Commercial heat treater Nitrex who is ranked as one of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America by “The Monty” https://themonty.com/articles/largest-north-american-commercial-heat-treats-august-2020/ continues with their very ambitious expansion plans. August 27th of this year the firm announced an expansion to their operations in Poland https://themonty.com/nitrex-poland-expanding/ and July 20th the company told us how their Aurora, Illinois, USA site was expanding https://themonty.com/monday-morning-briefing-67/

Well today we can tell you that the company is adding a brand new location in Ningbo, China to be called “Nitrex Thermal Technology (Ningbo) Co., Ltd.” This facility will compliment their existing plant in Wuxi,  China “Nitrex Thermal Technology (Wuxi) Co., Ltd”. Construction is almost completed on the Ningbo building and equipment will start being installed shortly with a completion date hopefully later this year. Undoubtedly this plant will have Nitrex gas nitriding furnaces but whether it will follow in the steps of the Aurora plant and offer vacuum carburizing also is a question which we can’t answer at this point in time.

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Rohde Schutzgasöfen GmbH is pleased to announce the delivery of an SRU 80 to a captive heat treater located in North West, USA.  The SRU 80 will be used to recover quench salt from an austempering process and reduce the overall salt expenses each month. There are additional details below along with a video describing the SRU and a video detailing how to startup an SRU.

If you quench with salt then you should take a look at our VH range. This is our range of salt recovery units for recovering your quench salt, whilst simultaneously disposing of your washing water. In this way we not only save you disposal costs, we also facilitate the reuse of your clean quench salt. This is not only good for your wallet, but also makes a contribution to protecting our environment at the same time.

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Overview Of Salt Recovery System

Salt Recovery Unit Startup Steps

The recent pandemic forced many companies into survival mode: reducing head-count, cutting costs where possible and establishing new health and safety protocols, all while trying their best to carry on with business as usual. But what about the next crisis? Will your company revert to survival mode, or will you be ready? Will your company survive, or will it thrive? Developing a self-sustainable operation is the next critical step for future-focused companies. For manufacturers, this means ensuring their plants do not come to a standstill. How many third parties does your company rely on? Have you experienced delayed deliveries or needed to quickly research and find new suppliers? Various industries, including heat treating, are dependent on nitrogen for crucial steps in their processes. Traditionally, this means relying on a third party and being under contract for regular liquid-nitrogen deliveries. It may be time for a new game plan … take control, lower your costs and generate your nitrogen in-house, on demand.

South-Tek Systems has been designing and manufacturing dependable nitrogen-generation technology since 1997. We have installed more than 12,000 systems into small, privately held businesses and Fortune 500 companies, all looking to drive cost savings and efficiency. South-Tek’s brand has not only been built on reliability but also on easy integration into a customer’s manufacturing facility – providing nitrogen generators that are quick and simple to maintain.  Tried, Tested and Proven Technology Nitrogen, Earth’s most abundant gas, makes up 79% of the air we breathe. Generating nitrogen in-house, filtering out oxygen and other gases and impurities, is the current preference of many applications for producing nitrogen in a safe, efficient and cost-effective manner. PSA (pressure swing adsorption) filtration technology coupled with a dual-bed design is the gold standard of industrial nitrogen generation. Decades of progress with N2 generation have clearly identified PSA as the trusted filtration process to provide continuous 95-99.999% N2 purities.

“99.999% nitrogen can be achieved with a proper system design that utilizes dual-bed PSA as its nitrogen purification technology,” said Matt Thomas, director of engineering at South-Tek Systems. “We ensure purity levels with in-house testing using oxygen analyzers that have accuracies of ±2 ppm (parts per million). Many clients require additional third-party verification using very precise chromatography machines that corroborate our factory results and the ability of our generators to achieve purities better than 10 ppm O2 for years in the field.”

“Accomplishing consistent high-purity nitrogen year after year requires years of design experience, utilization of high-quality components, proper setup and straightforward periodic maintenance,” Thomas said. The principle of PSA technology is ADSORPTION. Not to be confused with absorption, adsorption is the ability of a solid substance to attract molecules they come in contact with to their surface. The gas does not become part of the solid; instead, it is held by the solid surface under a specific pressure.

