting the pandemic:
Similarly, Inductoheat has made a statement in the same vein:
ION HEAT has come out with the first prototype of its mechanic lung ventilator:
And Proceq USA Sales Manager Tom Ott demonstrates how to recharge a Proceq UT8000 flaw detector using a common USB power pack:
3. Good Friday Furnace Repair
Capital Refractories' Research & Development Manager Julie Hardy shared images of a 12 ton holding furnace repair that took place on Good Friday:
4. Reading and Podcast Corner
You may have a bit more time to catch up on the reading and podcast listening you've been yearning to do. May we recommend two brief written items of interest and an informative podcast.
Park Ohio Turns 100
Ipsen USA recommends their paper on vacuum furnace maintenance
And, for your listening pleasure, be sure to download the latest Heat Treat Radio episode entitled, Heat Treat Modeling with Justin Sims.
5. 101 Uses for Heat Treat Today Tape
Roseanne Brunello of Mountain Rep came up with a festive use of Heat Treat Today packing tape:
"Heat Treat Today comes through again..."
6. Launch into Your Socially Distanced Weekend with the Family Lockdown Boogie
No explanations necessary. Happy Friday, everyone!
Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel & Company Chatter
Bill Gornicki was recently appointed Director of Sales at ECM-USA, Inc. in Pleasant Prairie, WI.
AFC-Holcroft, in Wixom, MI, recently moved its European satellite office from Delémont, Switzerland, to Swiebodzin, Poland, as necessitated by the retirement of their Director of European Operations. The new director, Marek Kedzierzynski, will be based out of Poland.
Wire ExpertsGroup, the parent company to Pelican Wire and Rubadue Wire, recently announced the newest members of their leadership team and their respective roles: Brinson White will now lead the Engineering & Maintenance teams at both Pelican and Rubadue as WEG Director of Engineering; Mike Skorupa has been named Director of Continuous Improvement across all business units; and Kevin Clements has been named Global Supply Chain Manager.
RETECH Systems, LLC, a SECO/WARWICK Group company, has finalized plans to relocate its headquarters from Ukiah, CA, to Buffalo, NY.
Charlie Li, of DANTE Solutions, began teaching a new master-level Mechanical Engineering class entitled “Advanced Manufacturing Processes: Heat Treatment of Steels” at Cleveland State University.
Bill Gornicki, Director of Sales, ECM-USA
Brinson White, Director of Engineering, Wire Experts Group.
Mike Skorupa, Director of Continuous Improvement, Wire Experts Group
Kevin Clements, Global Supply Chain Manager, Wire Experts Group
Charlie Li, DANTE Solutions
Marek Kedzierzynski, Director of European Operations, AFC-Holcroft
Equipment Chatter
Solar Atmospheres has purchased two microscopes, one a ZEISS AxioVert A1 Inverted Materials Microscope and the other a a Hitachi smart Scanning Electron Microscope, to enable them to better serve the needs of their customers.
Magnetic Specialties, Inc. recently shipped two 510KVA, three phase step down 6-pulse rectifier transformers and DC inductors for use in industrial rectifier applications.
The Grieve Corporation recently installed their new electrically-heated 2000°F inert atmosphere heavy-duty box furnace to be used for heat treating titanium at a customer’s facility.
Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems recently commissioned a model CVPQ Continuous Vacuum Furnace with 5 BAR pressure quench capabilities, and a precision gas nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing furnace, in the Midwestern United States.
Ipsen USA offers free evaluations of any brand of vacuum heat-treating system in the United States. An Ipsen Customer Service team member will check all major components of the furnace and provide a written health report with a suggested 18-month maintenance plan.
Tenova recently received the official notice to proceed with the new Hot Dip Galvanizing (HDG) line for NLMK Group in Lipetsk, Russia.
Pries Enterprises finished a 50,000 sq ft expansion and installation of a state-of-the-art anodizing line, making them the only vertically integrated extruder-anodizer fabricator in their immediate area.
