William (Bill) Jones Owner and CEO Solar Manufacturing
Recently, a North American heat treater acquired a used VFS HL50 external quench vacuum furnace at an auction in the Philadelphia area. The main objective of this purchase was to retrofit this older furnace with a newer hot zone and pumping technology that will help minimize and target the condensation of detrimental binders evaporating out of MIM injection molded parts.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA's maintenance team was responsible for refurbishing the furnace to its current standard. Solar Manufacturing, led by owner and CEO William Jones, designed the technology and the apparatus needed to consolidate the binders into one central location, thus minimizing the cleaning downtime the staff was experiencing. This includes a completely new hot zone, a binder pumping port, and a second vacuum pump. The collaborative effort ensured both projects came together seamlessly.
By mid-October, the high production MIM sinter job will be fully transferred from current Solar vacuum furnaces to this dedicated and refurbished vacuum furnace. After multiple sintering runs, the company will then have the data to compare the downtime of a traditional vacuum furnace versus the newly designed debind/sinter furnace. Solar looks forward to providing the MIM world with this new, critical processing information.
Want a free tip? Check out this read of some of the top 101 Heat TreatTips that heat treating professionals submitted over the last three years. These handy technical words of wisdom will keep your furnaces in optimum operation and keep you in compliance. If you want more, search for “101 heat treat tips” on the website! This selection features 8 tips to make sure your operations are clean and pure.
Also, in this year’s show issue, Heat TreatToday will be sharing Heat TreatResources you can use when you’re at the plant or on the road. Look for the digital edition of the magazine on September 13, 2021 to check it out yourself!
Oil and Water Don’t Mix
Keep water out of your oil quench. A few pounds of water at the bottom of an IQ quench tank can cause a major fire. Be hyper-vigilant that no one attempts to recycle fluids that collect on the charge car.
(Combustion Innovations)
Dirt In, Dirt Out!
Parts going into the furnace should be as clean as possible. Avoid placing parts in the furnace that contain foreign object debris (FOD). FOD on work surfaces going into the furnace will contaminate the furnace and the parts themselves. Dirty work in, dirty work out. FOD comes in many forms. Most common: oil, grease, sand in castings or grit blasting operations, and metal chips that generally originate from the manufacturing process before the parts are heat treated. It could also be FOD from the shipping process such as wood or plastic containers used to ship the parts.
(Solar Manufacturing)
Remove Particulates
Adding a strong magnetic filter in line after the main filtration system is an effective way to remove fine, metallic particulates in an aqueous quench system.
(Contour Hardening, Inc.)
Seal Away Dirt or Dusty Environments
Use a sealed enclosure or alternative cooled power controllers for dirty and dusty environments. For heavy dirt or dusty environments, a sealed cabinet with air conditioning or filters is recommended. Alternatively, select a SCR manufacturer that offers external mount or liquid cooled heatsinks to allow you to maintain a sealed environment in order to obtain maximum product life.
(Control Concepts)
Copper as a Leak Check
If maintaining dew point is a problem, and it’s suspected that either an air or water leak is causing the problem, run a piece of copper through the furnace. Air will discolor the copper; water will not.
(Super Systems, Inc.)
Oxygen Contamination Sources
A common source of oxygen contamination to vacuum furnace systems is in the inert gas delivery system. After installation of the delivery lines, as a minimum, the lines should be pressurized and then soap-bubble tested for leaks. But even better for critical applications is to attach a vacuum pump and helium leak detector to these lines with all valves securely closed, pull a good vacuum, and helium leak check the delivery line system. Helium is a much smaller molecule than oxygen and a helium-tight line is an air-tight line. Also, NEVER use quick disconnect fittings on your inert gas delivery system to pull off inert gas for other applications unless you first install tight shut-off valves before the quick disconnect. When the quick disconnect is not in use, these valves should be kept closed at all times. (Though the line is under pressure, when you open a back-fill valve to a large chamber, the line can briefly go negative pressure and pull in air through a one-way sealing quick disconnect valve.)
(Grammer Vacuum Technologies)
Container Clarity Counts!
