“GUARAMIRIM, SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL – December 5, 2024 – Tecnotêmpera Tratamentos Térmicos Ltda., a leader in heat treatment services in Brazil, proudly announced the inauguration of its newly expanded vacuum department. This upgrade includes significant logistics improvements through extensive civil engineering efforts and retrofitting.
Central to the expansion is the acquisition of five cutting-edge Fulcrum furnaces. Among these is a state-of-the-art high-pressure gas quenching furnace boasting a quenching pressure of 15 bar, low-pressure gas carburizing capabilities, and a remarkable load capacity of 4 tons. The furnace’s dimensions—40″ x 40″ x 60″—establish it as the largest of its kind in South America. It stands out in the heat treatment of exceptionally large tools and molds, having already successfully completed various projects. Additionally, it offers economical benefits in the treatment of mixed loads with high total payloads.
Event Highlights: The inauguration event was marked by a ceremony honoring Amandos Siewert, a founding member and senior metallurgical engineer at Tecnotêmpera, for his 23 years of dedication to the company and 56 years in the heat treatment industry.
Distinguished Attendees Included: Luciano Lobo, Lead Metallurgist and Production Manager, Tecnotêmpera Amandos Siewert, Shareholder and Senior Metallurgist, Tecnotêmpera Luciane Bachel, Managing Shareholder of Finance, Tecnotêmpera Vitor Luiz Possenti, Senior Managing Shareholder, Tecnotêmpera Thomas D. Kreuzaler, Managing Shareholder of Tecpropro/MG Manutenção and Representative for Fulcrum Vacuum Furnaces
Approximately 75 select customers attended the late afternoon event, where they enjoyed technical presentations by the Tecnotêmpera team, engaged in casual conversation, and exchanged business news with other guests.
This is just the first acquisition of a commercial heat treater in the USA, tomorrow we will be announcing a second acquisition-stay tuned.
“MCLEAN, VA, March 27, 2024 – Washington Equity Partners is pleased to announce that its portfolio company Tube Bending Technology (“Tube Bending”), an industry leader in manufacturing tube assemblies, components, and ducts for the aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and space industries, has acquired Scarrott Metallurgical Company (“SMC” or the “Company”). SMC is a leading provider of vacuum brazing and heat treating manufacturing services and is based in Los Angeles, CA. Following the SMC acquisition and the recent acquisition of Creative Pathways, Tube Bending now operates three facilities with a full suite of vertically integrated capabilities to manufacture tube and duct assemblies.
SMC was founded in 1977 and specializes in vacuum brazing and heat treating aerospace alloys. The Company has AS9100 and NADCAP certifications in heat treating and aerospace quality systems. Its capabilities include heat treating and brazing stainless steel, titanium, Inconel, and refractory metals and its customer base includes over 100 OEM’s and Tier I/II suppliers in the aerospace, defense, and space markets. General Manager Jose Catano will continue to lead the Company’s operations post-closing.
“SMC’s capabilities to vacuum braze and heat treat aerospace alloys are best-in-class and the Company is widely recognized in the industry for its leadership in quality, engineering, and innovation,” said Tube Bending CEO Brent Daldo. “With customer approvals from nearly all of the large aerospace, defense, and space OEM’s and primes, SMC occupies a strategically significant position in the supply chain, and we are planning to make immediate investments in the Company’s capacity, capability, and systems that will enable SMC to meet the growing demand from its customer base.”
Shannon Scarrott, President of SMC, said, “Our family has been the proud owner of SMC for almost five decades, and we are grateful for all of the employees, customers, and suppliers that have made the Company such a special place. In Tube Bending, we have found the ideal home for SMC’s next chapter, and we are all excited to see where the business will go from here.”
“The acquisition of SMC’s vacuum brazing and heat treating capabilities represents an important vertical integration for Tube Bending,” said Jesse Liu, a Partner at Washington Equity Partners, the majority equity owner of Tube Bending. “With the addition of SMC, Tube Bending now has almost all of the capabilities needed to manufacture tubing assemblies 100% in-house.”
About Tube Bending; Tube Bending Technology is a leading manufacturer and fabricator of tubing and ducting assemblies. The Company has manufacturing facilities in Apple Valley, CA, Los Angeles, CA and Torrance, CA and has been serving the aerospace and defense industries for over 50 years. Tube Bending’s vertically integrated suite of capabilities includes tube bending, tube fabrication, machining, welding, brazing, heat treating, assembly, design, inspection and testing. https://tubebendingtechnology.com
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“Solar Atmospheres of Michigan, Inc. is proud to announce the completion of its 20,000 square-foot facility expansion, marked by the official receipt of an occupancy permit from Chesterfield Township. This expansion enhances the company’s capabilities and strengthens its position as a leader in the field of vacuum heat treating.