ZEISS AxioVert A1 Inverted Materials Microscope
A Hitachi smart Scanning Electron Microscope
510KVA, three phase step down 6-pulse rectifier transformer and DC inductor
Inert atmosphere heavy-duty box furnace
Continuous Vacuum Furnace (model CVPQ) with 5 BAR pressure quench capabilities
Precision Gas Nitriding and Ferritic Nitrocarburizing Furnace
Ipsen offers free furnace evaluations
Kudos Chatter
Grupo Mess was recently named an exclusive Buehler distributor of metallographic and hardness equipment in Mexico.
Aerospace Testing & Pyrometry recently announced the opening of their newest regional office in Greenville, SC. The territory will include North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.
Constellium SE was recently recognized with the “Best Performer Award” by Airbus.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp. recently announced that it has added gas nitriding to its Nadcap® accreditation.
Grupo Mess
Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to editor@heattreattoday.com
A strong and healthy vacuum furnace system is essential for heat treaters who want to stay competitive and serve their customers well. The heart of the vacuum furnace system is just as critical as the heart of the human body. Just as a healthy heart is essential to living well, keeping a healthy vacuum furnace system pumping strong is essential to certain heat treating operations.
In this Heat Treat TodayTechnical Tuesday Best of the Web feature, Ipsen USA provides tips for how you can get the best performance out of your vacuum furnace by selecting the most appropriate pumping system, and by following a few simple tips for vacuum furnace maintenance over at its blog, Ipsen, The Harold.
An excerpt: “Vacuum furnace systems utilize various types of pumping system combinations to evacuate atmospheric pressure from the vacuum chamber to required ranges for specific processes. Since the heart of the furnace is the vacuum system, it is essential to maintain the pumping system as specified in the operator’s manual, taking into consideration any special accommodations that the type of process being conducted may require.“
This post from Ipsen’s blog guides readers through the basics, troubleshoots common problems, and gives tips for avoiding the heat treater’s primary enemy.
Welcome to the inaugural column of Heat Treat Today‘s first offering of This Week in Heat TreatSocial Media. As you know, there is so much content available on the web that it’s next to impossible to sift through all of the articles and posts that flood our inboxes and notifications on a daily basis. So, Heat Treat Todayis here to bring you the latest in compelling, inspiring, and entertaining heat treat news from the different social media venues that you’ve just got to see and read!
1. Entropic Time (Backwards Billy Joel Parody) by A Capella Science
Let’s start your Friday off with this energetic, fun, and educational video that Paul Mason of Thermo-Calc Software shared. (And, you’ll be singing the song all day! You’re welcome!)
2. COVID-19
We have all been affected by the COVID-19 virus. It has produced experiences that none of us has ever ventured through before in our lifetime.
Additionally, many of the heat treat companies have shared their statuses and plans for business via social media posts. Here are a few of them:
3. What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?
Check out Abbott Furnace Company’s collaboration with Saint Mary’s Area Middle School to introduce kids to the world of manufacturing.
4. Reading and Podcast Corner
You may have a bit more time to catch up on the reading and podcast listening you’ve been yearning to do. May we recommend two brief articles written by industry experts and an informative podcast.
Check out Gerry McWeeney’s article, “Pros and Cons of Remote Monitoring in Heat Treat”
For those of you interested in medical devices.
And, for your listening pleasure, be sure to download the latest Heat Treat Radio episode entitled, Women in Heat Treat, with Ellen Conway Merrill and Rosanne Brunello. They will inspire you!
5. Launch into Your Weekend with a Reading by Jackson
No additional caption needed! Happy Friday, everyone!
(Editor’s Note: Users of Firefox may have difficulty playing the below video. If so, please use another browser like Chrome.)
Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel & Company Chatter
Mike Smith has joined Magnetic Specialties, Inc. as their new Business Development Manager.
Ipsen USA has announced the completion of its 2019 Corporate Academy class, which is part of an initiative to grow service capacity globally. Seven graduates will step into positions as field service engineers after several months of training and passing their final exam.
Tom Gundic recently joined Solar Atmospheres’ facility in Greenville, South Carolina, as their new plant manager.