In the first step of the process, compressed air passes through a series of filters to remove any oils, particulate or moisture. Next, the clean, dry air moves into one of the two adsorption vessels (sieve beds) filled with carbon molecular sieve material (CMS). As the pressure increases to 95-130 psi, the CMS material selectively adsorbs the smaller molecules of oxygen, allowing the larger molecules of nitrogen to pass through. The nitrogen, at the desired purity level, is then stored and ready for use (Figs. 1 and 2).

While the first sieve bed is making N2, the second sieve bed depressurizes to exhaust the adsorbed O2 into the atmosphere. This cycle of adsorption and desorption (pressurize/depressurize) between the two sieve beds allows for continuous production of nitrogen at a consistent purity. The dual-bed design allows for maximum efficiency and minimal maintenance.

One Size Does Not Fit All

For years, the heat-treating industry has depended on the inert properties of nitrogen to push oxygen out of high-temperature environments, often requiring high flowrates and purities in a short amount of time. Traditionally, buying bulk nitrogen has been the go-to solution. With modern nitrogen generators dialed-in to meet the specific requirements of the heat-treating industry, companies are recognizing the numerous benefits of self-sustainable nitrogen generation and making the switch.

The general manager of a Midwest commercial heat-treat facility describes their experience with the transition to nitrogen generation. “The system is well-engineered and the quality of the components South-Tek uses are superior,” he said. “Since installing the generator three years ago, we have not had any unscheduled downtime. This is a solid and reliable way of receiving our necessary nitrogen supply.”

Industrial generators should not be a one-size-fits-all solution. A single nitrogen generator offers flow rates ranging from 50 scfh up to 36,000 scfh and purities from 95% up to 99.999%. With each 1/100th of a percent change in purity affecting both the application process and cost, precision is critical. A system customized for your exact nitrogen requirements is necessary to be considered an efficient and cost effective solution.

Is nitrogen generation a good fit for heat treating?

Heat treating uses nitrogen for processes including blanketing, nitrogen purging, carrier gas and more. Dan Herring, “The Heat Treat Doctor,” provides South-Tek clients expert advice regarding heat treating and metallurgical processes related to nitrogen atmospheres, helping them recognize when a generator is the best solution and when it is not.  The atmospheres used in the heat-treat industry have one of two common purposes:

• To protect the components processed from harmful chemical reactions that could occur on their surfaces (such as oxidation or carburization) – that is, to be passive (chemically inert) to the metal surface
• To allow the surface of the parts to be changed (by adding carbon, nitrogen or both) – that is, to be reactive (chemically active) to the metal surface

Nitrogen generators offer the most benefit when a continuous-flow atmosphere of either pure N2 or N2 as a component is needed. Typical combinations include N2/H2, N2/CH4 or just N2 for cover gas in N2 tempering, stress relieving, normalizing, annealing, hardening or CAAB (continuous atmosphere aluminum brazing). Nitrogen generation is also suitable for continuous-flow applications where N2/ methanol atmospheres are needed, such as carburizing and neutral hardening. Additional examples of application use include chamber purging before FNC and nitriding, as well as feeding N2 flow as required by vacuum degreasers. Jim Wilbur of Wm. Wright & Associates Inc. works with many of the biggest names in the heat-treating industry. “We have installed multiple South-Tek generators, and each one has been problem-free and left our customer very satisfied,” Wilbur said.

Approximately 80% of nitrogen uses requires gas, not liquid form. The main reason nitrogen goes through a costly liquefaction process is for ease of transportation. Eliminate liquefaction and the cost behind it by simplifying the process and generating nitrogen on-site.

Today’s Smart Investment Helps Ensure Your Tomorrow

There has never been a better time to invest in your company’s tomorrow. Nitrogen generators provide a fast, favorable ROI, and when comparing the cost of generating nitrogen to buying in bulk, the heat treating industry on average realizes savings of 80-90%. For example, the current average price of purchasing liquid bulk is $1.00 per CCF, while the cost of generating your own with a South-Tek Systems’ generator is ~10 cents per CCF.

