An aerospace, industrial gas turbine, and automotive market leader has expanded its heat treatment operations with a recently purchased air atmosphere furnace. Connecticut-based Doncaster Precision Castings will use the new furnace to support annealing, tempering, and heat treatment of steel and castings.
Doncaster Precision Castings previously received a similar model for use in its heavy-duty industrial processes within the aerospace and automotive sectors. The furnace, supplied by L&L Special Furnace, has a maximum temperature of 1850°F (1010°C) and a capacity to handle a typical load weight of 2,000 pounds.
The press release is available in its original form here.
An electric box furnace, currently headed to a Midwest equipment provider, will ultimately be installed at a Snap-on production facility that services tool and die support within the company’s production line.
The model QDD29 economical dual-chamber heat treating and tempering oven from L&L Special Furnace has a compact over/under design that saves floor space and provides reliable heat treating in-house.
QDD29 economical dual-chamber furnace (Source: L&L Special Furnace)
The top chamber is primarily deployed for heat treating tool steels at temperatures up to 2200°F; the tempering chamber is suited to temperatures up to 1250°F and has a recirculation baffle that makes it suitable for small aluminum work as well. The hardening and tempering chambers have interior dimensions of 12” wide by 8” high by 24” deep, with total external dimensions of 55” wide by 70” tall by 56” deep.
The QDD29 is controlled with digital single setpoint controls along with overtemperature protection. Solid-state relays drive the heating elements in a control circuit.
This press release is available in its original form upon request.
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Tom Schulz Sales Manager L&L Special Furnace Source: L&L
An investment castings manufacturer's heat treat department received a large floor-standing box furnace from a North American specialty furnace company. The furnace will be used as support in the client's tool and die production along with tempering of finished castings.
The L&L model XLE3436 box furnace from L&L Special Furnace has an effective work zone of 34” wide by 22” high by 32” deep. It is equipped with a direct-lift vertical door with a floor switch to activate. The cantilevered vertical door eliminates the need for the upright structure to reduce the overall height of the equipment.
Tom Schulz, sales manager at L&L, highlights the key role this will play for the heat treat department, saying that this type of furnace is the company's “workhorse when it comes to thermal processing.”
The inert blanketing gas enables the part to be heat-treated with minimal surface de-carb. A stack light indicates the furnace status via an audible and visual indicator light mounted on top of the control.
Additionally, the furnace is equipped with a pyrometry package that has reference control thermocouple ports along with corner locations to record the high and low points within the unit as indicated by the latest temperature uniformity survey.
The original press release from L&L Special Furnace is available upon request.
A highly uniform box furnace was sent to a distributor of equipment to maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities located throughout the world. The furnace manufacturer is based in Pennsylvania and supplies this equipment for lab samples and general manufacturing.
The L&L Special FurnaceModel XLB124 has working dimensions of 11” wide by 10” high by 22” deep. The furnace is capable of heat treating and tempering. It is equipped with a sealed case for inert atmosphere capability, as well as a fully functional atmosphere control panel with pressure regulator, flowmeter and manual shut-off valve. Two-zone, long-lasting solid-state contactors control the power, and the furnace hearth is a rugged cordierite plate with ceramic support.
Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com
One of the great benefits of a community of heat treaters is the opportunity to challenge old habits and look at new ways of doing things. Heat TreatToday’s101 Heat TreatTipsis another opportunity to learn the tips, tricks, and hacks from some of the industry’s foremost experts.
Heat TreatToday’s latest round of 101 Heat Treat Tips is featured in Heat TreatTodayfall issue (also featuring the popular 40 Under 40).
Situation: In induction scan hardening of axle shafts, there was NO cracking occurred after scan hardening (case depth varies from 5 mm to 8 mm). Cracks appeared in the spline region after induction tempering.
Solution: Most likely, the cause of this problem is associated with a reversal of residual stress distribution during induction tempering. Reduce coil power for tempering and increase time of induction tempering. Multi-pulse induction tempering applying lower power density might also help. As an alternative, instead of modifying temper cycle, you can also try to reduce quench severity by increasing the temperature of the quenchant and/or its concentration.