Isostatic Toll Services Bilbao is pleased to announce the official opening of its new plant in Abanto-Zierbena, Spain, on January 29th.
Heating Furnace at Uddeholm AB, which is taking part in the electrical heating project
The Swedish Energy Agency has granted a new project that will explore the possibilities of electrifying heating processes. It will evaluate the potential of replacing gas-fired furnaces with electrically heated furnaces for material heating. Kanthal, part of the Sandvik Group, is taking part in the project.
Sean Toland has taken on the position of executive Vice President of Operations for Wire Experts Group, the parent company to Pelican Wire and Rubadue Wire, the second of which Toland is already serving as president.
NSA Industries, a provider of metal fabrication, machining, powder coating, and assembly operation, has acquired VitexExtrusion, a provider of aluminum extrusions, machining, and fabrication services for solar and automobile customers.
Jon K. Tabor is retiring from the position of Chairman Emeritus of Allied Mineral Products effective March 31, 2020. He will remain on Allied’s Board of Directors.
Vincent Esteve has been promoted to Business Development Manager at the ECM USA, Inc. subsidiary in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
Mike Smith, Business Development Manager, Magnetic Energies, Inc.
Tom Gundic, Plant Manager, Solar Atmospheres
Sean Toland, Executive Vice President of Operations, Wire Experts Group
Vincent Esteve, Business Development Manager, ECM USA
Jon K. Tabor, Chairman Emeritus, Allied Mineral Products
Equipment Chatter
Wisconsin Oven has shipped a Natural Gas (Direct) Fired Continuous Duty Conveyor Oven to an American manufacturer to be used for stress relieving steel snap rings used in automotive parts.
L&L Special Furnace Co, Inc. has shipped five model GS1714 furnaces to a worldwide leading manufacturer of chemicals and chemical coating products located in the Midwestern US.
Tenova LOI Thermprocess recently received an order from Joint Stock Company Pervouralsk Pipe Plant in Russia for a new roller hearth continuous furnace system for bright annealing stainless steel pipes in a 100% H2 atmosphere.
Lindberg/MPH announced the shipment of two Electrically Heated Nitrogen Atmosphere Pit Furnaces to the automotive industry for the purpose of heat treating automotive parts.
Natural Gas (Direct) Fired Continuous Duty Conveyor Oven
GS1714 Bench mounted box furnace
Roller hearth continuous furnace system
Electrically heated atmosphere pit furnace
Kudos Chatter
Kittyhawk Products OR LLC has been awarded Nadcap® accreditation for Heat Treating/Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). Kittyhawk Inc has held Nadcap® accreditation since 2014.
From Left to Right: Quality manager, AM/NS Calvert, Bobbie Hesley; GM supplier quality engineer, Mark Wu; AM/NS Calvert CEO, Jorge Oliveira and team members from the AM/NS hot dip galvanizing lines.
ArcelorMittal USA was recently honored with the General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award for three production facilities: AM/NS Calvert, Calvert, AL; Indiana Harbor; and I/N Tek and I/N Kote, New Carlisle, IN.
Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to editor@heattreattoday.com
Stack Metallurgical Group, a Nadcap accredited and Northwestern U.S. commercial heat treater, recently installed a TITAN® vacuum furnace at its location in Spokane Valley, Washington. Formerly known as Inland NW Metallurgical Services, Stack Spokane is one of the company’s four locations offering metal processing services such as vacuum heat treating, induction heat treating, aluminum chemical processing, and ion nitriding. Ipsen USA completed the installation.
Ron Decker, General Manager, Stack Metallurgical Services, Inc.
“It was an easy choice adding another Ipsen furnace to our offering,” said General Manager Ron Decker. “We count on Ipsen for a versatile product that delivers great results.”
Installation of the TITAN® H6 2-bar vacuum furnace was completed in late 2019 and will be used to process aerospace components. Stack operates four Ipsen furnaces in Spokane and a dozen more in Portland.
Heat TreatTodayoffers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel & Company Chatter
Tim Merryweather has joined U.K.-based heat treater, the Wallwork Group, as vacuum brazing technical sales engineer.
