A few weeks back during a visit to Aichelin in Austria (the largest atmosphere furnace builder in the world) we were introduced to heatXpress a product the company has been offering for several years now but which does not get a great deal of publicity in the heat treating industry. Basically it is a step chain conveyor furnace which is gaining a lot of acceptance in the automotive industry for the hot forming of car body parts-this is the official explanation;
“The hot forming of car body parts in the automotive industry sets new standards for component properties in series production. Complex components can be produced economically with very high repeatability and superior forming qualities. The heatXpress press hardening furnace offers superior flexibility, precision and availability and is the optimum transport system for press hardening of blanks, pipes & other pre-formed profiles.” The Aichelin facility has a complete R & D test facility for the product and we found it a fascinating system although it is quite different than a standard heat treating furnace. In this photo we see from the left; , Philipp Krenn, Christoph Schneider, Gord Montgomery and Gunter Rennhofer
Down in Houston, Texas, USA it would appear that there are some legal issues between commercial heat treaters National Heat Treat and Worldwide Heat Treating. The details can be found at http://www.nationalheattreat.com/index.html under the media/press tab at the top of the page. The photo below shows National as we say it when we visited a few years back; “Source: The International Journal of Thermal Technology. NATIONAL HEAT TREAT Tastes Victory at the Courthouse. NATIONAL HEAT TREAT (NHT) has achieved success in its lawsuit, pursuant to which, on August 31, 2018, NHT sued Worldwide Heat Treat, Robert Gutierrez and his brother, Fernando Gutierrez of Worldwide Heat Treat, in court….”
A few weeks back we had a note about radioactive firebrick, and at the time posed the question; Hoax? True? And we asked for feedback. This was our original note; “October 14/2018. A heat treater recently sent several furnaces to a scrap dealer where they were refused due to the fact that the brick was supposedly radioactive. The scrap dealer would accept the furnaces but only if all the brickwork was already removed. Now this is a new one on us and we did a little bit of digging-one used equipment dealer said that he has run across this several times over the years but each time it proved to be a scam, basically if he accepted a lower price for the scrap the problem would go away. However in this situation the heat treater trying to scrap the furnaces actually observed supplementary hand held scanner in use which did seem to indicate radioactivity in the brick but not in the all metal sections of the furnace. Has anybody out there run across a similar situation? It’s a first on us but anything is possible.”
Well while we tend to lean towards hoax the evidence is piling up that there is some truth to this, this is our first comment, a comment which comes from a captive heat treater in California who prefers to remain anonymous (more comments to come); “Re the radioactive furnace insulation… We had a similar experience with a large UPTON fiber-insulated box furnace about 15 years ago. After obtaining a Geiger counter we confirmed what the scrap metal recycler told us: The insulation is radioactive apparently because it contains Urania or Uranium oxide which is naturally occurring and mined with other materials used to create the fiber insulation. In our situation we needed a haz mat crew to wear respirators then remove and bag the insulation which was then sent to a land fill. The steel furnace superstructure was then accepted by the scrap yard for recycling.”
“Ipsen USA secured multiple vacuum furnace orders during the Furnaces North America trade show last month and the streak continued throughout the remainder of October, ending with a total of 16 new orders. Among the orders were nine TITAN® vacuum furnaces – a record month in the 10-year production of the global platform product. TITAN is known for its versatility and these furnaces continue to prove that, as they will be shipped worldwide for use in a variety of applications for companies in aerospace, automotive and commercial heat-treating industries. In addition to the strong bookings for the TITAN product line, Ipsen also sold seven custom units, including MetalMaster®, TurboTreater® and vacuum aluminum brazing furnaces.
About Ipsen. Ipsen designs and manufactures industrial vacuum and atmosphere heat-treating systems, supervisory controls systems and predictive maintenance software platforms for a wide variety of industries, including Aerospace, Automotive, Commercial Heat Treating, Energy and Medical. With production locations in America, Europe and Asia, along with representation in 34 countries, Ipsen is committed to providing 360° support for customers worldwide. Choosing Ipsen means choosing a partner in success.”
In just 3 months “The Monty” celebrates 20 years of providing the most up to date news in the heat treatment industry. Because of this it seemed rather appropriate that we also provide an updated website which went live this past weekend. The new site will be far more “mobile device” friendly, will have clearer graphics, an easier format for finding used equipment and for our advertisers larger ads at the same price, more advertising options and complete statistics on website traffic. We are rather excited to say the least.
