Oetzbach Edelstahl, a hardening plant in Germany that provides heat-treatment services, purchased a vacuum furnace from SECO/WARWICK. The medium-sized furnace is the third from SECO/WARWICK to be delivered to this facility. Vector technology allows the user to perform a range of processes from hardening through carburizing, nitriding and cryogenic freezing. The furnace, which has a heating-chamber size of 600 x 600 x 900 mm, enables the efficient heat treatment of tool and machine parts.

Solar Atmospheres is one of the world’s largest providers of commercial vacuum heat-treating services. Solar’s thermal processing produces bright, scale-free parts with minimal distortion.

Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd. has been awarded a contract to deliver a second mesh-belt furnace line to a commercial heat treater in the Midwest. Can-Eng commissioned a 4,000-pound/hour mesh-belt furnace system for this customer in 2020. This duplicate 4,000-pound/hour high-capacity furnace line will be installed alongside the previous furnace line in the company’s recently expanded plant. It will be used primarily for processes including carbonitriding and carburizing. The furnace line includes: an automated bin dumping and vibratory part-feeder system; dunk and spray pre-washer; protective atmosphere-controlled mesh-belt hardening system; oil quench; dunk and spray post-wash system; forced recirculation temper furnace; in-line post-cooling system; and Can-Eng’s PET Level 2 SCADA system.

SECO/WARWICK received an equipment order from Aalberts Surface Technologies for its hardening plant in Dzierżoniów, Poland. SECO/WARWICK will deliver a two-chamber atmosphere furnace, tempering furnace, endothermic atmosphere generator, and loading and unloading devices along with the auxiliary infrastructure. The AFT-type atmosphere furnace is intended for carburizing, hardening, nitrocarburizing and annealing. It is suited for manufacturing various transmission components. According to Aalberts, the new equipment will increase its capacity in Dzierżoniów and allow the company to expand its business to other eastern European countries.

SECO/WARWICK received an order for a vacuum furnace with vertical insertion of loads from a manufacturer of feed machinery and contractor for agricultural engineering projects in India. The furnace will be used in the production of ring dies and rollers for palletizing equipment. These parts are used in many common large-dimension agricultural machines. The vacuum unit, which has a gross load weight 5,510 pounds (2,500 kg) of and workspace dimensions of 59-98 inches (1,500 x 2,500 mm), will also be used for commercial heat treatment of tools steels – mainly carburizing, hardening and tempering.

This month, we pick up or discussion where we left off in August. If you missed that part of the discussion, check it out in the August issue (View Part 1).

In our final IH Rx Podcast, Dan Herring and I covered some readers’ questions about carburizing. We transcribed and edited that podcast into a two-part article, which is seen here and will continue in the September issue.

Peters’ Heat Treating Inc. recently earned Nadcap certificates in Heat Treating and AC7004 Aerospace Quality Management System at its Meadville, Pa., facility. The company is focused on continuing to improve its processes and services in order to service all customer needs. Nadcap provides a standardized approach to quality assurance for the aerospace industry. Accredited companies must have a stringent quality system in place and be able to pass annual audits to keep the certifications active.

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.

Rex Heat Treat, a commercial heat treater specializing in the aerospace market, became the first company to install and commission SECO/WARWICK’s new Super IQ gas carburizing furnace. The hybrid system combines a conventional furnace and a vacuum furnace in one unit. Rex Heat Treat has commissioned several vacuum furnaces over the past several years at its Lansdale, Pa., location as part of a plant modernization initiative. The new furnace will allow the heat treater to upgrade its through-hardening and carburizing capabilities alongside its legacy harden and temper furnaces while using the existing loader, baskets and washing system.