May of 2021 we posted a very interesting rumor which was floating around the North American heat treatment industry, basically the rumor stated that a North American based company was investing well over $10 million dollars in new furnaces. “The Monty Heat Treat News” did some investigating and found that the rumor was indeed true and involved a Canadian company by the name of Exco Technologies, a manufacturer of precision dies. This news item can be found at Exco Technologies to Make Large Investment in Captive Heat Treat Dept.-Find Out Why | The Monty We now have a footnote to this story, a footnote which provides a very interesting connection with one of the largest commercial heat treaters in Europe.

The press release below states that Exco Technologies has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the extrusion die business of Halex Holdings in Germany. Halex Holdings has two divisions, the extrusion die division and a commercial heat treat division which goes under the name Haertha Hardening Industries. Haertha is ranked by “The Monty Heat Treat News” as the 6th largest commercial heat treater in Europe Largest European Commercial Heat Treaters | The Monty Over the years we have had several press releases about Haertha Hardening Industries, which from experience we can say is a progressive, forward looking company with some very impressive heat treatment technologies. We certainly can’t speculate about the company’s future plans but it would appear that the company is in a strong cash position.

We are going to leave you with photos from two of the Haertha facilities in Germany which “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been privileged to visit over the years.

“TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Exco Technologies Limited (TSX-XTC, OTCQX-EXCOF) a global supplier of innovative technologies servicing the die-cast, extrusion and automotive industries, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the extrusion dies business of Halex Holdings GmbH (“Halex® Extrusion Dies”). The transaction is expected to close in the spring of 2022. “This acquisition will provide us with well-established and high-quality operations, manufacturing complex extrusion dies in Europe and will also allow us to better support our global customers”, said Nick Gnatyuk, Vice President and General Manager of Exco’s Extrusion Group. “We have been looking to expand into Europe for some time and we see Halex as the perfect fit”.

Halex Extrusion Dies was founded in 1990 and operates four key manufacturing locations – two in Germany and two in the northern industrial region of Italy. The company is the second largest manufacturer of aluminium extrusion dies in Europe and the continent’s leading supplier of complex extrusion dies. Halex will complement Exco’s six existing extrusion die operations, located in Canada, USA (2), Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. The transaction is valued at €40 million (C$58 million equivalent) on an enterprise value basis and will be funded with a combination of cash on hand and available bank lines. Halex will add almost €40 million in annual sales and is expected to be immediately accretive to Exco’s earnings per share. Exco will report the results of Halex within its Casting and Extrusion segment.

“The acquisition of Halex is a unique opportunity to add a strategic asset that will accelerate Exco’s growth and sustainability objectives”, said Darren Kirk, President and CEO of Exco. “We look forward to welcoming all Halex employees to Exco”.

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/

One of the world’s largest new furnace builders, AICHELIN Holding GmbH has just appointed a new CEO as we can see in this very interesting press release.

AICHELIN Group – Change in Holding management

“An experienced industry manager, Dipl. Ing. Christian Grosspointner will take over from Dr. Peter Schobesberger in the coming weeks, taking charge of the future shaping of the global player specializing in heat treatment. Dr. Schobesberger will resign after over 23 years with the company, during which he held various management positions at AICHELIN. Under his leadership, the group has advanced to one of the largest international heat treatment specialists in the industry.

It’s the end of an era at AICHELIN. Dr. Peter Schobesberger, who has overseen the long-established company for 23 years, and who was acting most recently as CEO of AICHELIN Group since 2011, will go into well-earned retirement in summer 2022. He will, however, remain connected to the company, by becoming part of the advisory board of AICHELIN Holding as of March 2023. His place as CEO of AICHELIN Holding GmbH will be taken by Dipl. Ing. Christian Grosspointner, a trained industrial engineer with a wide range of experience in the management of manufacturing companies in the international mechanical and plant engineering industry as well as in metal processing.

“With Christian Grosspointner, we were able to find an expert with experience in the industry and with proven management qualities, who will continue our successful international path. This succession has been thoroughly planned, and I am very happy to pass on the company to such capable hands,” says Peter Schobesberger, outgoing CEO of AICHELIN Group.

