We mentioned previously that Poclain Hydraulics a manufacturer of hydrostatic transmissions and in house heat treater in Wisconsin, USA is planning on discontinuing carburizing at this location in favor of other technologies. This means their 3 cell ECM vacuum carburizing system will be available sometime in the future, however it will be a little way down the road as the company like many these days will be closed for the next number of weeks.
We are in the process of updating our annual list of the Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America and this year we will be expanding it to the 30 largest-in the process we are leaning lots of fun stuff. For instance Thermal Vac out in California, USA is doing lots of stuff and have some very ambitious projects in the works. These plans include more equipment and more location (s). For the time being we can’t say much but you can take it to the bank that the company is growing. Thermal Vac offers brazing, heat treating and finishing processes and includes amongst their customers NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Space-X which is a pretty impressive list. By the way for the first time ever our list of the largest will include a commercial heat treater who is almost exclusively Induction which is rather interesting.
A new addition to our list will be Metex Heat Treating in Canada who just might be the largest commercial heat treater on the continent when it comes to mesh belt furnace capacity. If there is another one larger we are not aware of it. We also learned that one of the heat treaters on our list of the largest also has the largest oil quenching vertical vacuum furnace in the world. This monster has 65’ of continuous vacuum chamber from the bottom of the 10,000 gallon quench tank to the top of the furnace. The company? Family owned Rex Heat Treat in PA, USA.
While we are on the topic of the largest vertical vacuum oil quenching furnace in North America we had always thought of Vac Aero owning this title. A few years back the company built a giant with working dimensions of roughly 30’ high (the photo below shows the furnace under construction, to give you an idea about perspective the President of the company Mr. Scott Rush is well over 6’ tall). So if anybody ever asks you where the largest vertical, oil quenching vacuum furnace is you now have the answer.
It’s a changed world and currently not as much fun as it used to be but companies are still buying and installing new furnaces so all is not lost. For instance Rubig in Austria is saying that their rep in the USA, Mr. John Young just landed an order for a new Rubig Plasma Nitrder and that this was the quickest order the company has landed in North America. We will be interested in hearing more details. Unitherm Furnace recently commissioned a large 40ft car bottom furnace for a MidWest forging company. Unitherm, based in Missouri, USA is part of a very small, select group by the way in that they build furnaces and also do commercial heat treating through another division, Missouri, Heat Treat. We can only think of approximately 6 companies in North America which do both.
SECO/WARWICK is another company which has also been busy installing equipment. Recently the company installed 2 systems in the US including this large unit designed for FNC using Endothermic gas as the carbon source.
COVID-19 Update. From furnace builder Rohde in Hanau, Germany we have this report about how they are coping with the current situation. Interesting that they like many German companies insist on only using German suppliers. Also interesting how they are coping with sales engineers and accommodations.
“The Coronavirus is affecting life and the economy worldwide. We see how many companies depend upon delivery of parts and supplies from other countries and especially from China. Production has stopped in many factories, because the supply chain has been interrupted. At Rohde Schutzgasoefen we have a huge advantage which is due to our company philosophy
“made in Germany“. As we only order our material and parts from German suppliers, if possible even from local suppliers, we still get all the needed material to continue to build our furnaces and salt recovery units which allows us to cope with our delivery times. The spare parts for our furnaces are available locally, or can be produced locally and can be shipped to our customers worldwide. And as the production and assembly takes place exclusively in Hanau, we haven’t experienced a huge impact from the Coronavirus.
The control systems of our furnaces are open which allows the customers full control even without the manufacturer. They can also be configured with parts that the customer can get locally, so that there is no dependency. Of course our service is always available if the customers want it. With remote maintenance we can offer full support if our customers can‘t solve the problem on their own or need an adaption of their processes. In Germany all hotels are closed at the moment, in case a customer wants a maintenance or a repair, we offer to send our service engineers with a camper van. This allows us to offer even service interventions for companies that are located far away.“ Natasha Rohde
The COVID-19 situation is generating photos about the heat treating industry which we never thought we would see. Some examples include the ones below. If you have a funny or interesting photo you would like to share we would be happy to post it for you.
Plasma Nitriding Furnace manufacturer Ion Heat posted this photo of a ventilator they just produced, we are impressed at how quickly they came out with this product.
