SECO/WARWICK will deliver a single chamber vacuum furnace with 15 bar abs high pressure gas quenching to the Czech heat treat company Kalírna Desire. Kalírna Desire is opening a new commercial heat treat facility in a region that has so far lacked local infrastructure for vacuum hardening. The Vector furnace will be the first vacuum system in operation, and the foundation for a new line of business built around vacuum heat treatment services - both for in-house production and for nearby manufacturers.

The Owners of Kalírna Desire have extensive experience in mechanical engineering production on their own machines. Experience from operating this production has pointed to insufficient capacity and flexibility in the material processing industry in their region. For years, the company relied on a distant commercial heat treat provider resulting in long lead times, the risk of delays and additional logistics costs. At the same time, the owners observed that within a radius of roughly some kilometers there are many companies engaged in metal mechanical processing, but no local provider of vacuum hardening services. This analysis led to the decision to launch their own—initially small—commercial heat treat operation, which in the first stage will be the start of production for regional companies in the area.

"Our collaboration with Kalírna Desire is an excellent example of how vacuum technology can become a growth engine for ambitious small and mid-sized companies. SECO/WARWICK has worked with commercial heat treat shops across Europe for many years, and experience from the Czech market played an important role in the customer's decision making. A standard Vector furnace, adapted to the Partner's requirements, combines a sensible investment level with broad process capabilities—making it an ideal solution for companies beginning their journey with vacuum heat treatment," says Maciej Korecki, Vice President, Vacuum Segment, SECO/WARWICK Group.

The selected furnace is a mid-size solution configured specifically for the needs of a commercial heat-treatment facility. The work zone supports processing relatively large parts and building efficient loads typical of job shops working with a wide range of tool and structural steel grades. A round heating chamber provides very good temperature uniformity, translating into high repeatability of hardening and tempering results.

"The furnace is equipped with a convection heating system, which significantly improves heating efficiency at lower temperatures, enabling precise control of preheating processes. Directional cooling, in turn, enables optimized quenching for parts with complex geometries while minimizing distortion risk. An isothermal quenching function was also implemented; by controlling the load temperature and regulating blower operation via a frequency inverter, it gives the user full control over the cooling profile. We have extensive experience equipping commercial heat treat shops. We have worked for both large industrial companies and local small suppliers. Regardless of the scale, we always share our know-how—helping customers select the right equipment and advising which functions will translate into more orders and better profits for our Partners," explains Łukasz Chwiałkowski, Sales Manager, SECO/WARWICK.