Bob Hill, President of Solar Atmospheres of Michigan, shared his enthusiasm for the milestone, “Next week, we’ll begin the process of moving our Shipping and Receiving Department, along with other essential ancillary equipment, into the newly completed adjoining building. This expansion is a vital step forward, enabling us to optimize workflow, boost production capacity, and further improve the quality of our vacuum heat treating services for our valued clients.”
The expanded facility will allow Solar Atmospheres of Michigan to streamline operations, meet growing customer demands, and continue delivering state-of-the-art heat treating solutions across various industries.
For more information about the Solar Atmospheres Michigan facility contact Chris Molencupp at (586) 264-8100 ext. 1620, or [email protected], and visit us at www.solaratm.com.”
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IVA Schmetz a very substantial player in the European vacuum furnace builder is expanding into the North American market as you can read in this press release. It is our understanding that the company is setting up a sales office in the US Midwest. This photo shows part of the IVA team at the FNA show in Columbus, Ohio this past October.
“IVA Schmetz North America Corp. is proud to provide our high-quality heat treatment furnaces to the North American market. This expansion allows us to better serve our existing clients and partners with innovative solutions and exceptional service right here in the USA. We are backed by a strong network, the IVA Schmetz Group of companies, which empowers us with unmatched expertise and innovation.
BMI Fours Industriels– Our valued partner from France specializes in advanced equipment. They offer a wide range of industrial furnaces for heat treatment and thermochemical treatment in vacuum, low pressure carburizing, and plasma nitriding.
MAHLER GmbH Industrial Furnaces – our company designs and manufacture a variety of continuous furnace systems, from bogie hearth and chamber furnaces to highly specialized applications requiring the highest standards of atmosphere quality and throughput.”
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“The acquisition of ReMelt Scientific by Retech, a division of SECO/WARWICK Group, marks a significant step in rounding out the SECO/WARWICK products and services portfolio. This strategic move enables both the vacuum and aluminum melting divisions to offer even more comprehensive process solutions upstream and downstream of the melting processes.
Retech and ReMelt have been working alongside one another for decades, albeit on a less formal basis—consulting, collaborating, and subcontracting. Now, that partnership has been formalized.
Retech, renowned for its innovative vacuum metallurgy solutions, has long been a leader in the field, providing advanced technologies for melting and refining reactive and refractory metals. The acquisition of ReMelt Scientific, a Canton, Ohio based company specializing in material handling and waste reprocessing equipment for ultra-pure remelt of recycled tailings, scrap, and revert, brings under one technology umbrella a wealth of expertise and capabilities that will significantly enhance the value offered to customers.
Earl Good, Managing Director of Retech, expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition: “I think ReMelt is a fascinating acquisition and it seems to fit well with the Retech business and the SECO/WARWICK Group business overall.”
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Ron Waligora, Chief Operating Officer for AFC-Holcroft, with a heavy and happy heart has announced his retirement date of May 4, 2025.
Ron graduated with a BSME degree from Michigan Technological University and was immediately hired by Holcroft in the summer of 1988 as a Field Service Engineer. Throughout his 36 years with the company, Ron moved through the engineering disciplines and eventually into a management role as Mechanical Engineering Manager and later Senior Engineer Manager in 2015.
In the spring of 2023 Ron Waligora and Tracy Dougherty assumed the roles of Chief Operating Officers. This dual role of leadership allowed the company to operate smoothly with high standards of excellence. It was known in 2023 that upon Ron’s retirement Tracy would assume the role of President and CEO. This will occur January 1, 2025, during the transition period.
The timing of Ron’s retirement coincides with his wife, Jill’s, retirement and he has expectations of supporting AFC-Holcroft if and when necessary, while enjoying the next phase of his life.
In his company announcement Ron pointed out this message to the team, “Trust each other. Always strive to be great, and if you’re lucky like me, good things will continue to happen. This can only happen if you love your job. I certainly have.”
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Mike Harrison, Engineered Heat Treat; Mike has certainly had a long and varied career in the North American heat treatment industry. Over the years he has acted as General Manager of the Bodycote location in Canton, Michigan, spent time with furnace builder Gasbarre and most recently AFC-Holcroft and he is now moving on to new challenges. He has just accepted a position as site manager of captive/commercial heat treater Engineered Heat Treat in Madison, Michigan. Engineered Heat Treat recently joined the list of the “50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters” for 2024 as ranked by “The Monty Heat Treat News”.
Martin Beaton, Voestalpine; For almost 10 years Martin Beaton was President at voestalpine Additive Manufacturing Centre Ltd., in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Voestalpine is a global company with many of their location’s offerings captive/commercial heat treating, Martin was involved in several of the company’s locations including the USA and Mexico. He started his career at FAG Bearings (now Schaeffler) in Stratford, Ontario as a metallurgist and spent a number of years with Bodycote. We have always had a very high opinion of Martin and his recent retirement is a substantial loss for the heat treat industry.