Harald Berger of furnace manufacturer Aichelin GesmbH with an Aichelin approved mask.
Captive/Commercial Heat Treater Ramada in Portugal is well prepared.
We welcome our most recent advertiser, GRUPO ETSA of Mexico whose banner ad can be found on the right hand side of this page. Founded in 1979, Especialidades Termicas, S.A (ETSA Group) is one of the two largest commercial heat treaters in the country with 6 locations, Guadalajara, Celaya, Aguascalientes, San Juan del Rio and Mexico City. The company has 350 employees, annual sales close to $20 million USD and a partnership with HEF-France (the salt nitriding people). We’ll give you some more background including the business mix which is 85% automotive/oil components and 15% vacuum tooling. In actual number of furnaces we can say that the company has 6 vacuum furnaces, 4 nitrocarburizing, 20 batch IQ’s, 3 mesh belt lines, 2 large pit carburizers, 4 bell type for annealing and 1 austemper line. While the company is known for a number of reasons they are possibly best known as the largest commercial mesh belt heat treater in Mexico. We will let you in on a bit of a secret-the company will be the only commercial heat treater in Mexico to make our list of the 30 largest commercial heat treats in North America. More details about the company can be found at
https://themonty.com/etsa-grou
From the Wall Street Journal comes the summary below about current and future aircraft sales for Boeing and Airbus. For the captive and commercial heat treating industries this could perhaps be more aptly entitled “Why Aerospace Heat Treating is Going to Slow Down”. To date many of the heat treaters we have spoken to who concentrate on the aerospace industry have reported sales to be good, however looking at these forecasts tell the story that at some point they will slow down.
“The travel slump has coincided with continuing delays in returning the 737 MAX to service, with customers canceling orders for 150 of the jets in March, and Boeing said Tuesday it had downgraded the status of some existing deals because of airlines’ weakening financial health. Boeing and rival Airbus SE still have orders for almost 13,000 jets placed over the past few years and have started to cut production rates in response to the collapse in global airline traffic caused by virus-related travel restrictions and the resulting economic slowdown. Both plane makers are expected to suffer more cancellations as some airlines are expected to collapse because of a crisis that analysts expect to cost at least two or three years of growth. The International Air Transport Association on Tuesday forecast global passenger numbers would fall 55% this year compared with 2019. The trade group’s revised estimate includes a limited recovery in some domestic markets starting in the third quarter. Boeing’s March cancellations come ahead of a window for some customers to cancel orders without onerous penalties because of contracts that allow them to walk away from deals if planes are a year late, said aviation bankers. The company is expected to update investors on its orders, compensation to MAX customers and continuing efforts to strengthen its balance sheet when it reports quarterly earnings April 29. The MAX cancellations in March came from a variety of customers, including 75 from lessor Avolon Holdings Ltd. and 34 from Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA . It didn’t lose any deals for larger wide-body planes. The airline industry’s deteriorating financial health led Boeing to downgrade orders for another 163 jets, including 139 of its MAX aircraft. It still has contracts to sell the planes, but they have been removed from its firm backlog because of a reduced expectation they will be delivered. It ended the quarter with 5,049 firm orders.
March deliveries included 11 787 Dreamliners, three 777s and two 767 freighters. It also handed over three KC-46A military tankers and a P-8 surveillance jet to the U.S. Navy, which ordered 18 more of the planes last month. Boeing this week restarted limited production of the military versions of its commercial jets at a facility near Seattle following a temporary closure because of virus-related travel and work restrictions in Washington state. Production of commercial jetliners in the state and at a separate facility in South Carolina remains shut down indefinitely. Boeing secured orders for 31 jets last month, more than half of them from the Navy, with previously announced deals for a dozen 787s from All Nippon Airways parent ANA Holdings Inc. and a single 767 freighter from FedEx Corp. Its shares closed down more than 4%. Airbus last week said it delivered 36 aircraft in March, down from 55 in February. It booked net orders for 21 jets after 15 cancellations. The company said it would cut production rates by about a third.”
