EDITOR

Message from the Editor: Inspiring Young People in Heat Treat

/ EDITOR, FEATURED NEWS

OCYoung people today get a bad rap. Karen Gantzer, managing editor at Heat Treat Today, disagrees! The leadership, initiative, and problem-solving skills of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 are truly inspiring. In the heat treat industry, it appears youth isn't such a bad thing after all. In this article, read what Karen has to say about some of the young people on the team at Heat Treat Today.

This article was originally published in Heat Treat Today's August 2021 Automotive print edition.

Karen Gantzer
Managing Editor
Heat Treat Today

I find it very inspiring to work with young people in this industry. Contrary to what is sometimes heard in the world at large, many of the young people I’ve had the privilege of working with in the North American heat treat market are intelligent, conscientious, respectful, hard-working adults worth their weight in gold. They’re a real pleasure to be around. As this column is being typed, Heat Treat Today is working on selecting 40 young leaders in the North American heat treat market to be inducted into the 40 Under 40 Class of 2021, a great honor for each person, and a great honor for the 120 previous inductees, the 40 Under 40 Classes of 2018, 2019, and 2020. It’s amazing how difficult it is to pick 40 each year from those nominated. Nearly all of them are more than qualified, but only 40 can be selected. The judges invariably struggle each year. That is a GREAT problem to have, and it speaks to the quality of the young people in this industry. Although these young people will probably never make it into one of the 40 Under 40 classes, I would like to mention several under-40 individuals who contribute substantially to the North American heat treat market each and every day – the young people of Heat Treat Today – all of whom are less than 40 years old and all of whom are simply stellar people.

Bethany Funk-Leone is the Heat Treat Daily editor as well as the Heat Treat Radio editor and resident idea person along with Doug. We sometimes have to pivot at the last minute and Bethany flexes with grace, determination, and wit, as she juggles multiple responsibilities and stays ahead of the game.

Brandon Glenn is our art and web design expert. When we need a logo or image, a tweak on the website, or a last-minute edit on the Heat Treat Daily, Brandon is our man; and he always comes through with precision, kindness and often a comment that makes us laugh.

Ellen Glenn-Porter wears several hats—billing/accounting/audience development—and makes sure that important admin is completed on time. She faithfully connects with you in the industry and is always diligent to make sure the rest of the team is aware of needs, encouragement, or concerns that are sent to her.

Lauren Porter, Heat Treat Today production manager, is our newest team member. She has been Doug’s right hand person and done yeoman’s work in getting the print magazines, e-blasts, and other media out to you all as well as working with advertisers.

Alyssa Bootsma is our social media editor. She has taken excellent initiative on the various platforms and has grown our presence significantly. It has been exciting to see her grow and succeed in an area that had been unfamiliar to her, but one which she has embraced.

Jonathan Lloyd, Heat Treat Today's talented audio/podcast editor, ensures the excellence of Heat Treat Radio and other multimedia endeavors. His expertise and creativity in the audio and visual world is a huge asset as he helps us maintain a cutting edge.

The old-timers, Doug Glenn and I, couldn’t be happier to be working with this youthful group, who keeps us sharp and current! And, while they might never be in Heat Treat Today's 40 Under 40, they are our "Top 6" list of great people serving the North American heat treat market.

Thanks, team for the incredible work you do!

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Message from the Editor: How to Use This Guide

/ EDITOR, FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, OP-ED

OCAre you someone who is satisfied with the same services and equipment that you've used for years, regardless of how mediocre the results are? Would you like to use a new guide to find better heat treat solutions?  

This original content article was written by Karen Gantzer, editor of Heat Treat Today, for Heat Treat Today's June 2021 Heat Treat Buyers Guide 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.

80%-90% of you tell us that you prefer to have a print, hard-copy magazine – and the Heat Treat Buyers Guide is no exception. While it is the “hip,” “cool,” or “in” thing to “go digital,” the facts say otherwise. So, slap this hard-copy, bad boy down on your desk or table and let it sit around until you’re ready to buy something in the North American heat treat market. Then pick it up and enjoy all of the resources it has to offer.

Here’s how you can get the most out of this resource:

The Buyers Guide is divided into three major sections.

1. The first section, from pages 17-27, contains an alphabetic listing of all the suppliers of heat treating equipment and related services in the North American heat treat marketplace. You’ll notice that some of the companies listed in this section have a red star before their name. These are the advertisers who make this print version possible. Please lend your support to these industry-leading companies when it comes to purchasing.

Other companies have a boldface listing along with their company logo, but no red star. These are our Gold level suppliers who have paid extra to be in the online version. These companies are also worthy of your serious consideration.

There are still other companies who have not yet completed their online listing and therefore have relatively little information in this print edition. You’ll be able to recognize these companies because they have a blue asterisk (*) next to their name. More and more of these companies are signing up daily, so our suggestion is to check our website (www.heattreatbuyersguide.com) for the latest information about these companies OR go directly to these companies’ websites, which are listed along with their company names in this first section.

Those companies without a red star, no logo, and no blue asterisk are what we call our Basic Level companies. They’ve also contributed a nominal yearly amount to be listed in the online and print versions of this Buyers Guide. These companies are also very much worthy of your consideration.

2. The second major section of this Buyers Guide is an exhaustive listing of heat treat equipment and related services. There is a comprehensive index of these services listed between pages 28 and 32. This is a good place to start your search.

