Jim Grann, Technical Director, Ipsen (photo source: www.ipsenharold.com)
We all like to make savvy commercial decisions, in fact, Heat Treat Today’s 101 Heat Treat Tips on page 20 of this digital magazine is a great example of tips that can save you time and money. But will it pay off to use your conventional vacuum furnace for aluminum brazing?
Questions involving safety, effectiveness, and quality might come to mind with this proposal. Before implementing such a strategy, head over to Heat Treat Today’s best of the web Technical Tuesday article by Jim Grann, technical director at Ipsen. He tackles the components of aluminum brazing versus the capabilities of conventional vacuum furnace as well as detailing some of risks that can happen if you do try to use your conventional vacuum furnace for aluminum brazing.
An excerpt: “By nature, vapor pressure aids in the depletion of magnesium and parent aluminum alloys in high vacuum, depositing magnesium onto the hot zone and into the shielding… Proper vacuum aluminum brazing requires special components that standard vacuum furnaces generally do not have, including…”
Patrick McKenna, President and CEO (source: Ipsen USA)
Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Illinois, announced yesterday, July 29th, that it has been appointed as the Vacuum Technology Excellence Center for the global Ipsen organization. Ipsen USA, located west of Chicago near Rockford, Illinois, was one of the two Technology Excellence Centers announced yesterday. The other, Ipsen in Kleeve, Germany, will serve as the Atmosphere Technology Excellence Center.
According to the statement issued by Patrick McKenna, CEO of Ipsen USA, the focus on one field of technology (i.e. vacuum technologies), will enable faster-paced innovation and a sharper focus on equipment performance and quality. McKenna further noted that the global restructuring came after months of market analysis to understand the needs of the company’s customers. The resulting drivers for the organization’s global changes were a) increased customer demand for technical services, b) identical metallurgical outcomes worldwide, and c) solutions for processing newly developed materials. The establishment of these Technology Excellence Centers will allow the global organization to properly address market needs for current and future customers, as well as allow for faster response times supported by new advanced service products in all regions of the globe currently serviced by the company.
As a result of this change, new furnace equipment will be manufactured at fewer locations around the world, focusing instead on specialization. The US location will exclusively build all types of vacuum furnaces, while the Germany location will build the atmosphere batch and continuous systems. Additionally, Ipsen India will continue to build atmosphere furnaces for the India and Southeast Asia markets. The China and Japan locations will no longer manufacture new furnaces, but will continue to focus their energy on customer service and the sale of new equipment from the Excellence Centers.
The customer relationship with the company will remain unchanged as customer support will continue at all global locations. Sales, service, and support teams remain local in each region to guarantee speed of response. All plants remain open in all regions as the aftermarket support of customers is more than half of Ipsen’s annual business. Activities such as upgrades, local inventory of parts and service will continue to be fully supported on a local basis.
This consolidation of equipment manufacturing sites together with the uncertainty of the global pandemic does result in a reduction of staff, which is a regrettable but necessary outcome.
For more information, please contact Patrick McKenna, President & CEO Ipsen USA at Patrick.McKenna@IpsenUSA.com or +1 815-332-2591.
Heat TreatTodayoffers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel Chatter
Al Behr has been promoted to be Executive Vice President at Nucor Corp. as Ladd Hall retires.
Christian Schrade assumed the responsibilities of former Managing Director of Tenova LOI Thermprocess GmbH as Erik Míček retired from the company.
Janet Nanni, PHR, SHRM-CP, was recently announced the new Director of Human Resources at Ipsen, after the May 6 retirement of longtime Ipsen HR Director Nancy Kolar.
Joe Conyers joins the sales team at Graphite Metallizing Corp.
Lilia Jasso is announced the new President of the ASM Mexico Chapter.
Michael D'Ambrose is named Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Boeing, succeeding Wendy Livingston, effective July 6, 2020.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) announced the addition of Melissa Gruszka to our team as Quality Manager.
Al Behr, Executive Vice President, Nucor Corp.
Christian Schrade, Managing Director, with Torsten Koepchen, CFO, of Tenova LOI Thermprocess
Janet Nanni, Director of Human Resources, Ipsen
Joe Conyers, sales, Graphite Metallizing Corp.
