Solar Atmospheres hosted 28 high-school students enrolled in the Summer Engineering Institute (SEI) at Lehigh University on July 11. The group also included a few members of Lehigh University undergraduate students and staff. The SEI program 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).

The following is excerpted from an interview with Mechanical Engineer Nate Sroka of Ipsen USA.

Solar Atmospheres recently installed an all-metal hot-zone vacuum furnace at its facility in Souderton, Pa. This is the heat treater’s third all-metal hot-zone furnace installation for its climate-controlled room. The new furnace increases Solar’s capacity for processing sensitive materials such as PH stainless, nickel-chrome-based superalloys, titanium and ferritic and austenitic stainless steels. 

Ipsen USA recently embarked on an initiative to double its number of regional sales engineers (RSEs). The company’s RSEs engage customers with the objective of improving furnace performance and increasing service life. Recent hires include Midwest RSE Joyce Paliganoff, Southeast RSE Patrick Heiser and West/Northwest RSE Larry Gomez.

The overall furnace design and volume determines the required throughput of the pumping system and the ultimate vacuum expected.

Furnacare Inc., a TAV Group Company, sold a TAV horizontal vacuum furnace with a maximum temperature of 2462°F (1350°C) to an international mint. The furnace, which has useful dimensions of 400 mm (15.7 inches) wide x 400 mm (15.7 inches) high x 600 mm (23.6 inches) long, has high-speed quenching with up to 25 bar of helium with an optional recovery circuit. A large pumping group allows for rapid evacuation of the chamber and high operating vacuum level. In addition, a closed-loop gas cooling system combines high flow capacity and pressure to guarantee fast and uniform cooling of the load.

SECO/VACUUM (SVT), a SECO/WARWICK company, sold a vacuum tempering furnace to a global manufacturer of cutting tools. The furnace, which will be used for tempering and stress relieving metal parts, is part of the company’s expansion and complements another vacuum tempering furnace commissioned earlier in 2019 at the facility. The horizontal, front-loading furnace has an all-metal hot zone for clean vacuum processing. It includes a convection fan and a pressurized gas quench for quick cooling.

Metal additive manufacturing or metal 3D printing are terms that everyone in the metal-processing industry is seeking to understand. The “what” and the “how” are becoming clearer every day.

Many factors come into play during the vacuum sintering process, from the size and materials used in the furnace hot zone to whether debinding and sintering processes are combined in a single unit.

Solar Atmospheres ordered a 12-foot-long car-bottom vacuum furnace with advanced pumping system and rapid cooling capability for its Greenville, S.C., facility. The 144-inch-deep x 54-inch-wide x 54-inch-high horizontal furnace is capable of processing loads up to 50,000 pounds. Manufactured by sister company Solar Manufacturing, installation is scheduled for early 2020. The furnace design features a vacuum pumping system capable of achieving an ultimate vacuum of 1 x 10^-6 Torr, which is crucial to the processing of titanium and other high-grade alloys.