Jim Senne of MetalPro Resources, a 30-year veteran in the heat-treating industry, has years of successful South-Tek Systems’ nitrogen generator installations under his belt for various processes, including N2 tempering, N2/CH4 atmosphere, N2 purge of vestibules in continuous FNC and N2 bubbling in vacuum degreasing. Each process need is different, requiring capacities from 50 to 10,000 SCFH and purities ranging from 99 to 99.999%.

“There are two things that do not vary in these installations: the equipment runs completely trouble-free, and the economic payback was fast,” Senne said. Just as significant as the cost savings, generating nitrogen on-site cuts out the middleman and eliminates long-term contracts. Each self-sustaining initiative your company takes to prepare for unforeseen circumstances increases its ability to survive and thrive in the future. 

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“Sellersville, PA, September 14, 2020 – Recently, Brian Fitzpatrick, District 1 US Congressman, Bucks County, Pa., toured the Solar Manufacturing plant in Sellersville, Pa. He also addressed the facilities 55 employees outdoors in their front parking lot, discussing his top priorities in Congress – increasing economic opportunity and keeping our nation safe. Following his short address, he presented a US flag flown over the US Capital Building in recognition of the company’s community support.

The new Solar Manufacturing plant was completed in 2019 with an investment of $10 million by the Solar Atmospheres Companies. Solar Manufacturing is a supplier of vacuum heat treating furnaces to the metallurgical community, primarily to North America and also internationally.”​

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Recently we mentioned how Chromalloy in the UK was installing a new Titan vacuum furnace. We now have an official press release from Vacuum & Atmosphere Services in the UK who sold and installed the system; “VAS are extremely pleased to announce the delivery, build up and install of a brand new Ipsen Titan Vacuum Furnace. Chromalloy, a global provider of integrated solutions to extend the life of gas turbine engines, accepted delivery from USA two weeks ago, VAS has built up and positioned the new vacuum furnace ready for services in 2 days.  With the general industry uncertainty, VAS are grateful and delighted to see continual investment by a much valued UK customer. We look forward to fully commissioning the new vacuum furnace as soon as all services are supplied and look forward to supporting Chromalloy in the future. The Ipsen Titan vacuum furnace is a standard modular design, equipped with the versatility of processes, speed and uniformity, readily built to fit inside a standard truck or shipping container & extremely easy to install and operate anywhere in the world.”

In Michigan Enprotech Industrial Technologies is adding heat treating capacity to their newly expanded Lansing location. While the press release doesn’t say we believe it was a vacuum furnace which was added; “Enprotech Industrial Technologies, a provider of metal forming and steel manufacturing equipment, is adding 43,500 sq. ft. of manufacturing space to its 35,000-sq.-ft. Industrial Parkway building in Lansing, Mich. This project, the largest capital investment in the company’s history, consolidates its Michigan manufacturing operations to one centralized location. The expansion includes an extension of the large and small assembly bays and machine shop and the addition of a new welding shop and parts warehouse. Additionally, new CNC machines and a heat-treating furnace will be installed. The existing parts warehouse will be repurposed for the growing field service department team.”

SECO/WARWICK eSeminar-Heat Treatment & Metallurgy. In the age of COVID, e-seminars, Zoom meetings and virtual trade expositions have become the norm. Just last week we at “The Monty” attended the SECO/WARWICK eSeminar on Heat Treatment & Metallurgy, a first for us and most people for that matter. And what did we think? Well SECO put a heck of a lot of time and money into this event and it showed as it was very professionally done. We found some parts of the event rather confusing to navigate but that is perhaps the worst we can say. The best we can say is that the fellow who demonstrated how to detect leaks on a vacuum furnace was absolutely top notch and deserves an Oscar (no idea what his name is). The event was worthwhile but our honest opinion is that all virtual events are just not as good as the real thing.

