Texans are always very proud of the fact that everything in Texas is bigger and heat treating is no exception. To make a very broad generalization most heat treating in North America involves parts that weigh under 100 pounds, auto components, firearms, fasteners, aerospace parts to name a few but in Texas many of the heat treaters talk about parts in the 1000’s of pounds, this leads us to family owned Specialty Heat Treat, one of the 50 largest commercial heat treaters in North America as ranked by “The Monty Heat Treat News”. https://themonty.com/project/the-50-largest-commercial-heat-treaters-in-north-america-2023/
Last week Gord and Dale Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” had the chance to tour this facility with Sam Moore who along with his family own and run Specialty.
What we saw was a facility largely dedicated to heat treating of “bar stock” and pipe most of which is destined for the oil and gas industries. As an example a number of the furnaces (designed and built by Specialty themselves) are 25’ long with a capacity of 20,000 pounds and quench tanks with either polymer or oil-in one of these photos we can see a load about to be quenched, another shows Sam Moore and Dale Montgomery standing in front of one of the many furnaces.
Another feature of the company is their straightening ability for large pipes and bars. The entire company is quite proud of the fact that by the end of this month they will be bringing on line a 1,000 ton capacity straitening press (one of the largest in the North American) this is shown in one photo with Sam and Fritz in front.
Perhaps everything in Texas is bigger.
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On an annual basis since 1997 “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been putting together a list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America and on this list we find Lark Heat Treating in Houston, Texas https://www.larkheat.com/ which is the subject of this news item.
While Gord Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” has visited this location several times over the years it was time to revisit Lark and this visit took place last week. Matt Clark very kindly took the time to give us a very thorough tour of the company and point out recent changes. At the top of the list is the fact that the firm acquired adjacent land several years ago and in spite of bureaucratic delays it appears the company will probably start construction of a new facility later this year.
Other changes which were obvious was a vastly expanded vacuum heat treating department, additions to the nitriding area as well as upgrades to the atmosphere heat treat department. A number of these changes can be seen in these photos.
Matt Clark is a very open individual and he was very clear that he has ambitious plans, one of which is to create the largest commercial vacuum heat treating company in the southern USA-a plan which will include some of the largest bottom loading vacuums on the market (some of the equipment is already acquired).
While these photos show Matt Clark, Gord and Dale Montgomery in the various departments we should mention the rest of the team who were not included in these pictures. These include; Gene Clark (Matt’s father), Mark Banas, jack of all trades heat treat encyclopedia who has been with the company since 1981, Ruben Parga Plant Manager (and degreed Metallurgist), Ahmed Figueroa, quality department (and degreed Metallurgist), Greg Blackburn, office manager, Harold Gum, Induction Manager, Jesse Salas, Shipping/Receiving Manager, and Gabriel Duenes Vacuum and Nitride production Manager.
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June 2023 Bosch Rexroth announced that they had started production at a brand new facility in Querétaro, Mexico (the announcement can be found further down in this article). When the facility orignally opened it did not include in house heat treating capabilities although long term that was the plan-that timing is now being realized. The company is now saying that a supplier for the furnaces has been selected and that the site is being prepared for the equipment. More details to follow.
“JUNE 2023 Querétaro, Mexico; At its 42,000-square-meter plant in Querétaro, Bosch Rexroth began manufacturing hydraulic pumps, motors, and valves for mobile machinery such as excavators, forklifts, and tractors in June. The company prepares the ramp up of hydraulic components and products of linear motion technology. It is planned that additional products will be manufactured there for mobile machinery (transmission units, radial piston motors) as well as linear motion technology products (rails, runner blocks) for applications in mechanical and plant engineering as well as factory automation. Overall, industry specialists expect strong growth for mobile machinery and for the factory automation market, especially in North America.
“With its local-for-local strategy, Bosch Rexroth increases the capacity, flexibility and robustness of supply chains, reduces the CO2 footprint by regionally manufactured products and achieves shorter delivery times,” emphasizes Reinhard Schaefer, Member of the Management Board of Bosch Rexroth with responsibility for manufacturing and quality. In addition to its existing supplier base in North America, Bosch Rexroth relies on a stable and further growing supplier network in Mexico, for example for castings, machining, steel, drive shafts or cylinders.
