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According to the Reshoring Initiative’s 2022 data report, reshoring and foreign direct investment (FDI) job announcements in 2022 were at the highest rate ever recorded. There was 364,000 reshoring and FDI jobs announced for 2022, which was up 53% from 2021’s record number. Fourth-quarter announcements accelerated even more than anticipated due to the Chips and Infrastructure Acts and deglobalization trends. In addition, 2022 brought the total number of job announcements since 2010 to nearly 1.6 million.

Tenova will supply an electric-arc furnace (EAF) with a production capacity of 950,000 tons of liquid steel for seamless pipe manufacturing to Tenaris’ Campana mill in Argentina. The EAF, which is equipped with Consteel technology and electromagnetic stirrer Consteerrer, will replace one of two existing EAF units and result in the same productivity of the two existing EAFs combined. In addition to the Consteel EAF, Tenova will provide engineering services.

United States Steel Corp. and CarbonFree Chemicals Holdings signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to jointly pursue the capture of CO₂ emissions generated from U.S. Steel’s Gary Works manufacturing plant using CarbonFree’s SkyCycle technology. If a definitive agreement is reached, the project is expected to capture and mineralize up to 50,000 metric tons of CO₂ per year, the equivalent of carbon emissions from nearly 11,000 passenger cars. Patented SkyCycle technology captures carbon emissions from hard-to-abate industrial sources before entering the atmosphere, converts the CO₂ into the specialty chemical precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and produces hydrochloric acid as a co-product.

A U.S.-based international manufacturer of diversified mill products for a range of industries ordered a vertical vacuum furnace from SECO/VACUUM to increase its production capacity and upgrade its productivity. The new furnace will allow the company to heat treat larger parts, at higher quantities per cycle, than its existing furnace – all with improved quality control and reliability. The bottom-loading vacuum furnace with 6-bar nitrogen gas quench is 60 inches in diameter and 72 inches tall with a 3-ton-capacity work zone. This provides enough room to treat three of the company’s largest dies at once compared to only two per cycle with the old furnace.

Solar Atmospheres of California (SCA) successfully installed a 14-foot-long car-bottom air furnace with a total load capacity of up to 30,000 pounds. The furnace was surveyed in accordance with AMS 2750 and is uniform within ±10°F (Class 2). It has a work zone 60 inches square x 168 inches long and a maximum operating temperature of 1450°F (788°C). This furnace accommodates tempering of large tool-steel components; age hardening of 15-5 PH, 17-4 PH, 13-8PH and nickel-based alloys; and annealing of titanium forgings.

William Disler, president and CEO at AFC-Holcroft, is stepping down from the company effective March 30, 2023. As part of the departure news, the company also announced Tracy Dougherty and Ronald Waligora will share senior leadership responsibility for leading the company. Dougherty, formerly vice president of sales, has been named Chief Operating Officer for Sales, Applications, Marketing and Aftermarket Sales. Waligora, formerly senior engineering manager, has been named Chief Operating Officer for Project Management, Engineering, Manufacturing and Field Services.

The former Ipsen Ceramics’ facility in Pecatonica, Ill., is being repurposed for vacuum furnace hot-zone assembly. The plant is currently undergoing major refurbishments, including new lighting, HVAC, roofing, and other interior and exterior upgrades. The factory is less than 30 miles from Ipsen’s Vacuum Technology Excellence Center in Cherry Valley and will initially employ up to eight material assemblers. Incorporating the Pecatonica location into Ipsen’s vacuum furnace production and aftermarket process will provide added benefits to customers. In the future, Ipsen is considering other manufacturing activities in Pecatonica to supplement the needs of the Vacuum Technology Excellence Center.

SECO/WARWICK received an order from a China-based manufacturer of circuit breakers for three vacuum furnaces to be used metal heat treatment. The furnaces ensure a very high vacuum level and temperature uniformity within the entire load. The vacuum level in the furnace is maintained by vacuum pumps. Depending on the application, a single pump or a combination of mechanical, diffusion and/or turbomolecular pumps are used. The turbomolecular pump used in this application features high degassing velocity in the particle flow area and a high compression ratio. It also uses less energy than diffusion pumps.

Aalberts surface technologies – HIP|braze|heat treatment announced a significant expansion of its austempering capabilities and capacity in Canton, Ohio, and Ft. Smith, Ark. Three atmosphere-to-salt furnaces will be added at the existing facility in Canton. This expands the number of austempering locations in Aalberts surface technologies’ U.S. footprint to four. Infrastructure will be engineered at Canton to allow for up to six austempering furnaces in the future. The expansion in Canton will allow Aalberts to better serve customers located in the eastern U.S. The austempering and marquenching equipment is scheduled to start up in the fourth quarter of 2023. In response to growing demand in the region, additional capacity will also be added at the Ft. Smith plant. One furnace is scheduled to be installed in the third quarter of 2023, and another is planned for the fourth quarter of 2024.

Between May and December 2023, Nutec Bickley will manufacture and install five completely new furnaces for a U.S. manufacturer of high-quality alloy-steel and carbon-steel closed-die forgings. On-site work will be completed by Nutec Bickley one furnace at a time so that no more than one furnace will be out of operation in any given month to help the forging company keep its production schedules on track. The contract involves five lift-up furnaces: two for tempering and three for austenitizing. Each furnace will be fitted with a comprehensively modernized combustion system, control systems, complete fiber flues, and an exhaust and pressure control system. Operational temperature ranges will be 900-1950°F (480-1065°C) for the austenitizing furnaces and 840-1600°F (450-1065°C) for the tempering furnaces.