Christian Grosspointner has joined the company in early March; the hand over will be a continuous transition until the summer. “I am very excited to be taking over the management of such a long-established company, and to foster the advancement of AICHELIN Group and its subsidiaries together with such an experienced team,” says Christian Grosspointner.

Like his predecessor, the designated CEO is from Upper Austria; he is married and has three children. In his free time, he enjoys sports; he is a passionate marathon runner and loves going on ski tours.”

Christian Grosspointner will take over the management of AICHELIN Group from Peter Schobesberger, who will retire in summer 2022 (from left to right).

After 23 years with the company, Peter Schobesberger will hand over the management of AICHELIN Group to Christian Grosspointner (from left to right).

 Christian Grosspointner, Msc, will become the new CEO of AICHELIN Group.

About AICHELIN Group.  As part of Berndorf AG, AICHELIN Group is a leading provider of heat treatment solutions, such as industrial furnaces, induction hardening plants, industrial gas burners systems, control and automation systems, industry-4.0 solutions as well as services. The AICHELIN headquarters are located in Mödling near Vienna. The company’s roots date back to 1868. The long -established brand AICHELIN, as well as AFC-Holcroft, EMA Indutec, SAFED, BOSIO and NOXMAT, make up the group and together employ more than 1,000 people. AICHELIN Group ranges among the world’s top 3 heat treatment companies. AICHELIN’s subsidiaries in Europe are located in Austria, France, Germany, Slovenia and Switzerland; the worldwide presence of the company includes subsidiaries and branch offices in China, India and the US, as well as a sales network in 22 more countries. www.aichelin.com

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/

In this edition of “The Heat Treat Podcast” our ever enthusiastic and charming host Mr. Carlos Torres talks about “Energy & Burner Technologies” with one of the world’s experts. Mr. Thomas Dopler is Chief Technology Officer for quite possibly the world’ largest furnace builder “Aichelin” of Moedling, Austria.

Just yesterday we spoke of Thomas CO2 Emissions and the Heat Treatment Industry | The Monty and how “The Monty Heat Treat News” will be working with Thomas closely on the subject of CO2 emissions in the global heat treatment industry.

Remember all of our “Heat Treat Podcasts” can be found archived Magazine & Podcasts | The Monty

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/

For years CO2 emissions have been a very hot topic in Europe but little talked about in North America. However under the current US and Canadian administrations emissions are being discussed more and more. “The Monty Heat Treat News” would be derelict in our duties if we did not look into what impact CO2 emissions will have on the heat treatment industry and so we turned to one of the foremost experts in the heat treatment industry, our good friend Mr. Thomas Doppler of furnace builder Aichelin. Thomas recently moved into a position where he will be in charge of CO2 emissions for the entire company;

“Thomas Dopler, who has been working within AICHELIN Group in many different functions for over 13 years, is the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of AICHELIN Holding GmbH. In this role, he is responsible for positioning AICHELIN Group as a technology partner of the industry to contribute to a further reduction of CO2 emissions in heat treatment. In addition Thomas also recently became Chief Executive Officer at Berndorf Innovations & Technology GmbH (Berndorf Group is the parent company of Aichelin and Berndorf Innovations & Technology).”

Over the course of the next few months Thomas will be providing us with a number of articles about the subject which will include;

In addition we are looking forward to hearing Thomas in person when he joins us for another “Heat Treat Podcast” with our host Mr. Carlos Torres.

1) Human Breathing: How much CO2 is emitted on average per person each year through Breathing?

Answer; 840 Pounds. The average human exhales about 2.3 pounds of carbon dioxide on an average day, so per year this is roughly 840 pounds.

2) CO2 absorption per tree (assuming a lifespan of 40 years); What is the average CO2 absorption of a single tree during their lifetime?

Answer: 2 Tons. The CO2 absorption capacity depends on the type of tree and the resulting density. With a few exceptions, deciduous wood has a higher density than evergreens and can therefore absorb a greater amount of CO2 over their life cycle. However a good average is that a single tree will absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. This means it will sequester approximately 2 tons of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old (note that this is a very variable number depending upon whether the tree is mature or not and the type of tree).

