“A newly designed Vacuum Oil Quench (VOQ) furnace, purchased by Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, recently entered into full production after passing a vigorous start up protocol. The initial temperature uniformity survey, compliant to AMS 2750 F, produced +/- 10°F results at all setpoints. Most importantly, the critical lift and place transfer mechanism worked flawlessly. This robustly designed system delivered hot 2000-pound loads to the internal oil quench tank seamlessly time after time. With a quench system that is entirely self-contained and vacuum tight, the typical positive pressure “flare and smoke-ups” during each quench cycle was nonexistent.
See a video with an internal and external camera during a quench operation. https://youtu.be/qqZc3pi65Hs
Other features of this unique furnace include the ability for the customer to attain the actual work temperatures within the 36” x 36” x 48” hot zone. Additionally, with an atmosphere totally devoid of oxygen there is no need to use problematic oxygen probes. Material surfaces are free from intergranular oxidation (IGO) along with zero evidence of decarburized or carburized surface conditions. Heat treated components emerge from the quench oil bright and clean! With carbon potential issues totally eliminated, alloys of dissimilar carbon contents with comparable cross sections and austenitizing temperatures, can all be treated within the same load!
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March 2 of this year we had an article entitled “Deep Cryogenic Treatment and it’s Place in The Heat Treatment Industry” (the article can be found at https://themonty.com/deep-cryogenic-treatment-and-its-place-in-the-heat-treatment-industry/) Since that time a heat treater in Colorado by the name of “Metalex Thermal Specialties” adopted the technology and since that time they have processed literally thousands knife blanks. We can now report that Metalex has achieved AS9100:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Chris James, General Manager had this to say. “This is an important milestone for Metalex Thermal Specialties,”. “It’s a rigorous process to become AS9100 certified; this certification is vital for anyone working with aerospace manufacturers and suppliers. Most organizations in this sector won’t do business with a company unless they have AS9100 certification. Organizations like NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense as well as privatized aerospace giants like Boeing and Lockheed Martin all require suppliers to achieve AS9100 certification.
Our staff worked very hard with Platinum Registration’s auditors to demonstrate that we meet the requirements of the Standard. Not only does that make us feel confident that we’re the most efficient that we can be, it assures our customers that we have a completely transparent and robust management system. As a result we have reliable, repeatable, continuously improving business processes so that our
customers are receiving the best value for their money.”
The press release can be found below and further down this page you will find a press release issued by “The Monty Heat Treat News” from March of 2020 when we announced that the company had found new owners.
“MARCH 22, 2022: DEEP CRYO FOR KNIFE MAKERS DCI LEASES CP-200 TO HEAT TREATER Metalex Thermal Specialties in Berthoud, CO has expanded their HT capabilities by leasing a CP-200i from DCI. Within days after installing the 200, they began processing thousands of knife blanks to meet production demands. Metalex General Manager Chris James also intends to support local machine shops and injection mold makers with DCT – adding 30-70% increased wear life to D2, O1, H13, S7 and HSS tooling. You can reach Metalex at 970-532-3796 metalexts.com
“OCTOBER 12, 2020: Commercial heat treat Metalex Thermal Specialties in Colorado, USA has new owners. This is a plant which has been in business for quite some time offering vacuum heat treating, oil hardening, stress relieving, annealing and many other processes, under the direction of Greg Alexander. The new owners are Debra James, CEO, Bruce James, Vice President, and Chris James, General Manager. Chris and Debra have been involved in the heat treatment field in California for several years. Greg plans to stay on for awhile as a consultant. The James Family have ambitious plans for expanding the business in Colorado.”
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Ramiro Galvan-Shop Supervisor, Debra James-President/CEO, Chris James-General Manager, Jeff Bacon-Furnace Operator
To start off George I have to confess that this interview is very personal for me-let me explain why. When I first started working with my father William in the heat treat rep business just over 40 years ago one of the very first company’s we started repping for was SBS Corp., I well remember meeting with your father Jeff and the Sales Manager at the time, Don Clark. Thanks for spending some time with us today.
