Recently we have had several posts asking the burning question “Is Vacuum Carburizing with Oil Quenching a Growing Trend in the Heat Treatment Industry”? The post below from December 18/2020 started our conversation. We posed the question as furnace builders SECO and ECM both introduced new concepts over the past year and Ipsen has been offering a similar product for a number of years. Now we are hearing a rumor that furnace builder AFC-Holcroft in Wixom, Michigan is also ready to introduce a similar product. AFC is one of the largest furnace builders in North America and certainly the company has the knowledge and ability to offer such a system and do a good job at it. We hunted through our file photos and found this photo of a CI Hayes system who of course was one of the pioneers of vacuum carburizing with oil quenching. We will keep you posted.

“December 18/2020 Post; The global heat treatment industry has often been described as being mature, staid, conservative and slow to change and these accusations are entirely warranted. So it is with interest that we watch to see what new technologies come along and whether they become a trend, that is the topic of this news item. Over the past year two companies have introduced new products which are fairly similar, vacuum furnaces with oil quenching which are designed for carburizing applications. Now there is nothing new about this technology, what is new is that it comes in a new package, basically a standard batch IQ configuration. Since Batch IQ furnaces are the most common style of furnace in the world this makes for a pretty slick idea. Hard on the heels of these new products comes a rumor that one of the larger furnace manufacturers in North America is poised to announce a similar product in the new year. Look forward to some more information about vacuum carburizing with oil quenching and its possible effect on the heat treating market next week.”

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