What we have here is an Ipsen bottom load vacuum furnace built in 1978 with working dimensions of 48″ X 48″, new controls, installed and apparently in quite good condition. So how saleable is it and what is it worth? The biggest issue for this furnace is that very few captive or commercial heat treaters have a need for a bottom load unit. As an example if lets say 200 new vacuum furnaces a years are sold in North America (we are talking heat treating, brazing and tempering only) probably only 10 of those would be bottom loaders. Effectively this means that unless somebody has an immediate need for a bottom loader the value is pretty well zero unless the vendor can afford to wait until there is a demand. In this particular case the vendor would like the space but does not need it immediately. Consequently they set an aggressive price asking price of $99,000 USD on the basis that they would like to sell the furnace but are not prepared to give it away. Our prediction is that it will sell within a few months at this price.
Three times over the past year we mentioned about heat treaters in North America installing brand new Hot Isostatic Processing systems, a technology which has always been on the fringes of conventional heat treating. So why this sudden interest? We went to the CEO of the largest supplier of such equipment, Mr. Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies and asked him a number of questions about why HIPing and why now? His very in depth answers will be featured next week, but for now we have this brief summary.
Mr. Jan Söderström, Quintus Technologies. We are very pleased today to have an interview with Mr. Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies-the world’s largest supplier of equipment for Hot Isostatic Processing.
- Over the years I have run across Hot Isostatic Processing many times, but I have to confess I know little about the technology-could you please give us a brief summary about the process and why it is used?
“HIP is mainly used to densify metal castings, containerized powder shapes and ceramic parts. With typical pressures from 1,035 to 2,070 bar (15,000 to 30,000 psi) and temperatures up to 2,000°C (3,630°F). A combination of temperature and pressure for a specific soak time eliminates porosity allowing HIP to achieve 100% of the theoretical density and improve the ductility, fracture toughness and fatigue resistance of critical, high-performance materials. For castings this technology has been extensively used in the aerospace as well as the industrial gas turbine market, but it is also widely used for powder metallurgy and near net shape production in the Oil and Gas industry. The fastest growing new user of HIP technology is metal Additive Manufacturing (AM), 3D-printing.”
So who the heck is Tratamientos Térmicos Panamericana Norte and why would we care? Founded in 1983 Tratamientos Térmicos Panamericana Norte is based in Santiago, Chile and is the largest commercial heat treater in the country. And the reason we mention them today is that this Saturday “The Monty” will be visiting the company with details and photos about the firm available on this page next week. It is probably the first time a commercial heat treater in Chile has made the news section of an international heat treat news site.
Most heat treaters in North America will have seen this nameplate on a furnace or a generator at some point in their careers-a nameplate identifying the “J.L. Becker” company as the builder or rebuilder. Well according to a news item we had yesterday this will slowly become a thing of the past and relegated to the history books. The owners of the brand announced that going forward they are transitioning to the new name of “Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems”, a change which is part of a whole host of investments and new ideas that the company is implementing.
One of the world’s largest and best known suppliers of controls for the heat treat industry, United Process Controls has seen a couple of personnel changes in Europe; “United Process Controls GmbH and Messrs Edgar Falkowski (previously Director Engineering) and Jens Baumann (previously Director Sales) parted company on 25 February 2019. As current contact person in place of Mr. Falkowski in the Engineering Division please contact our Ms. Soldani, phone +49 7161 94888-38, e-mail; [email protected]. Our existing team will continue to work with you in a professional and uninterrupted manner; the replacement of both positions is already in progress.” On the right side of this page you will find a banner ad for UPC. This photo was taken in Germany back in 2015; Edgar is third from the right and Jens is on the right.
We really know nothing beyond this news report. We can say that this is a good sized operation which has been around for many years and that the company has a very experienced team. This photo was taken last year when we visited the plant. “Saint Marys, Elk County Pa. – Emergency crews are at the scene of an explosion and fire at a factory in Elk County. We’re told at least one explosion sparked a fire at the Advanced Heat Treating Factory along Trout Run Rd. in Saint Marys around 11:22 p.m. According to dispatch, at least one person with unknown injuries was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle. We’re told that fire was under control by 12:15 a.m.”
