Tenova, a company of the Techint Group, concluded the selling process of the HTC Group, which includes IVA Schmetz (Germany), Mahler (Germany), Fours Industriels B.M.I. (France) and IVA Schmetz Industrial Furnaces (China). All four companies specialize in advanced technologies for heat-treatment processes for components. The purchasers are Qizhi GmbH and Shanghai Qizhi Information Technologies Co. Ltd., both members of Ningbo Qijing Holding Co. Ltd.

We continue to review some of the most important materials in heat treatment and metallurgy. 

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 heat treatment of steel often involves heating a component part into the austenite region (aka austenite phase field) in order to perform a thermal treatment such as normalizing, hardening, case hardening, etc.

We continue to review some of the most important materials in heat treatment and metallurgy.  

The recent staging of the Bright World of Metals, which consists of GIFA, METEC, Thermprocess and Newcast, confirmed its position at the world’s most important international platform for the metallurgy and casting sectors. Numerous investments, spontaneous business deals and lively discussions characterized the dynamic atmosphere in the 12 halls of the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany.

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. 

Tenova LOI Thermprocess received an order from U.S. Steel Kosice, a Slovakian steel producer and fully integrated metallurgical plant, for an annealing and coating line (ACL) for dynamo steel strips. Tenova will supply the complete ACL, including a heat-treatment furnace, drying oven and the associated electrical, instrumentation and control technology. The plant will use the ACL to produce non-grain-oriented electrical steel. The contract scope includes engineering, turnkey delivery of all equipment and supervision of the assembly and commissioning.

Saarstahl is investing approximately $19 million to expand heat-treatment capacity at Saar-Blankstahl, its subsidiary in Homburg, Germany. The investment includes a roller-hearth furnace for heat treatment; construction of a 4,300-square-meter hall with cranes; and a straightening machine with a corresponding packaging unit. The new heat-treatment plant is scheduled to begin operation in fall 2020.

We continue to review some of the most important materials in heat treatment and metallurgy.