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Farina received an order from Strojmetal, a manufacturer of aluminum chassis parts based in the Czech Republic, for a fully automated forging line that includes a scotch yoke press with a press capacity of 5,000 tons. The company ordered a scotch yoke press with a press capacity of 2,500 tons last year. The news press significantly increases the range of parts that can be produced on it.

SECO/WARWICK received an order from a South American manufacturer of weapons and military equipment for the supply of a Vector vacuum furnace. The single-chamber furnace will process components – including barrels, reels, locks and firearm magazines – that are expected to perform with outstanding resistance to negative external conditions. The gas-cooled vacuum furnace, which can be used for a range of heat-treatment processes and has a work space measuring 35.5 x 35.5 x 47 inches (900 x 900 x 1,200 mm), is designed to process large elements. It features convection heating, which improves heat-transfer efficiency when heating at lower temperatures, and directional cooling, which enables differentiated cooling of problematic parts in terms of shapes.

Heat Treatments, a provider of commercial heat-treatment services in New Zealand, expanded its operations by adding a Nitrex nitrocarburizing system. The system is designed to treat workloads weighing up to 2,645 pounds (1,200 kg) with a diameter of 31.5 inches (800 mm) and a height of 47.25 inches (1,200 mm). It is equipped with advanced process technologies, including Nitreg-C controlled nitrocarburizing and ONC post-oxidation, which provide precise control and consistent results. The system was successfully commissioned in the first quarter of 2023.

UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company, commissioned an endothermic gas generator for an automotive manufacturer in Brazil. UPC-Marathon replaced an outdated endo generator at the manufacturer’s transmission plant, which supplies gears for well-known vehicle brands. The manufacturer invested in a UPC-Marathon EndoFlex generator with a 200 m³h flow capacity to enhance its carburizing process. The turnkey system was successfully commissioned in May 2023.

AFC-Holcroft, a member of the Aichelin Group, announced a strategic partnership with Sanken Sangyo, a Japan-based provider of thermal-processing equipment, to expand its aluminum heat-treat furnace capabilities. Under the terms of the agreement, Sanken Sangyo will provide its technology in rotary-hearth aluminum heat-treating equipment to AFC-Holcroft in the United States and Canada. According to the companies, the partnership will enable AFC-Holcroft to offer a more sophisticated energy-efficient design than what the market currently has available.

Solar Manufacturing shipped a vacuum furnace to a U.S.-based fastener manufacturer. The furnace will be primarily used to age harden various fasteners made of high-strength alloys used in the aerospace industry. It features a graphite-insulated hot zone measuring 36 inches x 36 inches x 48 inches with a weight capacity of 5,000 pounds, a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F (1315°C) and a 100-HP quench motor. Solar Manufacturing’s SolarVac Polaris control system was customized to interface with the fastener manufacturer’s in-house automation system for recipe control and data acquisition.

Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) added a new gas nitriding system at its corporate headquarters in Waterloo, Iowa. The investment increases the facility’s size capabilities for gas nitriding, gas nitrocarburizing and its trademarked heat-treating process for wear and corrosion, UltraOx. The equipment, which can also be used for stress relieving, can accommodate parts up to 26 feet high. It will serve applications within the industries of plastics, oil and gas, hydraulics and more.

SECO/WARWICK received an order from a manufacturer of wind power plants for a vertical vacuum furnace designed to perform low-pressure carburizing for the gearboxes. The solution on order combines the advantages of two technologies: atmospheric and vacuum processing. A very large, vertical heating chamber makes low-pressure carburizing of oversized parts possible, while the furnace pit structure saves space in the company’s production facility.

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, and 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). 

GKN Aerospace commissioned what it says is the world’s largest known laser directed energy deposition additive-manufacturing (AM) cell as part of its new Global Technology Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Cell 3 is the next step in pushing the boundaries of large-scale additive manufacturing of titanium aircraft structures through the process of laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w). It will enable the development of five-meter titanium components using the LMD-w process. According to GKN Aerospace, LMD-w has shown proficiencies in producing components faster and with significantly reduced lead times.