From Vacu Braze in PA, USA we have this press release; “Vacu Braze is continuing to aggressively expand its capabilities for the Medical and Aerospace industries. We have recently installed a custom-built all-metal TM vacuum furnace in our climate-controlled clean processing room. With this new furnace, we have expanded our capacity for parts requiring a high degree of precision and purity. The new furnace can handle many materials and substrates including PH steels, cobalt-chromium steels, titanium, high nickel superalloys, and stainless steels. The furnace was custom built by TM for strict Vacu Braze specifications. As our clean processing capabilities expand, Vacu Braze is proud to provide innovative solutions to industries requiring precision, purity, and cleanliness from their heat treatment provider.”

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HEF Group, one of the worlds leading providers of Liquid Nitriding and Physical Vapor Deposition Technologies. Today we have An interview with Mr. Shlok Sundaresh, Engineering Manager-TS USA (HEF Group-North America).

Shlok to start off perhaps you could give us some background information about yourself, educational background and work experience in the heat treatment industry?

First and foremost, I would like to thank TheMonty.com for this opportunity to share my background, work experience and about my organization – HEF on this prestigious platform.

I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science Engineering in 2012 from one of the oldest engineering colleges in India – College of Engineering Pune. As the Student Treasurer of the Indian Institute of Metals (Pune Chapter) that focused on strengthening the industry-academia relationship, this stint provided an opportunity to get acquainted with the heat treatment industry. I interned in the heat treat department at Bharat Forge Ltd. in 2011 and was fascinated with the potential opportunity in this field! I moved to the United States in 2012 to pursue my Masters in Industrial Engineering with specialization in manufacturing at The Ohio State University. As a Graduate Research Associate, I worked on heat treatment modeling and simulations for industry projects and published several research articles in this field with focus on powder metallurgy and liquid nitriding.  

After graduation, I joined TS USA (Techniques Surfaces USA – HEF Group) in 2014 and have been working here since then. In parallel, I recently completed a one-year executive education program from Stanford – Graduate School of Business focused on leadership and corporate innovation.

TS USA and HEF are companies which I have little personal experience with. Perhaps you could tell us more about the companies, their relationship and what you bring to the heat treatment/surface engineering industries? 

HEF Group, which has been in business for more than 60 years, is headquartered in France and is a leading global provider of surface treatments and coatings for wear, corrosion and friction reduction.  Our two primary surface technology options are Liquid Nitriding and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD – specifically diamond-like-carbon DLC coatings) – the only supplier that offers both technology options.  In addition, we do offer a whole range of other surface treatments to meet customer specific needs.  HEF is an employee owned company and a majority of our 2,500+ associates are shareholders. 

TS USA (Techniques Surfaces USA) is a subsidiary of HEF Group – jobbing network in the United States offering the above-mentioned services. HEF manufactures its own chemicals and equipment for liquid nitriding and PVD coatings while TS network does the processing activity. To summarize, we are a vertically integrated organization offering value-added surface engineering solutions. 

What has your career progression at TS USA (HEF Group) been? Along the same lines what are the most interesting aspects in your role as a heat treatment engineer?

I joined TS USA (HEF Group) in 2014 as a Process Engineer for its Springfield, Ohio facility offering liquid nitriding treatments and PVD coatings. As our footprint in the US grew, my responsibilities included other facilities offering liquid nitriding treatments across diverse applications. In 2018, I was promoted to the role of Senior Process Engineer leading process development activities for the US organization. During the same period, I was the resident expert for the automotive heat treatment and coatings management system CQI-9 and CQI-12 that are key requirements for heat treat suppliers per IATF 16949. In 2019, I was promoted to the Engineering Manager position responsible for all process engineering activities of the company. Part of my responsibility includes providing technical support to our licensees on the liquid nitriding service side of the business and assisting our customers in North America on application development utilizing our surface treatments.

There are several aspects of my role that I find interesting. To name a few:

What are your thoughts on current trends in surface engineering/case hardening technologies? How does HEF Group fit in with these trends? 

Surface engineering and tribology (science of interacting surfaces, study of wear and friction) are still an emerging field globally.  With more innovative and complex systems being designed and manufactured for various demanding applications, along with a stronger drive for continuous efficiency improvements, surface engineering solutions have become crucial for meeting performance standards. This has led to more emphasis on value-oriented solutions vis-à-vis solely cost-oriented ones.  