Assure that container label wording (specifically for identifying chemical contents) matches the corresponding safety data sheets (SDS). Obvious? I have seen situations where the label wording was legible and accurate and there was a matching safety data sheet for the contents, but there was still a problem. The SDS could not be readily located, as it was filed under a chemical synonym, or it was filed under a chemical name, whereas the container displayed a brand name. A few companies label each container with (for instance) a bold number that is set within a large, colored dot. The number refers to the exact corresponding SDS.
(Rick Kaletsky, Safety Consultant)
Discolored Part—Who’s to Blame?
If your parts are coming out of the quench oil with discoloration and you are unsure if it is from the prewash, furnace, or oil quench, you can rule out the quench if the discoloration cannot be rubbed off. Check this before the part is post-washed and tempered.
Other possible causes:
Can be burnt oils as parts go through the quench door flame screen
Poor prewash
Furnace atmosphere inlet (particularly if it is drip methanol)
(AFC-Holcroft)
Check out these magazines to see where these tips were first featured:
Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.
Personnel Chatter
Isaiah Arnold joins Schneider Electric as a services sales engineer.
Vacuum & Atmosphere Services Ltd. has new heads of departments: Aaron Long, head of Vacuum Products; Greg Walker, head of Atmosphere Products; Adam Greenway, head of Fabrications; and Mike Oldham, head of New Business.
Hubbard-Hall Inc. has hired Jodie Menze as customer service manager. In this newly-made position, Menze will take a hands-on approach to enhancing the customer experience.
Hubbard-Hall has transformed its Sales & Technical Departments and promoted several key staff: Larry Ensley, director of Technical Applications, is assuming company-wide responsibility for technical service teams and lab operations, overseeing ten technical experts. These individuals include Robin Deal and Faith Mierzejewski. Secondly, Mike Valenti is expanding his role as the director of Cleaning Technology. Lastly, Ted Saltzman, newly named Specialty Sales manager & Business Development, will direct the Specialty Sales group’s field account team and oversee the inside account management team. All three individuals will report to Scott Papst, vice president of Specialty Sales and Business Development.
Isaiah Arnold, Services Sales Engineer, Schneider Electric (Source: LinkedIn)
Aaron Long, Head of Vacuum Products; Greg Walker, Head of Atmosphere Products; Adam Greenway, Head of Fabrications; and Mike Oldham, Head of New Business at Vacuum & Atmosphere Services Ltd.
Jodie Menze, Customer Service Manager, Hubbard-Hall Inc. // NA
Company Chatter
Ramco Steels Pvt. Ltd. in India has installed its first SCADA-controlled quenching & tempering furnace in-house. Now, they offer spherodised annealing, normalising, isothermal annealing, through hardening and tempering, induction hardening/tempering, and soft carburising operations in-house.
Service Heat Treating announced the completion of a multi-year plant expansion, expanding their space by 40,000 sq.ft. and adding heat treat capacity.
Solar Manufacturing Inc., Sellersville, Pa. announced the receipt of U.S. Patent No. 11053560 issue date July 6, 2021.
Kanthal launches a second generation flow heater control system, developed to assist customers to run the flow heater safely and efficiently.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp. announced a new black oxide option which offers a darker black color oxidation than their original offering. The additional option will be available as a standalone black oxide treatment and as part of the UltraOx® heat treatment (referred to as UltraOx Hyper).
Solar Manufacturing Inc.’s U.S. Patent No. 11053560
Flow heater control system from Kanthal
New black oxide option at Advanced Heat Treat Corp.
Kudos Chatter
China’s Tiangong International Company Limited acquired a Quintus Technologies hot isostatic press (HIP).
Bodycote Greenville is now certified by GE for the heat treatment of both titanium and aluminum.
On SECO/WARWICK’s 30th Anniversary, they introduced a new website – www.secowarwick.com — and a new book — the DNA Book.
Quintus Technologies’ HIP to Tiangong International Company Ltd.
Bodycote Greenville now certified by GE
SECO/WARWICK’s 30th Anniversary announcement
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.
