Ipsen, to ensure it properly addresses the market needs of current and future customers, is establishing Technology Excellence Centers in Germany and the United States while further strengthening its offerings. The company’s equipment manufacturing business will be driven by an Atmosphere Technology Excellence Center in Kleve, Germany, and a Vacuum Technology Excellence Center near Rockford, Ill. This focus into one field of technology will enable faster-paced innovation and quicker response times.

Lincotek Additive completed a state-of-the-art Additive Production Center for medical devices in its Trento, Italy, facility by installing a new high-vacuum furnace and a validated heat-treatment process specifically designed for 3D-printed titanium parts. The project – along with an expansion in lab capabilities – will triple the capacity for thermal treatment at the site.

Nitrex is set to start the fourth phase of expansion at its commercial heat-treating facility in Aurora, Ill. The project will add a fourth building that will house a new low-pressure carburizing (LPC) system and secondary heat-treating equipment. The ECM vacuum carburizing furnace with oil-quench capabilities will help meet growing demand from makers of high-end critical parts within the automotive, aerospace and tooling industries. The 20-bar dual-chamber furnace has a workload size of 40 inches long x 24 inches wide x 28 inches high (1,000 x 600 x 715 mm) and a load capacity of 1,500 pounds (680 kg).

The TURBOVAC i/iX series of turbomolecular pumps are used where clean and stable high- and ultrahigh-vacuum is required, such as in heat treatment.

After much analysis, feedback from attendees and the uncertainty of COVID-19, the MTI Board of Trustees has approved transition to a virtual format for Furnaces North America 2020. Attendees will be able to experience the virtual exhibit hall for free. For those wanting to view the three live panel discussions and 35 technical sessions, FNA is offering a special for attendees of $199 for each of the first two registrants from a company and $49 for every person after that. To qualify, everyone must register on the same online registration form. 

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA is currently installing a new rapid quenching vacuum furnace that will ultimately eliminate the need for costly helium while increasing production throughput. Solar Manufacturing’s 10-bar vacuum furnace will mimic an older 2-bar furnace in size. However, this new 48-inch x 48-inch x 96-inch 10-bar furnace is equipped with a 600-HP blower designed motor, and it will outperform its older model by processing larger and heavier workloads with the use of nitrogen only.

SECO/WARWICK Group sold two vacuum furnaces for aerospace applications to one company in two locations: the United States and Singapore. The aerospace manufacturer has been a SECO/WARWICK customer in Europe for many years, but this is their first vacuum furnace ordered for a U.S. installation. The first furnace will be used for the heat treatment of exotic electrical steels. The high-pressure gas-quench vacuum furnace has a horizontal chamber with a workload size of 24 inches x 24 inches x 36 inches and a 1,300-pound hearth capacity. The second furnace will be used for annealing parts produced by 3D printing.

Solar Manufacturing has been commissioned to design and build a vacuum furnace for Magnetic Shields Ltd. of Kent, England. According to the companies, it will be one of the largest horizontal vacuum furnaces in the United Kingdom. The furnace, which is being built with a SolarVac Polaris control system, will be designed to accommodate loads up to 48 inches wide x 48 inches high x 96 inches deep with a maximum weight of 5,000 pounds. Operating at a vacuum level of 10^-5 Torr, it will be able to reach temperatures up to 2400°F (1315°C) and include a partial-pressure hydrogen gas process and an external quench system designed for negative pressure quenching.

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) will install a 36-inch x 36-inch x 48-inch vacuum oil-quench (VOQ) furnace capable of safely quenching 2,000-pound loads without carbon-potential concerns. Designed and built by Solar Manufacturing, the furnace will be operational in early 2021. 

Reliable vacuum technology is essential in many metallurgical processes to produce high-quality products in a repeatable manner.