3) A 2021 Dodge Ram pickup truck has an average CO2 emission of 352 grams. What is the annual impact for a mileage of 15,000 miles per year?

Answer: 7 Tons of CO2. 20.000 km * 352 g/km = 7 tons of CO2

4) What is the average CO2 emission per person per year around the world? This would include all factors including breathing, manufacturing, driving, eating and travelling to name a few. 

Answer: 4 Tons. The global average is 4 tons per person but this varies geographically . The frontrunner is the state of Qatar, which recorded a value of 31.27 tons/capita in calendar year 2019. Austria emits about 6.96 tons/person, which is above the global average. USA – 16,14 tons/person. Germany – 9,15 tons/person. China – 7,95 tons/person

5) What are the approximate total CO2 emissions of a Mercedes E220d? This includes car production, fuel production, driving operation, and the end-of-life cycle.

Answer: 36 Tons. 10 years of 3 tons + 6 tons production footprint = 36 tons

6) The CO2 tax is an environmental tax on the emissions of carbon dioxide and, if applicable, other climate-relevant greenhouse gases. The aim is to reduce emissions and the resulting negative effects through levies and penalties. What is the current tax per ton of CO2 in Canada? (note that the USA and Mexico do not have carbon taxes).

Answer: Canada has a tax of $40 USD per ton. Canada currently charges $40 USD per ton with plans to raise it to $135 USD per tonne by 2030.

7) How many tons of CO2 emissions are created in the building of a typical Batch IQ (MPCF Multi Purpose Chamber Furnace)? We will use the example of a furnace with working dimensions of 36” X 48” X 36” (900 mm X 1200 X 900) , with a 3500 pound capacity (1587 kg) and which will operate at 1700F (950C). A typical furnace this size would incorporate 20 tons of steel and about 10 tons of brick insulation.

Answer: 50-60 Tons of CO2. 20 tons of steel and 10 tons of insulation equals 50 – 60 tons of CO2

 8) Using the furnace example above, a batch furnace with a weight capacity of 3500 pound capacity (1587 kg) and operating at a temperature of  1700F (950C), what would be the average CO2 emissions per year at full capacity utilization and 90% availability?

Answer: 400 Tons per Year. Depending on the process and the load size the average Batch IQ Furnace emits around 250 tons/year. However depending upon efficiency of the furnace and size of the loads this could increase to 400 tons per year.

9) By what factor is the price per kWh of electricity higher than that of gas on the Michigan market?

Answer: Michigan: [2021] industrial electricity rate industry .122 USD per/kWh industrial gas rate industry $7.58 USD per Thousand Cubic Feet.

10) What is the percentage of renewable energy in the Chinese electrical mix?

Answer: 30%. The amount of renewable energy in China has risen sharply in recent years. Currently renewable energy accounts for just under 30% of China’s energy system. By comparison, Austria has a share of just under 75% renewable energy.

11) How much CO2 does the entire global steel industry emit per year? [2020 production was 1.9 million tons of steel]

Answer: 3.9 million Tons Per Year. 2020, about 1.900 million tons of steel were produced worldwide. With an emission factor of 2, this results in 3.800 million tons of CO2 per year. Austria’s voestalpine produced  around 7.42million tons of crude steel at its production site in Linz (2019). With an emission factor of 1.678 t(Co2)/t, this results in emissions of 12.45 million tons. The national steel industry is responsible for around 10% of Austria’s CO2 emissions.

12) How many tons of CO2 emissions do all installed Aichelin industrial furnaces produce per year? (hint; in multi chamber furnaces alone Aichelin has over 3000 multi chamber furnaces installed) 150 mio. t CO2 per year

Answer: 150 million tons per year. simplified 3000 multi chamber furnaces + 600 pusher-type furnaces + 50% rest (3000*250+600*400)*1,5 = 1,485*10^6

13) How many tons of CO2 would an average user reduce their emissions by annually by converting the above-mentioned furnaces to the latest generations of Noxmat Etamat burners? (The associated increase in efficiency is around +10%)

Answer: 150,000 tons per year. With a 10% increase in burner efficiency a user would see on average a savings of 150,000 tons/year of CO2 emissions.