Together with the Bosch Rexroth production sites in Bethlehem (Pennsylvania), Charlotte (North Carolina), Fountain Inn (South Carolina) and Lincolnshire (Illinois) in the United States, which have been existing for decades, the new plant in Querétaro will serve the market with hydraulic and Factory Automation solutions in a much faster and stable way. In Fountain Inn, Bosch Rexroth is expanding its services to include prototyping, customizing, re-manufacturing, and aftermarket service and spare parts.
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At least to North Americans “Snap-on Tools” is recognized by every single individual who has wielded a wrench at some point in the their life. According to this press release a large investment at the company’s facility in Elizabethton, TN will include more heat treating capacity, most likely in the form of batch IQ furnaces.
Snap-on’s planned expansion of the Elizabethton facility will create 50 new jobs through the project: adding nearly 49,000 square feet of manufacturing space and new equipment to support additional capacity for forging, machining, heat treating, chrome plating and assembly at its State Line Road location.
Snap-on is the third largest employer in Carter County, specializing in manufacturing hand tools including ratchets, wrenches, pry bars and pullers. Once fully operational, the expansion allows the Snap-on Elizabethton plant to employ nearly 500 people in Northeast Tennessee.”
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“[East Windsor, January 22, 2024] – VESCO, a company of the Busch Group and leading service provider in the heat treatment industry, proudly announces the formalized collaborative agreement with VAC AERO International. VAC AERO is a leading vacuum furnace manufacturer, vacuum heat treating and coatings service provider to Aerospace and high-tech industries worldwide.
The collaboration between VAC AERO International and VESCO is set to combine the unique strengths and expertise of both companies. This venture aims to provide innovative solutions for their customers, enhance service offerings and contribute to the overall advancement and net zero goals of the industry.
Key Highlights; Innovative Synergy: The partnership leverages the collective expertise of VAC AERO International and VESCO to drive service responsiveness and set new benchmarks in the industry.
Expanded Service Capability: Clients can anticipate a broader spectrum of services, with the combined strengths of both companies leading to an enhanced service portfolio.
Strategic Vision: VAC AERO International and VESCO share a common vision, marked by excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction over decades of cooperation.
“We are thrilled to embark on this journey with VAC AERO International,” said Thomas Burke, Vice President – Business Development at Busch Vacuum Solutions. “This collaboration represents a strategic alignment of our strengths, and together, we are poised to make significant contributions to the industry.” “We could not agree more with Thomas and are equally thrilled to partner with VESCO and Busch Vacuum Solutions.” said Dave Farmery President and COO at VAC AERO International. “Together we will enhance our customers operational performance as well as being able to help drive their overall sustainability initiatives going forward.”
About Vesco: VESCO is a renowned heat treatment service provider privately owned by the Busch Group. VESCO specializes in providing tailored service and product solutions to companies of all sizes in the heat treatment industry. For more information, please visit www.vacuumengineering.com.
About VAC AERO International: VAC AERO International Inc. is a privately owned Canadian company supplying heat treating and coating services and industrial furnace equipment to the aerospace and high-tech industrial sectors with facilities located in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. For more information, please visit, www.vacaero.com.”
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January 18th, 2024 we announced that commercial heat treater Circle City in Indianapolis, IN had been acquired. We have a few more details to add to that story;
“DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client Circle City Heat Treating, Inc. to Innovative Certified Metal Plating & Anodizing. The transaction closed January 12, 2024.
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Circle City Heat Treating, Inc. (CCHT) is a leading provider of heat treating, black oxide, and cryogenic solutions. In operation since 1952, the Company has developed a strong base of employees with decades of technical expertise.
As a leading provider of heat treating, black oxide coatings, and cryogenic solutions, CCHT has positioned itself for success with a state-of-the-art facility, equipment, and controls. Management and employees are dedicated to providing the most stringent processes and controls to ensure proper transformation of product, equipment, etc. from before to after treatment. CCHT prides itself on eliminating or mitigating distortion due to superior quality control and training.
Innovative Certified Metal Plating & Anodizing (INCERTEC), headquartered in Fridley, Minnesota, is a leading spec plating and metal finishing company. INCERTEC is capable of handling challenging projects that require a high level of critical detail. Its certifications set INCERTEC apart from other plating companies. The Company continually strives for innovation and technological excellence within its wide range of techniques and capabilities. INCERTEC was selected as a Products Finishing Top Shop in electroplating and anodizing for 2023, based on data analytics from Top Shops Benchmarking Survey.”