Neota Product Solutions, a custom metal injection molding (MIM) manufacturer located in Loveland, Colorado, has recently partnered with a North American heat treat supplier to develop an exclusive sintering partnership.
Jason Osborne President Neota Product Solutions Source: LinkedIn
Neota provides comprehensive MIM solutions from early-stage prototyping to full scale manufacturing. The manufacturer and Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) developed a sintering thermal profile that densifies complex geometric shapes and also controls shrinkage. This results in a solid and strong metallic part, with near 100% density, while maintaining the tight tolerances that are required in their precision components.
Collaborating with Solar Manufacturing, the vacuum furnace production arm of the Solar family, SAWPA recently acquired a vacuum furnace which is engineered to handle MIM processing. The furnace has a work zone of 36” x 36” x 48” and a load capacity of 3,000 pounds.
Robert (Bob) Hill, FASM President Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
"Solar has been a class-act organization and has been instrumental in the aggressive growth of our company," stated Jason Osborne, president of Neota.
"We have sincerely enjoyed our relationship with the Neota team," added Bob Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA stated. "As MIM industry experts, they know what they ultimately want in a finished part. As vacuum thermal processing specialists, we know how to achieve their high temperature processing parameters while not damaging our state-of-the-art vacuum equipment. Investing in our customer’s needs, ultimately results in lasting mutual relationships which become a successful endeavor for both parties."
NexGen Advanced Fuel Systems (AFS), a gas turbine component overhaul facility that is a company of Allied Power Group, ordered a new vacuum furnace to help increase their capacity and reduce turnaround time for their heat treating and brazing operations. It is built specifically to heat treat land-based turbine equipment with attention to specific cooling specifications required by the company's clients.
Built by Solar Manufacturing, the furnace features a Solarvac® Polaris Control System and a graphite hot zone accommodating loads up to 48" wide x 48" high x 72" deep. The furnace has a maximum load weight capacity of 6,000 pounds.
The furnace achieves a vacuum level of 10-5 Torr, and reaches a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F. A 300 HP gas fan will allow NexGen to quench a load from 2150°F to 1000°F in just three minutes, using only 2-bar.
Solar Manufacturing Vacuum Furnace Source: Solar Manufacturing
"The interface makes running the furnace easy for operators of all skill levels," states Mark Dion, president of Nexgen-AFS, and the general manager ofAllied Power Group Combustion Technologies. "For furnace installation and operation, Solar provides knowledgeable engineering and support staff. The Solar furnace has a robust design, with some nuances such as stainless steel internals, brass fittings, made in USA valving, and in our case, a beefed up blower allowing super-fast cooling abilities. . . . Nexgen hopes business growth supports purchasing a second Solar vacuum furnace."
In a special Heat Treat Radio series, 40 Under 40 winners from the class of 2020 respond with their stories and insights of their life and work in the heat treat industry. This episode features the stories of Kelly Peters, Bryan Stern, and Andy Muto.
Below, you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button and read a few excerpts from this episode.
“I thought that this gig would buy me some time to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. Turns out, I grew up here in the plant, and here I am today.”
“There is so much uncertainty and less opportunity in our business at the moment. Major consumers of heat treat are at crossroads: Will the automotive industry go electric, hybrid, stay with engines, or what, and when?...So how do I run a business and plan for the future in so much uncertainty?... Just like any family, will face the challenges together and be better for them.”
“Give those favors time to mature and develop. You never know where they’ll lead unless you give them a chance.”
“Working at Solar Manufacturing [it’s been] very fulfilling; with the vacuum equipment there’s pressure vessel design, fluids, the design of the water systems, thermodynamics going into that, heat transfer, structural analysis… There’s just a lot of depth and really because it’s, in many cases, a fairly homegrown movement, there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
“From what I’ve seen with almost the disconnect between a customer and what a piece of equipment could do for them if it was applied correctly: There’s a lot of room to bring value to a customer for their process in ways that haven’t really been imagined before.”
“I originally was planning on doing my own thing after college in logistics, and did so for a number of years, but in 2014 I decided to move back home and work for Paulo.”