Valued Customer,
We would like to announce that we will no longer be using the J.L. Becker name, but instead, are transitioning to our new name, Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems. This move is representative of the enhancements made by Gasbarre leadership to focus on reliable equipment with great service that is fundamental to the Gasbarre name.
Thermal Processing Systems is one of the three new business units that now comprise Gasbarre Products, Inc. The other two units are Powder Compaction Solutions and Manufacturing Technologies. Rebranding the Gasbarre corporate structure into these business units allow us to better align our diverse product offering with our end users.
The product lines of Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems include: continuous mesh belt and pusher furnaces for sintering, brazing, annealing, and steam treating applications; continuous and batch vacuum furnaces that serve a wide range of thermal processing applications and are adaptable to nearly any production process; and continuous and batch atmosphere equipment that serve customers in the aerospace, agriculture, automotive, commercial heat treating, energy, industrial equipment, and military industries.
Since inception, a key strategy of ours has been to develop a passionate and knowledgeable staff that not only knows our equipment, but understands our customers’ challenges. In recent years, we’ve strategically recruited and hired staff from all aspects of the industry. Here is a brief introduction to some of the new members of our team:
Patrick Weymer, National Sales Manager – over 25 years of heat treating equipment experience Eric Buchanan, Regional Sales Manager – nearly 20 years of experience in the commercial heat treating business working in roles such as quality, operations, and sales Mike Harrison, Sales & Metallurgical Engineer – over 15 years of’ experience in the commercial heat treating business working as a metallurgist, as well as, experience starting up new facilities, general management, and also brings extensive knowledge of the nitriding and FNC processes Nick Levine, Electrical & Controls Engineer – designed electrical and controls systems for heat treating equipment for over 30 years John Kaske, Mechanical Engineer – over 25 years of experience designing equipment for the thermal processing industry Anwelli Okpue, Project Engineer – has worked for Gasbarre for nearly 5 years Jake Verdoux, Manufacturing Manager – has worked for Gasbarre for over 5 years.
In recent years, Gasbarre has successfully completed multi-million dollar systems for both international and domestic customers, and highly complex projects for Fortune 500 companies. We’ve developed new technologies with family owned commercial heat treaters, and updated/upgraded current equipment designs.
We are excited to introduce our new Vacuum Purge Nitriding and FNC System. This system utilizes the latest technology for Kn & Kc control ensuring compliance to AMS 2759/10 & 12 specifications. Our fan, retort, and baffle systems give excellent temperature uniformity to meet AMS 2750 requirements. Optional items include pre- and post-oxidation control, an ammonia dissociator, and a rapid cooling system. This state-of-the-art furnace is designed, manufactured, and serviced here in the United States, which gives us the ability to offer competitive prices as well as domestic support from a staff knowledgeable in the equipment and processes.
Since the addition of J.L. Becker in 2011, Gasbarre has worked diligently at transforming the organization and products to accurately represent the performance, reliability, and service that Gasbarre customers have come to know. Through the hiring of talented, knowledgeable, and passionate personnel, we’ve improved our processes to ensure consistent communication and quality to our customers. We’ve made major advancements in our existing products and have introduced new products into the market. We are proud of the progress we’ve made and look forward to advancing our brand and products into the thermal processing industry worldwide.
Best Regards,
Benjamin T. Gasbarre President – Industrial Furnace Systems Division
When most people think of Austrian furnace builder AICHELIN they think of atmosphere furnaces which is largely true. However the company also has an Induction division which goes by the name of EMA Indutec which is the focus for this press release. This press release caught our attention because many years ago Mr. David of Chinese furnace builder Powermax took us on a tour of the Three Gorges Dam as you can see in this picture.
