Ever wonder how transmission components in the world of NASCAR and Formula1 racing are heat treated? We learned the answer just a few months ago during a visit by “The Monty Heat Treat News” to Xtrac, a supplier of absolute top end automotive transmission components.
“SEPTEMBER 13, 2021; Xtrac is the World’s leading supplier of high performance transmissions for top level professional Motorsport and High Performance Automotive applications. Headquartered in the UK in Thatcham, Berkshire and with additional operations in the USA in Mooresville, North Carolina and Indianapolis, Indiana, Xtrac designs, manufactures and assembles all of their transmissions in-house using the very latest design and analysis tools, and state of the art machining, assembly and test equipment. Xtrac – Transmission Technology Specialists”
The firm is so successful at what it does that not only has it been a leading supplier on the F1 circuit, it recently announced that it is the sole gearbox and driveline supplier for NASCAR’s 2022 next gen cup car-a very impressive feat. With this background we looked forward to visiting the company and seeing their heat treat department, the visit took place just over a week ago and provided a glimpse into the future and that future is vacuum carburizing.
The medium sized heat treat department consists of the industry standard for heat treating gears, batch IQ furnaces and the future in the form of Ipsen vacuum carburizing systems. While the low pressure carburizing systems are not brand new it was apparent to us that any future additions would most likely go with this technology. Combined with this technology was a very elaborate state of the art cleaning system. All in all quite an impressive facility. We have two photos to share with you today, in the first we see from the left Aaron Long, VAS, John Bass-Archerm, Xtrac and Gord Montgomery. In the second we see from the left Greg Walker, VAS, John Bass-Archerm and Gord Montgomery
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
A reader recently posed a question about “Clamp Tempering” (the original question can be found below). “The Monty Heat Treat News” is certainly familiar with clamping parts during tempering to reduce distortion, however the question had a different spin to it. For instance a global manufacturer of chain saw bars clamps the bars before loading into a temper oven, however this reader was asking about a process where the clamp and the heating are an integral unit.
As it turns out we have an answer for you, Lindberg Heat Treating (now part of Bodycote) built a number of these units for their own personal use. Read on for the details
“JULY 11/2022; Good Morning Gord, I worked for Lindberg Heat Treating in Melrose Park and Minneapolis for 16 years the early 70s to mid 80s. We built our own heated platens with rod heating elements thermocoupled and controlled. Some were just flat others were custom made to the customers part. We used them for clamp tempering, short times at higher temperatures and also for clamp aging BeCu and 17-4ph. The results were for the most part very good. The process was labor intensive though.”
“JULY 7/2022; Many years ago Lindberg Heat Treat had at least 12 unique systems for tempering stampings. The technology was called “Clamp Temper Press” and the idea behind it was that hot stampings could be clamped during the temper process to reduce distortion. Most of them had three or four heated platen’s and were closed up to about 20,000 lbs. of clamping pressure. A heat treater remembers the technology but has been unable to find out who made the systems or if they are even available any longer. While similar to this picture (from Parker Trutec) the units in question had heated platens. If any of our readers has knowledge about this technology we would appreciate hearing about it.”
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
While the move of `The Monty Heat Treat News` on July 8th went relatively smoothly it was not perfect. The end result is that our main phone number, 705-259-3650 is not yet in operation but will be shortly. All other details remain the same;
Gord Montgomery, [email protected] 416 723-2543
Jordan Montgomery [email protected] 647 200-2000
Dale Montgomery [email protected] 416 917-7800
Coming up we have a number of very exciting news items including our updated list of the 50 largest commercial heat treaters in North American coming this week. Our 2021 list can be found at https://themonty.com/project/5
Also coming up are several “Heat Treat Podcasts” with our very articulate host Mr. Carlos Torres. Two very exciting ones come to mind, one with one of the top salt heat treaters in the USA and the second with an additive manufacturing firm who just completed their “state of the art” heat treat department-a photo of which can be seen here.
Included in future plans are our list of the largest furnace builders in North America and photos of one of the Largest vacuum carburizing furnace in North America.
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
Friday, July 7th, 2022 we had a news item about Oven/Furnace builder Perceptive Industries in Plainwell, Michigan, USA closing their doors Oven/Furnace Manufacturer Closes Doors-A Sign of the Times? | The Monty Apparently the company had a very good reputation, as an example Mr. Justin Rydzewski of Controls Service Inc., has these comments about the firm.
“If there was one thing to be said about that team, it’d be that those guys could build one hell of an oven. To date, one of the most memorable TUS’s I’ve ever performed was on a Perceptive Industries oven. It was a very long, open-ended, continuous-belt aluminum aging oven (no vestibule, no inner/outer doors). I remember almost chuckling when they informed me that they wanted it to be surveyed as a “Class 1 AMS2750 Oven” (per AMS2750, Class 1 requires ±5°F control and temperature uniformity). I’d crossed a few Class 1 systems before then, but they were typically very small lab/batch ovens. I figured Class 1 was just a moonshot, wishful thinking, and if they got close, maybe they’d be happy. To my shock, not only did this thing achieve Class 1 temperature uniformity on the initial test effort, but it also produced an uninterrupted soak period that spanned over 11.5hrs. I’d never seen anything like it nor have I since; our team couldn’t believe the test results. We still talk about that oven. It’s sad to see them go; they’ll be missed. Sincerely, Justin Rydzewski, Director, Sales & Market Development, Controls Service, Inc.”
