The world’s largest commercial heat treater, UK based Bodycote released their full year results for the year ended 31 December 2020 this past Friday and they can be found in their entirely at
https://www.bodycote.com/wp-co
“Commenting, Stephen Harris, Group Chief Executive, said: “Bodycote weathered the adversity of 2020 generating a headline EBITDA margin of 26.4%, a headline operating margin of 12.6%, and producing a strong free cash flow conversion of 141% (£106m). This year has been hugely challenging for our people. Not only have they been confronted with the impact on their personal lives from the COVID-19 pandemic and all its consequences, but they have also had to deal with significant changes in the working environment and organisation. I am immensely proud of the fortitude and resilience shown by our employees as they continued to deliver first-class service to our customers under the most trying of conditions.
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the need to safeguard the wellbeing of our employees drove an immediate, large scale mobilisation of resources across the Group. I am very pleased to see how effective the measures we have taken have been and I want to acknowledge the remarkable performance of the global and many local management teams involved in this unprecedented effort. As part of our strategy, we have focused in recent years on repositioning the Group to take advantage of a number of megatrends in our end markets. Our expansion in Eastern Europe is targeted at supporting the Electric Vehicle supply chains that are establishing themselves in this Region. The change in focus of our civil aerospace business addresses the structural shift within the industry towards point-to-point air travel and narrow body aircraft. Additionally, the repurposing of some of our North American facilities aligns our business with the diminishing importance of fossil fuels. The restructuring programme we have been executing in 2020 represents an acceleration of our strategy and is exactly aligned with these secular trends.
The Board is proposing a final dividend of 13.4p, which brings the total ordinary dividend for 2020 to 19.4p. This continues Bodycote’s uninterrupted 30+ year track record of growing or maintaining the dividend and reflects the Board’s confidence in the Group’s future earnings and cash flow potential.
Looking ahead, markets are recovering, though the uncertain timeline for recovery in the civil aerospace market clouds the short-term outlook for this part of the business. Nonetheless, our restructuring programme is now largely complete, resulting in a higher quality business aligned to the growth opportunities we are seeing. The Board is confident that Bodycote is well placed to drive growth and take advantage of the upturn in activity across all of its markets as they strengthen.”
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Stack Metallurgical Group, quite possibly the largest commercial heat treater on the US West Coast recently released a “White Paper on Vacuum Carburizing of Large Gears” in which they do a very good job of explaining the advantages of vacuum carburizing as it pertains to large gears. Having one of the largest vacuum carburizing furnaces ever built anywhere in the world adds extra interest to the paper. The author of this report, Mr. Nels Plough of Stack can be seen in one of the pictures below where he is standing in front of a very impressive Ipsen bottom load vacuum furnace. To his right is Gord Montgomery and to his left Craig Beaumier and Mike Deaner.
INTRODUCTION
Increased demand for large, high precision gears requires specialized heat-treating equipment. In addition to size, exacting metallurgical requirements and repeatable process parameters affect furnace selection. Most large gears are processed in pit furnaces or large batch integral quenching furnaces. Vacuum carburizing had not been commonly used because large cross sections of most typical alloys cannot be effectively quenched with pressurized gas. Stack Metallurgical Group in Portland, Oregon installed a vacuum carburizing, oil quench furnace capable of processing large gears. Precise control of process gases, uniform heating, and process repeatability make vacuum carburizing an excellent choice for gear applications.
FEATURES
Seco-Warwick manufactured this two chamber, low pressure carburizing, oil quenching vacuum furnace. Load capability is 70” w X 70” d X 80” high, with a max total load weight of 10,000 lbs. Loads are suspended from a CFC overhead trolley, and are not set on an internal hearth. Processes are PLC controlled and are highly repeatable. The hot zone is insulated by 50 mm of graphite, allowing operating temperatures up to 1950° F, and producing furnace uniformity of ± 15° F from 1100°F to 1950°F. Process gases are introduced through mass flow meters, giving very precise control of the carburizing environment.
