Solar Atmospheres of California (SCA) successfully installed a 14-foot-long car-bottom air furnace with a total load capacity of up to 30,000 pounds. The furnace was surveyed in accordance with AMS 2750 and is uniform within ±10°F (Class 2). It has a work zone 60 inches square x 168 inches long and a maximum operating temperature of 1450°F (788°C). This furnace accommodates tempering of large tool-steel components; age hardening of 15-5 PH, 17-4 PH, 13-8PH and nickel-based alloys; and annealing of titanium forgings.

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.

Nitrex Vacuum Furnaces shipped a large vertical vacuum furnace to an engine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) company in South America. The company repairs jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. The vacuum furnace was ordered to expand production capacity, modernize the company’s plant, and meet quality standards and accreditations. The furnace was ordered from Nitrex’s GM Enterprises division, which was acquired by Nitrex in 2020 and now operates under the Nitrex Vacuum Furnaces name. It is designed for vertical bottom-loading applications and is suited for processing high-stacked loads and larger and taller workpieces, such as aircraft engine components. The company will use the furnace for annealing and stress relieving.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems commissioning a mesh-belt annealing and brazing furnace for Bluewater Thermal Solutions, a U.S.-based commercial heat treater. The furnace is installed in Bluewater’s annealing and brazing facility in Coldwater, Mich. The 28-inch-wide, four-zone furnace is designed with a maximum operating temperature of 2100°F (1150°C) and a capacity of 1,600 pounds/hour. It utilizes a blend of nitrogen and hydrogen atmospheres.  

SECO/WARWICK is scheduled to deliver a vacuum furnace to a manufacturer of precision medical devices used in demanding applications. The furnace, which has a heating chamber measuring 600 x 600 x 900 mm (23.5 x 23.5 x 35.5 inches), will be involved in the manufacture of components used in X-ray and radiotherapy equipment. It will be intended for annealing and brazing processes. The Vector includes a high-vacuum system based on a diffusion pump that creates ideal brazing conditions.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems designed, built and commissioned a 24-inch-wide, three-zone mesh-belt annealing furnace for a Midwest manufacturer of brass components. The furnace has a maximum operating temperature of 1650°F (900°C) and a capacity of 800 pounds/hour. It utilizes a blend of nitrogen and hydrogen atmospheres. The system incorporates an Allen-Bradley PLC and HMI with automated atmosphere and water temperature control and data logging. The integrated dew-point meter ensures precise process control for consistent and reliable part quality. 

German fabricator Edelstahl-Mechanik manufactured what it says is the world’s first hydroformed tensile architectural façade. Bodycote supported the company by providing heat-treatment services. A total of 12,800 steel panels in 14 different profiles were precisely fabricated and sculpted by Edelstahl-Mechanik using hydroforming. Hydroforming uses water pressure to shape thin metal plates against a mold to create custom pieces. Bodycote then annealed the stainless steel panels. Annealing is a heat-treatment process that alters the microstructure of a material to change its mechanical or electrical properties.

As a customer technical-support metallurgist, one question that customers ask over and over is whether their precipitation-hardenable steel is annealed or aged.

Centorr Vacuum Industries received orders for six high-vacuum furnaces for the precision processing of metals in heat treating, annealing and brazing applications. With sizes from 12 x 12 x 24 inches to over 48 x 48 x 48 inches and from 1 cubic foot to over 100 cubic feet, Centorr’s Workhorse furnaces can handle a variety of customer loads in either high vacuum or partial pressures of inert gas. The furnace design has a refractory-metal hot zone and high-vacuum pumping system for the processing of advanced materials requiring an extremely clean high-vacuum environment.

This month, we take a look at some of the common things found in our kitchens to see how they are heat treated.