SECO/WARWICK received an order from Aalberts Surface Technologies for two vacuum furnaces to be delivered to the group’s TEY plant in Spain. One of the furnaces ordered is the largest from SECO/WARWICK’s portfolio: a horizontal retort furnace for high-efficiency tempering with vacuum purging. The retort furnace will increase the processing capacity of Aalberts’ hardening plant for tempering processes. The other furnace ordered, a Vector with a useful working space of 23.5 x 23.5 x 35.5 inches (600 x 600 x 900 mm), will increase the efficiency of the hardening plant.

Solar Atmospheres Inc. announced the acquisition of commercial heat treater Vac-Met Inc., which has locations in Warren and Fraser, Mich. The addition of Vac-Met to the Solar family of companies will increase the number of commercial vacuum heat-treating and brazing facilities to five plants across the United States. Vac-Met’s goals of providing state-of-the-art commercial heat treating, primarily in a vacuum environment, aligns perfectly with Solar’s mission. Joseph White will continue to head the day-to-day operations of Vac-Met’s nine vacuum furnaces. He will report to Robert Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. 

Härtewerk Chemnitz GmbH, a commercial hardening plant in Germany, purchased a horizontal, two-chamber furnace with oil or gas quenching and low-pressure carburizing from SECO/WARWICK. It has a heating chamber, loading and unloading vestibule, and a quenching bath. The load can be cooled dynamically in two different media: in an inert gas (1.5 bar abs) in the quenching vestibule above the oil table with gas flow forced with a blower installed in the ceiling of the vestibule or in quenching oil. Permanent graphite insulation in the heating chamber and graphite heating elements ensure long and reliable operation under industrial operating conditions. The heating system provides quick and even heating of the load, also in low temperatures, which makes it possible to reduce the heating time significantly.

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) received Nadcap accreditation for its new, fully integrated vacuum oil quench (VOQ) furnace. Designed and built by Solar Manufacturing, this two-chamber VOQ furnace is completely sealed, meaning a significantly cleaner and safer oil-quenching process. The entire VOQ system is much “greener” than traditional integral quench or open-pit quench furnaces, according to SAWPA. With a maximum load weight of 2,000 pounds, the furnace can successfully quench alloy steels and martensitic stainless steels to the most stringent of aerospace industry standards. Near-net shapes and finished products can be hardened by quenching in oil with minimal risk of surface contamination.

SECO/VACUUM, a SECO/WARWICK Group company, received an order for a 2-bar vacuum furnace from a global energy and environmental services company. The single-chamber high-pressure-quench furnace will be utilized for a range of heat-treating processes, including hardening of tool steels and high-vacuum sintering and annealing. The furnace is designed to achieve deep vacuum levels that will allow the company to process materials for nuclear applications. It will replace an older furnace, adding more capabilities and process flexibility.

TAV VACUUM FURNACES – established in 1984 near Milan (Italy) in the city of Caravaggio – designs and manufactures standard and customized advanced vacuum furnaces in a wide range of geometries and dimensions that are used in the heat treatment of steels, alloys and advanced ceramic materials, as well as in hardening, tempering, solubilization, annealing, brazing and sintering operations.

Solar Manufacturing designs a wide range of furnace models and sizes. Although we are well known for our large vacuum car-bottom furnaces, we also offer the Mentor®, which is our highly successful compact, efficient and economical furnace.

SECO/WARWICK will supply a two-chamber vacuum melting and casting furnace to a company in the aerospace industry. The furnace is designed with vertical loading to produce high-quality equiax castings. It is equipped with a 150-kW heater that will heat the mold in the furnace before pouring. The vacuum melting and casting furnace, which has a 55-pound (25-kg) load capacity, will have a valve separating the melting chamber from the mold chamber and a gate separating the vertical loader from the melting chamber. This configuration allows the system to carry on processes one after the other without having to aerate the melting chamber.

PVT Incorporated has been manufacturing vacuum heating and induction melting systems for nearly 50 years. PVT specializes in systems for fluxless aluminum, stainless steel and superalloy brazing with controls designed to facilitate customers' accreditation to AMS2750F and Nadcap standards.

For over 30 years, Heat Treat Furnaces has been designing, fabricating and installing custom industrial heat-treat furnaces for our clients. HTF’s experienced engineers and support staff are focused on your project.