Maciej Korecki Vice President Vacuum Furnace Segment SECO/WARWICK (source: SECO/WARWICK)
A tool manufacturer has ordered a retort furnace with vacuum purging for oxidation. While oxidation is primarily used in demanding industries such as automotive and aviation, the technology is increasingly widespread among tool manufacturers.
The retort furnace for the oxidation process operates under a nitrogen and hydrogen mix, then under steam. This furnace can be adjusted to the individual needs of the client, providing the appropriate final hardness and color of the workpieces. According to the supplier, the solution will also enable tempering after vacuum purging.
“Innovations originate . . . also from using the knowledge of our partners and listening to what they want to say,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the vacuum segment business at SECO/WARWICK. “We are glad that we can deliver another furnace and increase the production capacity of our partner.”
State of Industry 4.0 in the North American Heat Treat Market: What’s Being Done and Who’s Using It?
What is “Industry 4.0” and how is this new technology being used in the heat treat industry? Industry experts spoke with Heat Treat Todayabout their involvement with this cutting-edge application of technology. To learn how you can implement Industry 4.0 at your plant, read what experts have to say about the problems, solutions, and the future of Industry 4.0.
In this Heat Treat Today Original Content article, Peter Sherwin at Eurotherm, AymericGoldsteinas at Ipsen, Robert Szadkowski at SECO/WARWICK Group, and Dan Herring at The HERRING GROUP, Inc. bring varied perspectives as they tackle this topic.
“I think IoT should be better applied – period!”
– Peter Sherwin, Global Business Development Heat Treatment Executive, Eurotherm
Industry 4.0 and “the internet of things” (IoT) were hot topics in the crammed online chatrooms of this year’s heat treat events. But exactly what are these technologies in the world of heat treat? What are the current applications that three leaders in Industry 4.0 have applied? What are some problems and solutions that this new tech brings? And lastly, what is the future of Industry 4.0?
This article will begin by explaining and defining a few prominent technologies before answering each of these questions. Then, read a few thoughts from The Heat Treat Doctor® as you think about application to your heat treat process.
What Is It and Why Does It Matter?
Basically, the term “Industry 4.0” refers to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. See the chart for a breakdown of major topics of the first three industrial revolutions.
Infographic of the four industrial revolutions. Source: Heat Treat Today (images ref. 11)
The idea of new communication is sometimes referred to as cyber-physical connections. This is occurring right now! For example, a sensor (cyber) can monitor a furnace (physical) and send information about the furnace’s conditions to a central data sorting location (connection) for a human to synthesize and respond. The Fourth Industrial Revolution – Industry 4.0 – refers to how the communication between the physical world and the digital world are seamlessly connected.
Click the image to learn more
A key feature of Industry 4.0 is the internet of things (IoT), but other technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and machine learning also play a part. Let’s define a few of these Industry 4.0 terms that you will see later in the article:
IoT: refers to the physical networking of objects via internet-supported software. Similarly, the “industrial internet of things” (IIoT) refers to these systems supporting industrial purposes, like synthesizing information from furnace sensors on a central app.
artificial intelligence (AI): machines which can process and perform complex directions in a way that mimics natural intelligence.
augmentedreality (AR): digital enhancement of a real-world environment. Think of phone apps which can portray a digital overlay on a video feed, like Snapchat lenses.
virtual reality (VR): digital experience that may be interactive with the real-world environment, or completely simulated.
machine learning: an extension of AI, machine learning describes the result of computer algorithms which modify their performance based on repeated input.
While engineers have been pursuing these new applications for several years, COVID-19 has been a driving factor for businesses to pursue technical options in their daily operations due to limits on travel and physical contact.
[blockquote author=”Robert Szadkowski, VP of Aftermarket Sales, SECO/WARWICK Group” style=”1″]Remote acceptance testing is a highly requested service today. I could say that the financial rationale for such action has always existed, while the epidemiological threat has been the catalyst for change. It is a win-win action.[/blockquote]
According to Aymeric Goldsteinas, project development manager at Ipsen, customers are becoming more willing to implement Ipsen’s Industry 4.0 endeavors, even cloud-based solutions, a willingness that was not present just one decade ago. So how is the heat treat market responding?