Quenching is done in a 9,500-gallon tank of oil. The agitation system was upgraded with four additional motors to improve oil flow and provide adequate heat removal for very large loads. Uniform fluid flow is critical so the entire load quenches evenly. During the quench, the entire furnace is under vacuum, so heat loss is minimal during load transfer, and surface condition of the parts is not degraded.
VACUUM CARBURIZING ADVANTAGES
Surface intergranular oxidation (IGO) is caused by oxygen present during the carburizing cycle. This creates defects at the surface which can be initiation sites for cracking (see Figure 2). Most standard practice requires a post heat treating operation in the root, typically grinding, or shot peening. Vacuum carburizing eliminates IGO. Air is pumped out of the furnace prior to heat up and carburizing, minimizing the presence of oxygen during processing. This results in higher integrity at the surface of the carburized case, and improved wear and fatigue resistance. Post heat treat machining or shot peening of tooth roots can be reduced or eliminated.
Vacuum carburizing provides excellent case uniformity for complex geometries. In a standard endothermic furnace, parts are introduced with carburizing gas present, and the furnace at a high temperature. As the load heats, the thin cross-sections of gears at the tooth tips reach carburizing temperatures well before thicker sections at the root.
This yields a wide variation in case depths across the tooth profile. During vacuum carburizing, the parts are heated to a uniform temperature before the process gases are introduced. As a result, multiple runs processed using the same set of parameters produced a very narrow range of case depths. A series of loads run with a case aim point of .100” had a spread of +.007” to -.005”, which is much less than standard endothermic gas processes (See figure). Gear root to flank case depth ratios are improved to as much as 90%, compared to conventional methods which achieve 65- 70% ratios. Higher strength at the root for a given flank case depth can help improve overall gear design or reduce heat treat process time for a given design requirement. In addition, high hardness can be maintained deep into the case.
Stack is currently using a simulation program for process development. All process parameters, including material chemistry, can be adjusted. A given case requirement can be simulated with numerous parameter changes before the first test load is performed. The results of the test can then be used to adjust the simulation, allowing the program to precisely predict outcomes for a given furnace and alloy. Process development for new alloys and case depths is shortened, improving heat treating lead times.
The furnace controls allow precise alloy specific process parameters. This yields consistent, predictable mechanical properties in the case, control of carbide presence and size and accurate control of carbon content. Improved consistency and control can result in improved fatigue resistance.
DISTORTION
Distortion control of complex parts like gears is the greatest challenge facing the heat treater. Symmetrical heating and cooling are critical to minimizing the movement of a part during processing. Residual stresses, alloy uniformity, prior thermal history and machining practices all contribute to the final outcome but are not controlled by the heat treater. Gear manufacturers can help decrease distortion in their parts by understanding how to reduce each of these factors prior to sending to their heat treater. However, process design, fixtures, furnace uniformity and quenching must be carefully considered and controlled by the heat treater to minimize or reduce distortion.
A unique feature of this furnace type is the elimination of the hearth. The load is suspended during processing, which provides both advantages and challenges. Fixture design allows the parts to contact the quench oil without creating excessive turbulence, providing very uniform quench flow and heat removal. Part specific fixtures provide the best opportunity to successfully quench a part. For example, flatness on a 32” diameter gear improved from 100” total to less than half that amount. Ovality was also maintained within very acceptable limits.
Size change is an unavoidable part of heat treatment. When a carburized gear is quenched and the material transforms to martensite (molecular structure of hardened steel), the volume of the steel increases in proportion to the carbon present. This causes a net size change that affects the overall distortion. If the part is carburized uniformly over the entire surface, the resulting distortion is minimized. Complex geometries like gears are difficult to uniformly carburize in conventional endothermic furnaces, so distortion can be greater.
SUMMARY
Complex part geometries operating in demanding environments require precise control of all aspects of heat treating. Using our vacuum carburizing furnace, these challenging parts can be given specific metallurgical properties and case hardness profiles, while minimizing the distortion effects associated with heat treating. From process development to fixture design, Stack can optimize the performance of your carburized parts.
