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Going back to January 20th of this year “The Monty Heat Treat News” had a “RUMOR” about commercial heat treater “Nitrex”. Since that time we posted an update explaining that this “rumor” involved a very large pit nitrider-here at last is the formal announcement;
“We are proud to announce the installation of what we believe is the largest nitrider in North America, a groundbreaking achievement for industries that rely on high-performance, wear-resistant, and fatigue-resistant components.
The new four-and-a-half-meter diameter, three-and-a-half meter deep nitrider, capable of processing components up to 80,000 pounds, is set to revolutionize several industries, including:
- Wind Energy – Large wind turbine gears need extreme durability and fatigue resistance.
- Marine – Shipbuilders require high-strength, wear-resistant gears.
- Heavy Machinery – Agriculture, construction, and mining equipment demand superior surface hardness.
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Automotive & Transportation – Light and heavy vehicle manufacturers benefit from nitriding’s ability to enhance drivetrain components.”
No word on when the new unit will be in operation but our understanding is that it will be in the very near future.
Several times recently “The Monty Heat Treat News” has mentioned a growing litany of North American commercial heat treaters closing their doors, the most recent mention can be found here: “Another USA Commercial Heat Treater Closes it’s Doors”
Very unfortunately it would appear that yet another company is exiting the commercial heat-treating business later this year, Elm Plating in Jackson, Michigan.
The company which was founded in 1951 has a long and distinguished history-this is how they describe themselves; “We’re a high-volume production metal finisher, providing zinc barrel plating, heat treating, dip spin coating and anodizing services to auto, auto-related and other industries.”
For the past number of years, the company has operated three continuous furnaces lines, specializing in high volume work. Our understanding is that after shutting down the heat-treating department the firm will concentrate on their plating, coating and anodizing services. The closure of the continuous lines will leave a gap in the continuous market with at least two high volume manufacturers in the US Midwest scrambling to find new commercial heat-treating sources.
Several commercial heat treaters have told us the problem is profitability, while costs for commercial heat treaters have soared over the years pricing has not increased enough to cover their cost increases.
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We can’t think of a single individual in the commercial heat treatment industry who is more enthusiastic than Mr. Steve Kowalski of Kowalski Heat Treat in Cleveland, Ohio. Today are very articulate and handsome host Carlos Torres speaks with Steve about commercial heat treating.
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“New tempering and annealing furnace expands the possibilities of VTN Witten GmbH
VTN Witten GmbH is pleased to announce an important expansion of the machinery at the Herbede site. A state-of-the-art tempering and annealing furnace with an impressive usable space of 1750 x 1750 x 3000 mm is now available for the treatment of large components in the aerospace industry. The new system makes it possible to treat even large and complex components such as entire landing gear parts of aircraft efficiently and reliably.
The furnace meets the strict requirements of the aviation industry, such as the AMS 2750, and ensures the highest quality standards. The modern control technology ensures exact adherence to the process parameters and a temperature uniformity of ±6°C. With this investment, VTN Witten GmbH, as a NADCAP-certified company, is further expanding its capacities in this area. Numerous components from civil and military aviation are already being heat-treated at VTN. The main processes are vacuum hardening, vacuum annealing and low-pressure carburizing (LPC).
At the same time, with the commissioning of the plant, which is powered by 100% green electricity, an old, gas-heated plant was taken out of operation. Thus, this investment also serves the transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in heat treatment.”
From commercial heat treater Crio, in Mexico (one of the largest in the country) we have this news item an investment the company recently made in a hybrid gas/electric batch IQ furnace.
“Crío Invests in Hybrid Gas-Electric Technology for Sustainable Heat Treatment. As part of its commitment to sustainability, Crío is investing in hybrid gas-electric heating technology, designed by Mattsa, to provide an eco-friendly solution for industrial heat treatment. This innovative system aims to reduce CO₂ emissions, improve energy efficiency, and offer customers a cost-effective alternative without requiring a complete equipment overhaul or facing the high costs of fully electric systems.
The hybrid system takes advantage of both energy sources:
• Natural gas is used for rapid heating, ensuring efficient cycle times and lower initial energy consumption.
• Electric power takes over during the temperature maintenance phase, providing uniform heat distribution, reducing emissions, and minimizing energy waste.