Thank you for having me Gord! Some of the pictures from those early days have recently surfaced and have been great to see. It’s amazing to think SBS is coming up on our 50th anniversary.
Lets begin with the history of SBS, when was the company formed and what was the vision-in other words what if any was the long term plan for the company? What prompted the move a number of years ago from Michigan to Florida?
SBS was formed in 1974 out of what can be best described as a barn! In 1978 SBS moved to a Rochester, Michigan location and following a number of successful years we increased our production capacities, moving to a new nearby facility that doubled the manufacturing space.
We moved to Sarasota, Florida in 2015. I must admit it was a rather easy decision to make. There is a somewhat underserved but booming heat treat sector in the South East and we wanted to be closer. Having beautiful weather year round was also no small improvement!
As for the future, we plan to continue serving the heat treat industry with an expanded line of products. We see “data” as the future and have a number of systems coming available that monitor, warn, record, and plot any aspect of the heat treating process. For a fraction of the cost of an employee standing around with a clip board, we can automatically pull readings and chart them on a minute by minute basis. This allows us to look inside our equipment. From across the country, without raising a finger, we can inform our customer that a bearing is going bad or a motor is over current. Alerting to a potential issue before it becomes an emergency. We see this as the future and are very excited to be a part of it.
At this point I would like to say how much I miss your Dad, he was a remarkable man and his passing last year was a real loss to the industry.
He was a remarkable man and I miss him a great deal. I was lucky to have him as a father and mentor. We spent the last 10 years working side by side and I am forever grateful for everything he taught me.
When I think of SBS I think of the original product, the almost legendary “Quench Air”-an air cooled quench oil cooler which was the first of its kind in the industry. I do realize though that it is only one of your product offerings, could you give us a detailed idea about all the products you have to offer?
SBS has always strived to fill gaps. Our products reflect that. The quench Air was designed to remove waste water from the heat treat industry. That has been SBS’s goal since day one. We also offer several warning and monitoring systems such as our Aqua-Sense Moisture Monitor which detects humidity in oil before liquid water is present to avoid a possibly explosive situation that occurs all too often in our industry.
We focus on reducing waste, improving the cleanliness of parts and extending the useful life of quench oil. On average, our SMART Filter systems can double the life of oil in a quench tank. This has also been a major interest of mine as I have a degree in Environmental Science.
SBS started off in the heat treat industry but I know your customers are not limited to just heat treatment. What % of your business is based in heat treatment and what other sectors do you get involved with?
We are about 50/50. The heat treat industry has always been our core focus but we also have a number of HVAC solutions. Recently, we have seen a very large increase in demand for air cooled heat exchangers in the data farm arena. Dielectric fluids are very similar to quench oils, so our Quench Air line of heat exchangers has found a new home at data centers and even Bitcoin mines. With this increase in business we have had a record breaking year so far. We have nearly doubled sales when compared to last year and we expect that trend to continue.
I never cease to be amazed at how global the SBS presence is. I have literally seen your products in Peru, China, India, South Africa and a host of other countries. Do you know how the number of countries that you have shipped products to?
I will have to double check my count on this but on last tally we have equipment in 48 countries world-wide. We do keep a rather large map on our front wall as I know you do as well.
Many if not most of the furnace builders around the world have used your products over the years which must give you a real insight into changes in the industry. Have you seen any trends over the years that have caught your attention and are worth mentioning? As an example do you see a surge in batch processing vs; continuous or visa versa?
Our current trend is not so much batch vs continuous, but a trend toward smaller furnaces becoming more desirable. This may be an economic impact but this has definitely become a topic of interest for us.
Lets talk supply chain issues. I do not need to reiterate what the entire world knows, that the global supply chain is a mess right now. What I would like to ask you is how much this has effected your pricing and deliveries.
We have definitely experienced the price hikes… Luckily, our products are made in the US with American steel and domestically produced components which has allowed us to maintain our standard lead times for the most part. This has been a transformative couple of years, navigating shortages and long lead times. I am very proud of our crew for adapting to the challenges, finding new suppliers, and maintaining the excellence we expect.
Supply chain issues are just one of the challenges we all face today, what other topics concern you these days as a small business owner?