(Dr. Valery Rudnev, FASM, Fellow of IFHTSE, Professor Induction, Director Science & Technology, Inductoheat Inc., An Inductotherm Group company)
Heat TreatTip #26
TZM Moly Grids
Source: Grammer Vacuum Technologies, Inc.
A very commonly observed failure mechanism with a moly post hearth assembly is bending of the moly posts. They will stay fairly straight at the center of the hearth area, but they can distort badly toward the outer sides of the work zone. The outer rows of vertical posts end up leaning away from each other. This is due to the very high linear thermal expansion coefficient of nickel-iron alloy grids (usually 330 SS or Inconel). With a high load on the nickel alloy grid, it is not able to slide on the perpendicular hearth beams as the temperature rises. The outer hearth post rows are forced in an outward direction. The quenching of the furnace load does not reverse all of this effect and over time results in the severe bending of the hearth posts.
By replacing the stainless steel or nickel alloy grids with a moly or TZM alloy moly grid, which exhibits very low thermal expansion, the hearth life can be increased. For comparison, the figure shows the coefficients of linear thermal expansion for commonly used grid materials. For example, a 36” wide 330 SS grid at 70°F grows to 36.6” wide at 2200°F.
Another significant benefit of TZM moly grids is use at higher furnace process temperatures without the problem of a softened, sagging grid that cannot support the load properly.
Source: Grammer Vacuum Technologies, Inc.
(Grammer Vacuum Technologies, Inc.)
Heat TreatTip #41
Ways to Increase Temperature Uniformity in Heat Treat Furnaces
A (sometimes) simple way to increase uniformity in a furnace is to add a circulation fan. Circulation fans can be a quick way to add an additional 5°F tighter uniformity on a batch furnace application.
Be sure that the furnace is tuned optimally to reduce/eliminate any overshoot and oscillation around setpoint.
Eliminate any thermal lag by making sure that the control thermocouple and TUS thermocouples have similar sensitivity. If not, the control thermocouples can fall behind and cause the TUS thermocouples to overshoot and fail.
A government military defense organization, located in the southeastern United States, bought a medium-sized high-temperature box furnace for military ceramic composite development. It will also help with research and development for various other components.
The furnace, built by L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., has a working zone of 24” wide by 18” high by 36” deep and is rated for continuous operating temperatures up to 2500°F (1371°C). It is equipped with silicon carbide heating elements for high temperature operation and sealed from the inside out for use with inert “blanketing gas."
This furnace is controlled by a Honeywellprogram control and corresponding overtemperature protection.
A Dozen Quick Heat TreatNews 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
Todd McDonald was recently hired as president and chief executive officer of Thermal Process Holdings, Inc., which was formed by Calvert Street Capital Partners and John Hubbard, former CEO of Bodycote, PLC, to pursue a buy-and-build strategy in the thermal processing industry.
Gasbarre Products, Inc. launched its new website, www.gasbarre.com. As part of the rebranding initiative, Gasbarre has categorized its diverse product offering into three business units: Powder Compaction Solutions, Thermal Processing Systems, and Manufacturing Technologies.
Bentraum D. Huffman has been named president and chief executive officer of the Ellwood Group, Inc. Huffman previously had served as chief operating officer since 2015.
Chemcoaters, a coil coater and manufacturer of proprietary coating chemistries, has acquired Eco Green Coatings, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Both companies are located in Gary, Indiana.
Connie Mackey, Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) Corporate Quality Systems Manager, was recently selected to be a voting member of the Nadcap Heat Treating Task Group. Nadcap is a global accreditation program designed to ensure standardized and cost-effective approaches and to provide continual improvement among the aerospace and defense industry.
Equipment Chatter
A large retort box furnace used for de-bindering ceramic composite pre-peg materials along with powder metals processing and hot isostatic processing was recently purchased from L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc.
A cabinet oven from Grieve, No. 934, is currently being used by the customer for heat treating. Workspace dimensions of this 850°F oven measure 38” W x 20” D x 26” H.