Current Applications
We asked suppliers how they implemented Industry 4.0. What follows is how they responded.
Ipsen | PdMetrics
PdMetrics Dashboard Source: Ipsen USA
Ipsen launched a software system in 2016. The company continues to develop and improve its predictive maintenance capabilities to service many of their current customers.
Part of the system’s customer appeal, said Aymeric Goldsteinas, product development manager at Ipsen, is that it can “minimize high-cost events and maximize furnace up-time.”
This is done by using sensor technology and gathering data in their PdMetrics database, which then anticipates future furnace problems. This reduces unplanned downtime and could help heat treaters avoid scrapping loads of high-value parts.
From a consumer perspective, this IoT technology solution leads to improved part quality and part performance.
How it works: PdMetrics assigns a variety of sensors to each system in the heat treat process. For example, a quench system sensor checks vibrations, cooling motor temperature, and water temperature.
Source: Ipsen Harold Click the image to read 5 case studies on PdMetrics.
On Ipsen’s client digital dashboard via PdMetrics, Goldsteinas showed the heat treating systems depicted with a green-yellow-red gauge to portray the working condition of that system. Green indicates that the system is well-maintained, yellow indicates a system needs to be maintained soon, and red means that maintenance is needed immediately. This easy-to-use display is also an example of how Industry 4.0 technologies create user-friendly experiences and cut out excess human input.
This product was used by an aerospace manufacturer to update their systems, integrating this software with their heat treatment process. The results were noticeably increased efficiency of parts and less unplanned downtime. The company was able to schedule maintenance at off-peak hours and plan for future needs by using the platform’s ability to identify maintenance trends, deteriorating conditions, and more.
Check out the post to the side to see how a heat treater was able to save thousands to tens of thousands of dollars with PdMetrics system.
While this company has set the pace with their early adoption of IoT in the heat treat industry, it is worth noting that other companies also offer similar products.
In 2013, Eurotherm began their transition to IoT technologies.
“One of our first true cloud-based solutions focused on improving the efficiency of the calibration process,” said Peter Sherwin, global business development heat treatment executive of Eurotherm. He continued, “This system connects third-party calibration providers with their end-customers and provides an enterprise-wide web view of the calibration status (via dashboards) and access to reports. The smart-tablet app provides an easy-to-follow workflow for conducting a compliant calibration and produces an instant report along with the associated QR-code label.”
Referring to their web-based systems and use of cloud platforms, Sherwin said, “along with our parent, Schneider-Electric, we have developed a range of edge-computing solutions to allow simple transfer of data from the plant-floor to cloud-based advisors and visualization software.”
Sherwin says that their systems are being used globally. “Our enterprise calibration platform,” he shared, “is being utilized by several partner companies as well as in Schneider Electric GSC (Global Supply Chain) Manufacturing plants worldwide.”
Sherwin also noted a variety of IoT applications that Eurotherm provides:
A cloud-hosted digital services platform, EcoStruxure™ Manufacturing Compliance Advisor uses asset compliance to “reduce testing costs, increase productivity and be audit-ready with a robust scheduling and testing process.”
A system called EcoStruxure™ Machine Advisor “allows OEMs to track, monitor and fix equipment remotely.” Additionally, operators can predict and execute maintenance schedules, which improves machine availability.
On a mobile device, EcoStruxure™ Augmented Advisor combines “contextual and local information… creating a fusion of the physical, real-life environment with virtual objects.”
Case in point: “An OEM machine manufacturer in the ceramics industry helps customers reduce their energy consumption by 30% by leveraging our IoT software,” Sherwin shared.
SECO/WARWICK | Remote Factory Acceptance and Activation Tools
Remote Control Source: SECO/WARWICK
Recently SECO/WARWICK publicized the fact that they successfully conducted several international and remote factory acceptance tests. Two customers from China, one from South Korea, and one from Mexico all participated. Each customer was able to remotely approve the furnace construction and performance work of their new furnaces while the furnaces were still on the shop floor in SECO/WARWICK’s European manufacturing facility. No customer engineers were involved on-site at the factory.
Recordings from individual cameras, sensors and viewfinders were downloaded to secure servers and made available to customers. The tests were successful, and the adopted procedures guarantee the reliability and completeness of the data, according the company report.
