As part of an expansion and reorganization of its parts manufacturing and fabrication areas, Duncan Aviation created a new division called Duncan Manufacturing Solutions (DMS). The company invested more than $4 million in the 21,000-square-foot DMS facility, which was built adjacent to its Turbine Engine Overhaul Shop in Lincoln, Neb. The company added more equipment to supplement its previous capabilities and machinery to allow for heat treatment, CNC milling, waterjet cutting, metal pressing and engraving. DMS brought heat-treating capabilities in-house with the addition of two industrial ovens capable of heat treating aluminum, stainless steel, tool steel and titanium.

JPW Industrial Ovens & Furnaces has been designing and manufacturing industrial ovens for start-up companies in the electric vehicle (EV) industry for several years. However, requests have been more frequent and more specific as of late. President Mike Jameson believes he knows the reason.

“Mainstream automakers from around the globe are noticing that electric vehicles are the future,” Jameson said. “While the smaller start-ups have been researching, testing and creating electric vehicles for years, the well-known automakers want to make sure their hats are tossed in the ring as they notice the demand from potential customers steadily increasing.”

Wisconsin Oven shipped an electrically heated horizontal quench system to the defense industry. It will be used for the solution treatment and aging of aluminum. The maximum temperature for this oven is 1100°F, and the normal operating temperature is 985°F. The overall dimensions are 14 feet, 6 inches wide x 17 feet, 6 inches high x 27 feet long, while the interior chamber dimensions are 7 feet wide x 3 feet, 6 inches high x 3 feet long. The system, which has a maximum 7-second quench delay, proved to be in compliance with AMS 2750F pyrometry requirements for class 2 furnaces prior to and after shipment from Wisconsin Oven’s manufacturing facility in East Troy, Wis.

Given the thousands of boilers, furnaces and ovens currently in use worldwide, the potential of a combustion system malfunctioning is ever-present, especially as these systems grow in scale and complexity. Add to this a single-point failure, and an unqualified operator could inadvertently render a critical fuel system inoperable.

Thermcraft started doing business in January 1971 from a small warehouse space in downtown Winston-Salem, N.C. From that small startup operation, Thermcraft has progressively grown into an international manufacturer of thermal-processing equipment. The company offers industrial and laboratory furnaces, ovens, high-temperature heating elements, insulation and replacement parts. Thermcraft now resides in a 70,000-square-foot manufacturing and office space located just a few miles from its original location in Winston-Salem, where it all began 50 years ago.

Lucifer Furnaces completed a yearlong contract to deliver 18 AMS 2750-compliant furnaces and ovens to the United States Air Force. Models supplied include heavy-duty single-chamber furnaces, dual-chamber furnace/oven combinations, recirculating convection ovens and dual ovens. All models are designed and built to comply with AMS 2750 Class 2 (+/-10°F) and Class 5 (+/-25°F) specifications with instrumentation package D, which includes digital paperless recorder/controllers, high-limit safety systems and SCR power supplies. TUS and SAT access ports are built in for ongoing system accuracy tests and temperature uniformity survey compliance. All models are completely wired and temperature uniformity surveyed in-house prior to shipment.

A 500°F (260°C) top-loading, electrically heated oven is used for heat treating parts. Workspace dimensions measure 96 inches wide x 20 inches deep x 20 inches high.

The D-100 model infrared conveyor oven is designed for laboratory testing and low-volume production applications.

A new truck oven with a maximum operating temperature of 550°F (288°C) has been customized from the standard TCH-550 model and can be used for heat-processing parts.

Wisconsin Oven received an order for a standard draw batch (SDB) oven from a manufacturer of aerospace products. The electrically heated oven, which has been shipped, will be used for processing parts in a reduced-oxygen atmosphere utilizing nitrogen. The oven has a maximum continuous operating temperature of 1400°F (760°C), and it has the capability to operate at 230°F (110°C) above ambient. The qualified work-zone dimensions are 24 inches wide x 24 inches high x 48 inches deep, and the overall chamber dimensions are 36 inches wide x 36 inches high x 60 inches deep.