Aristeo Contreras Torres, Caterpillar, Mexico; Experienced heat treat engineer Aristeo, Contreras Torres has just been appointed to the position of Senior, Heat Treatment Engineer at Caterpillar in Ciénega de Flores, Nuevo León, Mexico. Aristeo previously worked at companies such as JTEKT Bearings and Valeo in Mexico.
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Furnace builder Rohde Schutzgasöfen GmbH of Hanau, Germany announces a recent order from a customer also in Hanau and sums up how business in 2024 was for the company (spoiler alert-it was a good year for the company).
From Hanau for Hanau-this is the wish of Rohde Schutzgasöfen GmbH, a family business located in Hanau, Germany. For managing director Joern Rohde this is the perfect scenario, receiving an order for a special furnace from a customer also located in the city of Hanau (the furnace can be seen in these photos). But unfortunately, according to Rohde, orders from Germany are declining due to a number of difficult challenges. Around 80 percent of their furnaces are now sold in all corners of the world which is a success for the company but also a warning sign for Germany as a business location.
Despite this difficult situation, Natasha and Joern along with their approximately 30 employees, look back on the 2024 financial year with satisfaction. Particularly pleasing: Shortly before the end of the year, the company was able to add a competent engineer from Ukraine to the team. This reinforcement is not only a success for the company, but also a sign of cosmopolitanism in practice. According to young Vincent Rohde Rohde Schutzgasöfen GmbH is now the “coolest company” in Hanau.
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“A leading automotive manufacturer has selected UPC-Marathon’s cutting-edge EndoFlex L generators to enhance its heat-treatment operations. As part of a forward-thinking initiative to improve manufacturing, the automaker is reinforcing its commitment to increasing production efficiency while aligning with sustainability and cost management goals.
The facility specializes in producing engine parts that require high durability and wear resistance. These components undergo carburizing, a heat-treatment process that hardens surfaces by introducing carbon into the material. To support this operation, endothermic gas is generated and supplied by specialized equipment. However, the facility’s aging, gas-heated generators had become a bottleneck, consuming excessive natural gas and contributing to CO₂ emissions. Seeking a more efficient and eco-conscious solution, the automaker turned to UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company, to supply five advanced, electrically heated EndoFlex L endothermic gas generators.
Designed specifically for carburizing, the EndoFlex L represents a breakthrough in controlled, efficient, and eco-conscious heat treatment. Its multi-retort design and precise temperature control enable optimized production of high-quality endothermic gas, ensuring consistent and stable delivery for carburizing heat treatment. By providing an on-demand source of endothermic gas only as needed, the system significantly reduces gas consumption and emissions, making it both a greener and more economical choice.
“The partnership extends beyond this project,” said Daniel Panny, Head of Sales Europe at UPC-Marathon. “Building on the success of past collaborations, where we upgraded legacy generators with the EndoInjector gas injection system to enhance and stabilize endothermic gas delivery, the customer selected the EndoFlex L for this major overhaul. This project illustrates how long-term supplier relationships can drive transformative advancements in industrial manufacturing.”
Set for commissioning early next year, the EndoFlex L systems will play a key role in the manufacturer’s modernization strategy, supporting its long-term economic and environmental objectives.”
ABOUT UPC-MARATHON, A NITREX COMPANY; UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company, pioneers industrial process control, automation, and digitalization for heat treatment and combustion markets. Our mission is to support furnace OEMs and equipment end-users with innovative solutions, enhancing profitability and reliability while optimizing operational efficiency. End-to-end control solutions encompass probes, analyzers, controllers, flow control systems, upgrades/retrofits, SCADA, and engineered solutions for various heat treat processes. Leveraging our digitalization platform QMULUS, customers gain a deeper understanding of their assets and production processes. Dedicated to our customers’ sustainable growth, UPC-Marathon delivers localized service with a global approach to excellence and care. Let us bring our expertise to your project!
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During a visit to the Remscheid, Germany location of commercial heat treater “Aalberts Surface Technologies” Gord Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” had the chance to see a recent install at the firm which took the shape of an Ipsen XXL batch IQ line. (The original story can be found at https://themonty.com/aalberts-surface-technologies-remscheid-germany/).
As a footnote to this story we see that Aalberts issued this formal press release about the line earlier this week; “Our fully automated IPSEN XXL batch furnace line in Remscheid sets new standards in advanced heat treatment technology. Designed for high-volume production, it is perfectly suited for components like bolts, screws, and other serial parts, particularly in the automotive industry where precision and demanding geometries are key. By integrating automated charging systems, the efficiency of the line is further enhanced. This allows us to increase throughput and reduce cycle times even more, ensuring precise and reliable handling of large volumes. It’s the ideal solution for industries that require both maximum productivity and consistent quality.”
What this press release doesn’t mention is that there are plans to add another 1 or 2 identical lines as future demand increases, although these pictures don’t show it the pits are already in place for future additions. Aalberts is one of the “50 Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America” as ranked by “The Monty” and also one of the largest in Europe.
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