A manufacturer of monolithic refractories and precast refractory shapes has opened its second manufacturing facility in Tianjin, China. The newly constructed, 210,972 sq ft Allied Mineral Products plant will resolve production space needs as well as expand workspace.
In partnership with a manufacturer of robotics and automation equipment for the construction industry, a refractory supplier recently introduced a device that provides workers in the refractory industry with on the jobsite safety and productivity benefits. HarbisonWalker International (HWI) joined forces with Construction Robotics in production of the MULE-R (Material Unit Lift Enhancer – Refractory).
A new hot isostatic pressing (HIP) system was revealed at an open house in Cleveland, Ohio, hosted by Paulo to unveil the company’s new HIP capabilities, available via its Quintus model QIH-122 Hot Isostatic Press, which can combine HIP with heat treating.
Gasbarre Products, Inc. has announced that at the end of 2019 all thermal processing systems will be manufactured in its 50,000 sq. ft. facility located in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania. In 2011 Gasbarre acquired the JL Becker brand of industrial furnace equipment, and over the last eight years, Gasbarre has run parallel manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania for its furnace equipment. Consolidating the manufacturing of its common product lines allow for the most efficient use of its floor space, equipment, and manufacturing processes. Gasbarre will maintain its presence in the Detroit area with a sales, engineering and service facility. Ben Gasbarre will maintain his leadership role within the Plymouth, Michigan location. The sales and technical team will drive Gasbarre’s furnace systems into the future. Gasbarre has plans to not only design and service its equipment but to eventually establish a technical center for process testing and demonstration purposes. Ben Gasbarre stated, “The move will allow us to better utilize our highly-skilled personnel to accelerate advancements to our products, technology and services.”
In a move to realize approximately $6 million to $8 million of annual savings, TimkenSteel Corp., Canton, Ohio, announced plans to close its TimkenSteel Material Services facility in Houston, Texas, in the first quarter of 2020. The 100,000-square-foot operation currently employs approximately 100 people who provide precision value-added and finishing services, primarily to customers that service the energy market.
A supplier of nitrogen generators and related products to utilities, petrochemical producers, manufacturers, and energy providers announced a move into an existing 66,000-sq.-ft. building as part of an enhanced growth strategy that includes additional hiring and new products. South-Tek Systems LLC will remain in the Wilmington, North Carolina, area.
A global stainless steel manufacturer with headquarters in Spain has reached an agreement for the acquisition of VDM Metals Holding GmbH. Acerinox, S.A. purchased the Germany-based leader producer of specialty alloys from Lindsay Goldberg Vogel GmbH and Falcon Metals BV.
An aluminum giant recently broke ground on a $36 million investment to expand and upgrade the company’s capabilities in automotive closed-loop recycling, a process to take aluminum scrap created during stamping. Novelis Inc’s investment in new vehicle production at the Greensboro, Georgia, facility includes adding state-of-the-art equipment for aluminum scrap recycling, a new baghouse for improved dust mitigation and enhanced designs for safer and more efficient traffic flow.
Equipment Chatter
A manufacturer of excavating equipment purchased a high-temperature car bottom furnace with an operating temperature of 1000°F (538°C) to 2282°F (1250°C) for stress relieving, normalizing, and other high-temperature processes. Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems was commissioned to design and manufacture the system to meet customer’s strict NOx and CO requirements as well as AMS 2750 temperature uniformity requirements across a wide temperature operating range.
A company requiring annealing or normalizing process recently purchased No. 1049, a 1050°F (566°C) cabinet oven with two drawers from Grieve. In addition, a customer has received shipment of No. 1039, a 2,000°F (1,093°C) inert atmosphere, heavy-duty furnace used for heat treating turbine components.
A manufacturer in the technology industry has received shipment of an indirect gas-fired heavy-duty walk-in series oven from Wisconsin Oven Corporation. The walk-in oven will be used for heat treating materials used in the production of vehicle batteries.
A world-leading international supplier of parts to the automotive industry acquired a Sinac stationary induction heating system from EFD Induction to be used for preheating in a series production of steel pump housing.