The company has been using these technologies for “internal device supervision for at least ten years,” according to Robert Szadkowski, VP of Aftermarket Sales at SECO/WARWICK. “In our work,” he continued, “we use remote supervision tools and applications, we report overall equipment efficiency (OEE) indicators, and we conduct optimization processes in terms of batch queuing or energy factor consumption.”
Szadkowski at SECO/WARWICK remarked that for most systems, distance furnace commission is very likely. He explained, “It starts at the stage of making arrangements regarding the expected technical and technological parameters, continues throughout the production and commissioning period, and then during the warranty and post-warranty period. The participation of the customer, the end user of the furnace, in the acceptance tests is required, as is training of the operating personnel […]. There are exceptions to this when dealing with high-risk systems, but for many systems this would be perfectly acceptable.”
Still, Szadkowski noted that “this will be primarily a challenge to our ideas and internal acceptance, rather than to technical limitations.”
C3 Data | End-User System Compliance
Finally, the C3 Data application for furnace compliance is an example of an interrelated, stream-lined, digital solution that provides customers with clear, “real-time” data.
Digitizing data ahead of time integrates testing processes. The system scheduler allows compliance tests to be planned ahead of time. Digitizing the calibration data allows for technicians to scan QR codes attached to test instruments and test sensors to access that data as they test for compliance.
When compliance is tested, the results are immediate for the technician and the quality assurance manager (QAM). The technician uses a portable device to complete these tests, scanning the test instrument and the test sensor, and then inputting the stabilized temperatures from the test instrument and the furnace instrument. In twelve seconds, a technician can complete a system accuracy test (SAT); watch the video above to see the SAT Additionally, the system automatically populates paperless reports to be signed and sent to the QAM. This allows the quality assurance manager to check the reports in real time.
Similar to earlier products, a digital dashboard depicts furnace compliance data. The graphic visualizations allow users to quickly evaluate which furnaces are in compliance, and, if not, why.
Problems // Solutions
Businesses have experienced a few problems with integrating the technology. But there are solutions.
Aymeric Goldensteinas Product Development Manager Ipsen Source: padtronics.com
The first problem is data storage. Like all storage, data storage is finite, and therefore costly. The use of interrelated systems that require high volumes of data to flow between sensors and central systems necessitates investment on the front end for storing data. Additionally, having limited bandwidth to keep digital communication lines open can cause blackouts and connectivity issues. But after acquiring storage, there are practices to use that storage as efficiently as possible.
A solution that Ipsen implements to alleviate this active/working storage stress is “the frequency rule.” This rule establishes a rate of data movement to allow data to move across system memory.
A second issue is privacy/security. It is necessary that the heat treater’s product or process data is properly secured, and while the supplier has certain responsibilities to mitigate this issue, heat treaters should be aware of ways to safeguard their intellectual property. One option, which Ipsen suggests, would be to purchase a unique VPN to ensure better data security. Some companies, including Ipsen, use a stand-alone system that works independent of the PLC, which ensures proprietary data is kept private while following secure industry software standards.
A third issue is user acceptance or, simply put, how comfortable you are with 4.0 technologies. If a heat treater is not comfortable with the technology itself, then Industry 4.0-related tech can be more difficult to implement. On the flip side, suppliers — regarding all processes — must be ready and able to meet the customer’s demands for new products, as Dan Herring, The Heat Treat Doctor®, has indicated. (Ref. 5) An example of digital demands is the AMS2750F requirement that paper chart recorders be replaced with digital data acquisition systems by June 29, 2022.
User acceptance relates to the final problem: relationship with the supplier. While not a bad thing in and of itself, if your relationship with your supplier is not good, then it will be a challenge to develop an effective Industry 4.0 solution process. Be sure you develop an open, communicative relationship with your supplier so that they can offer you unique solutions for your plant’s operation.
The Future of Heat Treat
Here are some interesting applications that people in the industry are looking to with the progression of Industry 4.0:
1. Increased Servitization
Robert Szadkowski Director, Vice President of the Aftermarket Sales Segment SECO/WARWICK Source: Robert Szadkowski
Szadkowski at SECO/WARWICK emphasized that these rapid changes to heat treat systems makes it likely that the servitization — the selling of services rather than products — of the heat treat industry is likely to develop in the near future.
