mike johnson

Massive H13 Extrusion Dies Heat Treat Hardened for Ohio Companies

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

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Michael Johnson
Director of sales
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA

Two large H13 extrusion dies for two separate companies were vacuum heat treated in a high pressure gas quench vacuum furnace that fully hardened the dies in successive cycles.

Solar Atmospheres, using a furnace from Solar Manufacturing, provided two Ohio companies as-quenched dies with hardness of HRC 50-52 using nitrogen as the quench gas. The hollow die was 30” outer diameter x 15” inner diameter x 103” long and weighed 16,000 pounds. The solid die, belonging to a different customer, was 34” outer diameter x 64” long and weighed 14,000 pounds. Post-quench each component was triple air tempered resulting in a final hardness of HRC 46-48.

The 10-bar 600 HP high pressure vacuum furnace permits the company to obtain the desired cooling rates, commented Mike Johnson, director of sales at Solar Atmospheres.

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Heat Treating to Take Flight: Titanium Creep Flattening

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, FIXTURE RACKING SYSTEMS TECHNICAL CONTENT, TITANIUM PROCESSING TECHNICAL CONTENT, VACUUM FURNACES TECHNICAL CONTENT

Source: Aerospace Manufacturing and Design

Heat treating any aerospace projects? Then you know titanium is up there when it comes to VIP alloys in the industry. This best of the web is pulled from an aerospace magazine in which Michael Johnson of Solar Atmospheres answers five questions about creep flattening titanium:

  1. Typical temperatures for creep flattening titanium parts
  2. Whether of not creep flattening can only be done in a vacuum
  3. Best fixturing for creep flattening titanium parts
  4. Can creep flattening minimize movement
  5. Will reheating titanium over 1,000°F affect certification

An excerpt:

"Give your heat treater your material certifications. Many mills will certify to aerospace material specification AMS 2801, AMS 4905, AMS 4911, AMS-H-81200, etc. The material often can be re-annealed while simultaneously creep flattening." - Michael Johnson, Director of Sales, Solar Atmospheres

Read more: "Questions with Michael Johnson"

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45′ Long Seamless Nickel Alloy Tubes Vacuum Heat Treated Successfully

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Michael Johnson
Sales Manager
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA

HTD Size-PR LogoSolar Atmospheres of Western PA successfully vacuum heat treated what is reported to be the largest and longest load of nickel alloy tubing ever in a commercial vacuum furnace. The mission was to preserve the crucial elements of brightness and cleanliness of the 45-foot-long seamless tubing while meeting extremely stringent mechanical properties.

“We spent countless hours reviewing critical systems such as triplicate pumping systems and redundant hot zone controls for any unforeseeable event that might arise during the 100+ hour run,” stated Michael Johnson, sales director at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. “We are also fortunate that we can rely on our furnace manufacturing division, Solar Manufacturing, for guidance should any issue arise. This successful run will ignite a production campaign for the next 5 years, once again boosting confidence that this 48 foot vacuum furnace will surpass our customers’ expectations.”

Editor’s Note:

We suspected that this is a significant heat treating accomplishment, so we asked industry consultant and expert Dan Herring for perspective.  Here are the questions and his responses. The following is provided by Heat Treat Today and not Solar Atmospheres of Western PA.

HTT: In what industries might these tubes be used?

DH:  Typical examples would include steam generator tubing in nuclear power plants, high temperature aircraft systems, the oil and gas extraction industry, and anywhere applications call for corrosion/pressure/temperature resistant tubes/pipe.

HTT: Is there anything special about processing nickel alloy tubing?

DH: Yes. In order to maximize corrosion resistance, one must keep the surfaces of the tubes as oxide-free as possible. Hence, the use of vacuum. Also, the long lengths of the pipe means fewer welded joints (fewer joints means a stronger pipe, and likely more resistant to corrosion).

HTT: Is this release noteworthy?

DH: It is absolutely noteworthy. This demonstrates size capability available in only a handful (if that many) heat treat shops IN THE WORLD.