“What really intrigues me in the heat treatment industry is how many different applications require some form of heat treating in order for parts to perform to the necessary level that they need to in the field.”
Solar Manufacturing Mentor® Furnace Source: Solar Manufacturing
A medical device and implant manufacturer in the Southeast USA recently received a vacuum furnace. The furnace will be used to age harden and anneal medical devices and implants.
The Model HFL-2018-2IQ Mentor® vacuum furnace by Solar Manufacturing features an all-metal insulated hot zone, a load weight capacity of up to 250 lbs., and a maximum operating temperature of 2400° F.
Dan Insogna Southeast Regional Sales Manager Solar Manufacturing (photo source: solarmfg.com)
“We were awarded the project based on our relationship with Solar Atmospheres and our quick furnace delivery,” states Dan Insogna, southeast regional sales manager at Solar Manufacturing. “Together, we delivered the Mentor® furnace along with a water system, and a custom heat treat recipe for the medical grade components being processed. Our customer was up and running with their new… furnace within a week of delivery.”
(Photo Source: BruceBlaus – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44967235)
An eastern Pennsylvania vacuum furnace manufacturer recently shipped an external quench vacuum furnace to a West Coast aerospace manufacturer. The furnace will primarily be used for vacuum heat treating investment castings for the aerospace industry.
The Model HFL-7472-2EQ features an all-metal hot zone, a load weight capacity up to 10,000 lbs., a maximum operating temperature of 2400° F, and a 2-bar quench system optimized for argon with a 150 HP quench motor and a variable frequency drive. The furnace working zone measures 48”W x 48”H x 72”D, includes the SolarVac® Polaris control system, and is AMS2750F compliant.
In Hermitage, Pennsylvania, heat treater Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania recently completed a hot zone replacement on one of their larger horizontal car bottom vacuum furnaces. This is the second hot zone rebuild over the 17 years of furnace operation.
The furnace, with a work zone measuring 54”W x 54”H x 144”L and a load capacity of 50,000 pounds, has been in service since 2003, and is the first furnace built by the sister company, Solar Manufacturing. The furnace has a maximum operating temperature of 2800°F and performs many different daily thermal cycles ranging from 500°F – 2750°F. The furnace has a front door and a back door to allow complete access during the loading and unloading of the furnace from either end.
The hot zone consists of three ring assemblies along the length of the furnace to support the furnace graphite felt insulation and the circular graphite heating elements. Insulation and heating elements are also provided on the loading cars to provide uniform heating on the bottom of the furnace hot zone.
The insulation was replaced on the rings and doors, and new heating elements were installed on the entire length of the furnace. This rebuild has resulted in essentially a “new furnace” condition – ready for the next 17 years.
Derek Dennis President Solar Atmospheres California Source: solaratm.com
West coast heat treater Solar Atmospheres of California (SCA)recently added additional large furnace capacity to their inventory of vacuum equipment. The furnace was specifically designed to process a variety of materials that require optimum performance during controlled heating and cooling, vacuum processing, positive pressure processing, and differential pressure processing.
Key equipment characteristics include 84” x 144” all graphite and CFC hot zone, temperature uniformity ±10°F, 2-bar high performance 800 HP cooling system. Additionally, the furnace has a maximum operating temperature of 2650°F and a maximum loading capacity of 50,000 lbs. SCA worked closely with sister company, Solar Manufacturing, to design and fabricate the equipment to meet all prime requirements and AMS 2750 standards.
“We are very pleased to add the additional large furnace capacity,” SCA President Derek Dennis states. “Each new furnace installation is built on a building block approach from the personal knowledge and experience accumulated by operating previous furnace models. I really appreciate the ability to bounce different ‘out of the box’ ideas to our manufacturing team, who then takes those ideas and makes them a reality. Often, the team takes the ideas to another level before the final build plans go to the shop floor.”
Recently, a North American heat treater acquired a used VFS HL50 external quench vacuum furnace at an auction in the Philadelphia area. The main objective of this purchase was to retrofit this older furnace with a newer hot zone and pumping technology that will help minimize and target the condensation of detrimental binders evaporating out of MIM injection molded parts.