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The company has had a sales facility in China for many years but a change in direction by their parent company directed the closure. AFC-Holcroft was acquired by Austrian based Aichelin of Austria a number of years ago and the decision was made that AFC-Holcroft would handle sales efforts in North and South America and all Asian sales efforts would be handled by Aichelin. It is the understanding of “The Monty Heat Treat News” that all the employees of the Shanghai offices have been let go including the General Manager CJ Zhou who is a very qualified individual.
Skuld Opening New Foundry & Manufacturing Facility
Jan 29, 2024
“Skuld LLC announced that they had purchased the site belonging to the former Champion Foundry in Piqua, Ohio. Champion Foundry a gray and iron foundry closed in March 2017. Skuld is a company founded by two metallurgical engineers, Mark DeBruin and Sarah Jordan with ties to the heat treat industry. DeBruin is the former CTO of Thermal Process Holdings. Jordan formerly worked in heat treating at Timken and Commercial Metals and was a Nadcap heat treat Staff Engineer.
The company is focused on innovation in metals industry. They have a number of innovations related to novel materials and manufacturing technologies. The four buildings with nearly 32,000 square feet of space are being refurbished to be capable of casting a wide range of ferrous metals (gray, ductile iron, steels) as well as nonferrous metals (aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, and nickel alloys). The plant will initially have 3,000 tons of capacity but plans are in place to expand to ten times that capacity in the next few years.
Skuld primarily uses lost foam casting. They also have a patent pending new hybrid process that combines lost foam casting with 3D printing so that it is not necessary to have tooling while having the capability of quickly producing components. They are also installing machining, foam blowing, a printer farm, and heat treating. Currently they have 5 small heat treat furnaces. The company primarily serves the defense, tooling, and heavy equipment industries. They are also beginning to target production of heat treat fixtures and baskets. In addition to parts, they also manufacture equipment for others to use their processes. Their new nanofoundry system, the Lightning Metal, is in development and launching this spring. Production casting at the new site is scheduled to begin this April.”
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In 2023 commercial heat treater “Wallwork” in the UK announced that they were making a very substantial investment in “Hot Isostatic Pressing” (the original press release can be found further down). According to this press release this investment has proven to be so successful that the company has ordered a second system.
“JANUARY 26, 2024; Wallwork ltd buy Second Quintus HIP; Due to the unprecedented demand since the purchase of our first Quintus HIP. Wallwork ltd have brought forward our timeline for the purchase of our second Hot Isostatic Press, in order to satisfy future capability and capacity, and to demonstrate our commitment to servicing this market with the latest technology from Quintus. Capable of over 200Mpa, uniform rapid cooling and tight tolerance parameters, this plant will offer market leading capability, future proofing customers’ requirements.”
Peter Henning, Simeon Collins (WHT Holdings), Jan Soderstrom and Ian Griffin (WHT Holdings)
“JULY 11, 2023; £10 million investment, 2500 square metres facility; With a £10 million investment, Wallwork Group is establishing a state-of-the-art Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) centre at their Bury, North Manchester site. Housed in a newly prepared 2500 square metres facility, the first of their new HIPs is expected to be fully operational in September 2023. Quintus Technologies are currently completing the installation of the first of Wallwork’s HIPs. They are the global leader in high pressure technology and have over 2000 systems working worldwide in industries including aerospace, energy, medical implants, space, automotive and food processing.
“As the UK’s premier independent heat treatment, vacuum brazing and advanced ultra-hard coatings company, this is a significant expansion of Wallwork’s thermal processing services and is part of a commitment to invest £20 million over the next five years. It cements our position as the UK one-stop shop for component manufacturers. All secondary processes are easily accessible on this site or another Wallwork site, and backed by our national pickup/delivery transport fleet,” said director, Simeon Collins.
Wallwork director, James Bailey and David Loughlin (HIP Business Manager) are heading the new Wallwork HIP Centre, along with Andy Day in sales. David joins the company to take on the new role and brings with him his extensive experience in running a HIP facility in Europe, and understands customer expectations on high service, competitive pricing and quality.