Traditional case hardening technologies with environmental concerns have now been replaced with advanced, environmentally friendly methods as in case of liquid nitriding solutions offered by HEF.  As a matter of fact, the chemicals/ingredients manufactured and utilized for liquid nitriding processes by HEF are REACH and RoHS compliant. On the other hand, there is growing interest in thin-film deposition methods (PVD/DLC coatings) from a higher hardness, reduced friction and excellent dimensional stability standpoint. With HEF’s DNA in R&D focused on tribology, this has given us the necessary depth and bandwidth to offer technologically innovative, customizable surface engineering solutions to our customers and adapt well with the current market trends. 

Could you explain what advantages you feel your processes have over gas nitriding and other competitive platings?

Nitriding, or nitrocarburizing, can be accomplished using four different media: 1) Liquid; 2) Gas; 3) Plasma; and 4) Fluidized Bed.  All methods are intended to accomplish similar – though not identical results.  However, Liquid (salt-bath) is considered the benchmark for uniformity, consistency, and flexibility. ARCOR® and MELONITE® Liquid Nitriding also provides the best combination of wear and corrosion protection and short processing times (4-5 hours total – compared to 24-hours with gas nitriding).  In addition, Liquid Nitriding is very price competitive with other nitriding options. 

HEF also offers the option of post-nitriding impregnation utilizing various proprietary oils or aqueous polymers to further enhance the corrosion resistance of the nitrided component.  The controlled and customizable surface porosity generated by the ARCOR® Liquid Nitriding process is very effective in retaining the impregnated fluid and increasing the level of corrosion protection.  This impregnation also provides additional surface lubricity which is very beneficial during the break-in operating phase of the component.

In the past, gas and ion/plasma nitriding were the default processes for components with large dimensions (more than 60 inches long) and weights – because Liquid Nitriding furnace sizes were not big enough.  With our new facility in Chattanooga Tennessee, this has changed.  Now customers from a diverse range of segments – O&G, Hydraulic & Pneumatic equipment; miscellaneous industrial machinery – can get their large size parts treated using ARCOR® liquid nitriding – which is the most value-added option for their applications. 

On a side note, HEF’s environmentally friendly liquid nitriding technology along with its enhanced performance has been the go-to process replacing hard chrome platings – which has its environmental challenges with hexavalent chrome. 

Shlok you are a relatively young fellow (and I say this with great respect) what do you see as the opportunities/challenges that a young engineer faces getting into the heat treatment industry? Any words of advice which you can offer? 

Based on my limited experience in the heat treatment industry, there are certainly many interesting aspects to consider as a young engineer. Heat treatment is a core, evergreen field and the entire gamut feels larger than life in industrial environments with massive equipments, furnaces, instrumentation, components, etc.  As a young engineer, one of the main challenges (or rather an opportunity as I see it) is the application of theory to practice. Joining the industry which already has immense practical, application experience can sometimes be overwhelming as a young heat treat engineer. It is thus important to continuously learn on the job, grasp the practicality of heat treatment effectively, gain the required hands-on experience, work together as a team with the more experienced / often underrated shop floor operators and at the same time understand direct impact on applications from customers where such processes are utilized. As a word of advice, I would also recommend having few mentors to look up to and follow in this industry. Their guidance and feedback can be instrumental in shaping one’s career.

In your opinion what are the skills/qualities that a young engineer must possess as he/she gets exposure in our industry? 

The most important quality that a young engineer must possess in my humble opinion is the ability or rather willingness to continuously learn. As we all know – “Knowledge is power”, but true power is to apply what you have learnt and continuously improve! Young engineers need to have an open mind and must pay attention to detail especially in a heat treatment facility. While metallurgy is sometimes abstract to understand unless observed under a microscope, it is important as heat treatment engineers to communicate effectively in simple terms to not just shop floor staff, but also to customers explaining the impact and criticality of the designed processes.