“Mecklesheim/Wuhan (ptp/26.02.2019/10:30) – Test operations have been in full swing for the past two years for the largest ship lift in the world, by the Yangtze River in the Chinese Hubei province. This vertical hoist enables ships with up to 3,000 tonnes of displacement to cross the Three Gorges Dam within one hour. AICHELIN subsidiary EMA Indutec has supplied the hardening plants for the gigantic toothed racks of the ship lift. The water level behind the dam is up to 113 meters higher than the river downstream. To overcome this great height, a ship lift with a basin sized 120 m (length) x 18 m (width) x 3.5 m (depth) is required. The lock gate, the mechanic systems and the water itself weigh more than 15,500 tonnes in total. The ship lift was installed as an addition to the five-storied lock, which is also the largest of its kind in the world and has been in operation since 2003. The freight volume on the dam has since quadrupled from close to 35 million tonnes to over 140 million tonnes per year. This rise is due to the booming water transportation sector in the mountain regions around the Three Gorges and the adjacent south-western Chongqing region.”
“A Midwestern facility of a US-based leader in the manufacture of safety-critical fasteners and assembly solutions has purchased a new MB48-120 mesh belt furnace from AFC-Holcroft. The new equipment will replace an older AFC-Holcroft installation. The new mesh belt furnace will integrate with existing companion equipment such as a loading system, pre- and post-wash systems, oil quench and temper furnace. The new mesh belt furnace will be used in the production of metal fasteners. AFC-Holcroft mesh belt lines can be customized with a variety of options, including oil and salt quenching. These systems also include the latest energy saving technologies to reduce atmosphere and gas consumption. Delivery and start-up of the new equipment are expected in the first quarter of 2019.”
We are going to start off the week with this press release from Ipsen; “Cherry Valley, ILLINOIS (March 1, 2019) – Ipsen USA is pleased to announce the promotion of Matt Clinite from Midwest Regional Sales Owner to Ipsen Customer Service Sales Manager, effective immediately. The position is new to Ipsen, and in it, Clinite will be responsible for building the Ipsen Customer Service sales team to provide the best in the industry aftermarket support for parts, engineered solutions and service. Clinite joined the company in June 2014 as a Sales Engineer and for the past four years has served as the Regional Sales Owner for the Midwest Region. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Illinois State University in 2011. “Since day one, Matt has influenced Ipsen in a positive direction,” said Pete Kerbel, Vice President of Sales, Ipsen USA. “Matt has excelled because of his work ethic and determination to solve problems for customers.” Ipsen’s customer service team is responsible for providing customers with comprehensive aftermarket support and services. Clinite’s experience and proven approach to customer service, combined with his technical ability, makes him the ideal fit for this role.”
Remember this news item from last week? “Are the Chinese Taking Over? Now here is a very interesting rumor, one which we take seriously enough to mention today. Rumor has it that a Chinese company involved in the auto industry will be announcing possibly as soon as today that they have acquired a large Western based furnace manufacturer. If this is true it would mark the first time that a Western based furnace company has been acquired by an Asian company.” Well we still expect that it will turn out to be true, however these acquisitions can grind on at an amazingly slow rate. As soon as we know something, you will know something.
Paul Zettler/AlphaTek. Down in Texas Paul Zettler had a growing business by the name of AlphaTek which did service, repairs and installs of vacuum furnaces (Paul worked for Mercer Technologies another company in the industry for a number of years). We’re not entirely sure what happened but it sounds like Paul has left the heat treating industry for something entirely different. This photo shows Paul (second from the right) and his team 5 years ago). For some reason there seems to be a high casualty rate amongst vacuum service companies in Texas. Another one which prospered for a while before going down in flames was Texas Vacuum Solutions which was founded by Matt Burnett. Matt and his company completely disappeared a few years ago with no forwarding address leaving only one vacuum furnace rebuilder based in Texas, Industrial Furnace Specialties founded by Randy Rowland which is absolutely top notch.
Furnace Manufacturer Rohde in Germany sent us this press release about a recent order for a pit furnace. “This photo was taken during the successful final acceptance test at the Rohde plant in Hanau. This pit furnace with cooling station was designed and built for S.C.A.I. Adaptors D.O.O. in Bosnia and Herzegowina. In this photo we have from the left; Andreas Wiesemann (technical director of Rohde), Paolo Fossati (Metalconsulting Italy), Raphael Raatz (deputy technical director of Rohde), Natasha Rohde, Roberto Bagnasco (CEO of S.C.A.I. Adaptors D.O.O.), Giuseppe Milano (quality manager S.C.A.I), Norbert Plass (director electrical department at Rohde).”