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From MB Aerospace in Poland we have this press release about the company adding a bottom load vacuum furnace to their facility in Tajecina. MB is quite a large in house heat treater with vacuum furnaces in most of their locations. Partly this is a result of their acquiring the Polish heat treat locations of Canadian company Vac Aero a number of years back. The first photo below shows the company’s most recent furnace acquisition, the next two pictures show the Vac Aero locations as “The Monty Team” saw them a few years back.
The vacuum heat treatment and brazing furnace capabilities were designed and implemented to support a wide range of engine and IGT OEM platforms. These range from Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan, PW800 and Pratt & Whitney Canada’s legacy programs to General Electric’s LEAP, GEnX, CF34 and Catalyst programs.
Additionally, we cover a broad IGT offering that includes Siemens, MAN, GE Power and Alstom platforms. From Fan and Compressor through to the Combustor and Turbine modules we have the capabilities and approvals to support your needs.”
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Ipsen was awarded an order from SITES Medical for two TurboTreater® model H3636 2 bar vacuum furnaces. SITES Medical is an orthopedic technology development company that invents and de-risks new technologies and collaborates with OEMs to bring them to market and drive mutual growth.
Although SITES has enjoyed an excellent relationship with its current thermal processing partner, the new furnaces will accommodate increased volume resulting from growth in business. Each TurboTreater has a work zone size of 24” wide x 24” high x 36” deep with an all-metal hot zone. The furnaces will be used for orthopedic implant processing such as stress relieving Ti and CoCr components, as well as diffusion bonding of Ti and CoCr implants.
”After reviewing the options available for thermal processing solutions, we elected to purchase the Ipsen TurboTreater® vacuum furnaces due to their high quality and reliability as well as Ipsen’s reputation for service,” said Greg Stalcup, President/CEO of SITES Medical. He added, “We look forward to working with Ipsen to bring these units online.”
Ipsen proudly partners with heat treaters in the medical industry that produce life-saving equipment including, ventilators, surgical instruments and implants, as well as cryogenic cold storage and transportation equipment for oxygen and vaccines. Ipsen has hundreds of vacuum furnaces installed at highly respected medical companies across the globe.
Ipsen’s TurboTreater® is known for producing bright, clean parts with excellent temperature uniformity and patented gas quenching system for improved hardening qualities and shorter cycle times. Learn more about Ipsen’s TurboTreater® at https://www.ipsenusa.com/turbotreater.
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Our latest “Heat Treat Podcast” features the “Great” Chad Wright of Alloy supplier Wirco. In this installment Chad takes the time to explain what goes into casting components for the heat treatment industry.
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Solar Atmospheres is pleased to announce the addition of Frank Trujillo to our sales team, as Director of Sales at Solar Atmospheres of California (SCA). As a seasoned sales professional with more than 30 years of experience in the metals industry, Frank has established successful, career–building relationships through clear and honest communication, responsiveness, and consistent reliability. Frank brings a wealth of knowledge from the aerospace (military & commercial), medical, power generation and commercial programs/markets.
Derek Dennis, President of SCA, states, “We’re delighted to add Frank Trujillo to the SCA Team. Frank’s vast experience in the aerospace industry aligns well with Solar’s expertise and capabilities. Solar and Frank share a common core value in our approach to servicing customers with an unwavering commitment to honesty and integrity in all relationships. Frank’s professionalism and motivation will help open doors to opportunities where SCA can partner alongside new customers with a goal of adding significant value to our customer’s operation. I am confident that Frank will provide our valued customers with the same level of professionalism and unsurpassed customer service that they are accustomed to receiving.”
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In Ontario, Canada we see that Specialty Combustion a company which offers combustion services to heat treaters has been acquired by Dael Thermal. Dael has been servicing the industry since 1932 while Specialty Combustion was formed by Bert Rochon 15 years ago.
“Dael Thermal Group Inc. (Dael Thermal) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Specialty Combustion Ltd. This acquisition improves both businesses combustion service and installation ability within the industrial, commercial, and institutional markets. The combined business units will operate as “Dael Thermal.” This new business unit offers an exciting opportunity for Dael to strengthen and expand its combustion service offering in the South Western area of Ontario and allows Specialty Combustion to expand its service offerings into a full mechanical 24 hour, 7 day Service Company that can also provide turnkey solutions to a variety of mechanical problems.
