Wikipedia; “Dana Incorporated is an American supplier of axles, driveshafts, transmissions, and electrodynamic, thermal, sealing, and digital equipment for conventional, hybrid, and electric-powered vehicles. The company’s products and services are aimed at the light vehicle, commercial vehicle, and off-highway equipment markets.”
Dana Inc., has had a very strong Prescence in Mexico since back in the 1960’s making them one of the first US based auto parts suppliers to invest in the country. Since that time they have continued to invest and currently have a number of locations including their location in Querétaro which “The Monty” profiled just two weeks ago https://themonty.com/dana-corporation-queretaro-mexico-top-11-heat-treater/
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Dana, Toluca is a pretty typical Dana manufacturing facility in that it is clean and bright with modern equipment and a very strong focus on quality and safety. We thank the entire team at Dana for their incredible hospitality.
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“Kuźnia Jawor S.A., a European company specializing in the production of hot forged and CNC machined components for the automotive, machinery, mining, and piping industries, has enhanced its manufacturing capabilities through a substantial plant modernization. Located in the southwestern region of Poland, Kuźnia Jawor has solidified its position as a leading provider of forged and CNC automotive parts within Poland, as well as mining parts in international markets such as Czechia and Türkiye.
Kuźnia Jawor leverages its in-house capabilities to design and manufacture forging tools, a crucial element of the production process. This is necessary for obtaining repeatable strength parameters in steel and ensuring their resistance to geometric changes or abrasive wear, factors that are addressed through heat treatment. Building on this foundation, the company recently revamped its heat-treating operations by introducing cutting-edge equipment and technologies, aiming to streamline operations for improved efficiency and to elevate the quality of its forged and machined products. The investment encompassed the replacement of the entire production line, based on an oil-hardening furnace and two outdated nitriding furnaces. The decision to upgrade was prompted by the need to eliminate archaic technology, address inadequate controls, and ensure that the company remains at the forefront of innovation, sustainability, and excellence in the forging industry. The current production line has been designed using a Nitrex nitriding system and a vacuum hardening furnace.
The company’s forging and CNC processes are marked by meticulous precision, with dies initially undergoing treatment in the vacuum furnace before proceeding to the nitriding phase. This multi-step approach is essential for achieving a zero-white layer, effectively preventing surface cracking in the H11, H13, and WNL hot work steel dies subjected to high-pressure hammer forging. A crucial part of this initiative was the installation of a new Nitrex horizontal-loading system, featuring the furnace model NXH-9912, a custom solution designed to facilitate the seamless automatic transfers of loads between operations.
Marcin Stoklosa, Nitrex Technical Sales Manager who oversaw this transformative endeavor, sums it up, “Kuźnia Jawor’s choice to partner with Nitrex was driven by the need to replace outdated equipment, modernize, and expand their production facility. The result? Improved quality, enhanced performance, and a stronger position in the forging industry.” He added, “Nitrex’s extensive experience and track record of success in delivering the right technology for forging dies, along with our proven history of over 30 installations in Poland, played a pivotal role in securing the partnership.”
ABOUT NITREX; NITREX is a global leader in providing turnkey heat-treating solutions and cutting-edge technologies since 1984. Pioneering advancements Nitreg® controlled nitriding and Nitreg®-C controlled nitrocarburizing enhance application reliability and performance while upholding stringent standards in quality, safety, and environmental sustainability. Our expanded technology portfolio includes Nitreg®-S and Nano-S™, optimizing stainless steel applications for greater wear resistance and durability, as well as Smart ONC®, which elevates corrosion resistance to new heights. Supported by superior technical expertise, every NITREX turnkey system ensures optimal performance throughout its lifecycle, safeguarding your investment for years to come. Let NITREX bring expertise and excellence to your project!”
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In almost 30 years of reporting news about the global heat treatment industry “The Monty Heat Treat News” has reported on many fires and whenever possible the cause. However this is the first time we have run across a fire in a heat treat department possibly being blamed on foreign sabotage-read on and see the full story at https://www.newsweek.com/us-nato-defense-facilities-ukraine-russia-sabotage-1892099
“A recent string of mysterious accidents at defense facilities in the U.S. and U.K. that have been producing weapons and equipment for Kyiv’s forces in the war in Ukraine has fueled speculation on social media of possible Russian sabotage.