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Wall Colmonoy’s entire management and production/quality control teams for the extraordinary efforts made to maintain production and quality under extremely challenging circumstances. Shinwa is very fortunate and proud to be a Wall Colmonoy partner,” exclaims Yoshiro Takitani, Senior Managing Executive Officer of Shinwa Corporation.
“Achieving zero defects and receiving this award from a world-class customer is an excellent achievement. We are proud of maintaining exacting quality standards amidst the challenging COVID-19 operating environment,” states Nicholas Clark, President of Wall Colmonoy.
Wall Colmonoy President, Nicholas Clark, holds the Cataler’s Best Quality Award. Cataler, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Company and headquartered in Japan, manufactures engine catalysts for automobiles, motorcycles, and other internal combustion engine applications. The catalysts purify exhaust gas for internal combustion engines, improving their environmental impact by reducing emissions. Nicrobraz® 30 (BNi-5) joins the metal honeycomb that is assembled inside the catalysts.
Nicrobraz® 30 is ideal for joining components used in many high-temperature and high-stress applications, like catalytic converters. Nicrobraz® 30 has good flowability, low diffusion, and low erosion characteristics. Nicrobraz® brazing products are used in a variety of industries meeting AWS, AMS, G.E., Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-Royce specifications. Surfacing and Nicrobraz® brazing products, precision castings, coatings, and engineered components across aerospace, automotive, glass container, oil & gas, steel, rubber & plastic, food, power generation and other industrial sectors. Wall Colmonoy also provides advanced metal coatings, brazing, and heat treatment.
Known for our unique proven way of creating superior performing alloys that enhance engineered components, we pride ourselves in providing customers the technical expertise, partnership, quality, value and innovation to help them operate more efficiently and effectively.”
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
Oven/Furnace Builder Perceptive Industries in Plainwell, Michigan, USA has just closed their doors as can be seen in the company issued statement below. The reasons for the sudden closure are exactly the same challenges as every firm in the heat treatment industry is seeing these days, supply chain issues and labor shortages. It is always upsetting to see companies struggle, especially one such as Perceptive who had a very good reputation in the industry.
“It is with great regret that I am writing to notify you that Perceptive Industries has closed its doors and is being forced to cease operations after 20 years of serving our customers. This reality is the result of a myriad of challenges we have faced over the past couple of years, includes severe disruptions in the supply chain that supports our business, workforce challenges, and severe drop of new projects from our customers who face similar challenges in the market. These challenges have left the Company with little working capital to continue operations and we are facing default under our loan agreements. At this time our bank has assumed control of all assets.”
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
“Under the auspices of SECO/WARWICK – a worldwide leader in heat treatment technology – the 3rd virtual meeting in the industry of international specialists will take place on September 27-29, 2022.
- 3 thematic blocks
- 3 days with experts
- 3 time zones
- 3 hours of online meeting
SECO/WARWICK and partners will be sharing their knowledge and experience – worldwide and…. for free! Acknowledged technology leaders and professionalists will share their knowledge, expertise, and experience online. You can be part of this virtual forum!
It is not just another webinar, another series of boring online lectures; it is a platform for exchanging industry expertise and experience, a meeting of practitioners and scientists, and a coming together of business and science for the times we live in. The world of heat treatment and metallurgy is now meeting in the web of; connections, dependencies, and influences on the B2B platform hosted by the SECO/WARWICK Group.
You will learn about technology, expand your horizons and knowledge, exchange experiences and views, talk about business today and tomorrow, discuss the industry and the challenges it faces, and connect with the world in the comfort of your own home or office.”
Event Website: https://www.secowarwick.com/en/eseminar/
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
July 8, 2022 “The Monty Heat Treat News” & “WG Montgomery Ltd.” will be relocating to 2113 Abbey Road, Severn, Ontario, Canada, L3V 0E8.
The new phone number will be 705-259-3650.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Gord Montgomery, Jordan Montgomery or Dale Montgomery.
Gord Montgomery
[email protected]
416-723-2543
Jordan Montgomery
[email protected]
647-200-2000
Dale Montgomery
[email protected]
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
A close friend of “The Monty Heat Treat News” and a very experienced heat treater has just retired from automotive supplier and captive heat treat ZF Automotive in Midland, Ontario, Canada. Ms. Gabi Bennet for many years helped guide the in house heat treat department of global auto parts supplier ZF Automotive in Midland, Ontario, Canada. During her many years with the company Gabi was involved with a number of very high profile projects including the installation of a new AFC-Holcroft 2,000 pound mesh belt austemper line in 2015. Gabi was also responsible for the removal of a number of older cast link belt lines, which paved the way for a major upgrade of the facility which supplies seat belt components. Her experience will be missed.
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
Many years ago Lindberg Heat Treat had at least 12 unique systems for tempering stampings. The technology was called “Clamp Temper Press” and the idea behind it was that hot stampings could be clamped during the temper process to reduce distortion. Most of them had three or four heated platen’s and were closed up to about 20,000 lbs. of clamping pressure. A heat treater remembers the technology but has been unable to find out who made the systems or if they are even available any longer. While similar to this picture (from Parker Trutec) the units in question had heated platens. If any of our readers has knowledge about this technology we would appreciate hearing about it.
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
