FEATURED NEWS

New Furnace Line for Railroad Component Manufacturer

/ ATMOSPHERE GENERATORS NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, PARTS CLEANING NEWS, TEMPERING NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

A supplier to the railway industry has ordered a technological line consisting of two vacuum furnaces, three tempering furnaces, and two washers. The line will be utilized for hardening processes of steel parts used in railway rolling stock.

The SECO/WARWICK line for voestalpine Fastening Systems consists of an electric chamber furnace, a washer, a cooling station, and an endothermic atmosphere generator. The hardening process will be carried out in a controlled atmosphere with temperatures up to 1742°F.

Additionally, the technological line includes an electric chamber furnace designed for the heat treatment of steel parts in a protective nitrogen atmosphere at temperatures up to 1292°F, along with a washer, cooling station and endothermic generator. The line will include a loader operating in automatic mode, a set of roller tables and a closed loop water system. The number of the supplied technological line units is selected to ensure the quality of manufactured components.

Mariusz Raszewski, Deputy Director of the Aluminum Process and CAB Furnaces Team, SECO/WARWICK (Source: SECO/WARWICK)

Mariusz Raszewski, deputy director of the Aluminum Process and CAB Furnaces Team at SECO/WARWICK said, “The line is configured in such a way that if the volume of the company products decreases, the customer can also offer commercial processing due to the wide technological spectrum of this main furnace unit.”

The whole solution will be supervised by a master system, which is used for the continuous monitoring of the heat treatment equipment operation and provides advanced data analysis for the production processes.

Mariusz Fogtman, COO, voestalpine Fastening Systems (Source: voestalpine Fastening Systems)

“The universal furnace solution will allow [us] to process details in various configurations,” Mariusz Fogtman, COO of voestalpine Fastening Systems commented. “Apart from technological parameters, it is important for us to limit the processed details’ deformations, which is possible in the ordered solution. SECO/WARWICK presented a partnership and flexible approach to the challenge of this order”

This press release is available in its original form here.

New Furnace Line for Railroad Component Manufacturer Read More »

Fringe Friday: “So, I gave you the apple…”

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

We’re celebrating getting to the “fringe” of the weekend with a Heat Treat Fringe Friday installment: a video unveiling the learning progress of Figure 01. Learn more about this startling conversational machine that may become the world’s first commercially viable autonomous humanoid robot.

While not exactly heat treat, “Fringe Friday” deals with interesting developments in one of our key markets: aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, or general manufacturing.

“So, I gave you the apple because it’s the only, uh, edible item I could provide you with from the table.” A humanoid robot called Figure 01 (read “figure one”) is making a splash as a personable, multitasking robot.

If you are someone who appreciates clear speech patterns, rapid-fire conversation, and other social ques, like facial expression and hand motions, you are out of luck. But if you are looking for a patient, accommodating, young adult male, OpenAI models-trained machine to add to your workforce, this robot may be a commercially available option for you soon.

Figure 01 is intended for “general purposes,” coming beside humans in the workforce to “create and produce so much more, address drastic labor shortages, and reduce the number of workers in unsafe jobs.” One might imagine Figure 01 loading and unloading baskets with components to heat treat or perhaps take on the task of opening the furnace door and testing the atmosphere gasses that linger. Of course, if you were to ask Figure 01 to load a basket with components to heat treat, it may take him 4 seconds before answering, “Certainly.”

Watch the video below, created by Figure, a U.S.-based AI robotics company.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Fringe Friday: “So, I gave you the apple…” Read More »

Aluminum Extrusion Operations Bring Nitriding In-House

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, NITRIDING, NITRIDING NEWS

Extral SP. Z o.o., a Polish company specializing in aluminum extrusions, has bolstered its manufacturing capabilities to better serve the construction, automobile, and machinery industries. Alongside acquiring a new aluminum extrusion press, the company ordered a nitriding system to nitride H11 and H13 extrusion dies of various sizes.

Nitriding pit furnace from Nitrex

The Nitrex turnkey nitriding system includes an NX-1015 pit-type furnace with a 2-ton (4410-lb) load capacity and NITREG® technology, offering nitriding treatments that optimize die performance and throughput while concurrently reducing tooling costs.

This investment coincides with Extral’s expansion of its operational footprint in Poland, including the construction of a new building to house the extrusion press and furnace. This expansion enables the company to diversify its range of extruded products while maintaining a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. The new nitriding installation will contribute to these objectives by providing more efficient use of process gases and electricity.