Immediately after the Index of Equipment & Related Services are six sub-categories with hundreds of products and companies who provide them. The six sub-categories are: 1) Heat Treat Furnaces, Ovens & Induction Equipment, 2) Heat Treat Components, Supplies & Materials, 3) Heat Treat Controls, Instrumentation & Sensors, 4) Heat Treat Auxiliary, Subs-System, Ancillary Equipment & Services, 5) Heat Treat Lab, Testing, & Materials Characterization Equipment, and 6) Heat Treat Gases & Atmosphere Generation Equipment. There are too many products and services to reproduce here, but you can see them all on pages 34-78.

3. The third and final section of this Buyers Guide runs from pages 79 to 83 and is a state-by-state listing of commercial heat treaters. If you’re looking for a company to perform heat treating on a product your company makes, this is a good place to start. There wasn’t room in this print edition to list the processes that these commercial heat treating companies perform, but if you go to the website, www.heattreatbuyersguide.com, you’ll be able to search for a commercial heat treater by the processes they perform AND their proximity to you.

A final thought. If you are a supplier of heat treating equipment or related services OR if you are a commercial heat treater and you are NOT listed in this directory, there is a quick and easy remedy. All you have to do is go to www.heattreatbuyersguide.com and search for your company’s name. If you are there, all you need to do is “claim” your listing. If you are not there, you can easily create a listing for your company in less than 15 minutes. If you have any trouble, please feel free to contact us at buyers_guide@heattreattoday.com with any questions. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Happy shopping!

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Message From the Editor: Survey: Heat Treaters Who Use Induction Heating Equipment

/ EDITOR, INDUCTION HEATING EQUIPMENT TECHNICAL CONTENT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT

OCEver wonder what the status of induction heat treating is in North America? Well you can stop wondering: Check out these Induction Heating Survey results that represent approximately 450 induction units.

This original content article was written by Karen Gantzer, editor of Heat Treat Today, for Heat Treat Today's May 2021 Induction 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.

Karen Gantzer
Managing Editor
Heat Treat Today

Heat Treat Today conducted a survey with those companies that perform in-house heat treating as well as commercial heat treaters who use induction heating equipment. The results represent approximately 450 induction units, and we received very interesting and beneficial information from the questions posed. Below is a sampling of the questions and responses.

When asked the number of induction coils owned, 27% have over 100 coils, 16% own 50 to 100, and 13.5% have ownership of between 16 to 30 coils. Interestingly, 50% of respondents design and make the vast majority of their induction coils.

There were eight different power supply and transformer selections noted in the results. 62.5% use IGBT generators, while 33.3% use vacuum tube generators, and tied for third with 25% of respondents using thyristor or MOSFET generators.

Surveys. Polls. While well-designed ones can require time to complete authentically, the effort is worth the data received because it helps many make informed decisions. Heat Treat Today believes that people make better decisions when they are well-informed, and so, with that thought in mind, if you’re interested in seeing the full report of this induction survey, please email me at Karen@heattreattoday.com.

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Heat Treat History Offers Promise to the Present

/ EDITOR, FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

In today’s article, Heat Treat Today’s editorial staff has gathered noteworthy reflections of heat treaters who are looking to the past to offer hope to present circumstances. Read more to see that while the present seems paused with Covid-19, the past offers promise of growth and change through challenges.

Like many markets, the heat treating industry is seeking to make the best out of this summer of 2020, and even though the market is looking more positive by the day, there are many who still look for a sense of normalcy. However, with leaders looking at historical moments in heat treat, they remind us that while the present seems paused with Covid-19, the past offers promise of growth and change through the challenges of life.

Sceenshot of Bodycote’s “An Interactive History of Metallurgy” (photo source: https://www.bodycote.com/history-of-metal/)

A major reach into the past is a throwback to the 90th century BC called “An Interactive History of Metallurgy.” In this historical timeline, Bodycote presents an engaging look at copper, bronze, iron, and tin through the centuries. The developments include detailed information, mostly funneled from Wikipedia, like the fact that bronze alloy in 12th century English candlesticks contained a degree of silver, antimony, and arsenic. And the modern, continuous development of steel is believed to have begun in the carbon furnaces of Sub-Saharan African communities.

(photo source: SECO/WARWICK)

On June 30, 2020, SECO/WARWICK released an “anniversary reflection” to commemorate the achievements of the Group in the first half of 2020. Among these is the 10th anniversary of their Chinese branch which has now become a recognized leader of CAB systems in heat treat, creating furnaces for aluminum brazing in controlled atmospheres. They conclude their message with a word from Sławomir Woźniak, President of the Management Board, saying, “We wish that health, patience and faith – embracing the world at large – will return to normal.”

Sanderson’s Weir (photo source: Shane Higgins on LinkedIn)

Finally, a recent LinkedIn post from Shane Higgins, Field Sales from Special Quality Alloys Ltd, shared a lunch-time crowd favorite: Sanderson’s Weir, built in the 1580s. With two iron forges on either side of the River Don in Sheffield, this low dam was built to provide power to the industrial work. Changes in the nature of industry has allowed a 20-year project along the River Don in Sheffield and Rotherham to permit a fish pass for salmon after 200 years without. It is impressive that the location that once produced iron still houses metalworking business.

 

 

 

(photo source: Hakon Sataoen on unsplash.com)

(photo source: https://www.bodycote.com/history-of-metal/)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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