The year-over-year U.S. inflation rate through February 2022 hit a 40-year high of 7.9%, eroding purchasing power especially for gas, food and rent.

Busch Vacuum Solutions is a leading manufacturer of vacuum pumps, blowers, compressors and tailor-made vacuum systems.

Nitrex Vacuum Furnaces shipped a large vertical vacuum furnace to an engine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) company in South America. The company repairs jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. The vacuum furnace was ordered to expand production capacity, modernize the company’s plant, and meet quality standards and accreditations. The furnace was ordered from Nitrex’s GM Enterprises division, which was acquired by Nitrex in 2020 and now operates under the Nitrex Vacuum Furnaces name. It is designed for vertical bottom-loading applications and is suited for processing high-stacked loads and larger and taller workpieces, such as aircraft engine components. The company will use the furnace for annealing and stress relieving.

Thermal Product Solutions LLC (TPS), a provider of thermal-processing products and test solutions, acquired Redline Chambers. Salt Lake City, Utah-based Redline Chambers manufactures vacuum chambers and systems for the aerospace, defense, energy, electronics and medical industries. The company specializes in providing vacuum technology and leak-testing solutions.

On July 6, Solar Atmospheres hosted over 40 high-school students enrolled in the Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) at Lehigh University. The SEI program, under the guidance of Director Dr. Laura Moyer, is a two-week residential program running two sessions back to back. Students are nominated by faculty of local high schools. The program specifically targets under-represented groups, including girls, first-generation students and students who might otherwise have limited opportunities to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Solar Manufacturing received an order for a vacuum furnace from MSL Heat Treatment, a subsidiary of Magnetic Shields Ltd. of Kent, United Kingdom. The Mentor Pro will be manufactured in accordance with CE standards, including the vacuum chamber being built to ASME/UKCA requirements. The furnace has a working hot zone area of 18 inches wide x 18 inches high x 36 inches deep with a weight capacity of 1,000 pounds. Able to reach temperatures up to 2400°F (1315°C), it will include a three-gas partial-pressure system and an internal quench system designed for 2-bar (15 PSIG) positive pressure quenching.

SECO/WARWICK will supply a vacuum furnace to Atlas Autos Ltd., the largest manufacturer of motorcycle parts in Pakistan. The furnace is intended for hardening and tempering processes, and it will be used for special large-size die production. The furnace, which has an effective work zone measuring 600 x 600 x 900 mm (23.5 x 23.5 x 35.5 inches), will improve and increase Atlas Auto’s hardening process capacity and will also improve the economics of the plant’s process production. It is currently in the production stage and will be shipped to Pakistan in the second half of 2022.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems purchased a vacuum titanium casting furnace from SECO/WARWICK for UPC Precision Castings, an investment casting foundry in Israel. According to the furnace manufacturer, this is the first furnace of this type on the Israeli market. The single-chamber furnace is equipped with a hot (ceramic) and cold (copper) crucible. Melting processes of up to 40 kg of superalloys, mainly nickel-based, can be carried out in the ceramic crucible. The copper crucible melts 10 kg of titanium at a time. The furnace’s three-stage vacuum system allows it to obtain high vacuum in the range of 10^-5 mbar. The solution is also equipped with a mold heater.

A vacuum oil quench (VOQ) furnace purchased by Solar Atmospheres of Western PA entered into full production after passing start-up protocol. The initial temperature uniformity survey, compliant to AMS 2750F, produced +/-10°F results at all setpoints. The critical lift-and-place transfer mechanism worked, and the system delivered hot 2,000-pound loads to the internal oil-quench tank. With a quench system that is entirely self-contained and vacuum-tight, the typical positive-pressure “flare and smoke-ups” during each quench cycle were nonexistent. The furnace, which was designed and built by Solar Manufacturing, has a hot zone measuring 36 x 36 x 48 inches.

Ipsen recently installed a vacuum furnace at Temprasud, a commercial heat treater in Fresagrandinaria, Italy. According to Temprasud, the vacuum hardening and low-pressure carburizing furnace will increase its production capacity and offer customers greater flexibility. The furnace, which has a 1,764-pound (800-kg) load capacity, will also help Temprasud grow its business in the automotive market and allow it to expand into the aerospace market.