I have spent my entire working life in the heat treatment industry and I find it to be a solid, mature, conservative field where things change relatively slowly. What is your opinion?

I do agree with your assessment of our industry to a great extent – it is certainly solid, mature while conservative with changes taking place relatively slowly. However, with the advancements in technology and recent market trends, many organizations in this industry are in process of constantly adapting to the changing needs of the customer. Stricter government regulations, more stringent quality standards, enhanced performance requirements and complex-integrated systems have resulted in more innovative, technologically advanced and state-of-the-art heat treatment/surface engineering solutions while being cost-efficient at the same time.  Unprecedented times like we are currently in (COVID-19) is one such external factor that has pushed our industry to rapidly change and adapt to a new norm, with most organizations strategically implementing internal changes to strive for a profitable future!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years?

As a passionate engineer in the surface engineering service industry, I look forward to continuously learning and utilizing my knowledge and experience, thereby actively contributing to the growth of my organization from a techno-commercial management standpoint. Also, on a more holistic level, I would like to contribute to the development of our heat treatment industry and promote it across universities for the younger generation of engineers to carry the torch forward! 

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“Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, September 9th, 2020 — ECM USA has recently acquired two used Flex 600 TG Vacuum Furnace Systems. Both systems are available from 2 to 8 cells with top-down 20 bar nitrogen gas quenches; optional oil quench. The first system was built in 2003, but completely renewed in 2017 with a new variable speed quench, new pumps, loading unit and hot zones. The second system was originally built in 2004 and completely renewed in 2017 with new hot zones. Suggested heat treatment applications include, but are not limited to: vacuum carburizing, annealing, sintering, brazing and hardening. If you are interested in one or both of the vacuum furnace systems, please contact Dennis Beauchesne at [email protected] or (336) 210-5316.”

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“Solar Atmospheres recently installed another all-metal hot zone vacuum furnace at its 1969 Clearview Road facility in Souderton, PA. This is Solar’s sixth all-metal hot zone furnace installation, and the fourth for their climate-controlled room. The furnace is a new Mentor model, built by sister company Solar Manufacturing, has a working zone of 12” x 12” x 18”, and is the first of its kind. The additional furnace increases Solar’s capacity for processing sensitive materials such as PH stainless, nickel-based superalloys, titanium, and ferritic / austenitic stainless steels, yet focuses on smaller lots and one-off items. The furnace makes it possible to reap the benefits of an all–metal furnace while minimizing the overall cost.”

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Yes there is a lot of doom and gloom in the heat treatment industry these days but in spite of that there are bright spots out there. For instance we mentioned just a couple of weeks ago how any firms involved in manufacturing firearms are having a banner year. We will give you another more specific example, commercial heat treater and brazing company Vacu-Braze in Quakertown, PA, USA. Owned and run by Ralph Puerta (whose son Doug is CEO of Stack Metallurgical in Oregon) the firm offers vacuum heat treating, vacuum brazing, nitriding and atmosphere heat treating. 2020 has been quite a good year for the company and they have responded by making substantial investments in the plant and in more equipment. These investments include several new vacuum furnaces and furnace rebuilds. Kirk Palermo, VP of the company has this to say; “We continue to be busy and see steady growth.  We are working on completing our NADCAP certification, focus on plant improvements and installing new equipment.  It seems that every piece of equipment we install we can fill with work pretty quickly.  We have been very fortunate during this strange time”. Stay tuned and we will have all the details for you in the near future.

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Our previous news item spoke of Vacu Braze in the USA finding business to be quite good these days. Another company which is “weathering the storm” well these days is Canada’s largest commercial heat treater Metex Heat Treat in Mississauga, Canada. The company was in the news earlier this year when they ordered a new 7,000 pound per hour mesh belt line. Well Metex is within a couple of days of starting up a brand new pit gas nitrider which can handle FNC work as well as other associated processes. This marks the company’s first venture into pit gas nitriding, a process which will compliment their carburizing, neutral hardening and induction capabilities. From our files we found this picture of the founder of the company Mr. Surjit Bawa with the company metallurgist Mr. Grant Robinson.

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