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13 Quick Heat Treat News Chatter Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

 

Equipment Chatter

  1. Foundrax Engineering Products Ltd, global Brinell test specialist, has launched the “BRINscope Duo”, a patent-pending, dual-illumination, hand-held microscope for measuring indentation diameters.
  2. TAV VACUUM FURNACES SPA received an order for a horizontal vacuum heat treatment furnace for a Brazilian company who specializes in different heat treatments (including quenching, cementation, nitriding) for the engineering industry.

Personnel/Company Chatter

  1. Mark Hemsath, former vice president of SECO/VACUUM Technologies LLC, is joining Nitrex’s Heat Treating Services Sales division. He will be taking on the role of vice president of Sales Heat Treating Services, Americas.
  2. Zachary Thomas will be assuming the role of outside sales manager at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. He will be reporting directly to their sales director, Mike Johnson.
  3. AFC-Holcroft launched “AFC-Holcroft University,” a training program for all employees. This training offers their entire staff, including those in non-technical roles, the opportunity to learn more about the company, products, and technology.
  4. Ipsen is offering on-site Ipsen U courses to accommodate large groups at client facilities. Ipsen U is a course designed to teach heat treatment fundamentals, best practices and new methods.
  5. Rockford Systems, LLC, dba Rockford Combustion Solutions, is broadening its portfolio of offerings to include field service throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
  6. Throughput Consulting Inc., a leading Manufacturing Execution and Quality Management System software provider, hired Joe Coleman as its new cyber security officer to assist customers and their vendors in achieving compliance of NIST 800-171, CMMC and DFARS. He will be working with the Bluestreak™ team towards this end.

 

 

Kudos Chatter

  1. Nitrex launched their new website to reflect their company’s values and brand.
  2. Solar Atmospheres Greenville, SC facility has been awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne approval, their second aerospace prime approval of 2021.
  3. Berndorf AG, parent company to AFC-Holcroft, graduated its 2020/2021 class of its Berndorf Academy, an exclusive, yearlong management training offered to select employees chosen from the corporation’s global subsidiaries. AFC-Holcroft’s Jason Crook, electrical engineering manager, was one of the graduates.
  4. Newage Testing Instruments announced the launch of its new webshop, www.store.ametekstc.com to shop for hardness testing accessories such as test blocks, indenters, and anvils that can be used with both Newage’s products as well as other Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers, and Knoop hardness testing and microhardness testing systems.
  5. ECM Technologies was recognized as one of the companies who is leading the way towards a better, brighter, greener future. ECM’s ECO Furnace was presented the Green Business Award for accomplishing a cleaner, safer, and more efficient operation in the heat treat industry; more specifically the environment benefits from a low carbon footprint (energy consumption is minimal and CO2 emissions are near 80% less).

 

 

 

 

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 bethany@heattreattoday.com.

 

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HI-POWER and Heat Treat Supplier Join Forces

/ ENERGY HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS

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Mike Johnson
Sales Manager
Solar

The energy storage company HI-POWER, a Holtec International and Eos Energy Storage joint venture, recently formed a five-year partnering agreement with a North American heat treat supplier to provide an energy efficient non-lithium, long duration energy storage solution using battery technology.

The new battery technology, a decade in the making, is an efficient non-lithium, long duration energy storage solution. One of the critical components within the battery system requires a “vacuum cathodic” heat treatment process. This newly developed surface heat treatment process enables the product to last 5,000 cycles for a 15-year calendar life with no subcooling or pumps required.

HI-POWER and Solar Atmospheres of Western PA  engineers worked to develop the vacuum cathodic heat treatment needed to fulfill HI-POWER’s specifications. Today, Solar is thermally processing thousands of components to help HI-POWER deliver clean and reliable energy faster for the world’s needs.

"I came upon this opportunity at a trade show four years ago," said Mike Johnson, sales manager for Solar, "At that time, HI-POWER was perfecting their critical thermal cycle profiles in a small hot wall furnace in New Jersey. HI-POWER knew that someday they would need to employ a large vacuum furnace - and we had that capability."

HI-POWER builds one of the safest and fully integrated DC storage batteries in the world. Their “Znyth” storage batteries are especially stable when housed in extreme temperatures and are nonflammable and 100% recyclable.

(photo source: Solar Atmospheres, courtesy of EOS Energy Storage)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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