Lilia Jasso, President, ASM Mexico Chapter
Michael D'Ambrose, Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Boeing
Melissa Gruszka, Quality Manager, Solar Manufacturing
Company Chatter
Aerospace Testing & Pyrometry (ATP) is acquiring the assets and clients of AKA Calibrations starting June of 2020.
McLaughlin Furnace Group is continuing to build their new building, upgrading both for doubled capacity and product expansion.
MetalPro Resources, consisting of Jim Senne, Steve Maus and Bill Andreski, will assume the role of Sales Representative for the states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky on behalf of Solar Manufacturing.
Thermal Vac in California is building up its new location in Arizona, USA.
Jim Senne, Steve Maus and Bill Andreski at MetalPro
Kudos Chatter
Bombardier officially closed the sale of the CRJ program to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (“MHI”). This marks a turning point for Bombardier as it completes their exit from the Commercial Aviation market.
Magnetic Specialties (MSI) announced the launch of their redesigned website, www.magspecinc.com.
MSI launches updated website
Special Mention
On Tuesday, April 28th, 2020, Thermcraft Inc. lost its president and CEO, Mr. Thomas Morris Crafton, at 67. Tom was a dedicated and diligent leader and friend in his personal life and to those in the company.
In 1978, Tom and his wife, Nancy, moved to Winston-Salem where he joined his parents, Mr. Morris L. Crafton and his wife, Clara, at Thermcraft, founded by the couple in 1971. Tom was a successful businessman and was greatly admired by his colleagues, continually developing lasting bonds with those around him.
Tom became President & CEO of Thermcraft, Inc. and expanded the company internationally. In his time at Thermcraft, he has given presentations about small businesses in Washington DC and has relationships with companies throughout the US, Europe and Asia.
He created meaningful connections with customers and his employees, having both a witty sense of humor and always being quick with a comeback. During his daily presence at Thermcraft, Tom mentored, counseled and advised his employees, many of whom he considered his friends. He will be missed by everyone who knew him.
Heat TreatToday offers its condolences to the family of Mr. Thomas M. Crafton and the team at Thermcraft Inc.
Heat TreatToday 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
Welcome to Heat Treat Today'sThis 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!
"Quality aerospace bolts are more rigorously tested, more carefully manufactured, and more carefully studied than almost any other component on an aircraft. The reason?" Read more here, and check out the video to see high-impact landing that is required of fighter jets. See 5:10-8:06 for a forced landing on a stool when the pilot's nose gear failed.
2. Hot Heat Treat Technologies
Walk through this CGI Animation of Vacuum Brazing process to see the breakdown of the heat treating process without getting burnt.
3. Advancing Technologies
Check out TWO uses of cutting edge digital systems when applied to heat treat, and industry related processes. See below for the videos.
Digital Transformation of Thermal Processes
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Tracking All Processes with Digital
SMS Digital: BIG RIVER STEEL - THE FIRST LEARNING STEEL PLANT
4. The Podcast and Reading Corner
Ever wanted to have access to resources for on the job training? Read or listen to the sources below to learn a new technique, tip, or other aspect of the industry.
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A NEW Metal? Check out what carburizing and hardening can do.
"...carburized A-21 exhibited superior corrosion resistance in salt fog testing versus the other stainless steels. It also maintained good core mechanical properties of..."
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The "How" Behind Nitrex's Rebranding
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Finding a Balance: Read Ipsen's Blog, The Herald, on additive manufacturing and the thermal processing industry.
[blocktext align="center"]"Additive manufacturing is a disruptive technology with the potential to lower cost, increase speed and create parts once thought to be too complex and intricate to manufacture by conventional methods."[/blocktext]
"Balancing the Speed and Technology of Additive Manufacturing with the Mature and Methodical Thermal Processing Industry" (photo source: IpsenHarold.com)
5. Metal Music
Finally, here is some not-so-heavy metal music to start your weekend. Big thanks to Rosanne Brunello of Mountain Rep for the find! Have a great weekend, folks.
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.
A Dozen & a Half Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current
Heat TreatTodayoffers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel and Company Chatter
Dustin Lawhon was recently promoted to Regional Sales Manager at Paulo, responsible for establishing relationships with new customers in the Great Lakes Region.
A manufacturer of metal components for the automotive industry recently inaugurated its new plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Gestamp‘s new plant for manufacturing chassis parts will be equipped with state-of-the-art machinery for hot stamping and hydroforming, among other technologies.