“I am strongly convinced,” Szadkowski wrote, “that sooner or later the servitization will cover the heat treatment industry. When looking at the potential benefits, it’s basically inevitable. The customer, user of the furnace, will be able to focus on their core business instead of worrying about the operation of the furnaces. The manufacturer of the device will be keenly interested in ensuring that its furnace works flawlessly (so that the availability is as high as possible) and brings business benefits to the user. What’s more, with a correctly prepared PaaS (Product as a Service) contract, the OEM will also be interested in improving the operating parameters of such a device after delivery.”
He continues that “Such solutions have existed in the industry for years, e.g. the Rolls-Royce model of selling aircraft engines known as Power-by-the-Hour. The benefits are on both sides; both parties can focus on what they are best at and what is their core business, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Both parties are interested in long-term cooperation, not a one-off transaction. In light of global problems with access to service engineers, including maintenance staff, the shift of responsibility for the operation of devices from the user to the manufacturer is a natural direction of change.”
There are a few hypotheses revolving around the use of AR service glasses. SECO/LENS augmented reality is currently being explored. This would help in providing remote field service support to the heat treater.
Ipsen’s Goldsteinas has also noted several benefits. He explains the application working by connecting a customer or field service engineer who is at the site with an expert from Ipsen or another service provider. This remote assistance wherein an informant is able to see a problem and give first-hand direction is a common example used to describe the benefits of AR. This application could, for example, decrease the down-time if a furnace were to unexpectedly fail.
Additionally, Goldsteinas envisions training sessions that are conducted in mixed reality. Using virtual reality with an oculus — a type of goggle that digitally enhance or recreate a digitally interactive, environment — companies could reduce training time by recreating experiences, like meetings or practical training sessions, that could be collaborative or solitary. Mixed reality devices like the HoloLens may also be integrated for similar purposes. (Watch video to the right to see examples of Microsoft’s HoloLens and other enhanced reality examples.)
The future could also involve virtual collaboration in the form of an augmented reality meeting room to allow employees from across different Ipsen facilities to discuss and interact with the same content in real-time
3. Efficient Cloud Capabilities
Peter Sherwin personally foresees that attention to the Cloud’s abilities and security will be leveraged in new ways: “An example of this is looking at some of the cost-effective modern-day instrument SCADA [supervisory control and data acquisition] offerings that can provide an on-premise hub for certain applications while managing security policies for linking to cloud based IoT offers.”
4. Increased Systemwide Application
Specifically looking at IoT technologies, Sherwin shared, “I think an expanded view of IoT that encompasses automation across the enterprise (termed as Intelligent Automation or Hyperautomation) is more useful if you really want to achieve significant returns on investment [of IoT technologies]. IoT solutions can improve speed and reduce costs across sales, operations, maintenance, quality, service and administration.”
Advice: To Use or Not To Use
Dan Herring The Heat Treat Doctor®
Dan Herring, The Heat Treat Doctor®, has written about Industry 4.0 and how thinking about seven considerations in any continuation of or change to one’s heat treating process is essential. Ask yourself:
Do I understand what I want to accomplish metallurgically?
Can I predict the outcome of the heat treatment operation?
Can I build repeatability into the process?
Am I using state of the art heat treating equipment?
Am I aware of changes to manufacturing operations?
Am I compromising on quality?
Do I know the costs?
At the end of the day, noted The Heat Treat Doctor®, heat treaters need to know that what they are doing is being done the right way, the first time with the best procedures and processes for their particular operation.
Reflections on The Heat Treat Doctor®
Peter Sherwin of Eurotherm commented on the seven-part advice of The Heat Treat Doctor®, noting, “I think it is very appropriate to look at the value of IoT through the seven considerations that [he] outlines. Building these solutions requires heat treat know-how and an understanding of the data to be captured in order to provide valuable solutions. Value is unlocked in the following categories:
“Right first-time quality improvements. A good heat treater will have quality costs <1% of turnover. The MTI suggests that the cost of quality (all activities) can hit $750k for a decent-size heat treat operation. The knock-on [effects] of poor quality impacts customer satisfaction through delayed deliveries and costs in rework/rejects.”
