Editorial

CHTE Consortium Outlines First Research Projects

Reviewed during the first meeting of the Center for Heat Treating Excellence (CHTE) consortium, held 18-19 April 2000 at Worcester Polytechnic University, were four projects identified by member companies as the most critical topics facing the industrial heat treating community. The projects include control of distortion, quenching, aluminum solution heat treatment and development of an analytical tool for furnace loading. While these four projects were selected as top priority, they are only a small fraction of the total number of projects that were proposed to the Center for possible research funding.

The CHTE is a member-driven consortium fueled by the participation of industry and association members. Initially, over sixty proposals for various research topics were submitted by the consortium member companies. These sixty proposals were evaluated by a steering committee comprised of representatives from founding member companies and the four projects mentioned above were selected to receive funding for the first two-year period. The direction for each of the four research projects is guided by a research team and a focus group who are responsible for making sure the research efforts remain focused on the needs of industry. The objectives of each of the four projects are outlined below.