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February 2 of this year we posted a press release about the brand new Bodycote commercial heat treating facility in Syracuse, NY (press release follows). As an update to this story we see that the facility is now ITAR compliant; “Bodycote’s brand new state of the art Syracuse facility is now ITAR compliant. The Syracuse facility, encompassing 60,000 square feet of operating space, is operational and offers a wide range of heat treatment processes. These include vacuum heat treating, atmospheric carburizing, low-pressure carburizing, carbonitriding, ferritic nitrocarburizing, nitriding and aluminum heat treating.”
For our readers not familiar with this certification it stands for International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The long and the short of it is that if you want to heat treat firearm or defense related items you have to be ITAR compliant.
“Feb 2, 2021; Bodycote, the world’s largest provider of heat treatments and specialist thermal processing services, is pleased to announce the opening of a new facility in Syracuse, New York, USA. The new Syracuse facility is the second new facility to be opened in North America in as many months, following on from the announcement of the opening of the new Elgin, Illinois facility in December 2020.
The Syracuse facility, encompassing 60,000 square feet of operating space, is now operational and offers a wide range of heat treatment processes. These include vacuum heat treating, atmospheric carburizing, low-pressure carburizing, carbonitriding, ferritic nitro carburizing, nitriding and aluminum heat treating. It is envisaged that the site will secure all major OEM approvals as well as Nadcap accreditation which it is already well on the way to achieving.
Stephen Harris, Bodycote Group Chief Executive, commented, “We are very pleased to announce the opening of another new facility in the USA, this time in Syracuse, New York. This investment demonstrates Bodycote’s continuing commitment to align resources to serve our customers across North America.” This investment is part of Bodycote’s further expansion in the USA. Bodycote is committed to offering world-class heat treating services and is investing in improvements as part of an ongoing strategy to provide the best possible capabilities combined with superior quality. Bodycote’s geographic network is constantly evolving with growth targeted at serving both our customers current and future needs. There will be an official opening event when conditions allow.”
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Back in June of 2020 we received the press release below from vacuum furnace builder Solar Manufacturing. The customer, Magnetic Shields Ltd., of Kent, England has now received the furnace and is starting installation.
“Sellersville, PA, June 15, 2020 – Magnetic Shields Ltd of Kent, England and Solar Manufacturing have had a strong partnership since 2016. In this time, Solar Manufacturing has engineered one vacuum furnace and has been commissioned to design and build a second furnace. This new furnace will be one of the largest horizontal vacuum furnaces in the UK. The new HFL-7496-EQ vacuum furnace, being built with a SolarVac® Polaris control system, will be designed to accommodate loads up to 48” wide x 48” high x 96” deep, (1220 x 1220 x 2440mm) with a maximum weight of 5,000 lbs (2270 kgs). Operating at a vacuum level of 10-5 Torr, this new furnace will be able to reach temperatures up to 2400°F (1315°C). It will feature a partial pressure hydrogen gas process and an external quench system designed for negative pressure quenching.
Rick Jones, VP of International Sales at Solar Manufacturing states, “Solar Manufacturing is very pleased to be selected as the supplier to further support Magnetic Shields in leading the production of equipment for the medical industry and other high technology applications, specifically, high performance large magnetic shields and low field shielded rooms.” Magnetic Shields Ltd. Director Colin Woolger adds, “Magnetic Shields is delighted to order our second vacuum furnace from Solar Manufacturing. The new furnace will enable us to more than double the maximum size of shields we can now produce in one piece and also increase the general heat treatment capacity for our growing company. This order was awarded, in no small part, due to the superb reliability of our existing Solar Manufacturing furnace which has revolutionized the consistency and quality of our magnetic heat treatment process, a key stage in the manufacture of all of our shielding products. We look forward to the new furnace arriving later this year.”
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Anne Moffatt, Gord and Dale Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” are deliriously happy because just last week they delivered to thousands and thousands of readers the March 2021 issue of “The Monty Heat Treat News Magazine” https://fliphtml5.com/gvbzt/rp
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