“Maintenance. These costs can fluctuate – but lets assume a well run plant with fairly modern equipment has costs around 5% of turnover. Significant purchase/cost savings can be made via remote support as well as an understanding of remaining useful life of key components (and avoiding panic purchases).”
“Energy. Again this can fluctuate, but let’s say 10% of turnover. Modern efficient solutions (gas or electric) can significantly reduce the cost of energy and this can be further optimized via IoT solutions.”
“Labor Costs. Say an average of 20% of turnover. Some of the modern XR offers (Extended reality – covers AR, MR, VR etc.) can definitely speed up training, help retention of knowledge, and reduce the time and costs in troubleshooting as well as aiding remote support.”
“It won’t be too long before IoT offers enhanced decision support to heat treaters to aid making profitable decisions,” Sherwin concludes.
Concluding Thoughts
Peter Sherwin Global Business Development Heat Treatment Executive Eurotherm
Whether we like it or not, Industry 4.0 related digital integration is becoming essential rather than simply a better option. Again, the recently published AMS2750F revision highlights this shift for heat treaters.
[blockquote author=”Peter Sherwin, global business development heat treatment of Eurotherm” style=”1″]I think it is important that we use IoT where it can truly bring value and don’t view it as a silver-bullet for everything.[/blockquote]
That does not mean you need to scramble to jump on the bandwagon, but strategically assess your position, your operations, and your options to identify what option is best. Look to other examples in the industry and heat treating tech insiders to inform these new, powerful realities.
Read/Watch More:
Pascal Bornet, Ian Barkin, Jochen Wirtz, Intelligent Automation. Suggested by Peter Sherwin at Eurotherm.
Lindsay Glider, “Rockwell Automation’s 4-Step Guide to Starting Your Digital Transformation Journey,” com (13 October 2020). https://tinyurl.com/yynfoufs.
GEBERIT Group, a European leader in sanitary products, will expand their annealing capabilities with two vacuum furnaces at their production plant in Ozorków. Both furnaces have larger working spaces than the standard: 900 x 900 x 1200 mm (HxWxL) to 900 x 900 x 2400 mm. These changes will allow the manufacturer to double the efficiency of the furnaces in one technological process.
As GEBERIT builds its independence by investing in heat treatment processes, some of the processes that they had carried out in traditional atmospheric furnaces will now be performed in these modern Vector vacuum furnaces supplied by North American SECO/VACUUM‘s parent company, SECO/WARWICK.
SECO/WARWICK Vacuum Furnaces Source: secovacusa.comSławomir Woźniak CEO SECO/WARWICK Source: secowarwick.com
“We chose the SECO/WARWICK Vector furnaces,” commented Mirosław Spasiński, head of the Technical Department of GEBERIT in Ozorków, “due to the guaranteed quality and efficiency but also the high cleanliness of the surfaces of the processed details, which is very important to us, as the elements are displayed in open GEBERIT sanitary installations, thus aesthetics play an important role.”
“An individual approach to the furnace design” notes Sławomir Woźniak, CEO of SECO/WARWICK Group, “is a project that requires expert engineering knowledge. [Our] engineers have the knowledge and experience that are needed to adjust the technology and its parameters so that it ensures the safety and failure-free operation of the device, but above all that the solution meets the expectations and needs of the client.”
Heat treater ALP Aviation is increasing its production capacity and expanding process capability with a vacuum furnace. The furnace is dedicated to low pressure carburizing of transmission components for helicopters and other aircraft.
Sławomir Woźniak CEO SECO/WARWICK Source: secowarwick.com
The new vacuum furnace is configured with horizontal charge loading, a maximum cooling gas pressure of 15 bar of argon and nitrogen, and a 900mm x 900mm x 1200mm (W x H x L) charge area.
This Vector vacuum furnace is the heat treater's 4th installation in a 13-year cooperation with SECO/WARWICK, the parent company of North American-based SECO/VACUUM. "Our 13-year relationship with ALP AVIATION continues to be of mutual benefit on all technical and managerial levels," says Sławomir Woźniak, CEO of SECO/WARWICK Group. "[We provide] the technology, equipment and process knowledge which has enabled our client to grow their business. Our Group values working close to the customer."
Global commercial heat treater HTA Group (HTA) ordered a vacuum aluminum brazing furnace. It will operate within a tight temperature tolerance of +/- 3° C, as dictated by AMS2750F, allowing HTA to continue to provide accredited heat treatment processing services to the global aerospace industry.
