PWR Advanced Cooling Technology based in Ormeau, Australia is a high end supplier of heat exchangers. While based in Australia the firm also has facilities in the UK and the USA. PWR is rightfully very proud of the fact that they just received NADCAP Accreditation for both their chemical processing and heat treating operations which makes them the only company in Australia to have both. The centerpiece of the heat treat department is a very impressive, large TAV vacuum furnace designed for vacuum brazing. In addition PWR has two Controlled Atmosphere Brazing (CAB) furnaces, the first being a continuous belt with the second being a single batch type furnace. The firm also has plans on adding heat treatment capabilities at their facility in the USA in the future. Congratulations are certainly in order for the entire team.
“Nadcap, administered by the not-for-profit Performance Review Institute, recognised the company following audits of their chemical processing and heat treating sites. The confirmation has enabled the company to undertake vacuum brazing, heat treating, hard anodising and conversion coatings, as well as supporting conformance processes, while being formally listed on the Quality Manufacturers List for chemical processing and heat treating. According to Kees Weel, managing director of PWR, the recent announcement reflects the company’s philosophy of quality. “Building on our existing AS9100D certification, Nadcap accreditation demonstrates PWR’s determination to ensure quality is at the centre of everything we do. This milestone allows PWR to be the only Australian company to offer both Nadcap-accredited heat treating and chemical processing within the same business,” he said.”
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Surface hardening of steel components and tools by nitriding allows for the formation of a very hard layer needed for enhancing their tribological, as well as corrosive, properties without affecting dimensional stability of the products [1-3]. This is especially important and beneficial when the expensive parts- such as long shafts or screws- are treated. Available processes for those parts are gas and ion/plasma nitriding. Equipment operated by Advanced Heat Treat Corp. allow for treating the longest parts in the country- including long shafts and extruder screws reaching almost 400” in length, see Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. Unloading of 35’-long shaft from plasma vessel through the open roof of the AHT’s building in Monroe, Michigan.
Heating And Nitriding By The Glow Discharge/Plasma Processing
A pulse, abnormal glow discharge generated between the cathode/part and the anode/wall of the vacuum vessel generates high energy ions of nitrogen and hydrogen gases doped occasionally with a small amount of methane and argon. These active species have a positive charge and, together with the high energy neutrals, bombard the surface of the treated part. They generate active nitrogen atoms and NxHy radicals and raise its temperature via transfer of their kinetic energy to the cathode. In plasma nitriding, exactly the same energy per surface area is generated along the entire length of the long parts. The plasma density is in the range of 0.4-0.8 W/cm2 and this is enough for heating the entire part to the desired temperature [1, 4]. Only the treated part is heated and not the “entire” vacuum chamber. Thus, energy required for heating depends only on the size and quantity of the parts.
Alternatively; in the gas nitriding furnace, its entire length is heated by multiple heat zones/segments regardless of the quantity and the length of the treated components. This can be relatively costly when trying to maintain uniformity of heating for the long parts and low quantity. In addition, ammonia gas circulation must be very uniform from the top to the bottom of the part’s surface to assure the same activity of the atmosphere.
In plasma nitriding, only a small fraction of the gas flow compared to the gas flow in gas nitriding is used (approximate ratio 1:10). Composition of the gas ionized/activated near the top of the load is the same as at the bottom since the glow discharge is characterized by the so called “Crookes Dark Space” (CDS) near the cathode. Thickness of the CDS depends only on the gas pressure, gas composition, and temperature used; and those are the same along the entire length of the part/cathode.
The Most Common Applications Of The UltraGlow Ion Nitriding Process Used For Long Parts
Products made of all types of steels and ferrous alloys can be treated in plasma process without any additional activation/pre-activation needed. Whereas, pre-activation steps are necessary in gas nitriding process when treating stainless steels. This is possible because the high-energy species bombarding the cathode cause its sputtering leading to elimination of the native chromium oxides present on surface of the stainless steels [1]. This sputtering phenomenon is present during the entire process/contact of the glow discharge with the part. Presence of sputtering also limits growth of the compound zone, which can be very beneficial for the quality of the nitrided layer. Total case depth kinetics are parabolic in relationship with nitriding time and exponential in relationship with temperature. See example for stainless steel case depth modeling in Fig. 3.
Plasma/ion nitriding of long parts at Advanced Heat Treat Corp. include long stainless steel tubes shown in Fig. 4.
The color of all treated parts is typically grey-silver and this depends on the length of the process and resulting total case depth [6]. After long processing, a grey color prevails since the layers formed are quite deep, Fig. 5.
It should also be added that the length of the ion nitriding vessel can be adjusted as needed by using proper modules of the vessel.