A large oil pipeline project in South America will have its nickel-based, flat-rolled products supplied by Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI), with shipments beginning in second quarter 2019 and scheduled to be completed by year-end.
A company providing machine safeguarding solutions announced that it has launched a new Combustion Safety division that provides turnkey solutions for organizations that use thermal processes in their operations. Rockford Systems LLC‘s new expanded division will be led by Robert Sanderson P.E. who has been appointed to the position of Director of Business Development.
A mutual cooperation has been declared for the realization of a revolutionary concept for a significantly CO2-reduced steel production, commonly developed by two companies: Tenova–a company of the Techint Group specialized in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries–and Salzgitter AG– among the leaders in innovative and sustainable steel and technology products. The name of the concept is SALCOS (SAlzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking) and its aim is to undergo a stepwise transformation process of the integrated steelmaking route, moving from carbon-intensive steel production based on Blast-Furnaces towards a Direct Reduction and Electric Arc Furnace route, including the flexible incremental utilization of hydrogen. This concept is capable of reducing CO2 emissions up to 95% with respect to the entire steel production route.
Dustin Lawhon, Regional Sales Manager, Paulo
Gestamp inaugurates new plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Robert Sanderson, P.E., director of Rockford Systems LLC\’s new Combustion Safety Divsion
Tenova and Salzgitter AG partner in CO2-reduced steel production concept.
Vacuum heat treating has been added to Paulo’s Monterrey Division plant which has been focusing on stress relieving and ferritic nitrocarburizing since startup. Since startup processing has been focused on stress relieving and ferritic nitrocarburizing. Adding vacuum equipment is the first step to expanding critical aerospace brazing to include both argon and nitrogen quenching. The working zone measures 48”x48”x48” with a 3500lb capacity and a maximum temperature of 2400F. The installation will include tempering and testing equipment to support both annealing and hardening processes for a variety of materials.
Timothy J. Harris will join ATI as Senior Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer, effective May 6, 2019.
A Cleveland-based distributor of heat treat furnaces, pumps, and products, Mountain Rep, has partnered with RÜBIG, an Austrian industrial furnace manufacturer.
Andrew Yazot will move from his position as International Sales Manager for Ipsen to Midwest Regional Sales Owner, effective immediately. In this position Yazot covers nine states in the Midwest, replacing former Midwest Regional Sales Owner Matt Clinite, who was promoted to Ipsen Customer Service Sales Manager last month. Yazot, who joined the company in 2009, holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has worked in technical sales for more than two decades.
Paulo adds vacuum heat treating to Monterrey Divsion plant.
Timothy J. Harris joins ATI as Sr Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer
Mountain Rep partners with Rubig: Rosanne Brunello, John Young, service technician Ernst Schwarzlmüller, sales manager Sabine Kreuzmayr, process engineer Roland Kullmer, salesman Uwe Rahn and service technician Nermin Imsirovic
Andrew Yazot, Midwest Regional Sales Owner, Ipsen
Equipment Chatter
A 2200°F (1200°C) crucible furnace was shipped to a company in the energy industry by Lindberg/MPH. The crucible furnace may be used for a number of applications and processes, including annealing, ashing, carbon firing, ceramic firing, hardening, melting, metalizing, normalizing, sintering, solution treating, and stress relieving.
A southeastern US manufacturer of various items used in the production of heavy equipment and transportation devices has purchased a dual chamber heat treating furnace from L&L Special Furnace Co, Inc. The furnace will be used to heat treat the tooling used to manufacture these items.
A cooling chamber is currently being used for cooling oven trucks of steel parts at the customer’s facility. The No. 807 was supplied by Grieve Corporation.
A manufacturer in the composite industry has purchased a natural gas-fired heavy duty walk-in furnace from Wisconsin Oven Corporation.
Lindbergh/MPH ships crucible furnace to energy industry.
L&L Special Furnace ships dual chamber furnace for heavy equipment manufacturer.
Grieve\’s No. 897 is being used for cooling oven trucks.
Kudos Chatter
An aerospace maintenance and heat treatment manufacturer based in Elizabeth, Indiana, has launched a new website in order to reach clients across the U.S. and internationally. SAS-INC. is made up of Simpson Alloy Services Inc. and Simpson Aerospace Services.