The single largest concern I have right now is price hiking. I believe in some cases it has been warranted, in others it has been taken advantage of. As a small business, these unexpected increases have been a real challenge. Quotes that we use to say were valid for 6 months now expire in under a week. That has been a major frustration and when the bottom line becomes unpredictable small business will inevitably suffer.
Earlier I asked you about what products SBS currently offers, what I didn’t ask you about was what new products are in the works. I realize you might be rather reticent to let us any secrets but can you give us some hints about what might be in the works for SBS in the future?
We have a number of exciting products in the works. What I can say is that we are striving to make break downs a thing of the past using artificial predictive maintenance.
As a footnote to this interview I would like to make an announcement that I am rather excited about; WG Montgomery Ltd., the rep firm founded by my father William in 1969 is very pleased to announce that as of June 1 we will again be representing SBS. The territory will be Canada and New York state and both Jordan and myself are looking forward to working with you in the years to come.
Gord, let me say personally that we are all very excited to be working with the entire Monty family! We look forward to a successful future with you and Jordan.
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“The Monty Heat Treat News” has always prided ourselves on having the most up to date news in the entire global heat treat industry-much of it news that will not be found at any other heat treat news source in the world. With that in mind lets have a look at what is happening in the heat treatment industry this week;
Bayson Heat Treat adds vacuum furnace; Family owned commercial heat treater Bayson Heat Treat in London, Ontario, Canada has recently purchased a large, used Surface Combustion vacuum furnace. This will compliment the firms existing vacuum capacity and atmosphere furnaces. Bayson is a well established company having been in business since 1974.
Chain Manufacturer Allied Locke Industries Adds Heat Treating Capacity; In Dixon, IL we find chain manufacturer Allied Locke Industries, a supplier of high end chain products destined for the agricultural and industrial markets. Allied Locke has a very respectable heat treating department which consists of a mixture of both batch IQ and mesh belt furnace lines. The company has been finding business good enough these days to warrant adding more mesh belt furnace capacity.
Phoenix Heat Treating Adds New Horizontal Aluminum Quench Furnace. In Phoenix, Arizona, USA commercial heat treater Phoenix Heat Treating has been busy these days. Recently the organization removed two older aluminum drop bottom ovens and in turn are in the process of installing a brand new horizontal aluminum quench furnace provided by Wisconsin Oven. Want to know all about this booming heat treater? https://www.phoenix-heat-
RBC Bearings Selling Off Unused Heat Treat Furnaces; Bearing manufacturer and captive heat treater RBC Bearings, a very respected bearing manufacturer is in the rather unusual position of selling off some never used heat treating furnaces. The shaker hearth furnace line and salt bath line were purchased to process titanium components however the project like so many others around the world was derailed because of changes in the market due to COVID. The end result is that the installed but never used equipment is now popping up all over the North American surplus heat treatment furnace market. Great looking equipment but unfortunately it is so specialized that finding a buyer could prove to be difficult. Founded in 1919, RBC Bearings Incorporated is an international manufacturer and marketer of highly engineered precision bearings and products, which are integral to the manufacture and operation of most machines, aircraft, and mechanical systems, in order to reduce wear on moving parts, facilitate proper power transmission, reduce damage and energy loss caused by friction, and control pressure and flow.
From the Induction world we have this press release. “Ambrell & EPGA Induction Partner to Open Mexico Applications Lab; The LAB in Monterrey Mexico will feature Ambrell induction heating systems; Rochester, NY (April 21, 2022) — EPGA Induction, a distributor of Ambrell Corporation in Mexico and Latin America, is opening an Applications Laboratory, sales, and service facility in Mexico dedicated to Ambrell induction heating products and solutions. Applications from Latin America will be tested in this facility, enabling customers from the region to travel and observe applications and parts-testing more conveniently. Ambrell manufactures induction heating systems ranging from 500 W to 1,000 kW and are used for applications such as annealing, brazing, curing, soldering, heat staking, heat treating and shrink fitting. Customers send in their parts to the nearest applications laboratory to prove feasibility prior to making most initial purchases. “We’re delighted to partner with EPGA Induction and open an Applications Laboratory in Mexico,” stated Scott Nolen, Division President of Process Technologies. The recently announced Process Technologies Division is part of inTEST Corporation and includes Ambrell. Nolen continued, “EPGA Induction has extensive experience with induction heating and Ambrell equipment. We know they’ll deliver a superior experience to customers, and we’re excited to expand our footprint and have a sales, service, and Applications Laboratory dedicated to Ambrell solutions in Mexico.”