With three locations in Australia and one in the United States, HTA will be using this furnace to braze aluminum parts for applications where the use of brazing flux is not permitted due to corrosion. This is the seventh furnace -- and the 3rd vacuum brazing furnace -- that SECO/WARWICK will be providing to HTA.
"Our team of experienced heat treatment professionals appreciate working with SECO/WARWICK experts and technologies," said Norm Tucker, director at HTA Group. "We demand high quality, precision solutions due to the stringent requirements of the aerospace applications that we work with."
The vacuum aluminum brazing system has been designed with 6 temperature control zones in order to meet the temperature requirements of +/- 3° C as specified by the AMS2750F pyrometry specification. Additionally, the furnace provides the deep vacuum and perfect temperature uniformity to meet the Class 1 requirements of the pyrometry specification. The powerful high vacuum system will be equipped with a large diffusion pump and built to accommodate loads up to 800 x 800 x 1600mm (W x H x D). The furnace will be equipped with an external gas cooling system, which will both accelerate the process and improve the part quality after brazing.
Keith Boeckenhauer Managing Director SECO/WARWICK USA
A Virginia manufacturer of high-quality plumbing tube recently commissioned a new heat treat furnace, expanding the plant’s capabilities to include aluminum extrusions. This is the first new aluminum processing equipment installation at the plant.
The supplier, SECO/WARWICK, noted that the vertical orientation of the work being heat treated is what differentiates this from others. The design allows the customer to maintain an efficient, semi-continuous process with little downtime between batches by staging loads in the drywells. The major benefit of this design is that it will allow the manufacturer to drop extrusions into the quench within 10 seconds after heat treating and soak.
Keith Boeckenhauer, managing director of SECO/WARWICK USA, commented that the company "has patented many standard processes related to aluminum heat treatment and controlled atmosphere brazing, [and is able. . .] to apply innovative designs to custom requirements."
The furnace was designed and built in Pennsylvania.
One of the leading global power, aviation and renewable energy providers has selected a vacuum furnace hot zone replacement. The replacement and modernization of this hot zone is to be updated in a 20+ year old furnace. Once the furnace is updated, it will be installed at the client's facility in Hungary, Europe.
The supplier, SECO/WARWICK, replaced the hot zone of a horizontal vacuum furnace so that it could be integrated with the new, technologically advanced materials in the industry.
What have we learned these past six months? Well, for starters, everyone misses being face-to-face! Yet many heat treaters have taken this time to be flexible and innovative, building their intellectual fitness, so to speak.
This article, a Heat Treat Today Original Content piece, highlights some of the major themes which digital opportunities provide to heat treaters. You may note that some of these opportunities are still being offered; please reference company websites to confirm.
“COVID-19 came along… [but] it forced me to look into other projects which may be even more interesting. And I decided to build my intellectual property.”
-Harb Nayar, president of TAT Technologies, LLC on Heat Treat Radio
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Signs of life pre-April 2020 seem to be coming back, though many people are still reckoning with the work constraints. This past quarter, and even into Q3, heat treaters have seen a remarkable initiative to make learning online available. Heat Treat Today did a select study* of what a few of the most recent, heat treat specific events had to offer. The results of the examination demonstrates trends in the types of themes which heat treaters can improve their “intellectual fitness.”
Summary
A few themes stick out as key content: the fundamentals, quality control, additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing, and maintenance concerns.
source: Heat Treat Today
These themes were made available to heat treaters in the form of three main presentations: session or lecture format; panel discussion; round table. All platforms engaged in some form of online sessions which colored more lecture/seminar styled with scholarly professionals to addresses given by industry leaders or technical insiders. Larger, lengthier events, such as Furnaces North America and SECO/WARWICK’s e-Seminar incorporated panel discussions in addition to single-speaker sessions. Truly unique was the announced “round table” access at the Ceramics Expo Connect’s session on September 24th, “How to Improve Your Ceramic Products Material Properties Through Raw Material Optimization?”
