SECO/WARWICK received an order from an international organization in the field of industrial automation for a heat-treatment system. The company aims to establish a captive hardening plant within its machine park. The comprehensive technological line for hardening applications will consist of two vacuum furnaces, one atmosphere furnace and a washer. The furnaces will be used for hardening and vacuum carburizing the elements used in motor reducer production. These parts are used in the production process for automation applications in industries such as automotive, aviation and printing. The vacuum furnaces on order have compact dimensions that meet the customer’s requirements for hardening and carburizing parts, specifically gears, pinions and shafts.

Bodycote, the world’s largest provider of thermal-processing services, announced that its near-term science-based emissions target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi is an independent global body enabling businesses to set and validate emissions reduction targets in line with the latest climate science and strict criteria. The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments.

Voestalpine High Performance Metals del Perú installed a Nitrex system for nitriding and nitrocarburizing a wide range of components made from high-performance steels. This new addition strengthens the company’s position as a provider of high-tech thermal processes on par with highly industrialized countries and expands its capabilities to meet the needs of industries such as mining, metal, energy and others. The pit-type furnace is designed to process workloads measuring 23.5 inches (600 mm) in diameter x 47.25 inches (1,200 mm) high weighing up to 1,700 pounds (800 kg). Process technologies include Nitreg controlled nitriding, Nitreg-C controlled nitrocarburizing and ONC post-oxidation.

Solar Manufacturing built, shipped and installed a vacuum furnace for a commercial heat-treating and brazing facility in eastern Pennsylvania. The Mentor has stainless steel chamber, a work zone measuring 12 inches x 12 inches x 18 inches and a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F (1315°C) with a workload capacity of 250 pounds. The furnace includes a VHS 6-inch diffusion pump for vacuum performance in the 10^-6 torr range, a high-performance 7.5-HP fan motor for internal gas quenching up to 2 bar and the SolarVac fully automated and programmable controls package with a Eurotherm digital recorder.

United States Steel Corp. will supply General Motors (GM) with its advanced and sustainable steel solution verdeX steel. According to U.S. Steel, verdeX steel is manufactured with up to 75% fewer emissions compared to traditional blast furnace production, is made with up to 90% recycled content and is endlessly recyclable without degradation. U.S. Steel’s verdeX steel will be manufactured at Big River Steel, a LEED Certified facility that also meets the ResponsibleSteel Standard site certification, along with a new advanced technology mill under construction in Osceola, Ark. The steel produced at the Big River Steel facility will begin shipping to GM manufacturing facilities starting this year.

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA announced the approval of a critical Boeing specification for the oil quenching of alloy steels in accordance with Boeing’s specification BAC 5617.

L&L Special Furnace built and delivered a highly uniform box furnace to a distributor of equipment to maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities throughout the world. The furnace has working dimensions of 11 inches wide x 10 inches high x 22 inches deep. It is capable of heat treating a wide variety of tool steels – from D-2 to high-speed M-2 tool steel – along with low-temperature tempering. It is equipped with a sealed case for inert-atmosphere capability, as well as a fully functional atmosphere control panel with pressure regulator, flow meter and manual shutoff valve.

Ternium announced that it will integrate its operations in the North America region with a new electric-arc furnace (EAF) mill. The Luxembourg-based company will invest approximately $2.2 billion in the construction of facility in the USMCA (United States, Mexico, Canada) region to complement and support its hot-rolling mill in Pesqueria, Mexico. The EAF mill will have an annual capacity of 2.6 million tons, and it will include a direct-reduced iron (DRI) module with an annual capacity of 2.1 million tons. The project will also include the construction of a port installation to manage raw materials. Ternium expects the EAF mill to start operations in the first quarter of 2026.

RHI Magnesita, a manufacturer of refractory materials used in high-temperature industrial processes, signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Australia’s MCi Carbon (MCi). The investment of several million dollars is for research and development of technologies abating carbon emissions. MCi’s carbon utilization technology (CCU) presents a safe and profitable means of storing CO₂ permanently. The chemical process, called mineral carbonation, creates a range of low-carbon embodied materials (including calcium and magnesium carbonate) by carbonating minerals in byproducts of industrial processes.

Ford will invest $3.5 billion to build what it says is the country’s first automaker-backed lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant, offering customers a second battery technology within its EV lineup. The facility, called BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, will initially employ 2,500 people when production of LFP batteries begins in 2026. Ford will have the option to further grow its battery capacity at the Marshall, Mich., plant, which will be part of a wholly owned Ford subsidiary and add approximately 35 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year of LFP battery capacity in the U.S.