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THERMAL PROCESS HOLDINGS is a dynamic growth company providing critical Metallurgical services to virtually every industrial sector. Our strategy is to provide industry leading thermal services throughout North America from our expanding network of facilities. Currently the company operates 5 locations around the US.
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US heat treaters have little to celebrate these days when it comes to energy pricing. This article from “Bloomberg” sums up the situation very succinctly and points out that while our European fellow heat treaters are paying a great deal more the gap is narrowing slightly.
“(Bloomberg) Natural gas briefly surged above $9 per million British thermal units in the US for the first time since 2008, extending a breakneck rally as fears of a supply crunch intensified, before paring gains into close. Stockpiles of the heating and power-plant fuel are below normal for this time of year as exports are booming, and output from shale basins is muted. Traders anticipate higher-than-usual gas needs this summer to fuel US power plants as consumers and businesses crank up air conditioners to combat hotter weather. Meanwhile, hydro-power generation and coal supplies are severely constrained, leaving limited alternatives to gas.
Reflecting growing concerns about replenishing depleted stockpiles ahead of the winter, gas for July delivery has traded at an unusual premium over contracts for February. And the so-called widowmaker spread between gas delivered in March and April – essentially a bet on how low inventories will be by the end of winter – widened to the highest ever for this time of the year.
“It’s a function of the storage, and the storage situation is miserable,” said Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities USA. Gas prices could soon rise above $10, he said.
Gas prices have skyrocketed globally over the past year because of an energy crunch that has been aggravated by the war in Ukraine, with buyers in Europe and Asia vying for US supplies of liquefied natural gas. Venture Global LNG said Wednesday that it’s moving ahead with a second LNG terminal on the Gulf Coast after securing $13.2 billion of financing, while Cheniere Energy Inc., the largest US LNG exporter, signed a sale and purchase agreement with South Korea’s POSCO International.
Though the fuel is still much cheaper in the US than elsewhere because of the nation’s relatively abundant shale supplies and limited export capacity, the gap has been closing. Henry Hub futures are now trading at roughly a third of the price for the European benchmark, up from about 7% in early March.
The expiration of gas contracts for June delivery later this week may also be driving volatility. Money managers exposed to bearish wagers have struggled to close out those positions over the past couple of days, according to Dennis Kissler, senior vice president at Bok Financial Securities.”
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“The Monty Heat Treat News” wishes you a warm and Happy Memorial Day. Let us remember all the heroes who have left us and thank them all today.
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Frederick brings many years of experience within international sales and marketing activities and brings extensive knowledge of the Nordic markets to the Expanite team Before joining Expanite, Frederick has worked several years at Oerikon Balzers Coating as KAM within Technical Sales and, as that, Frederick has a broad knowledge on surface technology and materials. Frederick knows what it takes to work with clients in a technical market, understand their needs and guide them in the right direction order to find an optimal and/or tailored solution.
“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of the Expanite team,” said Frederick Halbout. “I look forward to helping the company expand into new markets while continuing to deliver a high level of customer service to our customers”. ”Frederick has a deep understanding of establishing and keeping long standing relationships with different clients and shares our values of delivering the best customer service and the best solutions in the industry so having Frederick join the Expanite team will both benefit our clients and support Expanite’s efforts to continuously deliver value through well executed projects, and strengthen our position in the Nordic Market“ says Thomas Abel Sandholdt, CEO at Expanite.