Within these structures, a few presenters took advantage of the digital opportunity to offer case studies and live demonstrations of certain methods and processes. At the e-Seminar, multiple opportunities for this included “Symptoms of a Burner Issue – How to Solve It” and “Revealing the Secret of Carburizing,” while Buehler’sWilson Hardness Days (WHD) event promises “live demonstrations of DiaMet software.” Only a few of the events examined offered the opportunity to submit questions before the presentation occurred. Many sessions in this online forum were pre-recorded well in advance, so this might contribute as to why soliciting questions before the presentations wasn’t as widespread.
Four Themes of 2020
The Fundamentals
This one is not surprising. “The Fundamentals” refers to any overview, back-to-the-basics type of session that hits major ideas in the industry which might refine practices, but does not challenge or recreate heat treating theory/practice. An example of this is the technical session on day one of the FNA: “The Importance and the Proper Way to Monitor Polymer Quenches” to be given by Keisuke Kuroda of Idemitsu Lubricants America.
Hubbard-Hall’s webinar on cleaning titled “Optimizing Cleaning in Heat Treat Processes” promised to cover “the influence of contaminations in different heat treatment applications,” something that may not be as exciting as nitrogen gas quenching, but is still essential to know. At WHD, the event notes that “Machine Calibration and Servicing” will be a guaranteed part of the webinar on hardness testing.
Quality Control
Not to be confused with “The Fundamentals,” this theme encapsulates topics about implementing new theory and improving or refining current practice.
At the Ceramics Expo Connect, a session on “Powering a Mobile Future: The Role of Ceramics in Taking Solid State Batteries from Theory to Practice and Improving Lithium Ion Models” demonstrated this theme. If you attend the e-Seminar, you may have heard the panel “Maintenance in the Age of Industrial 4.0 Description,” which also falls into this theme. At a more particular level, Buehler will introduce the new Rockwell Tester at their event.
Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing
At the cutting edge of industry development, these young applications in the heat treat world have been getting a lot of attention, with other forward-thinking topics on the horizon as well (like IoT and Industry 4.0). Buzz a constant buzz of these processes were apparent, particularly in the FNA 2020 schedule.
One of the technical session at FNA 2020 will be given by Dan Herring, the Heat Treat Dr., titled “Will Additive Manufacturing Add or Take Away Heat Treating?” At the e-Seminar, “3D Printing—Revolution or Evolution” was the title of one provocative panel discussion.
Maintenance
This is another big theme, and rightly so: maintenance concerns can cause problems with the heat treating process which could result in poor results, or dangerous outcomes.
FNA 2020 will be dealing with maintenance questions a lot over the next few days. On a micro-scale, Hubbard Hall’s webinar will be addressing these questions: “How closed cleaning machines contribute to cost efficiency and sustainability” and “How companies overcome specific cleaning challenges.”
Other Themes
“Troubleshooting” and “adapting to COVID-19” also stood out as recurring themes, though many sessions were concerned with these in relation to quality and future planning. Additionally, “COVID-19” in particular was considered during multi-day events as it related to pivoting one’s business strategy whereas single-day events focused on topics which are periphery to COVID-19 like “supply-chain” and “future of heat treat.”
Ok, But Does This Mean Anything?
Heat treaters are adaptive, responding to changes. But beyond picking up the latest item on the block, heat treaters want to make sure that their operations are reliable and excellent, hence the heavy focus on “The Fundamentals” and “Quality Control.” Testing new ideas and refining maintenance strategies are implemented, but it seems that this is typically after heat treaters know that they are performing with excellence in their day-to-day.
Further information on these events can be found on the company websites.
*The study focused on five of the most well-publicized and widely circulated events in the heat treat industry in August and September of 2020. The study is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a case study of trends which may serve to be indicative of larger trends in the heat treat industry.
Super IQ® Gas Carburizing furnace from SECO/WARWICK Group
REX Heat Treat, a commercial heat treater specializing in the aerospace market, has bought and installed a hybrid model -- conventional and vacuum -- furnace system from a European supplier. This technology will allow the company to improve their through-hardening and carburizing capabilities alongside their legacy harden and temper furnaces, while using their existing loader, baskets and washing system.
REX Heat Treat has become the first company to install and commission this hybrid model called Super IQ® Gas Carburizing furnace from SECO/WARWICK Group. Designed to eliminate endogas, the furnace allows clean processing and can even achieve higher temperature carburizing to speed cycles and improve yields in certain steels in a clean and cool manner.
