Tool Steel Manufacturer Brings Heat Treatment “In House”

“Toptech Polska”, a manufacturer of precision metal components, is investing in its own metal heat treatment capabilities. The company has ordered a Vector vacuum furnace from SECO/WARWICK with high pressure gas quenching at up to 15 bar absolute. The investment will allow Toptech to take control of a key production stage, shorten lead times, and build expertise in the hardening, tempering and annealing of tool steel components.

The Vector on order is a compact vacuum furnace with a 400 x 400 x 600 mm (approximately 16 x 16 x 24 in) work zone. It is equipped with a high-pressure gas cooling system operating with nitrogen at up to 15 bar absolute. The furnace will be used primarily for hardening, tempering and annealing marking tools, type characters, punches, dies and working components for stamping dies.

“Toptech previously used the services of a commercial heat treater operating our equipment, so the company was already familiar with SECO/WARWICK technology. When production volumes increased and the need arose to establish an in-house heat treatment operation, we were able to work together to select the right solution for this production profile. This is a good example of a relationship in which the technology is driven by a specific business need,” said Maciej Korecki, Vice President of the Vacuum Furnaces Segment at the SECO/WARWICK Group.

For this partner, bringing the process in-house means greater independence from the availability of external service providers, easier production planning, and less transportation of parts between facilities. The company will also be able to adjust heat treatment parameters directly according to the material type, part geometry and required final properties. At the same time, an in-house heat treatment department opens up a new line of business. Toptech will be able to use the furnace not only for its own production, but also to provide vacuum heat treatment services to other companies in the region.

One of the key features of the unit on order is high pressure gas quenching (HPGQ). In vacuum technology, a component is heated without exposure to air and then cooled with a stream of high-pressure gas. Compared with conventional methods, the process limits surface oxidation and decarburization, enables precise cycle control, and may reduce the need for subsequent processing. This is especially important for tools, punches, dies, and tool steel components, where product quality depends not only on hardness, but also on surface cleanliness, dimensional stability, and distortion control.

“In the heat treatment of precision components, achieving the required hardness is not enough. Surface cleanliness, dimensional stability, and predictable cooling are equally important. At pressures of up to 15 bar, we can control cooling intensity very precisely, while vacuum processing protects the part surface against oxidation and decarburization. For a partner such as Toptech, this directly affects the durability and quality of tools that will later operate in demanding industrial processes,” said Paweł Okińczyc, Sales Manager at SECO/WARWICK.”