CONTROLS NEWS

Automotive Component Manufacturer Bolsters Heat Treat Operations

An automotive component supplier has digitized its heat treatment operations with the implementation of a digitalization platform, an upgrade intended to align the company’s operations with the accuracy and precision requirements of the global automotive market.

Daniel Gonschorek
Sales Manager
UPC-Marathon Technical
Source: LinkedIn

With this upgrade, the manufacturer has transitioned from using multiple systems to manage its heat treatment processes, streamlining furnace operations with the QMULUS digitalization platform from UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company.

“Our collaboration with this tier 1/2 supplier has yielded significant improvements in their operational workflows,” said Daniel Gonschorek, technical sales manager at UPC-Marathon.

“The integration of QMULUS is not only advancing their internal processes but also delivering tangible gains in efficiency and performance,” he added. “By enhancing production efficiencies and reducing waste, QMULUS supports their commitment to innovation and aligns with the highest quality and sustainability standards. This digital transformation positions them strongly within the competitive automotive supply chain.”

The press release is available in its original form here.



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Heat Treater Overhauls Aging System To Upgrade Carburizing Processes

An Italian heat treater enhanced its operations with the installation of control cabinets, allowing for real-time data analysis and more efficient management of its carburizing processes. The improvement helped minimize downtime and optimize furnace performance.

Daniel Panny
Product Manager and Head 
UPC-Marathon Europe

Despite the robustness of their three batch IQ furnaces, T.T.M. Trattamenti Termici dei Metalli Srl identified an opportunity to redefine their approach to furnace controls and automation and partnered with UPC-Marathon, a Nitrex company, to breathe new life into their aging systems. The project entailed the installation of control cabinets equipped with advanced process controllers, the integration of the controllers into a SCADA system for advanced monitoring and control capabilities. To complement T.T.M.’s technological upgrades, UPC-Marathon also installed a new gas cabinet.

“This strategic investment in modernizing the furnace controls with UPC-Marathon proved not only highly effective in resolving immediate challenges with aging controls but also more cost-effective than replacing the three furnaces,” said Daniel Panny, product manager and head of UPC-Marathon Europe.

The press release is available in its original form here.


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MIT-Backed Startup Tackles Heat Treaters’ High Electricity Bills

A group of graduates from MIT and Duke University identified manufacturing as an industry overburdened by rapidly growing energy costs and proposed a technology to provide electric bill savings of up to 30%. They will be piloting this technology with a U.S. heat treater, ThermoFusion, a Californian heat treater and brazer.

EQORE, a startup tackling energy issues for manufacturers, is developing smart energy storage systems. They aim to cut industrial energy bills by a third while offering a payback period of 1–3 years. Connected behind the meter, an EQORE system serves as an optimizing filter for electric equipment without changing its operation in any way. The system consists of a wall-mounted computing unit and a compact floor-mounted battery pack. It can be installed inside or outside of a facility and only needs a connection to the electric panel and internet.

The founding team features backgrounds in energy storage engineering from Tesla and Apple, as well as software and business development, and is supported by an innovation fund at MIT. The technology specifically targets reducing demand charges, which can account for 60–70% of industrial electricity costs. Demand charges penalize high variability in electric usage, a characteristic of heat treating facilities like ThermoFusion. For these facilities, a single peak in power usage can drastically increase the entire bill. Remarkably, in some locations in the U.S., demand rates have doubled since 2022. 

After talking to over 200 businesses, utility representatives, and energy experts, the team concluded that the solutions to the demand issue remain limited. Available power optimizations disrupt customer operations, while independent power generation like solar is often out of reach due to its decade-long repayment periods. EQORE’s solution empowers clients to reduce energy costs while maintaining existing production levels.

Their team is actively looking to engage with more pilot customers and is open to collaborations.  

The original press release is available upon request.


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FPM Heat Treating Expecting New Vacuum Furnace

FPM Heat Treating has placed an order for a vacuum furnace. The HFL-7472-2IQ vacuum furnace features a graphite insulated hot zone of 48” x 48” x 72” with a 5,000 pound weight capacity, and the SolarVac® Polaris Controls.

The furnace from Solar Manufacturing is equipped with features for temperature control, uniformity, and rapid heating and cooling cycles, which are crucial for achieving superior metallurgical results. “We are thrilled to integrate this advanced vacuum furnace into our operations,” said Bob Ferry, VP of Engineering and Quality at FPM Heat Treating. “This acquisition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence and our dedication to providing our clients with superior quality and precision in every project.”


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Advancement in Automotive Industry with EV Contract

A component supplier in the automotive industry has secured a multimillion-dollar contract to receive a turnkey automated nitrocarburizing furnace system for the production of electric passenger vehicle brake components.

Under the contract, Nitrex will design, manufacture, commission, and test continuous-line furnaces, part of the NXL furnace series, which are capable of processing millions of brake parts annually.

In addition to the furnace design, Nitreg®-C and ONC® technologies are integral to this order. This ferritic nitrocarburizing process with post-oxidation improves metal corrosion resistance and effectively reduces rust formation. It is designed to achieve lower non-effluent emissions associated with electric vehicle braking systems.

