In Texas we see that Lark Heat Treat is starting to install what will be the largest vacuum furnace in the state. The bottom load vacuum furnace was originally built by Ipsen for a Pratt & Whitney facility in Florida and has working dimensions of 72″ diameter X 96″ tall. As you expect because Pratt & Whitney originally ordered the unit it is has all the bells and whistles, 6 Bar Quenching (bogth nitrogen & argon), dual water cooling systems, dual diffusion and vacuum pumps, all metal hot zone-in short no expense was spared when this furnace was built. Granted in looks dirty in this picture but we can say from experience that this is a very impressive unit.Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
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An international electric vehicle automaker has ordered high-pressure gas quenching (HPGQ), tempering and nitriding furnaces for heat treatment of large high-pressure casting dies which will be used in the production of aluminum underbody components for electric vehicles. SECO/VACUUM, a SECO/WARWICK Group company, will provide two furnaces and auxiliaries with working zones that can accommodate loads with dimensions up to 1000mm x 1000mm x 2400mm (40”x40”x96”) and up to 7.5 metric tons of weight.
The Vector® vacuum hardening furnace is equipped with a convection heating system to improve heat transfer at lower temperatures, thus reducing internal stresses; the cooling system can quench with Nitrogen at pressures up to 25 bar. The furnace will exceed NADCA 207 requirements for the quenching process and class 2 temperature uniformity requirements per AMS2750F. The nitriding furnace is a pit-type configuration, with working dimensions to match the hardening furnace. The patented ZeroFlow® nitriding process achieves optimum results by using uniform high convection heating, precision nitriding potential and ammonia control, along with vacuum purging to reduce operating costs.
Said Piotr Zawistowski, Managing Director of SECO/VACUUM, “By demonstrating our expertise in high- pressure gas quenching to this customer over the past year, we built a reputation with their engineering team that we are capable of achieving the required quenching rates within such a large envelope, which will be accomplished with a powerful 500kW quenching system. The customer also appreciated the custom engineering that we put into handling such a heavy workload.”
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INNIO Waukesha Gas Engines in Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA a division of GE closed down last year and the remaining assets were auctioned off. Included in the auction were several heat treat furnaces, the centerpiece being a Surface Combustion gas fired batch IQ furnace line with working dimensions of 36” X 48” X 36”. It was truly shocking what buyers paid for the equipment.
For instance the batch IQ furnace sold for $162,500 USD, the temper for $57,000, a dunk spray washer for $30,000 and a JL Becker box furnace for $42,500.00. When the buyers premium of 20% is included along with rigging out costs the final price for the batch IQ furnace tops out at over $200,000 USD. This represents an enormous premium when you take into account that this is an older furnace with outdated controls and we would have to assume that the Pandemic is responsible.
Lock downs and overly generous government handouts have lead to disruptions in the supply chain, longer delivery times and inflationary pressures which have all caused new equipment pricing and deliveries to increase substantially in 2021. We would have to assume that this in turn is spilling over into the used equipment market as well. One auction does not make a trend though-we will keep you posted.
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Isostatic Toll Services Bilbao SL ,which is located in Bilbao Spain, is installing its second mega HIP unit. Isostatic Toll Services (ITS) is a Toll HIP company started in 2008, primarily for the investment casting industry. Products that frequent through ITS are: medical implants, tungsten carbide, ceramics, titanium, super alloys, and aerospace parts. In the pictures below you can see the unit being hoisted into the building.
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Out in Wisconsin we see that Wisconsin Oven recently shipped an electrically heated horizontal quench system to a defense supplier-the oven will be used for the solution treatment and aging of aluminum. The maximum temperature for this oven is 1100°F, and the normal operating temperature is 985°F. The overall dimensions are 14 feet, 6 inches wide x 17 feet, 6 inches high x 27 feet long, while the interior chamber dimensions are 7 feet wide x 3 feet, 6 inches high x 3 feet long. The system, which has a maximum 7-second quench delay, was in compliance with AMS 2750F pyrometry requirements for class 2 furnaces prior to and after shipment from Wisconsin Oven’s manufacturing facility in East Troy, Wis.
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September 14th-16th will see the ASM organized “Heat Treat 2021” exhibition being held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA in conjunction with Motion + Power Technology Expo 2021 (Formerly Gear Expo). ASM has always, in our opinion done an excellent job of organizing these bi-annual events and with no heat treat shows in North America for the past almost two years due to COVID, attendance at this event had been expected to be strong.
However COVID is rearing it’s ugly head yet again and Missouri is seeing COVD-19 cases rising dramatically in recent weeks leading to new restrictions; “Beginning Monday, July 26 St. Louis City & St. Louis County will require face coverings in indoor public places and on public transportation. Businesses, residents and visitors should continue to take precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 by following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.”
While attendance by international visitors (and this includes next door Canada) was expected to drop to almost nothing due to the difficulties of international travel, domestic attendance was expected to be strong. However in light of these recent developments this is no longer the case with many exhibitors scaling back on the number of people they will send with visitors following suit. Whether this will change remains to be seen, however at least for the time being it would appear that attendance will be disappointing to say the least.
We have this photo from the last ASM Exhibition which was held in Detroit, Michigan in 2019.
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Busch (UK) Ltd, part of the global Busch Vacuum Solutions group, has acquired Vacuum Furnace Engineering (VFE). Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Busch (UK), the move enables both VFE and Busch (UK) to strengthen their leading vacuum solutions and services for UK metallurgy and composites manufacturers. Since 1985, VFE has provided vacuum services, specialist equipment, control and calibration solutions to heat treatment and advanced material manufacturers in the UK. Their long-term commitment to these market segments, their applications knowledge and service mindset has enabled VFE to become the market-leaders in their field.
Busch (UK) has 50 years of experience in providing individual and tailor-made vacuum solutions and services to Customers in a wide range of market segments, including food, chemical, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, semicon, medical and metallurgy. The full portfolio of vacuum technology is continuously developed by the Busch group to ensure that customers are provided with the lowest total cost of ownership. Operationally, the VFE subsidiary will remain focused on the markets and customers that benefit from the team’s expertise in vacuum metallurgy and composites. The existing Busch UK business will continue to serve customers under the Busch brand. Together, Busch and VFE will share their vacuum expertise, solutions, and service capabilities, to enable an even more comprehensive range of vacuum solutions to the benefit of all their customers.
“The advanced manufacturing industry needs to ensure quality in every process” David Byrne, CEO of VFE, explains. “For much of the industry, that’s synonymous with the product. But our commitment to helping our customers achieve perfect production and keep their businesses running hinges on more than the quality of parts produced. In order for us to deliver these promises, the integrity of our services is paramount. Under Busch’s ownership, we look forward to serving our customers with extended product offerings, best practices and Busch’s global service network. This will maximise the value that we offer and will help more Customers improve their operations.”
Tim Hulbert, Managing Director of Busch (UK), concluded, “This is an exciting time for the new Busch UK team. 2021 is our 50th anniversary in the UK and the acquisition of VFE marks a significant commitment by the Busch group to the UK market, ensuring we are well positioned for further long-term service and growth. I’m delighted to welcome our new VFE colleagues and look forward to delivering the combined benefits of our vacuum solutions for metallurgy and advanced materials to the UK market and further afield. VFE’s portfolio of services, including calibration and control expertise, will also benefit our customers in other critical market sectors. We are stronger together and uniquely positioned to help UK manufacturers become more productive and sustainable through the application of our Busch vacuum solutions.”
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