We take risks every day. Often times, taking risks is the only way to innovate or move forward. Karen Gantzer, managing editor of Heat Treat Today, muses on the cutting-edge technology and new frontiers of the heat treating world.
This article first appeared in Heat Treat Today's February 2022 Air & Atmosphere Furnace Systems print edition. Feel free to contact Karen Gantzer at karen@heattreattoday.com if you have a question, comment, or any editorial contribution you’d like to submit.
Managing Editor
Heat Treat Today
Risks. We’ve all taken them at some point in our lives. You know, those times you faced a situation in which you really had to act but weren’t sure what the outcome would be. You took that step of faith into the unknown. Perhaps those steps led to success or maybe they didn’t. But, whatever the outcome, a lesson was learned. I’m sure we’ve all heard those inspiring stories of innovative and creative people who took risks and persevered. Some of them have wild stories, but incredibly motivating! (Check out the podcast, “How I Built This” and Gary Hirshberg’s story on how he built Stoneyfield Yogurt — a crazy one! I’m not sure I would have persevered!)
In today’s climate, especially in the technology realm, there are new frontiers to explore in the heat treat industry. For example, have you heard of e-commerce? In the heat treat industry? What an interesting concept. Heat Treat Today has reached out to several of these companies who have dipped their toes into e-commerce for an original content article due out next month.
Technology and innovation are also highlighted in this month’s Air/Atmosphere Heat Treat magazine. Be sure to take a look at “Tech Trends: Heat Treat Technologies to Watch in 2022” which includes insights from heat treat leaders whose technology trends could help your company. Additionally, don’t miss John Clarke’s Combustion Corner to determine if there are any uncashed checks in your possession that could be cashed to invest in worthwhile projects. Mesh belts are one of this edition’s focus areas, so you will want to save time to read these three informative and helpful articles, “‘The light at the end of the tunnel’ — Monitoring Mesh Belt Furnaces”; “Mesh Belt Atmosphere Heat Treatment Systems: Meeting Demands for Performance, Quality, and Innovation”; and “Mesh Belt 101.” And, as we round out this month’s articles for your enjoyment and edification, on-site hydrogen generation is a hot topic that is discussed in “On- Site Hydrogen Generation: A Viable Option for Reducing Atmospheres in Heat Treating.”
In closing, I leave you with three quotes I hope will encourage you and cause you to pause. May 2022 be a year of great adventure into new risk-taking frontiers!
“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky, hockey great
"Remember, a dead fish can float down a stream, but it takes a live one to swim
upstream.” — W.C. Fields
And, from one of my most favorite coaches, legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden:
“The person who is afraid to risk failure seldom has to face success. I expected my players to make mistakes, as long as they were mistakes of commission. A mistake of commission happens when you are doing what should be done but don’t get the results you want." — John Wooden
