SECO/VACUUM, a SECO/WARWICK Group company, received an order from an international electric-vehicle (EV) automaker for high-pressure gas-quenching (HPGQ) and nitriding furnaces for the heat treatment of large high-pressure casting dies used in the production of aluminum underbody components. SECO/VACUUM will supply two furnaces with work zones that can accommodate loads with dimensions up to 40 x 40 x 96 inches (1,000 x 1,000 x 2,400 mm) and weighing up to 7.5 metric tons.

SECO/WARWICK will deliver a Vector vacuum furnace to the manufacturer of circulation and collection coins in Egypt. The National Mint of Egypt is the seventh mint in the world (others include Brazil, Canada, China, Poland and Turkey) to order a furnace from SECO/WARWICK. The Vector vacuum furnace with 15-bar high-pressure gas quenching is suited for the operating performance requirements of mints. It enables quick heat treatment with a working space that is optimum for circulating and collection coins, embossing dies, medals and special orders. The furnace will be used mainly for producing collection seals.

Quintus Technologies will deliver a hot isostatic press (HIP) to the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden, Germany. The HIP will permit researchers to refine processes for pressure-supported heat treatment, which is used to maximize theoretical density, ductility and fatigue resistance in high-performance materials. Applications for the new system include the hot isostatic pressing and heat treatment of specialty materials such as nickel-based superalloys and intermetallic compounds like titanium aluminides, as well as densification of the unconventional microstructures associated with additive manufacturing (AM).

Youngstown Tool & Die, a manufacturer of aluminum extrusion dies based in Youngstown, Ohio, upgraded its in-house heat-treatment capabilities with two high-pressure gas-quench (HPGQ) vacuum furnaces from SECO/WARWICK. Youngstown Tool & Die, which has been in business since 1961, is moving into a larger facility to accommodate increased production needs. The new furnaces are part of the expansion project. According to the company, upgrading its existing atmosphere furnaces to HPGQ vacuum furnaces will significantly improve performance and increase throughput as it expands.

In order for manufacturers and heat treaters to make an informed decision on what case-hardening equipment to purchase, they must have more than a theoretical knowledge of the processes they may be considering.