From Mr. Ankit Gupta, Director of commercial heat treater Modern Metals India we have this article about Plasma Nitriding, where and how you use it. In the first photo we see Gord Montgomery, Ankit and Rakesh, Gupta at the Thermprocess show in Dusseldorf, Germany June 2019. The second photo shows a typical Plasma Nitriding unit, one offered by Ion Heat.
Plasma nitriding (ion nitriding) is a plasma-supported thermochemical case hardening process used to increase wear resistance, surface hardness and fatigue by generation of a hard layer including compressive stresses.
Application and materials. Typical applications include gears, crankshafts, camshafts, cam followers, valve parts, extruder screws, pressure die-casting tools, forging dies, cold forming tools, injectors and plastic mould tools, long shafts, axis, clutch, and engine parts. Plasma nitriding and plasma nitrocarburising are often preferred to the corresponding gas processes if masking is required.
Plasma nitriding is suitable for all ferrous materials, including sintered steel with higher porosity, cast iron and high alloyed tool steel even with chromium contents higher than 12 percent. Stainless steel and nickel-based alloys can be plasma nitrided and keep most of their corrosion resistance if low temperatures are applied. Special applications include plasma nitriding of titanium and aluminium alloys. For heavy loads on large machine parts such as shafts and spindles, the use of special chromium and aluminum alloyed nitriding steel gives a huge benefit, as plasma nitriding generates surface hardness of more than 1,000 HV.
Process details. Plasma nitriding/nitrocarburising is a modern thermochemical treatment, which is carried out in a mixture of nitrogen, hydrogen and an optional carbon spending gas. In this low-pressure process, a voltage is applied between the batch and the furnace wall. A glow discharge with a high ionisation level (plasma) is generated around the parts. On the surface area that is directly charged by the ions, nitrogen-rich nitrides are formed and decomposed, releasing active nitrogen onto the surface. Due to this mechanism, shielding is easily done by covering the concerning areas with a metal blanket. Plasma nitriding allows modification of the surface according to the desired properties. Tailor-made layers and hardness profiles can be achieved by adapting the gas mixture from a compound layer-free surface with low nitrogen contents up to 20 microns thick, to a compound layer with high nitrogen contents and an add-on of carbonic gas (plasma nitrocarburation). The wide applicable temperature range enables a multitude of applications beyond the possibilities of gas or salt bath processes.
Benefits. The advantages of gaseous nitriding processes can be surpassed by plasma nitriding. Particularly when applied to higher alloyed steels, plasma nitriding imparts a high surface hardness which increases resistance to wear, scuffing, galling, and seizure. Fatigue strength is increased mainly by the development of surface compressive stresses. Plasma nitriding is a smart choice whenever parts are required to have both nitrided and soft areas. The possibility of generating a compound layer-free diffusion layer is often used in plasma nitriding prior to PVD or CVD coating, and customised layers and hardness profiles can also be achieved. Ankit Gupta, Director, Modern Metals India.
Back in June of 2019 it was announced that custom fastener manufacturer in Westbury, NY, would be closing the plant by the end of the year (a news report is below). It has now been announced that the equipment will be auctioned June 30 of this year. Included in the auction will be a number of heat treat items including induction systems, some atmosphere equipment and three vacuum furnaces. The centerpiece will be a fairly nice VFS vacuum furnace which we guarantee will sell, however in this market it is debatable how many of the other items will find buyers, at least buyers for anything over scrap value.
“A nearly 170-year-old manufacturer that made fasteners for the plane Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic will close its Westbury plant and lay off 39 workers later this year, according to state filings. Founded in 1850, John Hassall LLC will close the plant at 609 Cantiague Rock Rd. by Nov. 30, according to the state. The company cited “economic” reasons for the plant closure in its state WARN notice. Hassall, which makes custom-designed metal parts and fasteners for the aerospace, automotive, defense and other industries, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2014. The company reported at the time that it could lay off its entire staff of 83 employees between July 28 and August 10, 2014. The following year, the firm staged a turnaround after being purchased by Texas-based Novaria Group. Novaria said it planned to move its subsidiary, Sky Aerospace Products, from Los Angeles to John Hassall’s 65,000-square-foot Long Island facility. To encourage that move, Empire State Development, the state’s primary business-aid agency, said in December 2015 that it would provide up to $1.2 million in tax credits to Novaria, which agreed to retain John Hassall’s 81 jobs, add 57 more and maintain those employment levels through 2025. But the company did not file appropriate paper work, including an intial employment report, and was never awarded the tax breaks, according to ESD. The WARN notice filed last week lists the Westbury plant as having a total of 39 employees.”
