Dokka Fasteners purchased an Ipsen ATLAS integral-quench furnace for its new facility in Auburn Hills, Mich. The furnace will be at the heart of this automated manufacturing facility. Dokka Fasteners will use the ATLAS to produce hot-formed steel fasteners for the highly demanding wind-turbine industry. This specialized fastener technology focuses heavily on a custom-tailored heat treatment to produce steel components with the material characteristics necessary for this application. The fastener systems rely on the technology of high-tension bolt assemblies made of high-performance steel alloys that are heat treated, giving them the ability to withstand not only considerable loads of normal turbine operation but also remain unaffected by salt water, storms or frost during the expected 160,000 hours of operation and 17 billion load cycles.          

The new heat-treatment facility in Auburn Hills includes sealed-quench furnaces for steel hardening, the necessary tempering furnaces, cleaning systems and handling equipment for component loads. The furnaces are set up for a fully automatic operation using Ipsen's AutoMag® 4.0 automation software.