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In 2019 one of the more interesting commercial heat treaters in North America, Applied Process was acquired by Aalberts Industries of the Netherlands (the press release announcing the acquisition is below). Applied Process (which was started by the Keough family of AFC-Holcroft fame) is a very unique operation in that the company almost exclusively offers salt quenching and boasts the world’s largest integral quench batch austempering furnace with working dimensions of 84″W x 96″L x 54″T. It was built in 2011 by furnace builder AFC-Holcroft of Wixom, Michigan and has a gross capacity of 20,000 pounds and a quench tank which holds 400,000 pounds of salt. This photo shows Gord Montgomery standing in front of “The Monster” as it is appropriately nicknamed.
All of the Aalberts locations in North America are being “rebranded” under the name “Aalberts Surface Technologies” which means the name “Applied Process” name and their very iconic “Hostile Duck” logo are being retired. Rather a shame after such a long, distinguished history but such is change-we will though miss the “Hostile Duck”.
Richard Wright, COO of the US Division of Aalberts Material Technology stated “Aalberts is very excited that Applied Process is joining our team of world-class service providers. Applied Process is the world-wide leader in austempering heat treatment, and we look forward to supporting their efforts to expand their technology and service offerings.” Harold Karp, Applied Process President and CEO stated, “We are very excited to be part of the Aalberts family. We especially look forward to the synergistic opportunities of providing a broader and stronger service offering to our customers that will come from the technical expertise and other businesses within Aalberts.”
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The August 2022 digital edition of “The Monty Heat Treat News” magazine is now available on line at https://fliphtml5.com/gvbzt/ve
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The #1 issue in the global heat treatment industry these days is finding and retaining good people. In an effort to find out how this was affecting the industry we went to an expert, Mr. Josh Hale of International Search Partners, the foremost recruiting firm in the heat treat field. This is what Josh has to tell us;
International Search Partners has been providing recruiting solutions exclusively to the thermal processing industry since 1998 and I’ve been in the human capital business almost as long (focused primarily on finance prior to getting into heat treat with ISP almost a decade ago), and this market is CRAZY! The demand for talent has never been as strong as it is now, with literally every company vying to hire and keep good employees. In our business, we sometimes use the term “a candidate’s market” to describe times where unemployment is low and there are more available jobs than there are potential employees… well, what we’re experience now is a candidate’s market x 100!
What factors do you attribute to these current market conditions?
There are several broader socio-economic factors at play that are affecting all business right now, but specifically for the heat treat industry, two key issues stand out: 1) This is an older industry and many of the experienced workers from the Boomer generation with institutional, homegrown knowledge are retiring early. This is partially due to a multi-year bull run in the stock market and real estate that has afforded them this option, and, of course, there’s still COVID scares or other lifestyle factors that are removing many 50+ year–olds from the pool of potential candidates. 2) This is related, but the older workers aren’t being replaced by the younger generation at a rapid enough clip. 20-somethings just aren’t getting enticed into factory jobs anymore, and college students are less likely to study metallurgy or materials science. Plainly speaking, the industry suffers from a marketing problem. We need to find a way to attract young people into this business earlier in their careers.
With the shortage of people are salaries and wages rising?
YES! They’re rising and rising fast! We’ve seen upticks on starting salaries for all positions this year versus last and it seems to be going up every month... whereas previously a “good” offer was 10-15% above a candidate’s current salary, we’re now seeing 20-25% and up to 40% in some cases for niche skill sets. As mentioned before, this is truly the definition of a “candidate’s market.”
Do you see firms hiring individuals with no experience on the basis that they will train them?
This not something we get involved in much, because, if a company is going to pay our fee for a hire, they usually want experience. However, I have heard of companies being willing to lower their requirements for hourly production jobs and hiring with little-to-no experience and/or being more willing to take a flyer on someone with a “jumpy” job history or even those who might interview poorly but are otherwise capable and willing to be trained.
Are retired individuals being dragged back into the industry kicking and screaming?
No – they’re all too rich! Seriously, though, we have seen some companies pay consulting rates equivalent to 1.5-2x salaries to former employees, just to get them through certain key projects. This is obviously unsustainable long-term but can provide a temporary band-aid for the company and prove very lucrative for the former employee in specific instances. Overall, though, this is not a trend we see taking hold.
If a company is unable to find somebody to fill a position, what innovative ideas have you seen to handle this?
We advise companies to think outside the box and look for ways to duplicate previously successful hires. This is especially true for hourly production workers who can come in with light experience but get up and running quickly with the right training. For example, if the best mechanical technicians tend to have a hobby of tinkering on motorcycles, maybe advertising open jobs in the local dirt bike newsletter instead of an online job porta would be better.
Also, this market demands flexibility. If a job can potentially be work-from-home or offer flexible hours, even part of the time, that’s a huge selling point. The best candidates have options and it’s not always money that’s going to be the main lure, so companies need to get creative on what else they can offer to attract talent.
And then, there’s always the direct recruiting approach, which this is where we come in. A business is like a sports team, and the champions are the ones that aggressively go after recruiting the all-stars. Our specialty is engaging with companies who want to WIN and helping them build out the right team by selectively going after the best possible resources for every key position on the team.