A LP gas-fired heavy duty car bottom oven with fume incinerator was recently delivered to a leader in the oil and gas industry by Wisconsin Oven Corporation. This car bottom oven will be used for prebaking drill pipe joints. The thermal clean oven has a maximum operating temperature of 800° F and work chamber dimensions of 8’6″ wide x 50’0″ long x 8’6″ high.
Kudos Chatter
Solar Atmospheres, Inc. has filed a Patent Application with the US Patent Office, application number 15/999,873 for a high-pressure, rapid gas quenching vacuum furnace utilizing an isolation transformer in the blower motor power system. The gas quench with a 600 HP motor operates at 460 volts in Argon gas, utilizing a double wound, Magnetic Specialties, Inc. electrical isolation transformer, primary winding 1:1 to the secondary winding, with a Variable Speed Drive and solid state electrical spike protection for motor arc suppression.
Thermal-Vac Technology, Inc., located in Orange, CA has received merit status for NADCAP AC7102 Heat Treating accreditation. Thermal-Vac Technology Inc. City Steel Heat Treating, located in Santa Fe Springs, CA has been awarded NADCAP accreditation in AC7102 Heat Treating. This is the initial accreditation award after our 2016 acquisition of this location.
Cornwell Quality Tools, which produces fine quality tools with high-grade alloy steel, combined with modern heat-treating methods, celebrates 100 years in business this year.
Tekscan’s Gait Analysis System Wins R&D 100 Award. Tekscan is thrilled to announce that StridewayTM has won an R&D 100 Award. The R&D 100 Awards honor the latest and best innovations, identifying the top technology products of the past year. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies introduced to the market.
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.
Heat TreatTodayoffers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel and Company Chatter
Tracy Dougherty has been named Vice President of Sales at AFC-Holcroft. Dougherty has been with AFC-Holcroft since 2008 and served in several sales-related roles, most recently as the company’s Sales Manager. As Vice President of Sales, Dougherty will now have a number of added responsibilities, including overseeing the company’s activities in Europe.
Retech Systems, which has been manufacturing vacuum melting systems in Northern California, will transition much of the manufacturing and assembly to facilities in Świebodzin, Poland. All of the future work done at the SECO/Warwick facilities in Poland will be per the established Retech standards with the focus on maintaining all expectations associated with the Retech brand. The Ukiah office will be downsized and will retain engineers, technical directors, technologists, and service staff. Retech’s unique R&D Center will continue to be built up, maintaining a west coast office along with the recently opened east coast office in Buffalo, NY.
Philip Wrisley, Project Manager at Plibrico‘s Salem, Ohio, office, is the recipient of an API STD 936 Refractory Personnel Certification from the American Petroleum Institute (API). This internationally recognized certification verifies Wrisley’s knowledge of API Refractory Installation Quality Control Guidelines for field-testing of monolithic refractory materials, as well as best practices in the installation and repair of refractory linings.
A new 57,500 square foot building dedicated to vacuum furnace manufacturing is under construction at Solar Manufacturing‘s campus in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. As can be seen in the photo below, the four bridge cranes are in place, the full plant and office roof is complete, and much of the concrete floor poured.
A thermal technology company recently announced the opening of its new sales and operations office in Norway. Chromalox, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, manufactures process heating and heat tracing products.
A global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling recently announced an expansion at the company’s Pindamonhangaba, Brazil, plant. This $175 million investment of its flagship facility in South America will bolster Novelis‘s capacity with 100 kilotonnes of additional rolling production and 60 kilotonnes of increased recycling and bring total capacity of the Pindamonhangaba facility to approximately 680 kilotonnes per year of aluminum sheet and 450 kilotonnes annually of recycled metal.
Nucor Corporation has announced that it is acquiring Corporacion POK, S.A. de C.V. (POK), a fully integrated precision castings company with a facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. POK produces complex castings and precision machined products used by the oil and gas, mining and sugar processing industries.