GE Aviation was selected by Aviation Week & Space Technology as a winner of the 62nd annual Laureate Awards, honoring extraordinary achievements in aerospace.
PhoenixTM Ltd has been accredited in accordance with recognized International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017, general requirements for competence in testing or calibration laboratories.
Aleris has been recognized for the second consecutive year with the accredited supplier award by Airbus at a Supply Chain and Quality Improvement Program (SQIP) event in Toulouse, France.
Cambridge Heat Treating Inc. CFO Cheryl Mortimer is the recipient of the Women Entrepreneurship Fund and was recognized at an event with Ontario MP Bryan May. Cambridge Heat Treatment Inc. was selected to receive a contribution of up to $100,000 through the WEF program.
Simpson Aerospace Services and Simpson Alloy Services have been family owned and operated businesses since 1992.
Cambridge Heat Treating Inc. CFO Cheryl Mortimer is the recipient of the Women Entrepreneurship Fund.
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 the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.
A manufacturing company based in Loves Park, Illinois, recently purchased a vacuum furnace with 2 bar gas quenching that will be used at its facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The TITAN® H6 furnace
Zenith Cutter, which manufactures industrial knives, cutter blades and related accessories for multiple applications, is transitioning its shop from atmosphere heat treating to using vacuum equipment for production and commissioned a TITAN® H6 furnace from vacuum furnace maker Ipsen for its Metkraft location.
The TITAN® H6 furnace has a graphite work zone measuring a 36″ x 48″ x 36″ (915 mm x 1,220 mm x 915 mm) with a 3,000-pound (1,360 kg) load capacity and is capable of operating at temperatures of 1,000 °F to 2,400 °F (538 °C to 1,315 °C) with ±10 °F (±6 °C) temperature uniformity.
A Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current
Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel and Company Chatter
Lars Jonsson has been appointed new employee representative to the Bulten AB board for a term of office of three years. Lars has been employed at Bulten’s plant in Hallstahammar since 1984 where he has worked as a machine operator until two years ago when he switched to tool maker. Bulten is a supplier of fasteners to the international automotive industry.
Paulo’s Cleveland division is expanding to add 50,000 sq ft, allow for the installation of more vacuum heat treatment furnaces, and provide optimized flow of work through the facility. The Cleveland plant primarily serves the aerospace, power generation, and agriculture industries and specializes in precise high-temperature vacuum heat treatment and brazing of nickel-based superalloys.
James R. Darsey, executive vice president of raw materials for Nucor Corporation announced his upcoming retirement after more than 39 years of service with Nucor. Effective June 10, 2018, Craig A. Feldman will be promoted to the role of executive vice president of raw materials. Mr. Feldman began his career with the David J. Joseph Company (DJJ) in 1986 and stayed with the company, becoming president of DJJ in 2013. When DJJ was acquired by Nucor in 2008, Feldman became a vice president and general manager of Nucor Corporation. Upon his promotion to EVP, Mr. Feldman will retain his role as president of DJJ.
Dr. Steve Offley recently joined Phoenix Temperature Measurement as Product Marketing Manager, bringing over 21 years of experience in the industrial process temperature monitoring industry. Besides promoting and marketing PhoenixTM’s temperature monitoring productions, Dr. Offley will focus on development of new and innovative processes temperature-monitoring solutions.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA recently installed a second machining center to support its newest service for customers – tensile testing. By adding a brand new fully programmable 8100 RPM Haas VF2 milling center, Solar is now able to support the machining of flat tensile specimens. This machining ability fully complements the function of the 10,000 PSI hydraulic jaw that is an integral component of the Tinius Olsen 300SL tensile machine. These massive hydraulic jaws can grip either threaded round or flat specimens.
Paulo\’s expansion in Cleveland
Craig A. Feldman, executive vice president of raw materials, Nucor
tensile testing center, Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
Equipment Chatter
A 750°F (399°C), gas-fired cabinet oven was recently supplied by Grieve Corporation to be used for baking radiator cores at the customer’s facility. The workspace dimensions of this oven, the No. 1046, measure 80″ W x 88″ D x 18″ H, with a 76″ wide x 76″ long, 750 lb. capacity pneumatic operated rollout shelf with an insulated plug to seal doorway opening.