Josh Hale has been collaborating with companies to identify, engage, and hire top performers as a professional “headhunter” and human capital consultant since the early 2000’s. He’s focused exclusively on the thermal processing industry since acquiring International Search Partners in 2015. ISP was originally founded in 1998 and is the only search and placement firm to specialize exclusively in heat treat.
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Furnace builder ECM based in Grenoble, France is in the process of installing a new vacuum carburizing system at a commercial heat treater in Verdello, Italy. HAERTHA Hardening Industries Locations – Härterei HÄRTHA GROUP (haertha.de) has 10 locations around Europe which include facilities in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been lucky enough to visit several of their facilities and each that we have seen has been clean and modern with new thermal treatment technologies including nitriding and vacuum hardening. As far as we know this is the company’s first foray into vacuum carburizing. In 2019 “The Monty Heat Treat News” included the firm as one of the largest commercial heat treaters in Europe Largest European Commercial Heat Treaters | The Monty
As a bonus we are including this picture of the HAERTHA facility in Weissenburg, Germany.
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“The cause of Saturday’s major fire at a metal processing plant in Remscheid is still unclear. Fire investigators are looking at the possibility that the cause was arson although that will not be known for some time. The fire was so bad that the building, which is in danger of collapsing will have to be demolished. What is known is that the fire did start in a quench oil tank which would appear to largely rule out arson. The owner of the company already estimates the property damage at more than 10 million euros (roughly $10 million USD). 150 emergency personnel were busy extinguishing the fire.
Large quantities of quench oils had also leaked out. A large proportion of these oils had entered the sewage system together with the extinguishing water, but could later be intercepted and disposed of at the wastewater treatment plant. On the site, a specialist company has begun to vacuum up the residue. The Environmental Agency is now investigating the extent to which the oils have seeped into the soil and need to be removed.”
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UK based Bodycote, the largest commercial heat treater has just released their 2022 Interim financial results-the full report can be found at https://www.bodycote.com/
“Bodycote PLC said Friday that its pretax profit rose slightly in the first half as revenue rose 15%, and that it expects to make further progress in the second half. The provider of heat-treatment and thermal-processing services reported a pretax profit of 41.6 million pounds ($50.7 million), compared with GBP40.5 million a year earlier.
The company said headline operating profit–a key measure that strips out exceptional and other one-off items–was GBP50.5 million, compared with GBP48.7 million for the year-prior period. The company said that it experienced a lag in being able to pass cost inflation to customers over the period and that it saw unprecedented daily demand volatility in April and May–factors that each hit its first-half headline operating profit, but have now stabilized.
Revenue rose to GBP358.5 million from GBP312.9 million, benefiting from price increases and energy surcharges successfully passed on to customers. The board declared an interim dividend of 6.4 pence, up from 6.2 pence a year before.
“While there are obvious geopolitical uncertainties, as matters stand today, we see the prospect of volume growth in each of our key market sectors and geographies and we anticipate making progress in the second half,” Bodycote said.”
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The NITREX installation base continues to grow and expand at the world’s largest aluminum extrusion profile company HYDRO. While all of the NITREX nitriding systems at HYDRO’s worldwide facilities are pit-type furnaces, the latest delivery is a horizontal furnace.
The decision for this furnace configuration was made because HYDRO EXTRUSION NORWAY had to replace an old decommissioned furnace at its Magnor plant, and the new nitriding equipment had to integrate with the existing infrastructure of the plant as well as fit in the specific floor space allocation. NITREX has had a long lasting relationship with global HYDRO since 1999, having installed over twenty nitriding systems in plants worldwide.
The horizontal-type furnace, a model NXH-6612, can handle loads up to 800 kg (1760 lb.). The delivered solution also includes the NITREG® technology to optimize process parameters for optimal die quality and a neutralizer for a clean process and pro-ecological solution.
About Hydro Extrusions. HYDRO is a leading aluminum and energy company whose business and partnerships are oriented towards a sustainable future. Since 1905, HYDRO has been transforming natural resources into valuable products for societies and businesses. In Hydro Extrusions, Hydro has the largest global aluminium extrusion-based solutions operation in the world, counting 100 production sites in more than 40 countries. Major international provider of small and large commercial and military jet engines, components, and integrated systems.
About Nitrex. Nitrex (www.nitrex.com) is the only fully integrated global provider in the surface and heat treatment market. The company was founded in 1984 in Montreal, Canada, and operates three business units – Nitrex Turnkey Systems (NTS), with turnkey nitriding, nitrocarburizing, and vacuum furnace systems; Heat Treating Services (HTS), a worldwide network of commercial heat-treating service centers; and UPC-Marathon, a leading provider of controls upgrade and automation solutions for the heat treating and combustion industries.
With more than 450 employees and a market presence in over 55 countries, Nitrex serves its customers globally from 14 locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Italy, France, China, Japan, and through a global network of representatives and licensees. Over the past 37 years, the company’s ability to diversify its product and business portfolios as well as unlocking employee potential has made it one of the best-known players in the heat treatment market.
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