We can’t shed any light on what brand or size of furnace Standard Aero has installed at their location in Miami, Florida. “StandardAero Component Services has celebrated and dedicated the company’s 30,000-square-foot expansion of its component repair facility, located in Miami, Florida. The additional working space and capital improvements included the installation of a state-of-the-art clean line, an additional vacuum furnace as well as water jet cleaning capabilities. As a result, the facility will be the largest provider of aerospace and aerospace-derivative combustor overhauls in North America, and the second largest in the world.” A booming industry has lead to a shortage of good used furnaces on the market and the furnace below is pretty typical. It is a late model, great condition AVS vacuum sintering furnace which forms part of the in house heat treating department of a North American manufacturer of dental tools. It was put on the used market about a year ago and because it is a rather unusual style of furnace (and also that the asking price was right at the top end) it has languished on the market since then. However the owner is finding business to be so good and prospects in the future so bright that the decision has been made to keep the furnace for future heat treating needs-this is not an unusual scenario these days.
Back in May of this year we had a story about visiting commercial heat treater Wittman Harterei in Germany, a story which mentioned how they were making a very large investment in their plant and equipment this year. Sure enough a few weeks back they received a brand new vacuum nitrider from Rohde, a German furnace builder and they then promptly turned around and ordered another one just a few weeks back. This shows the second unit on the floor at Rohde just 2 weeks ago. Here is the original news item; “May 2018. Wittman Harterei, Germany, Expanding. Commercial heat treater wittman harterei in Uhingen, Germany will shortly be doubling the size of their plant and adding some more furnace capacity. The company was founded in 1998 and the main focus is a number of very large Aichelin Sealed Quench (Batch IQ) furnaces. With almost 40 employees the company has found business to be brisk enough to warrant a multi- million euro investment in the firm.”
In China Anhui Yingliu Electro Mechanical Co Ltd, made a major investment in a brand new vacuum furnace installation. What you see in this photo are 4 just installed vacuum furnace with all metal hot zones which were installed by Vacuum Furnace Engineering Ltd. A very neat looking installation.
Speaking of new vacuum furnace installations SAFRAN and Air France-KLM recently set up a joint venture in France which will repair airplane engine components. Part of this new joint venture includes a new vacuum furnace from French furnace builder BMI which features retractable thermocouples which is an intriguing idea.
Karnavati Car Air Conditioners Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad (KCPL) Orders a SECO/WARWICK Controlled Atmosphere Brazing (CAB) Line for their greenfield project in Gujrat India. SECO/WARWICK will provide KCPL a complete line including the CAB brazing furnace and related equipment to complete the process: thermal degreaser, fluxer, dry-off oven, air quality and cleaning. The system will be utilized for aluminum heat exchangers of all types for the automotive market. KCPL is one of the fastest growing Company in India, dealing in automotive radiators, condensers, cooling coils and fan assemblies. We have selected the complete SECO/WARWICK’s CAB brazing line because the system versatility will enable our company to produce a wide variety of high quality products with the lowest possible cost – our goal is to continue our rapid pace of growth and improve profitability by modernizing our brazing operation,” commented Kartik Jethwa – Chief Engineer, KCPL. “We are proud technology partners with KCPL and look forward to their continued success.
Solar Atmospheres Greenville, SC Receives Nadcap 18 month Merit Status. Solar Atmospheres – Greenville, SC announces that it has been awarded Nadcap 18-month Merit status for Heat Treating, Brazing and Carburizing. We are extremely pleased PRI has recognized our corporate commitment to quality. Achieving 18-month merit has been a goal set by Solar’s employees since opening its doors in 2015. The adherence to strict specification requirements, flawless process execution, and a daily commitment to quality processing is evident among all employees of Solar Atmospheres.
Gasbarre Furnace Group Offering Nitriding Furnaces
Ask us what the fastest growing heat treat process is and our answer will be instantaneous-Nitriding. Gas nitriding, vacuum nitriding, plasma nitriding, any type of nitriding. So with that being said it is no surprise that more and more furnace companies are offering nitriding solutions.