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/

“Given ongoing dynamic market developments, TEI – one of the largest Turkish manufacturers of aircraft engines – purchased a two-chamber CaseMaster EvolutionR furnace from SECO/WARWICK, featuring a unique system for temperature measurement within the charge.

The CaseMaster Evolution on order is a two-chamber vacuum furnace with an oil quenching system. The furnace offers a working dimension of 900x900x1200 mm and can process charges up to 1000 kg. The device will be equipped with a high vacuum system and a system for measuring temperature within the charge when heating and cooling. It will be used for the heat treatment of parts for aircraft engines.

“The equipment stands out, not only for its two-chamber design but primarily due to the critical improvement in the quality of the process, cost efficiency, increased performance, and better production flexibility. It is one of the most popular metal-treatment furnaces in the aerospace industry.

Undoubtedly this will be one of only a few multi-chamber vacuum furnaces worldwide fitted with a proprietary SECO/WARWICK system to measure temperature within the charge. Implementation of this innovation brings us superior heat treatment precision. This parameter is the most important one for the aerospace industry,” – said Maciej Korecki, VP, Vacuum Business Segment, SECO/WARWICK.

“TEI is one of our long-term Turkish business partners. Although we have been cooperating for many years, this is the first delivery of a multi-chamber vacuum system for them” – M. Korecki added.”

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/

In Garland, Texas, USA we find Powell Manufacturing Company, a precision machine shop and captive heat treater sending a bunch of equipment to auction April 21st of this year. Our interest in the equipment begins and ends with the heat treating furnaces-in this particular case our interest would be close to zero. While there are several heat treat related items the main ones are a Lindberg batch IQ furnace and a CI Hayes continuous vacuum unit.

The Lindberg is small, old and tired and worth every penny of the $5.00 initial bid being asked. The CI Hayes continuous vacuum is a rather odd item to find at a company like this. CI Hayes (now part of Gasbarre) built a number of these over the years and it proved to be a very respectable design. However there is not a lot of demand for this style of furnace  and they are generally only found in high volume production locations which this does not appear to be.

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/

We regret to mention the passing of Mr. Tom Spicer, an individual who spent his entire working career servicing the North American heat treat industry. For the past 3 years Tom was a field service technician for furnace builder Gasbarre. Prior to joining Gasbarre, he was a maintenance supervisor at the Bodycote, Haggerty, Michigan facility for 5 years.  He was also a maintenance and field service technician for AFC/Holcroft for about 16 years.  Tom was a wealth of knowledge and was always able to bring humor to any situation.  Tom is survived by his three sons:  Joshua, Richard, and newborn son Cameron.

While there is no obituary yet details about his funeral services can be found at  (https://www.gofundme.com/f/vwa4wq).

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/

Located in Maywood, Los Angeles CA, Cook Induction was started in 1945 and is continuously exploring ways to improve their customer experience and capabilities. This has grown into today’s NADCAP approved facility offering both heat treating (including induction case hardening; localized hardening; localized annealing/stress relieving; heat treatment of BeCu; localized annealing of BeCu; and hydrogen annealing and tempering) and brazing & soldering services (including silver; copper; nickel & precious metals; induction, torch and furnace brazing; and atmosphere induction brazing).

In 2020, Troy Doolittle, Quality Manager, decided the next step in Cook’s evolution was partnering with Super Systems (SSi) to implement a fully electronic SCADA package. “Having the ability to track and recall furnace data from our desks has made life so much easier. The new system has improved our ability to stay on top of scheduling and production. “

As the time neither party expected this was the first of many projects between the two companies. Zach Morgan, SSi’s engineer who managed the latest project, recalled the latest: “Most recently Cook’s engineers mentioned problematic combustion burners on a couple of their furnaces. With prices & lead times for new burners both astronomical, we collaborated and came up with a burner redesign which improved reliability, added ability to isolate burners, and complied with the latest NFPA86 requirements. Historically this level of engineering has originated from our Cincinnati OH main office but this gave us the opportunity to bring that to our West Coast customers.”