An intermediate-sized front-loading box furnace was recently delivered to the Canadian Government Forestry Division. L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., equipped the furnace, which meets Canadian electrical standards, with an atmosphere-sealed case for use with inert gas to displace oxygen and minimize surface de-carb. It is purged with inert gas prior to loading and the parts are then heated under a controlled atmosphere. There is a 1″ NPT survey port located on the right side of the furnace employed for calibration and uniformity surveys.
An aerospace and defense company recently purchased a rotary hearth furnace to heat treat state-of-the-art equipment, specifically to process specialized gears for helicopters. Ipsen plans to deliver the rotary hearth furnace early next year.
gas-fired cabinet oven, Grieve Corporation
intermediate-sized front-loading box furnace, L&L Special Furnace
rotary hearth furnace, Ipsen
Kudos Chatter
Advanced Heat Treat Corp. recently reported that its Iowa (MidPort-Corporate Office and Burton Ave, Waterloo) and Michigan locations have successfully transitioned from ISO/TS 16949:2009 to ISO 9001:2015 / IATF 16949:2016.
Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) has also announced that it meets all certification requirements of the new ISO 9001:2015 + AS9100D standard, maintaining processes that provide superior components and assemblies with detailed quality reporting.
Harbison Walker International (HWI), based in western Pennsylvania, adds its announcement to the mix, reporting that its Thomasville, Georgia, monolithic/precast facility recently became the first of the company’s North American locations to earn ISO 9001:2015 certification, followed by HWI’s South Shore, Kentucky, plant becoming the first refractory brick manufacturing plant in North America to achieve the same status. Both plants achieved this quality system recognition based on the recommendation of SRI Quality System Registrar.
Rio Tinto celebrates the distinction of being the first company in the world to receive certification under the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), the highest internationally recognized standard for robust environmental, social and governance practices across the aluminum lifecycle of production, use, and recycling. The certification follows an independent third party audit and covers a range of operations, from bauxite mining to alumina refining, aluminum smelting, the creation of value-added products, transformation and recycling, and associated activities. Rio Tinto’s five aluminum smelters, the Vaudreuil refinery, casting and spent potlining treatment centers, and associated infrastructure such as power, port and railway facilities in Quebec, Canada, have been certified, along with the Gove bauxite mine in Australia.
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 the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.
15 Quick Heat Treat News Items To Keep You Current
The heat treat industry is one of people transitioning and companies executing business, achieving goals, and receiving acknowledgments. Heat TreatToday offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel and Company Changes and Moves
Roberto Pancaldi, current Tenova Metals chief operating officer, has become the new Tenova Metals CEO, directly reporting to Andrea Lovato, CEO of Tenova.
Roberto Pancaldi, Tenova Metals CO
The Aluminum Federation, the trade body for the UK aluminum industry, has announced that appointment of a new chief executive. Mr. Tom Jones joins the organization from MMC Hardmetal UK, part of the Mitsubishi Materials group, where he was general manager. Tom has more than 35 years experience of working in manufacturing.
The Board of GKN Group plc has announced that Anne Stevens, currently Interim Chief Executive, has agreed to become the Group’s new Chief Executive with immediate effect. It was added that since her appointment, Stevens has taken leadership of an ongoing and wide-ranging internal review of all GKN’s businesses which has culminated in the development of a transformation plan to improve GKN’s performance.
Solar Atmospheres of California's expansion includes installation of 4 new furnaces purchased from Solar Manufacturing, Inc
Solar Atmospheres of California (SCA) announce the completion of its most recent facility expansion. Project expansion began taking shape in July 2016 with groundbreaking for a new 25,000 sq. ft. building. In preparation for the added growth, SCA has procured an additional four vacuum furnaces from sister company Solar Manufacturing (SMI) based in Souderton, Pennsylvania.
Equipment Transactions
a heat treatment line from SMS group
German metal processor Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH ordered a new heat treatment line from SMS group. The line, project name "Adjustage II", will be consist of a shot-blaster, two roller hearth furnaces, the MultiFlex-Quench®, a plate leveler, a cleaning and priming line, and a water treatment plant and be capable of processing more than 300,000 tons of heavy plate annually. Commissioning is scheduled to take place early in 2020.
