It would be easy to refer to Salto Heat Treating as the “new kid on the block.” Just a couple of months old, the company is northern Ontario’s first fully automated commercial heat-treating facility.

Opened in May 2020, Salto Heat Treating uses robotic innovation to provide services from heat treatment to sand blasting to black oxide for the mining, forestry and agriculture industries. The range of heat-treatment services offered includes induction hardening, case hardening, carburizing, air hardening, annealing, normalizing and stress relieving.

The Coniston, Ontario-based MTI member is known for its state-of-the-art induction hardening line for drill rods, which includes the latest technology using ABB robots, an automated straightener, rust-preventive line and saw. The line can scan parts up to 6 feet long, 9.5 inches in diameter and up to 600 pounds. With 24 different diameters of coils in its inventory, Salto Heat Treating can perform almost any job with quick turnaround. Its automated scanner takes only minutes, rather than hours, to set up.

As for other equipment, Salto Heat Treating’s car-bottom furnace can stress relieve parts up to 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4 to 6 feet high. Its custom-built IQ furnace can handle parts up to 48 inches long, 38 inches wide, 38 inches high and 4,000 pounds.

What sets Salto Heat Treating apart from the competition is its detailed traceability process. First, each project is given a unique ID. Then every parameter of the project is uploaded into the machine. The project next enters the treatment process, where every step of its journey is logged into the company’s system. Data points for each process are recorded and checked against expected results, which ensures the project is on time and treated specifications. The final result of the treatment process is verified, documented and attached to a purchase order. This system allows Salto Heat Treating to deliver repeat jobs with exact results every time.

All of Salto Heat Treating’s services are available with online tracking technology. Customers can log in and check the status of their orders. They will receive a digital chart and data for all work completed. The company aims for 24- to 48-hour delivery for most applications. Customers are notified electronically for tracking and logistics.

The company boasts a metallurgical lab that includes a variety of testers. The facility allows Salto Heat Treating to provide on-site hardness testing and metallurgical analysis. Along those lines, the heat treater also owns and operates what it says is the largest HYDMECH saw in the region. With a 32- x 32-inch capacity and at 30 feet long, it can straight-cut mild steel and hardened steel up to 60 HRC at any thickness, square and round tubing, and beams of any kind.

Even though it just opened, Salto Heat Treating’s staff has over 35 years of industry experience. That know-how will come in handy as the company grows. The heat treater is already planning an expansion in the next three to five years that will include a new pit-furnace line. Salto Heat Treating is willing to invest in the future of the business as industry demand dictates.

Visit www.saltoheattreating.ca for more information on Salto Heat Treating.