Marcin Stokłosa
Project Manager
Nitrex Poland
Source: LinkedIn.com

Previously, Extral outsourced its nitriding operations to a local heat treater, due to quality issues encountered with an underperforming in-house nitriding unit. However, this latest investment enables them to bring nitriding operations back in-house, ensuring better control over the quality and consistency of their nitrided dies while also benefiting from expedited turnaround times.

Marcin Stoklosa, project manager at Nitrex, said, “Working with Extral on this project has been a pleasure. . . . Seeing customers invest in their business and achieve their goals, especially when it aligns with our values of innovation and sustainability, is always rewarding.”

This press release is available in its original form here.

Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Aluminum Extrusion Operations Bring Nitriding In-House Read More »

Increased HIP on the Horizon: Kittyhawk Expands with Stack HIP Acquisition

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

Kittyhawk, Inc., backed by the Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital, has acquired Stack HIP, LLC from Stack Metallurgical Group (SMG). The acquisition represents a significant expansion of capacity and capabilities in hot isostatic pressing (HIP) for aerospace, space, defense, and medical applications.

Operating from its facility in Albany, OR, Stack HIP provides HIP services to aerospace, defense, and medical clients by operating the largest high-pressure HIP vessels in North America. This enables them to process large, complex castings and additively manufactured metallic parts. Post-closing, SMG will continue to operate its classical heat treatment and aluminum special processing facilities in Portland, OR, Spokane, WA, and Salt Lake City, UT.

Brandon Creason
President
Kittyhawk

“We’re excited to welcome Stack HIP customers, employees, and suppliers into the Kittyhawk family,” said Brandon Creason, president of Kittyhawk. “Stack HIP will allow Kittyhawk to service mission critical parts up to 63” in diameter, enabling us to process the full array of components for our customers. At Kittyhawk, we commit every day to providing the best service and quality to our customers, and we’re thrilled to now do that with the added capabilities and dedicated employees of Stack HIP.”

Doug Puerta
CEO
Stack Metallurgical Group

Doug Puerta, CEO of SMG commented, “We look forward to continued collaboration with Kittyhawk to deliver a differentiated level of service, quality, and value to our shared customers. This transaction will allow both companies to further drive capacity, quality, and capabilities in our respective services to best serve the PNW market.”

“This is an important step in growing the platform specialized in this highly-differentiated HIP capability. [Kittyhawk] continues to benefit from strong industry tailwinds, and we are excited to support our customers by investing in capacity,” said David Stinnett, partner at Trive.

This press release is available in its original form upon request.

Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Increased HIP on the Horizon: Kittyhawk Expands with Stack HIP Acquisition Read More »

HTD HTEI March_Featured

Heat Treat Economic Indicators: March 2024 Results

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT ECONOMIC NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

The four heat treat industry-specific economic indicators, gathered by Heat Treat Today each month since June 2023, indicate high expectations for economic growth on all four heat treat industry indices as we look ahead to March. Read on to see which indices are hitting above last month’s growth expectations and which one is lower in growth compared to February’s expectations.

The numbers, which were compiled in the second week of March, show that responding parties strongly anticipate all four indices — number of inquiry, value of bookings, size of backlogs, and health of manufacturing economy — to grow. Interesting, the number of inquiries is a bit down, as compared to last month, but suppliers are still expecting growth, more so than any previous month, with the exception of February.

The results from this month’s survey (March) are as follows; numbers above 50 indicate growth, numbers below 50 indicate contraction, and the number 50 indicates no change:

  • Anticipated change in the Number of Inquiries from February to March: 64.0
  • Anticipated change in Value of Bookings from February to March: 68.4
  • Anticipated change in Backlog Size from February to March: 70.0
  • Anticipated change in the Health of the Manufacturing Economy from February to March: 61.7

Data for March 2024

The four index numbers are reported monthly by Heat Treat Today and made available on the website. 

Heat Treat Today’s Economic Indicators measure and report on four, heat treat industry indices. Each month, approximately 800 individuals who classify themselves as suppliers to the North American heat treat industry receive the survey. Above are the results. Data started being collected in June 2023. If you would like to participate in the monthly survey, please click here to subscribe.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

Heat Treat Economic Indicators: March 2024 Results Read More »

Common Automotive Heat Treat Processes To Get Into Gear

/ ANNEALING TECHNICAL CONTENT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, NITRIDING TECHNICAL CONTENT, NITROCARBURIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT, TEMPERING, TEMPERING TECHNICAL CONTENT

How long have you been heat treating automotive gears? Which thermal processing techniques do your operations gravitate towards? In this best of the web article, uncover some of the common heat treatment functions and the properties they create in gears. Let us know what you think of this general overview of the world of heat treating gears in our Reader Feedback form!

Contact us with your Reader Feedback!