A Vietnamese steel producer has issued the final acceptance certificate for the latest state-of-the-art acid regeneration plant (ARP) at their new plant in Binh Dinh, Vietnam, which will operate in accordance with stringent European environmental regulatory standards. Hoa Sen Group issued the
certificate to Tenova.
German steel distributor Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH (SZFG) has awarded the contract to build a 2.2 megawatt PEM electrolysis plant (PEM = proton exchange membrane) to Siemens Gas and Power, which will cover SZFG’s entire current demand for hydrogen. The necessary electrical power will be generated by seven wind turbines with a capacity of 30 megawatt.
A customer in the secondary smelting industry purchased a gas-fired aluminum stack melting and holding furnace from Lindberg/MPH. This stack-type central melting furnace will be utilized to produce aluminum ingot and sows. The furnace has a melt rate of 4,500 pounds per hour.
A world-leading steel producer has been commissioned to be the main supplier of steel plate to the first U.S.-flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier built in more than 35 years. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding contracted with ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor for the steel supply to build the carrier, which likely will help haul raw materials to the mill after its launch.
An aerospace company recently ordered four TITAN® H6 2 bar vacuum furnaces that will be used for heat treating additively manufactured parts in full-scale production. Ipsen USA shipped two of the furnaces in November and will ship the remaining two in January.
Kudos Chatter
The Women in Finishing FORUM announces registration is open for the second annual program to be held at the Embassy Suites South Bend, Indiana, at Notre Dame from May 6-8, 2020. The FORUM features a variety of professional and personal development sessions, team-building exercises, and networking events geared towards women in industrial finishing. Women in Finishing is sponsored by the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI).
Muhammed Odeh, the General Motors (GM) supplier quality engineer, visited ALD Thermal Treatment Inc. (Port Huron, MI, USA) plant to officially present the GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award for 2018. This is ALD’s 5th consecutive year for this prestigious award since 2014. In addition, ALD was again recognized as a Supplier of the Year for providing heat treatment services.
Heat TreatTodayis pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to editor@heattreattoday.com
Heat TreatToday is privileged to oversee the 40 Under 40 recognition awards, highlighting a group of young, up-and-coming talent in the North American heat treat industry every year. This year’s Class of 2019 is no disappointment, a group of industry elite, significant contributors to the heat treat market.
Every couple of weeks we highlight two of the current class of recipients. This week we introduce Sergio Gallegas Cantu of Quaker Houghton and Matt Clinite of Ipsen USA.
Name: Sergio Gallegas Cantu
Company: Quaker Houghton
Position: Technical Service Manager & Heat Treatment Specialist
Sergio graduated from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon with Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Materials Engineering. He is currently the heat treatment specialist and technical service manager for Quaker Houghton (formerly Houghton International) in Mexico. In his role, he interacts extensively with our local team and customer base. He previously worked as senior metallurgist in product development at FRISA in the design of forging process and heat treatments for superalloys, titanium alloys, and stainless steel. He has experience in material specifications for the aerospace industry including mechanical properties, failure analysis, microstructure, and grain size control for near shape forgings.
Nominated by: Quaker Houghton
Name: Matt Clinite
Company: Ipsen USA
Position: Ipsen Customer Service Sales Manager
Matt is very passionate about supporting his customers, being the first to dive in and help customers get their equipment running in peak performance. Even though he is in sales, he loves jumping in to help a customer with maintenance and repairs such as hot zone rebuilds. As customer service sales manager, Matt manages a team of 6 regional sales engineers and is a member of the leadership team at Ipsen. He is a 2018 YES graduate, active in MTI, and serves as an Ipsen U instructor in the company’s 3-day vacuum furnace training program. Matt has been involved in selling some of the most complex and technologically advanced furnace installations in North America, including what is believed to be the largest vacuum furnace in the world (over 10,000 cu.ft.).
Nominated by: Ipsen
Read more about the feature at Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40 resource page and find out more about each of this year’s winners by clicking on their image. To nominate someone for the Class of 2020 40 Under 40, please click here.
