Top Heat Treatment News Items Week of February 17th

Each week the “Monty Heat Treat News” looks back at our heat treatment stories from the week before and comes up with a list of the 3 most popular based upon reader feedback, website visits and social media posts. For the week starting February 17th, 2025 it would appear that heat treating of brake rotors is what excited our readers the most. These are the top 3 from most to least popular;
 
FNC of Brake Rotors-A New Approach; For a number of years now heat treating of automotive brake rotors has involved Ferritic Nitrocarburizing (FNC) in large tip up furnaces (generally but not always we will stress).
It would appear that “Nitrex” has come up with a different approach, one that will be in production in the very near future. The furnace system you are seeing in these photos is in the final stages of testing at the Nitrex facility in Poland. The furnace is designed for around 600,000 rotors per year based upon 46 weeks/year, 5 days a week/24 hours a day with a “charge” every 2 hours. The furnace will be the first of two destined to be installed in Northwestern Europe.  This system has exceeded all design criteria from heating rate, cooling rate and layer thickness/uniformity.
 
As mentioned the system with be doing  Ferritic Nitrocarburizing with consistent oxide layer and color. More on this story to come. 
 
Massive Fire at Captive Heat Treater; From the “Philadelphia Inquirer” we have this story about a massive fire at aerospace fastener supplier “SPS Technologies”in Jenkintown, PA, USA. We mention this story as the company has a very substantial in house heat treat department although at this point in time it is unknown whether the fire originated there. “A shelter-in-place was still active within a one-mile radius and area schools were closed Tuesday after a 4-alarm fire ripped through an aerospace parts supplier in Montgomery County on Monday night, officials said.
 
Shortly after 9:30 p.m., police received multiple 911 calls of an explosion at SPS Technologies industrial complex on Highland Avenue, in Jenkintown, Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy said at a Tuesday morning news conference. When first responders arrived, they were met with multiple explosions at the complex, he said.
Firefighters from 68 fire companies responded to battle the blaze, Molloy said, and many were still on scene Tuesday morning trying to put the fire fully under control. As of Tuesday morning, no injuries were reported, he said.
 
Due to concerns over air quality and water contamination, a shelter-in-place was activated for residents within a one-mile radius of the scene, Molloy said. Hazmat teams are still monitoring air quality and water runoff from the scene, but have not detected any threats to the public, he said.
 
SPS Technologies manufactures fasteners and other small metal equipment for the aerospace and other industries, said Abington Fire Marshal Chris Platz. Fire officials were initially concerned that if some of the heat treating chemicals used at the facility mixed, they could form arsenic, said Abington Fire Chief Mike Jones.
 
The company was founded more than a century ago as Standard Pressed Steel Company. The Abington complex is described as 560,000 square feet and is a source for parts throughout the aerospace industry. The site is within a few hundred feet of the nearest homes and an athletic field with several baseball diamonds.”
 
Ipsen USA Announces Management Changes in Customer Service Team; Ipsen is pleased to announce the promotion of Evan Hundley to Retrofits Manager and the appointment of Lu Chouraki as Field Service Manager.
 
Since joining Ipsen in October 2023 as a Project Manager in the Retrofits Department, Hundley has demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to continuous improvement. With a degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State University, she has applied her expertise in lean manufacturing to drive process improvements, including a Kaizen event to optimize operations and Ipsen’s ERP system. Hundley has also enhanced the project manager role by improving project organization, financial reporting, and crossdepartment collaboration. As Retrofits Manager, she will lead the Retrofits Team to improve response times, streamline pricing and proposals, and provide tailored solutions that extend equipment lifespan and efficiency, driving long-term customer satisfaction.
 

BTP

Chouraki rejoined Ipsen in June 2022 as Manager of Business Development and has been instrumental in launching Ipsen’s HUB service model, expanding it across six U.S. regions. He first joined Ipsen in 2015 as a Field Service Engineer before being promoted to Regional Service Manager in 2018. His extensive experience within Ipsen’s service operations, combined with his industry knowledge, makes him uniquely qualified to lead the Field Service Team. As Field Service Manager, Chouraki will oversee all Regional Service Managers and Field Service Engineers, focusing on streamlining processes, improving response times, and enhancing customer support. He will also drive the continued expansion of Ipsen’s HUBs and develop his team into subject matter experts, supporting Ipsen’s commitment to outstanding service delivery and customer satisfaction.
 
“We are excited for Evan and Lu to take on new roles. These two leaders have already made significant contributions to Ipsen’s success,” said John Dykstra, Ipsen’s Chief Service Officer. “Their experience and dedication to improving our operations and customer support will be key as we continue to innovate and enhance our service offerings.” Ipsen is confident that under Hundley and Chouraki’s leadership, the company will continue to drive success and further enhance customer support and service operations.