This June Cook faces their biggest challenge yet, defending their trophy as Los Angeles ASM Chapter’s reigning Golf Outing champs. Cook and SSi are both longtime ASM members and active in the scholarship fundraising & development of our future engineers.

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/

ThermAvant Technologies, a supplier of thermal management hardware and services recently issued a press release about adding a new facility in Columbia, MO, USA to handle their very significant growth. The press release caught our attention as the firm currently has a very respectable in house heat treatment department which includes two aluminum-vacuum brazing furnaces and one controlled atmosphere brazing furnace. Our understanding is that ThermAvant will also be adding another brand new Ipsen vacuum brazing furnace later this year.

This is the sort of news that “The Monty Heat Treat News” always like to announce, a successful manufacturer investing, growing and hiring.

“FEBRUARY 27, 2022 Columbia MO; ThermAvant Technologies Will More Than Quadruple Space To Meet Growing Demand for Its Thermal Management Solutions. Fueled by growing demand for its thermal management hardware and services, ThermAvant Technologies will more than quadruple its engineering and manufacturing space.  In May, the firm is opening a 33,000-square-foot facility at 2508 Paris Road in Columbia. 

 Founded in 2007, ThermAvant is expanding rapidly as aero-defense and technology customers adopt its oscillating heat pipe technology into their platforms. Today, ThermAvant serves the avionics, spacecraft, computer, radar, and telecommunications industries. The firm has also been engaged by leading agencies, including the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), NASA, National Science Foundation, Army Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, and the Missile Defense Agency.

 “After nearly a decade of sustained R&D, we started selling our first commercial products in 2017. Now, we are scaling up engineering and production as quickly as we can,” says ThermAvant CEO Joe Boswell.  “There has been a decline in Midwest manufacturing,” he adds.  “It’s encouraging to buck that trend with the opening of our new facility.” 

 In 2018, ThermAvant received funding from Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC), a public-private partnership created by the Missouri General Assembly to promote entrepreneurship and foster the growth of new and emerging high-tech companies.  “People generally associate technological innovation with Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston,” says Bill Vega, interim executive director of MTC.  “But, as ThermAvant demonstrates, there are exciting developments taking place in the heartland.”

 In that same year, ThermAvant and the AFRL were selected as an R&D 100 Award winner for the development of “Oscillating Heat Pipes for High-Power Electronics Thermal Management.” An independent panel of judges deemed this work as “one of the 100 most technologically significant new products of the year.”

 ThermAvant’s grand opening reception will take place at the new headquarters on May 2nd.  “We look forward to offering tours to attendees and familiarizing local community members with our products, our history with the University of Missouri here in Columbia, and our future plans,” says Mr. Boswell.  “In our opinion, prospects are strong for our small but expanding business, and this should benefit our local community as well.”  

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/

​Since 1999 “The Monty” has been publishing annually a list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America based upon annual sales, our 2021 list can be found at https://themonty.com/articles/50-largest-north-american-commercial-heat-treats-2021-2/ This year readers will see we became much more ambitious and expanded the list to the 50 largest. In our 22nd spot we have East Carolina Metal Treating.

East Carolina Metal Treating was founded in 1976 by Charles Ramm with just a salt pot.  When Charles retired in 1998, he passed down his legacy to his son, Jamie Ramm.  Through a commitment to continual improvement and reinvestment, ECMT has garnered a reputation for providing high quality service with great turnaround and the best customer service.  ECMT has a state of the art metallurgical lab and maintains Nadcap, ISO 9001, AS9100, and Appendix B certifications.  Servicing the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions the company has grown into a 45,000 square foot facility located just outside downtown Raleigh, and ECMT’s second location, Virginia Metal Treating, recently completed a 20,000 square foot facility in Lynchburg, VA.  ECMT offers a full range of heat treating services including Vacuum, Batch IQ, Nitriding/FNC, Induction, Cryogenics, as well as Black Oxide and partners with the best equipment manufacturers to provide repeatable quality results for our diversified customer base.  ECMT is proud to focus on treating customers, employees, and all other stakeholders with dignity and respect.

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/