Wisconsin Oven Corporation shipped two electrically heated standard horizontal quench systems to an aluminum manufacturer, each designed to heat 1,000 pounds of aluminum to a 950°F operating temperature with qualified operating temperature ranges of 775°F and 1,075°F.
Grieve recently supplied a 1000°F (538°C) top-loading oven that will be used for curing composite materials in large molds at a manufacturer’s facility. Workspace dimensions measure 168 inches wide x 48 inches deep x 48 inches high, and 120 kW are installed in lncoloy -sheathed tubular heating elements. A 12,500-CFM, 10-HP recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow.
Baker Furnace
Graftech Advanced Graphite Materials in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, recently divested assets to refractory manufacturer Allied Mineral Products, Inc., located in Columbus, Ohio, and GTRefractory Solutions LLC in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied purchased the intellectual property rights to a collection of refractory cements and pastes, and GT Refractory Solutions acquired assets such as carbon and semi-graphite carbon brick, cement, pastes, porous carbons and graphite powders specialized for use in the steel, ferroalloy and iron industries.
Baker Furnace, Brea, Calif., the west coast division of the Thermal Product Solutions (TPS), moved to a new 40,000 sq-ft manufacturing space facility in 2017, which contributed to record shipments of custom and standard units in a variety of configurations. Among other projects, drop-bottom furnaces, crucible furnaces, car bottom furnaces, and batch ovens will be used for a variety of applications in the heat treating, foundry, composites, and automotive industries.
HBD Industries acquires True Position Technologies LLC
HBD Industries announced the expansion of its Precision Components Platform through the acquisition of True Position Technologies LLC (“True Position”), based in Valencia, California. A leading provider of complex machined components for flight control applications, True Position specializes in manufacturing high specification components that require multiple machining, testing and finishing processes all within extremely tight tolerances.
Accreditations, Certifications, Patents, and More
Conrad Kacsik Instrument Systems, Inc., has been reaccredited for ISO-IEC 17025:2005 by A2LA, a continuous A2LA accreditation since 2000.
Heat treaters Metallurgical Processing Inc., based in New Britain, Connecticut, has been awarded a 24-month Nadcap accreditation after being audited to 10 checklists.
Bodycote HIP now counts nine Nadcap-accredited sites with the recent award to the Surahammar, Sweden, location.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp., which has held Nadcap accreditation since 2013, has been awarded Nadcap Merit status for Heat Treating (Ion Nitriding) at the MidPort location in Waterloo, Iowa. This is the highest accreditation period that can be earned. "We are proud to achieve Merit status for the third time in a row and be granted a 24-month accreditation. We hope our customers take pride in the fact they send their parts to AHT," stated John Ludeman, Director of Metallurgy and Quality Excellence.
Bodycote, the world’s largest provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, announced that its Surahammar, Sweden, Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) location has earned its Nadcap accreditation. The Surahammar site has been producing Powdermet® Near Net Shape (NNS) and Selective Surface Net Shape (SSNS) components for many years, using its long experience of manufacturing complex, high integrity components from powder metal to serve markets such subsea, oil and gas, marine, nuclear, tool steel and automotive. Bodycote HIP now has nine Nadcap-accredited sites.
SAE International, Warrendale, Pa., announces that technical standard AMS2750 – Pyrometry, has received complete recognition by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health, and it has been added to its list of recognized consensus standards database, List #47.
Heat TreatToday 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 the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.
The heat treat industry is one of people transitioning and companies executing business, achieving goals, and receiving acknowledgments. Heat TreatToday begins a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Gabriel Giraldo, Sales Engineer, Solar Atmospheres of South Carolina
Personnel Changes and Moves
The Solar Atmospheres Greenville, South Carolina, facility recently announced that Gabriel Giraldo accepted the position of Sales Engineer and will be
Kip Bailey, Field Service Technician, Bloom Engineering
responsible for supporting relationships with existing customers and developing new business within the region. Prior to accepting this position, Giraldo worked in the heat treat industry as a mechanical engineer serving a broad spectrum of metalworking industry sectors, including aerospace and defense.
Bloom Engineering recently welcomed Mr. Kip Bailey as a full-time Field Service Technician. Mr. Bailey brings experience in both combustion and specific process knowledge via his work as a furnace builder.
