Solar Atmospheres announced that the site-selection process for the company’s previously announced $15 million expansion into the southeast has been completed, and its newest division will be located in Greenville, S.C. The facility, Solar Atmospheres Southeast, has 54,000 square feet of manufacturing space and is situated on 14 acres directly south of Greenville near the intersection of I-85 and I-185, a one-day trip from most industrial centers in the southeast. Vacuum furnaces and support equipment are currently being scheduled for installation and start-up.

Furnace sizes will range from vacuum furnaces capable of supporting small production lots and development work to a 24-foot car-bottom furnace for processing large, heavy loads. Process capabilities will range from standard vacuum heat treating to vacuum carburizing, vacuum annealing, vacuum stress relieving, vacuum brazing and other specialized vacuum thermal processes.

Solar Atmospheres Southeast President Steve Prout said, “Greenville was selected because of its logistical convenience to current and prospective customers and the favorable business climate in South Carolina. He further noted that the ability to find a facility with free-span construction, 40-ton and 30-ton bridge cranes with 24-foot clearances for processing large heat-treat loads, and sufficient space to support future growth all played a part in the decision to choose this site.