Jonathan Rex, General Manager, Rex Heat Treat (photo source: LinkedIn)
“The technological advances," says Johnathan Rex, general manager at REX Heat Treat, "allow us to run at higher temperatures, vacuum carburize, and clean harden with no decarburizing effects. The fact that our existing systems fit perfectly with this new addition helps to minimize the overall investment and accelerate successful integration. We expect the Super IQ to reduce operating costs, improve safety, and enable more environmentally friendly processing."
Welcome toHeat 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!
Check out what heat treating 3D parts does to the integrity of this aluminum piece. Join the discussion in the thread below to see what makes the difference: proper printing or proper heat treatment.
2. Getting Social Online
Let's not talk about the you-know-what that is causing reverberating changes throughout the world. Suffice it to say, many are looking for ways to network, meet, work, and, well, live at a distance. Here are some ways that social media has helped people in the heat treat industry draw people together.
Family Day
Figuring out how to be keep the momentum going at your plant or manufacturing facility may be a challenge, but NitrexMexico seems to have the right idea in (a) recognizing the whole life that their employees have, and (b) throwing a special celebration virtually.
Not wanting to miss out on FAMILY DAY, Nitrex Mexico treated employees & families to a home-delivered catered meal. According to Nayelly Torres, HR Coordinator, the event was created 3 yrs ago to recognize the important role family plays in empowering us to be the best we can be. pic.twitter.com/EbAARvDJgo
Recognition isn't just internal. Focusing on missions outside of one's own life has the interesting effect of drawing people together. See SECO/WARWICK's participation in an endeavor to do just that.
?We do pushups for a little boy named Kajetan, accepting the #GaszynChallenge.? ?
We always put our best endeavors to do more, so we DOUBLED the bet #donating 10 pln for each "pushinguping person" ‼️
These media shared online commemorate the recent past of the heat treat industry. The industry was very different - forget how everyone lived in black and white!! - but also still the same. Check out the media below to get glimpse of the times 50 to 75 years ago.
Geeking Out Over 1945 Aluminum Heat Treat Footage
This YouTube video is an educational film released in the last year of World War II (to give you a context reference) for the heat treatment of aluminum. You can find part 2 by going to this YouTuber's channel.
Bodycote Induction Heating from 1945
What procedures can you see in this picture from an induction heating plant from 1945? Any regulations or plant layout changes as compared to today's?
A "Game Changer" from the 70's
Think about what makes a game changer. This car bottom furnace most certainly qualified as such in 1977, using the most cutting edge technology of its time. Like John Hubbard's sister, there may be something worth sharing in the forgotten news of the past.
4. Reading and Podcast 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.
The Future of Heat Treat and the Environment
Center for Heat Treating Excellence
Being a manufacturer with in-house heat treating requires awareness to innovation, and the Center for Heat Treating Excellence is a cooperative membership that keeps you on the cutting edge. Listen to the projects and mission of CHTE in the podcast.
All combustion is not created equal. Listen to Carl Nicolia explain how small changes to your furnace administration can result in high value solutions.
What will Conferences Look Like in the Future?
With protocols and general modes of holding conferences changing over this year, Thomas Report provides an insightful look at how these changes may affect how conferences are conducted in a post-COVID world. Check out the list in this article; maybe you yourself have already thought of one or two of these.
5. Heat Treat Hashtags
Stay current with the latest posts by using these heat treat related hashtags. When you post something on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook, help people find you by using the hashtag that works for you, and @HeatTreatToday so that we can see it too!
#MetalMonday
While many manufacturers and suppliers of heat treatment products have used this hashtag over the years, the most prolific user at this time is Bodycote.
#ManufacturingMonday
Looking for a useful hashtag? This one is a practical add-on which alerts to quite a few tips in the industry.
This one is very similar to #MetalMonday, but it is not as streamlined. Check it out and see what you can find on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook!
#Mfg
Another general hashtag, you never know what you will find, whether it be a fringe development or cutting edge new safety measure. @HeatTreatToday if you find anything worth sharing!
#heattreating
Of course, this hashtag exists! The next time you share a post or post something yourself, be sure to use the hashtag to increase your views!