It comes amid rising tensions between Russia and the West, more than two years into Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials have regularly accused the United States of instigating a new world war in coordination with members of the NATO military alliance, while many, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have warned that Moscow could be gearing up for a wider conflict with NATO.
On Wednesday, two Russian nationals who were taken into custody by German police in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth were accused of preparing to bomb industrial and military sites in the country. The federal prosecutor’s office said Dieter S, 39, and Alexander J, 37, both German-Russian nationals, had been in contact with Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) and had plotted to carry out acts of sabotage with the intention of disrupting the supply of military aid to Ukraine.
“Our security authorities have prevented possible explosive attacks that were intended to target and undermine our military assistance to Ukraine. It is a particularly serious case of alleged spy activity for Putin’s criminal regime,” Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said during a press briefing in Berlin. “We will continue to provide massive support for Ukraine and will not allow ourselves to be intimidated,” she added. The arrests have prompted renewed speculation on social media about two separate incidents this month at arms suppliers in the U.S. and the U.K.
A fire broke out at a military plant in the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 15, while in Monmouthshire, South Wales, an explosion occurred at a manufacturing plant of BAE Systems, the U.K.’s largest defense contractor, on April 17. Both facilities had been producing supplies for Kyiv’s forces in the war.
Investigations have been launched into both incidents. Responding to the two arrests in Germany this week, David Frum, a Canadian-American political commentator and a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, said on X (formerly Twitter): “Casts interesting light on those fires that ignited at artillery ammunition factories in US and UK.” Sergej Sumlenny, founder of the German think tank, the European Resilience Initiative Center, drew attention to the incidents.
“UK’s only 155-mm shells plant reports a blast (no serious damage for the factory) tonight. Two days ago, fire started at a US ammo facility in Scranton, producing shells for Ukraine. Today, in Germany, two Russian saboteurs have been arrested,” he wrote on X.
Other X users questioned the timing of the incidents. “One day after a fire at a US artillery production plant. Could still be a coincidence, but odd to be sure. Hope both countries will take a close look,” one user wrote.
Didn’t this just happen here, in the USA a couple days ago? I’m not believing in coincidences… something is up,” another said. “An explosion occurred at the ammunition production plant of the British company BAE Systems in Wales…This is the second western ammo plant in 2 days…. the Russians are operating in the west carrying out sabotage,” an X user added.
After Wednesday’s explosion in Wales, BAE Systems said safety protocols were “immediately enacted,” according to the BBC, adding that there were no injuries and production was unaffected. The cause was under investigation, it said.
The Scranton Army ammunition plant released a statement about the fire on Facebook on Monday: “At approximately 3:20 p.m. today, emergency personnel responded to a fire at the heat treat building at Scranton Army Ammunition Plant. The fire has since been extinguished, with no injuries and all personnel accounted for. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. We are currently assessing the damage to determine possible impacts to facilities or production.”
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It has been 4 years since “The Monty Heat Treat News” visited commercial heat treater “Crio” ( https://www.criomx.com/ws/services.html) in Querétaro, Mexico and we welcomed the opportunity for another visit last week. What we found was a company which has invested heavily since then both in terms of equipment and people. Founded in 2004 the company started off with a single location with one batch IQ line and one car bottom furnace, since that time the firm has added 6 more batch IQ units each with working dimensions of 36” X 48” X 36” for a total of seven, a second car bottom furnace, a “cryo” system and an oven for processing aluminum. New since our last visit is FNC capability which was added to 2 furnaces in 2023.
Since their beginnings Crio has added a second facility in Ramas Arizpe, Mexico with a similar mix, batch IQ furnaces and a car bottom system. In total the two facilities have 125 people and their customer base is heavily automotive. While more than half of commercial heat treating in Mexico is automotive related Crio pushes this to 95% largely because of their CQI-9 and related certifications.
