“Härtewerk Chemnitz GmbH, one of the largest German commercial heat treaters has ordered a sealed quench furnace line from SECO/WARWICK. The new system is a horizontal, two-chamber furnace from the CaseMaster Evolution product group – a Super IQ, featuring FineCarb® low-pressure carburizing and oil quenching system. This is the first SECO/WARWICK furnace equipped with vacuum heating at the Härtewerk Chemnitz GmbH German plant and the first Super IQ solution (vacuum heating with optional atmosphere furnace style oil quenching) in Germany. Europe is the second market, after North America, to operate a furnace with the new generation technology for carburizing.

For an experienced European concern, Härtewerk Chemnitz, selecting SECO/WARWICK technology is an excellent market recommendation. Commercial hardening plants are one of the most demanding industries since their needs are comprehensive, and the processes must be optimized. In the German plant, Super IQ will replace legacy atmosphere technology.

“With the furnaces from SECO/WARWICK, we want to expand our capabilities for mass-produced processing parts. The machines we have worked with so far had required time-consuming and expensive preparation, especially when the equipment was not at the right temperature. Unfortunately, this is the main shortcoming of atmospheric furnaces. They require constant readiness, so they must be kept at temperature even when empty and when the manufacturing process is halted or stopped. From a financial point of view, it is less beneficial to shut down and cool down existing furnaces than to keep the equipment ready for manufacture, resulting in high maintenance costs. The Super IQ furnace that we have ordered eliminates not only these difficulties but also enables efficient heat treatment with very high repeatability and uniformity of the carburized layer, which with atmospheric furnaces was only possible to a limited extent,”

explained Kai Werlitz, Technical Operations Manager, Härtewerk Chemnitz GmbH. Combining a proven and reliable vacuum furnace design with conventional oil quenching technology guarantees reliable and very efficient operation. Super IQ enables efficient and clean hardening processes while providing stable economies. This is particularly important when energy prices are rising steeply across Europe. 

Härtewerk Chemnitz GmbH is a leading commercial hardening plant on the German market. Chemnitz and Chomutov plants provide a wide range of services related to metal heat treatment and guarantee high quality. More than 500 customers in Germany and Europe’s mechanical engineering, automotive, and metalworking industries have put their trust in Lohnhärterei Härtewerk Chemnitz GmbH.”

Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.

View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/