About Expanite. Expanite offers state-of-the-art solutions for surface hardening treatment of stainless steels and titanium. With Expanite’s processes, it is possible to increase the material’s surface hardness tenfold while at the same time maintaining and even increasing its corrosion resistance. Expanite is a global organization with a combined development and production facility near Copenhagen, Denmark, and hardening capacity in both US, Germany, Korea and China. Expanite’s solutions are flexible and can be introduced directly into a customer’s own production line as part of a licensing arrangement. Learn more about Expanite at Expanite.com
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Only two words fully describe the MTI 2022 Spring Meeting: We’re BACK! Members attending the spring meeting in Hilton Head Island, SC were all pleased to see MTI meeting attendance rising back to pre-pandemic levels, with over 180 in attendance. The MTI Board of Trustees and Education Committee would like to thank all of the attendees for their participation in the 2022 Spring Meeting. Members have given rave reviews of their experience, energy, and education at the Spring Meeting. The meeting experienced numerous first-time attendees and they stated that they loved the connection, energy, ideas, content, and people.
During the meeting, attendees experienced two nightly reception and dinners, two half days of experts on CMMC Cybersecurity Compliance, economic forecasts for the next three years, a break down technical specifications, audit compliance, and how to pivot your plan in the midst of chaos to maximize your results. During each session, members engaged in sharing sessions to learn best practices from one another. One of the most exciting events of the meeting was the MTI Educational Foundation Fundraiser. 76 people enjoyed 2 hours of a high energy cornhole tournament that raised a Spring Meeting record of $14,750 for the MTI Educational Foundation Scholarships. MTI meetings continue to grow through offering relevant content while gaining a new and refreshing perspective on your business, the future, and the industry. We look forward to seeing any company in the heat treating business at MTI’s next national meeting, the premier trade show and conference, Furnaces North America 2022, in Indianapolis, IN on October 3-5.
MTI and FNA expect a sellout at the host hotel, so take a look at the link above and click on “Hotel” at the top menu to book your room, sooner rather than later. The future will show up at FNA 2022 and wants to meet you there. Change is happening fast and you don’t want your team to be left behind. Make sure to book your room and register to attend FNA 2022. MTI is a non-profit trade association representing the largest network of heat treating companies and suppliers in the world. MTI provides business intelligence, training, technical standards design and networking opportunities.
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Hydrogen – whether applied in shipping, steel production, refineries or power-to-x application – it has become the energy source of the future, yet already used in many sectors. Due to its special properties, the hydrogen gas poses several technical challenges for the respective components with which it comes into contact, so that the use of corrosion-resistant stainless steel is essential. This in turn is susceptible to wear and galling and this is exactly where the technology of the Danish pioneer for surface hardening of stainless steel and titanium comes into play.
Hydrogen – the element that comes first in the periodic table and is therefore the smallest and lightest atom among all elements – has been traded for some time as the greatest hope for future energy supply. With a mass fraction of about 70%, hydrogen is the most common chemical element in the universe. On Earth, however, its mass fraction is only 0.87% and is largely bound in water.
Starting with production, over to transport ending with the actual usage, wherever hydrogen is involved, stainless steel components are also used, some of which are subject to extreme wear depending on the application and naturally subject to galling. In the past, this problem was countered with traditional wear protection methods and the respective components were protected with a coating (e.g. hard chrome plating, DLC or chrome carbide) or classic plasma nitriding or salt bath diffusion layers. However, these processes are generally known to affect the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel parts negatively.
The solution to this dilemma – a surface hardening that protects against wear and galling while at the same time maintains or even improves the corrosion resistance of the materials – was developed by the founders of the Danish company Expanite and is increasingly being used in the hydrogen sector. For example, components of high pressure and control valves or clutch systems used in the hydrogen infrastructure up to components for fuel cells are hardened. Sustainably prevent hydrogen embrittlement
“Our customers often ask whether the Expanite technology increases the risk of hydrogen embrittlement, which is not the case,” explains Dr. Holger Selg, application expert and Expanite Sales Director DACH, who going further into detail: “The cause of the hydrogen embrittlement can be traced back to the diffusion of the hydrogen into the material, and in theory the Expanite layer acts as a diffusion brake to a certain extent. Charged with nitrogen and carbon, the Expanite surface is harder for the hydrogen to penetrate than an untreated surface.”
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