And why did we call Crio a “Top 5” Mexican Heat Treater? Because as far as “The Monty” can tell it very much deserves to be ranked as one of the 5 largest commercial heat treater in Mexico as
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Aerospace company Barnes has just completed the expansion of a new facility in East Granby, Connecticut, USA. This facility boasts several vacuum brazing systems.
“BRISTOL, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Barnes Aerospace proudly announces the completion of its newly expanded Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in East Granby, Connecticut. The project provides an additional 32,000 square feet of manufacturing space, bringing the facility total to more than 84,000 square feet. The facility specializes in highly complex repairs of cases, frames, diffusers, bearing housings, and major rotating hardware across a vast array of commercial and military engine platforms for the global aerospace industry and the Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT) market.
With this growth, the facility focused its upgrades on capabilities spanning a variety of processes to further demonstrate industry-leading performance in quality and turn-around-time (TAT). One of these key upgrades is a new state-of-the art chemical cleaning line that is scheduled for completion in Q4 of 2024. This will bolster an already robust and specialized set of capabilities within the facility that includes, but is not limited to:
- Welding (Electron-Beam, Tig, Plasma Arc, Laser Clad)
- Vacuum Brazing, Heat Treating
- Plasma and Dual Wire Arc Coatings
- Shot Peening
- Non-Destructive Testing (X-Ray, FPI, and MPI)
“Our East Granby facility expansion significantly boosts our capacity to meet the growing demand for both current and new engine programs and product lines. Leveraging existing component repair expertise, we’re better positioned to serve our global customers,” said Ian Reason, Senior Vice President, Barnes and President, Barnes Aerospace.”
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Querétaro, Mexico, April 12, 2024; Safran S.A., is a French multinational aerospace and defense corporation that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft engines, helicopter engines, spacecraft propulsion systems as well as various other aerospace and military equipment. https://www.safran-group.com/
It’s many product offerings include aerospace landing gear which is our focus today.
Safran Landing Systems Mexico, is located in the center of Mexico’s aerospace industry in Querétaro, Mexico alongside such companies as Airbus and Bombardier. This facility, which supplies firms such as Airbus and Boeing entered production roughly 14 years ago and currently employees approximately 350 people.
The plant is immaculate as you would expect and this includes their heat treat department which is our focus today.
The main feature of the heat treat department are two “gantry” style furnaces provided by furnace builder “Codere” of Switzerland. The configuration includes two high heat furnaces with working dimensions of 2 meters X 5 meters (6’ X 15’), a shared oil quench and two tempers. Atmosphere is provided by a Nitrogen/Methanol system with natural gas addition for controlling carbon potential. A “gantry” style furnace means the parts are lowered into the furnace with the retort transferred over the load at which point the parts are raised into the retort.
Back Row; Jordan Montgomery, Salvador Murillo, General Manager, SSi Mexico, Adab Márquez Núñez,, SSi Mexico, Gord Montgomery. Front row center; Erika Cristino, Safran, Metallurgist
Incidentally this furnace configuration differs slightly from another Safran Landing Gear facility, this one located in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. The Mirabel plant produces very similar products, however in their case they have chosen a “pit” style furnace combined with an endothermic atmosphere. The photo below shows an overview of the heat treat department which features one furnace combined paired with a pit temper and oil quench tank. In both cases though the furnace atmosphere is controlled with oxygen probes combined with 3 gas analysers.
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The smallest of our dual-chamber furnaces, the QDD series is ideal for various thermal applications. Its compact over/under design saves floor space and provides dependable and reliable heat-treating without the delays of third-party vendors, shipping costs and transit holdups.
The top chamber is primarily deployed for heat-treating tool steels at temperatures up to 2,200°F; the tempering chamber is suited to temperatures up to 1,250°F and has a recirculation baffle that makes it suitable for small aluminum work as well. The hardening and tempering chambers have interior dimensions of 12” wide by 8” high by 24” deep, with total external dimensions of 55” wide by 70” tall by 56” deep.
The QDD29 is controlled with digital single setpoint controls along with overtemperature protection. Solid-state relays drive the heating elements in a simple, robust control circuit.”
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