According to this press release a German company by the name of SCHWING Technologies want to bring Fluidized Bed Furnace technology to North America. Our first thought is that we hope the salespeople are working on salary and not commission. At the end of the day there is nothing wrong with the technology and probably some advantages however the bottom line is not 1 heat treater out of 100 in North America would even consider this technology. The photo below shows a typical system. “Thermal cleaning solutions and fluid bed process technology firm SCHWING Technologies is opening a new sales office in the U.S., the company announced this week. The newly founded SCHWING Technologies North America Inc. is based in Princeton, NJ. The North American office is headed by chemical engineer Michael J. Robinson, a proven expert in fluidized bed process technology and previous manager of the Fluidized Bed Process Technique Department at SCHWING Technologies GmbH in Germany. Andrew S. Dickinson, who has extensive knowledge of thermal processing, will serve as Sales Manager for North America. The two specialists will advise and support customers in the USA and Canada on all issues relating to fluidized bed process technology, heat treatment, and thermal cleaning.”
Where are they now-Aaron Flesher. A metallurgist by background Aaron’s work experience looks like a “whose who” of some of the largest captive heat treaters in North America; Honda, Presrite and Oerlikon are all included. It would appear that Aaron is now a heat treat engineer at one of the largest captive heat treaters in North America, Caterpillar in West Lafayette, Indiana. Morris Crafton/Thermcraft; “On Valentine’s Day, Thermcraft lost its founder, Mr. Morris L. Crafton, at 93. Nearly 50 years ago in January of 1971, Mr. Crafton and his wife Clara, founded Thermcraft on the principal of providing the best customer service available in the thermal processing industry.” Roger Jones, Solar Atmospheres/ASM Cleveland Chapter, March 26; “Join us in welcoming Mr. Roger Jones, FASM, who is CEO Emeritus of Solar Atmospheres and a Trusteee of ASM International. As part of our technical program, he will give a talk on “Vacuum Heat Treating of Additive Manufactured Components”. March 26 will also be Awards Night for the Chapter. Abstract: Additive Manufacturing is rapidly becoming today’s buzz word. AM is rapidly replacing various manufacturing processes as its being accepted in various machining markets. The vacuum furnace plays a vital role in the proper heat treatment of AM parts. This presentation will review basic AM procedures, and the role that vacuum heat treating is utilized as a support function of the final product.”
And to round things out we have this announcement from Abbott Furnace about their upcoming Continuous Brazing Symposium in Mexico; “Abbott Furnace Company is pleased to announce it will be hosting its Fifth Annual Continuous Brazing Symposium in Mexico this spring in Puebla, Mexico from May 21 – 23, 2019. This training event is a unique gathering opportunity for manufacturers and suppliers to the brazing and powder metal sintering industries. It is an excellent opportunity for those new to the industry as well as seasoned professionals interested in honing their knowledge of brazing. For two and a half days attendees will hear from experts in the areas of continuous furnaces, filler metals, belts, CQI-9, furnace atmosphere generation, and atmosphere flow control, troubleshooting, maintenance and optimization, Lecturers are Penn State University Adjunct Professor, Dr. Steve Feldbauer, who serves as Abbott Furnace Company’s Director oF Research and Development, Miguel Martel, Mechatronics Engineer at Abbott Furnace Company, Mexico, Victor Zacarias, Managing Director, Global Thermal Solutions, Mexico, Creed Darling, Director, Technical Sales, Bellman-Melcor LLC, Cory Bloodsworth, Director, New Business Development, Cambridge Engineered Solutions, Antonio Mendoza, Supplier Technical Assistance at Ford Motor Company, Mexico, Joel Gutierrez, Account Manager of Kymera International, and Eric Jossart, Director of Sales, Heat Treat at United Process Controls. For more information about Abbott’s Fifth Annual Continuous Brazing Symposium in Mexico or future symposiums in the US, please contact Julianne Inzana at [email protected] or call 814-781-6355.