Not a day goes by at “The Monty” that we don’t receive an e mail offer promoting the most recent heat treat industry report. Examples from this week include; “Informative Report On Vertical Vacuum Furnaces Market 2020 With Key Players Ipsen, Tenova, IHI Machinery and Furnace etc.”, “Automotive Heat Treatment Market Emerging Trends, Size, Share and Growth Analysis by 2025”,“High Temperature Furnaces Market Trends, Opportunities, Key Players, Growth, Analysis, Outlook & Forecasts To 2025”-and these examples represent a very small fraction of the total we receive. While we suppose there are some good reports out there, many that we see are very poorly researched, full of inaccuracies and expensive to boot. As an example today we received an offer about a report on the Gas Nitriding Furnace Market; “Gas Nitriding Furnace Market Huge Incredible Growth by World 2029 | Surface Combustion, Bodycote (Nitrex Metal), Seco/Warwick”. Right off the bat this headline is incorrect in their reference to Bodycote (Nitrex Metal). Yes several years ago Bodycote did buy Nitrex Metal Technologies in Burlington, Canada but that was a different company from Nitrex Metal in Montreal and as we all know Bodycote does not build nitriding furnaces. The report continues with this; “The Major Players Covered in this Report: Surface Combustion, Bodycote (Nitrex Metal), Seco/Warwick, Solar Manufacturing, Ipsen”, which of course leaves out the largest supplier of Gas Nitriding Furnaces in the world-Nitrex Metal.
Another issue with reports in the time of COVID-19 is that the industry has changed so drastically in just a couple of months that we would question the validity of any report more than just few months old. A prediction about the aerospace industry from just 3 months ago will be hopelessly out of date now. We are certainly not saying that all industry reports are poor value for the money but we would say that like everything else in the world do your research before spending several thousand dollars on an a report which can be of dubious value.
Since 1999 “The Monty” has regularly put together a list of the largest commercial heat treaters operating in North America, our 2019 list can be found at https://themonty.com/articles/largest-north-american-commercial-heat-treats-august-2019/ We are in the process of putting together our list for this year which will be based upon 2019 sales for each company. While we originally listed the 10 largest heat treats, this grew to 15 last year and for this year it will double in size to 30 which means we are going to be mentioning some commercial heat treaters who have never made our lists before. As an example we will be including one Mexican company and one Canadian company which will be the first for each. As always we appreciate suggestions and comments.
“Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems recently delivered a custom built batch tempering furnace to a commercial heat treating company located in the heart of the Aerospace industry on the West Coast of the United States. With a working load size of 168” wide, 48” deep, and 48” tall, coupled with a max load weight of 10,000 pounds, the furnace can accommodate a number of differently sized parts within its market. The gas fired air furnace passes survey at +/- 10℉ over a temperature range of 850℉ to 1350℉ per AMS2750E. At our customer’s request, the electrical controls are UL approved and include the latest in Eurotherm brand temperature controlling instrumentation. Gasbarre was chosen as the provider of this equipment because of our ability to provide key custom sizing at the desired temperature uniformity and proven performance from prior equipment purchases.
With locations in Plymouth, MI, Cranston, RI and St. Mary’s PA Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems has been designing, manufacturing, and servicing a full line of industrial thermal processing equipment for nearly 50 years. Gasbarre’s product offering includes both batch and continuous heat processing equipment and specializes in Temper, Tip Up, Mesh Belt, Box, Car Bottom, Pit, and Vacuum Furnaces as well as a full line of replacement parts and auxiliary equipment which consists of atmosphere generators, quench tanks, and charge cars. Gasbarre’s equipment is designed for your process by experienced engineers and metallurgists that understand your requirements.”
Delta Heat Services based in the Netherlands has 5 locations in Europe and 1 in the Caribbean offering annealing, stress relieving and induction heat treating services. Just a week ago the company proudly announced that they had moved into a brand new facility in Antwerp. The photo below shows one of their furnaces, in this case a large carbottom.
