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.

A commercial heat treater based in Mexico purchased a vacuum furnace – the company’s third – from SECO/WARWICK Group. The medium-sized furnace will improve and increase the processing capacity of the company’s hardening processes. Thanks to an energy-saving graphite chamber and above-average cleanliness of operation, the hardening plant will gain new production opportunities. A round heating chamber will enable the efficient heat treatment of large, oversized elements. The characteristic feature of the furnace on order is isothermal hardening, which enables the system to operate with tighter process control. The furnace is equipped with a dew-point sensor that monitors the content of harmful water vapor in the neutral gas and protects the load surface against undesirable oxidation.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SECO/WARWICK will supply a vacuum furnace to Atlas Autos Ltd., the largest manufacturer of motorcycle parts in Pakistan. The furnace is intended for hardening and tempering processes, and it will be used for special large-size die production. The furnace, which has an effective work zone measuring 600 x 600 x 900 mm (23.5 x 23.5 x 35.5 inches), will improve and increase Atlas Auto’s hardening process capacity and will also improve the economics of the plant’s process production. It is currently in the production stage and will be shipped to Pakistan in the second half of 2022.

A Czech manufacturer of industrial knives, mulching knives and chippers placed an order with SECO/WARWICK for a vacuum furnace with 10-bar high-pressure gas quenching. The furnace, which has been customized to enable the processing of long and straight items, will be used for tool-steel hardening and tempering. SECO/WARWICK engineers designed a nonstandard workspace measuring 600 x 600 x 1,800 mm (23.6 x 23.6 x 71 inches). The modification was implemented to fit the characteristic shape of the workpieces. Apart from the nonstandard dimensions of the chamber, the unit was fitted with a directional cooling option to effectively cool long and thin knives that are prone to distortion during the hardening process.

To fish, you need the right equipment, which definitely includes a hook. Have you noticed there are hooks of various sizes and shapes, some with barbs and some without? Why do the differences exist?

SECO/WARWICK will design and supply a compact vacuum furnace with a heating chamber measuring 400 x 400 x 600 mm (15.75 x 15.75 x 23.6 inches) to Michelin, the largest tire manufacturer in Europe. The furnace will be used for gas hardening in the manufacture of tools for premium tires. It will provide better control over the quality of heat-treated components and reduce the risk of delays. The specialized tools and dies used in the tire production process are mostly treated in vacuum furnaces. Many tire manufacturers engage third-party hardening plants for that purpose, but owning a furnace makes it possible to become independent from third parties.