“Gord, We have a number of exciting things happening at Gasbarre, which will be formally introduced in the coming weeks. We’ve been going through a rebranding process, not only for our furnace group, but the entire Gasbarre corporation. We gave a taste of that at this year’s FNA show (attached is a picture of our booth). We’ve added automation to our list of products. And yes, we’ve also added gas nitriding equipment to our list of thermal processing products. We’ve been working on the design for quite some time with the plan to roll it out at FNA. We were running ahead of schedule and actually put one in our backlog prior to the show, so we aren’t “getting in the business”… We are in it! Our organization at Gasbarre has been evolving, and we have a lot of great people making this all possible. You’ll be hearing more from us in the next few weeks! Pictured (left to right): Paul Chamberlain (Regional Sales), Mark Saline (President, Sinterite/CI Hayes), Patrick Weymer (National Sales), Jeff Schlais (Sales Representative) Thank you. Benjamin T. Gasbarre, President – J. L. Becker”
Bodycote, Rotherham, UK Official Opening Ceremony
Back in February of 2018 it was announced that commercial heat treater Bodycote would be opening a new facility in Rotherham, UK late 2018. Well the plant is now operational with the Official Opening Ceremony being held Thursday November 29th of this year.
“Bodycote, the world’s largest provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, has confirmed the opening of a new facility in the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham to support the aerospace and power generation markets in the UK and Europe. Bodycote improves the properties of metals and alloys, extending the life of vital components through heat treatment services and specialist thermal processes, Hot Isostatic Pressing and surface technology. Rothbiz reported first in February that Bodycote were set to take the 11,000 sq ft Unit 7B at the R-evolution development on the AMP. The new state-of-the-art facility, which will be fully operational in 2018, will offer a number of heat treatment processes. Additionally, major OEM approvals will be secured along with Nadcap accreditation. In April this year, a contract with Rolls-Royce’s Civil Aerospace business was announced that is expected to be worth over £160m in incremental revenues over the next 15 years. Sales will ramp up over the next five years. The Macclesfield-headquartered firm is providing thermal processing services which include specialised vacuum heat treatment and hot isostatic pressing (HIP), supporting Rolls-Royce’s turbine blade casting facilities in Derby and Rotherham.”
Lake City Heat Treating Adding More “HIPPING” Capacity
We’re always surprised that more commercial heat treaters do not offer “Hipping” as it can be quite a profitable business. On the other side of the coin the high cost of the equipment and potential issues (hey anything operating at 30,000 psi can be dangerous) probably put most people off. Having said that though regular readers of “The Monty” will remember that just 1 week ago another commercial shop Paulo also said they were adding “Hipping”. The one photo below entitled “Avure” shows an existing system at Lake City, the other shows the new unit.
“In Warsaw, Indiana we see that Lake City Heat Treating Corp., announced that it has purchased a newly designed modular hot isostatic press system from Quintus Technologies in Vasteras, Sweden, the third such press for Lake City. These presses are recognized as the best HIP systems for advanced materials in the demanding aerospace and orthopedic industries. The press features a work zone 23.62 inches in diameter and 70.87 inches high. Operating temperature is 2552°F, with a pressure of 30,000 psi. It is also equipped with patented Uniform Rapid Cooling technology, which dramatically reduces processing time. Lake City provides heat treating services for the aerospace, medical, and other quality-critical industries. It specializes in bright aging, hardening, annealing, and stress relieving of many different alloys, including nickel, cobalt, and titanium.”
Jorgensen Forge Corporation, Seattle, Washington, Closed
In the world of heat treating there has been so much good news recently that a bad news item is a real shock to our systems. For 78 years this foundry in the US Northwest has been offering forgings for the aerospace, oil & gas and steel industries but their time has come to an end and the firm is closed down with the equipment going to auction December 4th. As a foundry they were actually an occasional customer for us and maintained a reasonably large, although basic heat treat department featuring car bottom furnaces along with a number of ovens. And why are they closing? Well it turns out the land is worth far more than the business as it is being “developed”.
People News
Mike Harper very recently became Corporate Sales Manager for Paulo Heat Treating, Brazing and Metal Finishing. Mike actually spent 12 years with Paulo in the Tennessee, USA area before spending the past 3 years as Regional Sales Manager for Solar Atmospheres, Inc., in the Greenville, SC, area. Interestingly enough this is the third sales person that we know of who has been hired by Paulo this year, the others being Ron Grahamand Mike Neuman. Bryan Ames recently became General Manager of the Bodycote, Canton facility in Michigan. Before that Bryan had spent many years with commercial heat treater FPM in the US Midwest. Advanced Heat Treat Corp., of Waterloo, Iowa has been doing some promoting. “Dan Sagerand James Wellborn have been promoted at Advanced Heat Treat Corp. Sager has been promoted to assistant operations manager, and Wellborn has been promoted to UltraOx operations manager. They both previously were production supervisors and have both been with the company since 1999.”
Dan Sager
James Wellborn