This solution allows Crío’s customers to transition to greener operations without having to replace their entire furnace system. By integrating Mattsa’s hybrid technology, businesses can significantly lower their carbon footprint while maintaining flexibility in energy usage, optimizing costs, and avoiding the rising electricity prices seen in many regions.
With this initiative, Crío is reinforcing its commitment to innovation and sustainability, delivering a practical and scalable approach to industrial heat treatment that balances environmental responsibility and operational efficiency.”
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April 5th of this year “The Monty Heat Treat News” will be presenting our 2025 list of “The 50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters”-a heat treat industry exclusive.
A name which has appeared on our list for the past number of years is “Vac Aero” , a company with a very clear focus on the aerospace industry. As reported by “The Monty”, the company acquired “New Management in 2023” and the changes in the company have been nothing less than astonishing. While we can’t say too much at this point in time, we can say that we will be seeing some very interesting announcements from the firm in the near future and that Vac Aero will be moving up in our rankings from the current #35 position in North America.
“APRIL 2024; #35 Vac Aero; Vac Aero is our third and final Canadian heat treater to make our list this year. “VAC AERO International provides heat treating and brazing of advanced materials for the aerospace and other high technology industries. Specializing in vacuum processing, VAC AERO holds numerous heat treating and quality system approvals from prime manufacturers, with AS9100 and NADCAP accredited plants strategically located within the Toronto to Montreal aerospace manufacturing corridor of Canada.
The Oakville, Ontario operation is one of North America’s largest subcontract heat treaters of aircraft landing gear components while the St Laurent, Quebec operation is focused primarily on gas turbine engine and airframe component.” Under relatively new management we are seeing substantial growth in both their heat-treating division and in their furnace manufacturing division. https://vacaero.com/metallurgical-services/heat-treating.html“
The link below will take you to the March 2025 Edition of “The Monty Heat Treat News”, the world’s best known source for heat treatment news and trends. A few of the stories included in this issue are these;
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FNC of Brake Rotors-A New Approach
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Massive Fire at Captive Heat Treater
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Fire Devastated Heat Treat Rebuilds
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Heat Treatment Industry Losing a Giant
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Largest Commercial Heat Treats-How Big is the Pie?
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Another USA Commercial Heat Treater Closes it’s Doors
In addition to our substantial heat treatment news section, we continue to add to our industry leading “Used Furnace Listings”– a few new additions include these;
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Item # T430 Surface Combustion 36 X 72 X 36 Tempers-Like New!
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Item # VF462 Abar Ipsen “Turbotreater”, HR4848 2 Bar Quenching
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Item # L151 Struers LaboPol-25 Dual Semi-Auto Polisher
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Item # IQ518 Surface Combustion 36 X 72 X 36 Batch IQ Line
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Item # M501 Atmosphere Engineering Nitrogen Methanol Furnace Control System
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Item # G215 3000 CFH AFC Endothermic Gas Generators (2 Available)
As always the entire team at “The Monty Heat Treat News” appreciates your thoughts, support and comments-we truly being able to work with the entire heat treat industry. SIncerely, Gord, Dale, Jordan and Anne.
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Please ask us for more details; Gord Montgomery, [email protected]
“A Chinese car parts manufacturer ordered a fully electric furnace for brazing aluminum in a protective atmosphere from SECO/WARWICK. This partner specializes in the production of radiators and air conditioning systems for automobiles.
The furnace is designed for the production of tubular and plate-fin heat exchangers. A key element of this production is uniform temperature distribution across the 1300 mm wide belt.
This degree of uniformity is essential to meet the quality requirements of the finished products.
A New Partner in China; This is the first order for SECO/WARWICK. The CAB line on order is an excellent solution for the continuous brazing of products with similar dimensions and features. The temperature is evenly distributed over the entire width of the belt thanks to several independent heating zones. Its innovative design guarantees long-term and reliable operation under industrial conditions.
“We are one of the leaders in the CAB sector, and the only manufacturer of metal heat treatment equipment which has a dedicated brand of equipment for the electric vehicle industry – EV/CAB. We are experts in this technology, but at the same time, we listen very carefully to our Partner’s needs, jointly searching for new, more efficient and ecological solutions. Another renowned recipient of our solutions on the Chinese market proves that we are doing it well,” – summed up Liu Yedong, Managing Director of SECO/WARWICK China”
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