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Wallwork Heat Treatment Ltd., is one of the largest commercial heat treaters in the UK and over the years “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been fortunate enough to visit the company several times, the last time being October of 2021-below you will find our summary of the company.
“OCTOBER 8, 2021 Wallwork Group, Bury, UK; Very recently “The Monty Heat Treat News” was fortunate enough to be able to visit commercial heat treater Wallwork in Bury, UK a trip which we last made in 2013. Wallwork Group Alloy Heat Treatment, Engineering, Castings & Vacuum Equipment | Wallwork Heat Treatment (wallworkht.co.uk) has a number of locations not all involved in heat treating, our interest of course lies in the commercial heat treat facilities of which the facility in Bury, UK is the headquarters.
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We go to the Netherlands today to have a look at a company that “The Monty Heat Treat News” is very familiar with-Sabo Boxtel which is part of the HARTHA Hardening Industries Group. SABO is a commercial heat treater which has always heavily concentrated on Induction hardening-well they just added a brand new process that of vacuum nitriding with the addition of two new units.
To go along with this announcement we have these two press releases about the company which were pulled from our archives and as a special bonus we are including these pictures of our last visit.
The other half of the company is dedicated to Induction hardening, half for the products the company produces, the other half for any Tom, Dick or Harry who requires high end Induction heat treating. Yesterday we saw roughly 14 induction systems with the ability to harden parts up to 6 tons with a diameter of up to 6 meters (18 feet) which is the largest the company has heat treated.”
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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 23rd spot we have Parker Trutec.
Parker Trutec is a North American subsidiary of Nihon Parkerizing, a world leader in metal improvement technology. The Parker Trutec Group operates 6 facilities in the United States and Mexico which specialize in metal treatments and products that improve the resistance to wear, corrosion and fatigue of metal components. The company offers heat treating processes such as Gas Carburizing, Carbonitriding, Salt Batch Nitriding and Neutral hardening at two of it’s locations, Springfield, Ohio and Guanajuato, Mexico (note all processes are available at both locations). The Ohio location alone has over 20 furnaces.
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Jörn can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? For instance; your background, how you first got involved in the heat treating industry and how you came to become the President of Rohde Gmbh?
“I have been working with my father in the company since I was a child. My tasks have grown over the years. It started as a child with sweeping the yard, cleaning machines, helper work and with the start of my apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic (in another company) I could already work independently on furnaces in production and go on assemblies during my vacation. During my studies I was able to enter the design department and later, with my degree as a Diplom Ingenieur (graduate engineer in mechanical engineering), I was able to take over the management of this department. Later I became the managing director of the company. I can say that I have been building furnaces for 35 years and that I am now in my mid-forties.”
I know Rohde GmbH has grown quite a bit over the years. Can you share with us the size of the company, how many employees you have, and annual sales?
“We are a classic medium-sized family business. We employ 25 people and have an annual turnover of approx. 4 million euros. Our ambition is not to grow at any price and employ more people, but to keep improving our equipment and to offer our customers the best solutions worldwide with our long-established team of employees. We want to remain a family business and hope our two sons will follow the tradition and continue the company.”
What products do you have to offer and if you don’t mind me asking what product is your number one seller?
“We supply retort furnaces in various designs. Shaft furnaces, chamber furnaces, bell furnaces and our favorite, special designs. We love the challenge and new customized developments are definitely one of our strengths. Our best seller, however, is our SRU (Salt Recovery Units). These were designed by my father, a design which we continue to upgrade and we have these systems installed around the world.“
I know you have been quite successful with your line of vacuum nitriding systems, please share some details with our readers.
“We are an absolute premium manufacturer in the field. This applies to all important areas of furnace technology: lowest temperature differences, best gas distribution in the work zone, low wear due to best components also for purchased parts. We are also the market leader in energy savings. In Germany, we can undercut our market competitors in terms of price after only three years of use. After less than 15 years, the investment is recouped through the energy savings. Germany is certainly a special case due to the high energy costs, but anyone who values sustainability cannot ignore us. Direct comparisons to other market companions from Germany show that our furnaces are the most energy efficient in the market. We also have strong partners in the field of process development, such as the Leibnitz Institute in Bremen, with whom we always develop state of the technology through various research projects.”
I’m sure you have built a lot of highly specialized furnaces over the years. What’s the most interesting furnace project you’ve worked on?
“Due to the custom designed furnaces we manufacture, it is really not an easy question, as many of the furnaces were special. There is a smaller system that had to fit into a freight elevator in China including all aggregates, because we could not enter the country due to the entry regulations. Or for example plants like our Bell hardening center which hardens fully automatically and quenches in oil or salt. At the moment, special systems for catalysts for hydrogen production are a new task for us, because the product in the furnace has other properties as known. As a graduate engineer, I look for the technical challenge. The higher the demand of the customer, the more fun we have solving the challenge.”