David explained, “The demand for HIP is growing quickly, in part driven by the leaps forward in additive manufacturing technology. HIP is extremely efficient at removing the porosity from AM parts made from metal powders – this densification process is often the only way for AM builds to fulfil their safety critical potential. With the Quintus URC system to reduce cycle times and high pressure capability, we are set to meet customer demand and expectations in these developing areas. Compared to the US and Europe, the UK has been lagging behind in HIP capacity. This investment, and those planned by Wallwork, will go a long way to rectify that. In addition to Wallwork’s focus on quality, service and value added, I’m looking forward to developing some new relationships for the company.”
James added, “The Quintus Technologies’ HIP operates at pressures from 40 to 207 MPa (5,800 to 30,000 psi) and temperatures up to 1250°C. The new unit being installed has the latest technology capable of rapid cooling and also the ability to increase cycle pressures to aid with new engineering advances particular in additive manufacturing. This requires some major engineering and civil works, hence the high investment we need to make to enter this growing market. The ability to improve material fatigue properties, ductility, structural integrity and fracture toughness applies to AM, castings, forgings and subtractive engineered components. Components with complex geometries can also be processed to near-net shape, saving customers additional machining steps and therefore cost.”
David Loughlin (left) HIP Business Manager and Wallwork Director, Simeon Collins (right)
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This press release makes for quite interesting reading for the North American vacuum furnace industry. Vac Aero International, a 65 year old manufacturer of vacuum furnace systems has signed a collaborative agreement with vacuum furnace service company Vesco of East Windsor, CT, USA. While this announcement from Vac Aero is quite brief we expect a formal announcement shortly. In addition to this PR we have also included a news item we had about VESCO being acquired by Busch Vacuum in 2023.
In related news we understand at “The Monty Heat Treat News” that Vac Aero will shortly be announcing some very ambitious growth plans which includes expansions outside of their home base of Canada-we will have more details in the near future.
JANUARY 19, 2024: We are thrilled to announce that Vac Aero International has signed a collaborative
“MARCH 7, 2023; Busch Vacuum Solutions U.S. has announced the acquisition of the business of VESCO-McLaughlin, Inc. (VESCO) in East Windsor, CT, a leading industrial service company specializing in heat treating and metallurgy industries.
VESCO was formerly part of the McLaughlin Furnace Group (MFG), a U.S. market leader in engineered vacuum solutions for thermal processing and surface preparation applications. MFG’s major customers operate in the aerospace & defense; automotive; energy & environment; metalworking & fabrication; and semiconductor fabrication industries.
With the addition of VESCO, Busch Vacuum Solutions expands its business by adding complementary services to its already broad offering of global field service, overhaul, repair, and installation.
“With this acquisition, we are excited to be able to offer our customers an even more comprehensive range of vacuum services in the heat treat and metallurgy industries,” said Turgay Ozan, President of Busch LLC. “We are committed to providing our customers with the best possible products and services, and this move allows us to do just that.”
In a strategic move, VESCO will be rebranded and will expand its current business operations under the brand name of VESCO – A Company of the Busch Group, while continuing uninterrupted service for existing customers by maintaining relationships with existing suppliers and transitioning existing VESCO employees to Busch Vacuum Solutions.”
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Last year we had a press release from furnace builder Ion Heat about a mesh belt carburizing line the company was in the process of building. What made the PR most interesting was the fact that Ion Heat is known throughout the industry for their Plasma (ION) Nitriders, not for mesh belts which made it a milestone for the company (the original press release is below). We can now show you what the almost completed furnace looks like in these photos.
“Ion Heat is working on an order for a full mesh belt line for carburizing and hardening of small assembly screws. Although, this is a new product for Ion Heat, the company and the engineering team are accustomed to take on new challenges.
The line includes an electrically heated endogas generator, 2 continuous washing machines, a gas fired mesh belt carburizing furnace, a gas fired tempering furnace and the weighing and transferring stations.
The engineering phase of the Project has been completed and procurement of components and manufacturing has started.
Even though the new line is a fairly small line for mesh belt furnace standards, it remains a high tech piece of equipment and will be able to process up to 250kg/h of carburized screws. The line is fully automatic and will be controlled from a centralized control station, all with the automation signature of Ion Heat.”
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