Furthermore, Nitrex will integrate QMULUS, an AI and machine learning IoT platform, to enhance the supplier’s manufacturing capabilities and drive continuous improvement throughout its operations.

"[This project] empower[s] our customers to thrive as the transition to electric vehicles and more advanced solutions accelerates,” expressed Nitrex CEO Jean-Francois Cloutier.


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Nitriding Solution Accommodates Faster Heat Treat and Wider Parts

HTD Size-PR Logo

Full-service commercial heat treating solutions provider Akademi Metalurji incorporated a turnkey nitriding installation to save on process gases and production time, and also process wider-dimensioned parts.

The project includes a mid-sized pit-type furnace, advanced controls, three process technologies, and accelerated cooling. The latter add-on equipment will help reduce cycle times, optimize production between batches, and run more cycles.

This new system allows the company to overcome efficiency and quality challenges they faced at the Gebze, Turkey, facility; the prior system consumed excessive amounts of process gases and yielded inconsistent nitriding results. Nitrex, a Canada-based company with international locations, provided the NX-1015 pit furnace, which offers an effective work zone of 39” d x 59” h (1000 x 1500 mm) and a load capacity of 4400 lbs. (2000 kg). The supplied library of Nitreg®-based recipes is tailored to meet different application requirements, resulting in a hardened surface that is highly wear-resistant, particularly useful for applications like machinery components, tooling, dies, and molds, where Akademi Metalurji specializes.

The system was successfully installed and commenced operations in April 2023.


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Agreement Reached for Eurotherm To Join Watlow in Deal with Schneider Electric SE

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Rob Gilmore
CEO
Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
bizjournals.com

Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company, a North American manufacturer of thermal systems, will purchase Eurotherm, a global provider of temperature and power control measurement systems. The sale is estimated for the end of 2022.

Schneider Electric SE plans to sell Eurotherm to Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company. Regulatory approvals and consultations for Eurotherm's 650 employees are a continuing process.

“Watlow is excited to invest in this innovative product portfolio and professional team,” Rob Gilmore, Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company's CEO said. “Combining Eurotherm’s complementary controls technologies with Watlow’s focus on thermal systems, our shared engineer-to-engineer sales models and our focus on common markets will allow Watlow and Eurotherm to better serve all of our respective customers.”


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IoT Technology Implemented for Enhanced Furnace Performance

Wisconsin Oven Corporation announced a new IoT (Internet of things) predictive maintenance technology available on their industrial ovens. The new system is capable of monitoring the performance and health of components on the ovens. Some of the conditions that the sensors track are vibration, temperature, current, and pressure.

Wisconsin DataSense Technologies (photo source: Wisconsin Oven YouTube video)

The system will be supplied by DataSense Technologies. Their Performance Monitoring System utilizes sensors to monitor the condition of components on a customer’s industrial oven, featuring a gateway that collects performance data from sensors on critical oven components.

This system will enable customers to minimize unscheduled downtime and increase their profitability because the Performance Monitoring system can be used to identify performance and component issues. Automatic alarm thresholds can be implemented to satisfy the specific needs of heat treating customers.

Learn more about the DataSense Technologies with a video here.

(photo source: www.wisoven.com)

Wisconsin DataSense Technologies (photo source: Wisconsin Oven YouTube video)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Liberty Wire Johnstown Upgrades Controls for Continuous Furnace Lines

A Pennsylvania producer and provider of steel wire and rod products, Liberty Wire in Johnstown, PA, underwent an intensive nitrogen-methanol controls upgrade for a continuous furnace line. The process included a new control system and panel for a continuous annealing furnace line to process coiled wire products.

SSI Controls Matrix (photo source: Super Systems Inc.)

Mike Cassidy, the Liberty Wire Controls Analyst, led the installation with Super System Inc. (SSI) project engineers, “I’m very pleased with SSI and the new system... I’m looking forward to working with them in the future.”

The SSI Matrix control system was incorporated to control the automated flow and mixing of the process gases.  SSI HMI and eFlo 2.0 meters were also integrated to provide Liberty with the latest in hardware, software and communications technology.

(Photo source: peprofessional.com)

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Controls Upgrade for Heat Treater to Medical, Auto, Defense Industries

Two projects involving controls upgrades were recently completed at a Dayton, Ohio-based, heat treating company that serves the medical supplies industry, as well as automotive, defense, firearms, and construction sectors.

Super Systems Inc. (SSi), located in Cincinnati, Ohio,  announced two upgrade projects at American Heat Treating in Dayton, Ohio. Controls were upgraded on a Beavermatic integral quench furnace that included a Series 9205 with a 12.1” HMI for atmosphere and temperature control and datalogging, a Series 804 for oil quench temperature control (heating and cooling), and other ancillary items. A second project included a controls retrofit of a Lindberg 3000 SCFH endothermic generator with an SSi AutoGen control system.

“Our long-range plan was to upgrade the controls on the Beavermatic, but when the old controller failed without notice, Super Systems jumped into action and did the complete upgrade project quickly,” said Van Hatcher, Instrument Technician and project leader at American Heat Treating. “Our endothermic generator has been operating with the new SSi AutoGen controls with no issues since commissioning. We look forward to the operating cost savings that come with the automated turndown features.”

 

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