“Yes, no one else wanted to or could build this furnace and we took on the challenge. This project was very exciting. No one had ever built a retort with a diameter of 5.5 meters (16.5’) before. As far as I know, such large furnaces were always built without a retort. We love the challenge! (Editors note; This furnace is located at commercial heat treater “Reese” in Germany and is very impressive).”
There’s a rumor floating around that you are partnering up with McLaughlin Furnace Group to provide Salt Recovery Units (SRU’s) in North America. Can you tell us a little more about the partnership and about Salt Recovery Units (SRU’s) in general?
“We have a good product and Jeff has a great company and can respond quickly in North America. I think in terms of product, quality and service, we have the same high standards. It is easy to find a salesman in any country, but in my opinion you need more. The SRU business in North America is doing well, but by building in North America we will be able to save on the transportation costs and long delivery times. Together we can simply achieve more. In the same way, we will support the McLaughlin Furnace Group in Europe. We can both benefit from sharing our existing resources and I look forward to working with McLaughlin.”
“The more salt a customer buys, the more sense an SRU makes, regardless of the furnace type.
Basically, in continuous furnaces with small parts and high surface area, the salt discharge from the quench tank is the highest. Thus, continuous flow furnaces with salt quenching are ideal for using an SRU.
The function is simple: We continuously remove water from the wash tank. In the SRU, the wash water is evaporated, the salt is separated from the carbonates and impurities, and the pure, liquid salt is added back to the quench tank either directly or solidified into salt blocks. Depending on the carbonate content of the salt, these must be removed from the unit. Initially, this is done relatively often in the salt bath until the salt returns to its original quality. But the loss of salt is significantly reduced and the quality of the product increases! The product is good for the environment, but even better for the wallet.”
We all know how much heat treaters hate ongoing maintenance when it comes to their furnaces, what’s the maintenance like for an SRU?
“Our customers need to clean the plate pack in which the contaminants settle. Turn off the unit, wait until it is cold enough to work safely, remove the plate pack and remove contaminants, then reinsert the affected plates and turn it on! That’s it. Changing gaskets, thermocouples or heating elements happens every few years. So maintenance is kept within limits.”
This is an unfair question because there are a lot of variables involved. What would be a standard ROI for an SRU unit? With the price of salt these days I can imagine the ROI has improved a lot!
“It is true that many variables play a role here, but above all it the amount of salt which the end user is replacing every year. So it is a very simple calculation for any heat treater to determine their individual ROI. 99% of the salt which ends up in the wash system is recovered and this is salt which does not need to be replaced. The only thing that contrasts with this is the cost of electricity used by the SRU and it is relatively modest. So if the system makes sense in Germany which has some of the highest electricity costs in the world it is fantastic for the American market.”
Jörn I very much appreciate the time today and look forward to seeing you at the HK22 Heat Treatment exhibition in Cologne, Germany in October of this year. Jordan Montgomery
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CAN-ENG was chosen to supply this system based on proven reliability, efficiency, and soft-part-handling features; hallmarks of CAN-ENG’s Mesh Belt Furnace Systems. The new, high-volume fastener system integrates energy efficient combustion and waste heat recovery technology, atmosphere-controlled mesh belt hardening system, oil quench, post wash system, temper furnace, soluble oil system, bi-directional conveyor discharge, and CAN-ENG’s Process Enhancement Technology (PET™) system. CAN-ENG’s PET™ system provides the user with access to vital Industry 4.0 features which includes product traceability, detailed process data for continuous process improvements, comprehensive equipment diagnostics, cost analysis, and inventory management. The State-of-the Art system also integrates Can-Eng’s Energy Reduction System (ERST) which significantly reduces the energy requirements of the system. The system will be commissioned Q2, 2022 to meet the clients’ performance and capacity expectations. Through proven results, CAN-ENG’s Continuous Mesh Belt Heat Treatment Systems remain the golden standard for processing high quality automotive fasteners. As the demands of the automotive industry continuously grow, so do CAN-ENG’s Mesh Belt Heat Treatment Systems capability to meet and exceed processing standards. For further information please visit www.can-eng.com or contact Tim Donofrio – Vice President, Sales at [email protected].
CAN-ENG Furnaces International Ltd is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company with its head office and manufacturing facility located in Niagara Falls, ON, Canada.”
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Example of a Can Eng Mesh Belt Line
Aalberts Surface Technologies Announces Rebrand of US Businesses
The second largest commercial heat treater in terms of annual sales as ranked by “The Monty Heat Treat News” has rebranded and henceforth will go forward as “Aalberts Surface Technologies”. Read all about it below and if you would like to read more about the relative size of the company we would respectfully suggest that you follow this link; 50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treats 2021 | The Monty
“The Aalberts’ brand is defined by its deep commitment to winning with people, mission-critical technologies, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. At Aalberts we are entrepreneurs, we take ownership, we share and learn, we act with integrity, and we go for excellence … good is never good enough. The teams at our U.S. based businesses are well aligned with “the Aalberts way” and will do an outstanding job of representing the Aalberts’ brand,” says Oliver Jaeger, CEO of Aalberts surface technologies.