Sue Harrod has been appointed chief operating officer (COO) of Diablo Furnaces LLC, a Machesney Park, Illinois-based, company that manufactures, refurbishes, upgrades, services, and supplies parts for atmospheric heat-treating equipment. Harrod has worked in the thermal-processing industry for 25 years in supporting and leading roles at BeaverMatic, Ipsen, and Diablo Furnaces.
Equipment Transactions
German heat-treating systems manufacturer IVA Schmetz received a new order for five vacuum hardening furnaces from Taiwan to be delivered to a leading steel supplier with
IVA Schmetz delivered five vacuum hardening furnaces
various locations throughout the country. IVA Schmetz is supported by the local partner Pan Folks, who is also responsible for commissioning the furnaces. The order is part of a larger investment project which also includes seven vacuum annealing furnaces delivered by IVA Schemtz's sister company BMI in France.
Hirschvogel Automotive Group from Denklingen in Bavaria and Sacotec Components Oy in Finland, a company specializing in
Cast link belt furnaces from Slovenian industrial furnace manufacturer Bosi
precision steel casting, each ordered cast link belt furnaces from Slovenian industrial furnace manufacturer Bosio, part of the Aichelin Group. A cast link belt furnace more than 22 meters in length with a performance of two tons of forged parts per hour went to Hirschvogel. Sacotec's order was for a shaft furnace for carburization of small parts.
An electrically heated, gas nitriding, pit furnace with an ammonia dissociator system for heat treating parts has been shipped to a technology manufacturer by Lindberg/MPH. The pit furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 1250°F and work chamber dimensions of 28" diameter x 36" depth.
Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel, China, contracted Fives to design and supply a new galvanizing line furnace and inductors dedicated to the production of ultra high-strength steels at its Caofeidian facility. This is the sixth Fives furnace at this location.
Pirson Refractories installed the hearth refractory lining of Blast Furnace 2 at Arcelor Mittal Bremen.
Accreditations, Certifications, Patents, and More
Solar Atmospheres Western PA adds tensile testing
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA expanded its mechanical testing capabilities to include tensile testing. In the summer of 2017, Solar tookdelivery of a new Tinius Olsen 300SL Universal testing machine, as well as a new Haas Model TL-1 CNC lathe in order to custom machine test specimens. Currently, many aerospace specifications demand at least one tensile test to be performed on each heat lot of material and/or for every furnace load of components being heat treated. Previously outsourcing tensile testing, Solar is now able to avoid delay due to shipping and transporting test specimens to these labora
Karen Stanton, owner and director of HTA Group
tories.
Heat Treatment Australia (HTA Group) and its corporate and strategy director Karen Stanton were recently featured in a news article, "Risks Paying Off in a New Age of Manufacturing", published in Australia's Courier-Mail, drawing attention to the firm's investment "in research and development and machinery to position itself to become part of the multinational Joint Strike Fighter program" as part of a nationwide growth in manufacturing.
High-performance tubing supplier Fine Tubes announced it received Nadcap accreditation for fluid distribution systems.
Phil Adderley, Director, Quality & Technical, and Rob Eatwell, QA Manager, for Fine Tues with fifth Nadcap Accreditation Certificate
The Plymouth, UK-based, company already holds accreditations for heat treating, non-destructive testing, fusion welding, and chemical processing, and the five achievements qualify Fine Tubes for the industry-recognized AS5620 industry standard required by Boeing for its suppliers of titanium hydraulic tubing.
Ipsen was awarded U.S. Patent No. 9,719,149 B2 for the development of a new load transport mechanism that can move a load within a multi-station heat-treating system. Named inventors on the patent, Chief Engineer Craig Moller, Director of Engineering and Supply Chain Kevin Woerner, and Dr. W. Hendrik Grobler began developing this design five years ago.
Dana Incorporated was named Supplier of the Year by Blue Bird Corporation, a leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses. Dana earned this top honor by introducing new products that align with Blue Bird's commitment to delivering innovative, market-leading technologies. Dana supplies Blue Bird with a complete range of drivetrain solutions including Spicer® medium- and heavy-duty single-drive axles, SPL® Series driveshafts, and Spicer end yokes.
Wisconsin Oven Corporation announced the company is pursuing new patents for equipment most commonly used in the aerospace industry, as well as a patent for “intelligent” oven technology, where the oven is able to monitor certain processes.
Heat TreatToday 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 the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.
Source: Ipsen, The Harold
