Signature Vacuum Systems received an order from a United States defense contractor for a custom ceramic sintering vacuum furnace. The furnace, the fifth Signature furnace to be installed at this facility, will increase production capacity. Rated for 3362°F (1850°C), it has a graphite hot zone measuring 36 inches in diameter x 48 inches high.

Designed to combine the latest advances in vacuum metrology with exceptional manufacturing quality, VACTEST vacuum measurement equipment provides an innovative and comprehensive portfolio of active vacuum gauges and controllers.

In response to the challenges of California’s energy market, Solar Atmospheres of California (SCA) installed and commissioned what it says is the state’s largest commercial Solar + Energy Storage System. By combining on-site generation, an advanced energy storage system and an AI-powered analytics platform, SCA can optimize energy use by automatically switching between on-site generation, battery power or grid power. The digitally connected energy storage network includes a 772-kW PV solar system and a 1,561-kW/3,122-kWh Tesla battery storage system.

SECO/WARWICK will deliver a retort furnace with vacuum purging for oxidation to a tool manufacturer. The furnace for the oxidation process operates under a nitrogen and hydrogen mix and then under steam. It will be adjusted to the individual needs of the tool manufacturer, providing the appropriate final hardness and color of the workpieces. The retort furnace, which will also enable tempering after vacuum purging, will be designed with a customized heating chamber so that it is compatible with the tooling used in the production process and so that the process itself is safe and repeatable. 

Solar Manufacturing shipped a vacuum furnace to a medical device and implant manufacturer in the Southeast United States. It features an all-metal insulated hot zone, a load weight capacity of up to 250 pounds and a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F (1227°C). The Mentor vacuum furnace will be used to age harden and anneal medical devices and implants. According to Solar Manufacturing, the furnace was delivered along with a water system and a custom heat-treat recipe for the medical-grade components being processed.

Ipsen received two orders for vacuum furnaces at the start of 2021. A power-tool manufacturer based in the United States ordered a TurboTreater vacuum furnace to increase production capacity. It is the ninth Ipsen vacuum furnace at that facility. In addition, a medical implant manufacturer ordered a MetalMaster external-quench vacuum furnace. It will be designed with an all-metal hot zone for long high-temperature cycles. The furnace’s multi-staged pumping system is capable of providing low residual-oxygen levels for processing titanium components.

Solar Manufacturing shipped an external-quench vacuum furnace to a West Coast aerospace manufacturer. The furnace has an all-metal hot zone, load capacity up to 10,000 pounds and a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F. It also includes a 2-bar quench system optimized for argon with a 150-HP quench motor and variable-frequency drive. The AMS 2750F-compliant furnace, which has a work zone measuring 48 inches wide x 48 inches high x 72 inches deep, will be primarily used for vacuum heat treating investment castings.

The HiPace 350 and 450 turbopumps are dedicated for applications like mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, metrology tools, particle accelerators and plasma physics.

The COBRA NX 0950 A PLUS is a dry, oil-free vacuum pump that can run with pressure control or at a constant rotational speed, making it exceptionally energy-efficient.

Editor’s note: The following is an edited (for length) transcription of an interview between SECO/WARWICK’s Tom Hart and Dan Herring, The Heat Treat Doctor. It was part of the company’s E-Seminar held in September 2020.