“We are excited about our growth prospects in the U.S. Operating under one brand in the U.S. market will of course help to improve our brand recognition in that market, but, more importantly, it will help our customers, and the market in general, to better understand our wide array of products and services. With our commitment to cutting edge technologies and our global reach, Aalberts is well positioned to support progressive companies with an eye on the future,” adds Jaeger.
About Aalberts surface technologies. Aalberts surface technologies has five divisions on three continents and is part of the worldwide leading and globally positioned technology company Aalberts N.V. which has 134 locations worldwide and more than 14,000 employees. Aalberts is committed to adaptation and innovation with a clear focus on customers.”
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From our friends at furnace builder SECO/WARWICK we have this press release about an order the firm received from a European knife manufacturer for a 10 bar quenching vacuum furnace.
“A renowned Czech manufacturer of machining tools, industrial knives, mulching knives, and chippers has placed an order with SECO/WARWICK for a Vector® vacuum furnace with 10 bar high-pressure gas quenching. This is one of the Group’s flagship products, and it will be used for tool steel hardening and tempering processes. The design has been customized to enable the processing of long and straight items.
“The furnace on order, based on a proven and reliable design — Vector — has been adapted to match the customer’s specific needs. SECO/WARWICK engineers have designed a unique working space with the dimensions of 600x600x1800 mm. The device modification was implemented to fit the characteristic shape of the workpieces. Apart from the non-standard dimensions of the chamber, the unit was fitted with a directional cooling option to effectively cool down long and thin knives that, due to their shape, are prone to distortion during the hardening process. With directional cooling, the goal is to reduce this undesirable phenomenon.
The furnace was customized to synchronize its operation to the dedicated thermal process for knives and chippers. The application for the device required an inverter that enables complete control over temperature at every stage of the hardening process to reduce distortion. Together with the additional option of directional cooling and the convection system, the system design helps to reduce the undesirable distortion significantly.
“The common goal was to reach an optimum matching of the furnace performance with the items processed by the customer. At SECO/WARWICK, we always build relationships and dialogue, making it possible to adjust our equipment to the customer’s particular needs. Employing outstanding and experienced engineers and having vast production expertise and a long-standing experience with furnaces intended for metal heat treatment, no solution would be impossible for us. Thus, we are renowned for customized designs of furnaces, perfectly matching the needs of our customers through technology originating from standard solutions,” — commented Maciej Korecki, VP, Vacuum Business Segment, SECO/WARWICK Group.”
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On March 9, 2022 “The Monty Heat Treat News” had a mention about the astonishing rise in the price of spot nickel which we predicted would lead to a massive jump in the price of new alloy components and fixtures for the heat treatment industry. Two days later we were reporting that alloy items such as fixtures, radiant tubes and cast belts had indeed jumped by 30%-where do we stand today?
Our best indication is shown in the graph below which indicates the price of spot nickel over the course of the past year. What you can see is a slow but steady increase in the price for a year, followed by an enormous spike just weeks ago followed by a dramatic plunge leaving the price roughly twice where it was just a couple of months ago.
And where do we go from here? Well it is anybody’s guess but it would appear to be a given that for a number of reasons nickel demand will be increasing for the next number of years which will put upward pressure on pricing but by how much pressure is the question-your guess is as good as ours.
“MARCH 14, 2022; Alloy Furnace Components Jump 30% in Cost Almost Overnight; March 9, 2022 “The Monty Heat Treat News” had an item about the astounding jump for spot nickel pricing which we predicted would result in substantial price increases for all alloy items required by the heat treat industry-base trays, fixtures, belts fans and radiant tubes to name a few https://themonty.com/nickel-price-skyrockets-alloy-components-set-for-major-price-increases/
Sure enough literally within 2 days of the increase in spot nickel pricing furnace builders and heat treaters were telling us about substantial price increases from their alloy suppliers-typically in the range of 30%.
Obviously if you need alloy you need alloy and there are extremely limited options as far as alternatives go so the question becomes; buy now or wait and see what happens in the future?”
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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 24th spot we have Continental Heat Treating Santa Fe Springs, CA.
Nadcap approved Continental Heat Treating is an aerospace approved heat treating company located in Santa Fe Springs, California. Established in 1957 in Downey, CA the company moved to their current location in Santa Fe Springs in 1969 where it has grown and prospered under the leadership of Mr. Jim Stull. https://www.continentalht.com/
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