A new automotive structures facility opened in Zilina, Slovakia, dedicated to the production of aluminum crash management systems and body structure components. Constellium‘s 5,200 square meter facility in Zilina features advanced technologies for forming, machining, welding, and heat-treating aluminum automotive components, along with a state-of-the-art quality lab to ensure products meet customer specifications. Constellium plans to expand its facility to 15,000 square meters by mid-2019.
Construction underway for Solar Manufacturing\’s new building. at Sellersville, PA.
Equipment Chatter
A Japanese manufacturer of precision tool steels components recently commissioned a precision vacuum furnace system from SECO/WARWICK. This specialized system reduces energy consumption through power optimization and cycle time reduction, customized to work within the tight physical space limitations.
In addition, an American manufacturer which produces transportation components recently ordered a new precision gas nitriding furnace with ZeroFlow® from SECO/VACUUM (SVT), a SECO/WARWICK Group company.
L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., has supplied a custom designed and manufactured oil quench tank to a metal stamping manufacturer in the Midwest. The quench tank is specifically used to quench metal stamping dies that are heated to 1,550°F.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp recently posted to Facebook a video of the installation of one of three new nitriding vessels delivered to the company’s MidPort Blvd location as part of an ongoing building expansion.
An international heat treating equipment manufacturer with a location in California, JGEF Furnace, recently sold 6 furnaces to a Japanese heat treating company. Four nitriding horizontal furnaces are front-loading and designed specifically for precision gas nitriding in a retort style with vacuum purge, and two tempering horizontal furnaces are designed to temper workloads after hardening.
SECO VACUUM sells gas nitriding furnace with ZeroFlow®.
L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., delivers oil quench tank.
AHT installs new intriding equipment
JGEF Furnace ships 6 furnaces to Japanese manufacturer.
Kudos Chatter
Hydro Extruded Solutions Hoogezand B.V. (Netherlands), which produces aluminum profiles as well as anodized and painted components, has become the first aluminum extrusion company to be certified with ASI’s Performance Standard for environmental, social and governance performance.
SECO/WARWICK was recently awarded the Honorary Badge for Meritorious Performance in the area of innovation in a badge award ceremony held at the Royal Castle as part of the celebrations of the 100-year anniversary of the Patent Office and industrial property protection system in Poland. The badge, given to entities and organizations having outstanding achievements in their pro-development activities, was received by Bartosz Klinowski, Managing Director (Europe), Member of the Management Board of SECO/WARWICK.
Hydro Extruded Solutions Hoogezand B.V. certified by ASI.
SECO/WARWICK awarded the Honorary Badge for Meritorious Performance.
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.
With its unique ability to be used in the shaping of other materials, tool steel, which includes a variety of carbon and alloy steels, is a particularly valuable property for tool manufacturers as well as manufacturers of components and parts that require the same degree of distinctive hardness, resistance to abrasion and deformation, and ability to hold a cutting edge at elevated temperatures.
The three-phase process of heat treating tool steel — annealed, austenite, and martensite — ensures the tool retains these qualities, achieves intended functionality, and meets performance specifications. In addition,
“The phases that define the process of heat treating tool steel alter the microstructure of the steel itself. Observable under a microscope, heat treatment rearranges the atoms of the iron, carbon, and any other metal components, which serves to give the final material specifically desired properties.” — L&L Special Furnace
Multiple factors can influence the final product, including the appropriate hardening and tempering temperatures depending on the type of steel.
This table provides general recommendations for the appropriate hardening and tempering temperatures based on steel type, as well as the recommended type of quench process. — L&L Special Furnace
“Heat treating tool steel does more than adding significant value to the treated material—it makes the use of the tool steel possible. Without properly applied heat treating, tools simply wouldn’t work or couldn’t even be made. Modern metallurgical engineering is essential to the production and manufacturing of tool steel and all of its applications.” — L&L Special Furnace
Photo credit (main image): Youtube.com and caption: “Visual indication of tool steel phase change to austenite when heat treating. Small pools of iron are forced from the steel as the volumetric change takes place and small amounts of carbon are burned off.”
