AVS Inc. (AVS), a manufacturer of custom vacuum and pressure furnaces, announced the successful transfer of ownership from Steven Levesque to Jacob (Jake) Krashan. Since 1984, Levesque had committed his life’s work to the design, development and construction of quality vacuum and pressure furnaces. In 2005, he became CEO, president and owner. Levesque now confidently leaves Ayer, Mass.-based AVS in the capable hands of Krashan, a long-term employee who was promoted to COO in 2015. He became CEO, president and owner on Nov. 20, 2020.

Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania completed a hot-zone replacement on one of its larger horizontal car-bottom vacuum furnaces. This is the second hot-zone rebuild over 17 years of furnace operation. The furnace, which has a work zone measuring 54 inches wide x 54 inches high x 144 inches long and a load capacity of 50,000 pounds, has been in service since 2003 and is the first furnace built by our sister company, Solar Manufacturing. It has a maximum operating temperature of 2800°F (1538°C) and performs many different daily thermal cycles ranging from 500-2750°F (260-1510°C).

If you’re at all like me, you wonder which articles get the most attention on our website. Every year we publish around 45 feature articles, and at the end of the year we gather statistics to see which ones get the most page views. So, without further ado, here are the five most-viewed articles on www.industrialheating.com based on page views. This ranking applies only to articles published in 2020.

Solar Atmospheres of California (SCA) added additional large furnace capacity to its inventory of vacuum equipment. The furnace was specifically designed to process a variety of materials that require optimum performance during controlled heating, controlled cooling, vacuum processing, positive-pressure processing and differential-pressure processing. The furnace includes an 84-inch-diameter x 144-inch-long graphite and CFC hot zone. It has a maximum operating temperature of 2650°F, temperature uniformity ±10°F and a maximum load of 50,000 pounds.

Solar Manufacturing recently shipped a 10-bar gas-quenching vacuum furnace to a captive heat treater in New England. Featuring high-pressure gas quenching and vacuum carburizing, the furnace has a graphite-insulated hot zone with a work area measuring 24 inches wide x 24 inches high x 36 inches deep and a load capacity up to 2,000 pounds. The AMS 2750F-compliant furnace has a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F (1315°C) and temperature uniformity of ±10°F. The furnace is equipped with the state-of-the-art SolarVac Polaris control system with carburizing software.

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA entered a five-year partnering agreement with energy storage company HI-POWER, a Holtec International and Eos Energy Storage joint venture. HI-POWER builds a safe and fully integrated DC storage battery, Znyth, which is especially stable when housed in extreme temperatures, nonflammable and 100% recyclable. One of the critical components within the battery system requires a vacuum cathodic heat-treatment process. This newly developed surface heat-treatment process enables the product to last 5,000 cycles for a 15-year calendar life with no sub-cooling or pumps required.

TAV Vacuum Furnaces of Italy will design, build and ship two horizontal vacuum heat-treatment and brazing furnaces to a manufacturer of aircraft structural components that specializes in spherical bearing solutions. The furnaces have useful dimensions of 600 mm wide x 600 mm high x 900 mm deep (23.5 x 23.5 x 35.5 inches) with a maximum gross charge of 600 kg (1,323 pounds). They have a maximum operating temperature of 2192°F (1200°C). An AMS 2750F-compliant SCADA system provides comprehensive furnace monitoring and control. The configuration of the furnaces enables quick and easy loading of different volumes.

Metallurgists are developing new steels to assist automotive engineers in designing better trucks, cars and SUVs.

The Mint of Poland, a producer of circulation and collector coins for the National Bank of Poland, purchased a vacuum furnace from SECO/WARWICK. The 250-year-old institution will use the furnace to produce stamps and coins. Equipped with 15-bar high-pressure gas-quenching (HPGQ) capability, this is the second furnace of the same type purchased by the Mint of Poland. The first furnace, which was purchased in 2012, has provided quick hardening for the past eight years in the Mint of Poland’s Warsaw facility.

Ipsen delivered a vacuum furnace specially designed for carburizing and solution nitriding to Vacu Braze, a specialty commercial heat-treating facility in Quakertown, Pa. Vacu Braze uses the furnace to harden steels with Ipsen’s patented SolNit (solution nitriding) process. The SolNit process increases surface hardness and improves resistance against wear, erosion and cavitation. Parts treated in Ipsen’s Turbo²Treater range from surgical instruments to household appliances.