IQ Technologies Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio, USA has for a number of years been marketing a process called “IntensiQuench”, a very interesting and promising process using water as the quenching medium. While the process offers some advantages over oil or polymer quenching it has never quite achieved “mainstream” acceptance. According to this press release Induction heat treat supplier Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic has acquired the assets of the company. The attached photo shows a batch IQ furnace set up for the “IntensiQuench”-this furnace was located at Euclid Heat Treating in Euclid, Ohio.

“Ajax TOCCO Magnethermic acquired assets of IQ Technologies Inc. Cleveland, Ohio-based IQ Technologies has been commercializing an intensive quenching (IQ) process for steel parts in the U.S. and overseas for the past 20 years. The IQ process is an effective and alternative way of quenching steel parts. Developed by Dr. Kobasko of Ukraine in 1964, it presents a very rapid and uniform cooling of steel products in water with cooling rates several times greater than that of conventional quenching in agitated oil or polymer. The IQ process is interrupted at an optimal time when the surface compressive stresses reach their maximum value and the part hardened layer reaches its optimal depth. A proprietary computer program is used for determining an optimal dwell time for steel parts of different shapes and dimensions.

Combining Ajax TOCCO’s induction technology with the IQ process not only creates ideal part processing results, it uses less energy, creates cleaner parts and could possibly lower overall parts and material costs. Ajax TOCCO set up an IQ facility at its Detroit Development & Support Center that includes a single-part processing IQ unit and an induction heating station. The IQ unit is capable of processing gear products and shafts up to 8 inches in diameter and 15 inches long. The induction heating fixture consists of a pneumatic horizontal indexing heat station used for power supply load matching and inductor positioning.  The load-matching station can be fed by numerous power supplies capable of operating frequencies and power levels up to 600 kW.

The Detroit Development & Support Center also houses a large area for the manufacture and repair of induction tooling and a metallurgical lab with the equipment and staff necessary to support IQ process development. The metallurgical lab contains macro- and micro-hardness testers, cut-off wheels, polishing equipment and a metallograph for analyzing microstructures.”

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