Additionally, when you read to the end of the article, future trends that we can anticipate for heat treaters in the automotive industry are offered; as one might guess, they include digital and energy-saving technologies.

An excerpt: “Automotive gear heat treatment (process) includes two aspects: firstly, conventional heat treatment such as annealing, normalizing, quenching, tempering, and quenching and tempering; secondly, surface heat treatment, which encompasses methods like surface quenching (e.g., induction quenching, laser quenching) and chemical heat treatment (e.g., carburizing, carbonitriding, nitriding, nitrocarburizing).”

Read the entire article from Beyond Gears via LinkedIn, by clicking here: “Characteristics and Development Trends in Automotive Gear Heat Treatment“

Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Common Automotive Heat Treat Processes To Get Into Gear Read More »

US Army Enlists Metallus for Munitions Expansion

/ FEATURED NEWS, FORGING NEWS, FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Metallus, formerly known as TimkenSteel and a leader in high-quality specialty metals, manufactured components, and supply chain solutions, announced that the company has entered an agreement for up to $99 million in funding from the United States Army.

Half of the funding is currently obligated, with the balance subject to mutual agreement during subsequent phases after the final project details are presented to the Army. This funding will support a project aimed at bolstering the Army’s mission of ramping up artillery shell production in the coming years.

Mike Williams
President and CEO
Metallus
Source: Metallus

Specifically, this project will enable the development of additional capacity to help fulfill increased global demand for artillery shells. The new capability is expected to increase throughput of high-quality bar-based products used in artillery applications and support approximately $60 million of incremental base sales annually, demand dependent. The company is targeting late 2025 for this new capability to be operational with funding to be provided throughout the procurement and installation process.

“Metallus is honored to expand our commitment to the defense sector, reliably providing high-quality specialty metals for critical applications. With this funding, we intend to further optimize our assets to meet the Department of Defense’s heightened demand while reducing our carbon footprint,” affirmed Mike Williams, president and CEO.

The 2022 National Defense Strategy outlines the Department of Defense’s commitment to establishing a modernized and coordinated defense industrial network. This initiative aims to develop a reliable and resilient supply chain of industrial partners over the next several years that will significantly enhance the nation’s defense capabilities for the long-term.

This press release is available in its original form here.

Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

US Army Enlists Metallus for Munitions Expansion Read More »

Anatomy of a Roller Hearth Furnace

/ BURNERS & COMBUSTION SYSTEMS TECHNICAL CONTENT, FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT
Contact us with your Reader Feedback!

Consider the numerous systems in your heat treat operations. What makes up the anatomy of each furnace? In this “Anatomy of a . . .” series, industry experts indicate the main features of a specific heat treat system. In this feature, the full-page spread identifies main features in a roller hearth furnace.

The mark-ups for these reference images are provided by Premier Furnace Specialists.

Download the full graphics by clicking the image below.

This Technical Tuesday article is drawn from Heat Treat Today’s January/February 2024 Air/Atmosphere print edition, that had a special focus on roller hearths. Use this mark-up as you read two feature articles from the magazine: “5 Experts on Advantages and Applications of Roller Hearth Systems” and “Thermal Loop Solutions, Part 1: A Path to Improved Performance and Compliance in Heat Treatment.“

Search www.heattreatbuyersguide.com for a list of roller hearth furnace providers to the North American market. If you are a roller hearth furnace supplier and are not listed here, please let us know at editor@heattreattoday.com.

This series will continue in subsequent editions of Heat Treat Today’s print publications. Stay tuned!

Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Anatomy of a Roller Hearth Furnace Read More »

Aerospace Manufacturer Adds LPC Furnace

/ AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, CARBURIZING NEWS, FEATURED NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

An Asian aircraft parts manufacturer has chosen a horizontal vacuum furnace intended for vacuum carburizing aircraft parts. The furnace will produce gears used in aircraft structural sub-assemblies.

Maciej Korecki, VP, Vacuum Furnace Segment at SECO/WARWICK (source: SECO/WARWICK)

The SECO/WARWICK furnace is designed for low-pressure carburizing (LPC), equipped with a horizontal chamber with dimensions of 900 x 600 x 600 mm and a graphite chamber with a gas hardening system at a pressure of 6 bar.

“LPC technology,” said Maciej Korecki, Vice-President of the SECO/WARWICK Group Vacuum Segment, “is an increasingly popular solution. Its main advantage is the ability to carry out an efficient and effective carburizing cycle in a much shorter time than in atmospheric furnaces. This furnace ensures higher productivity and consequently, lower process costs and a quick return on investment. Carrying out the process in vacuum, on the other hand, increases the operational safety, because it does not involve explosive and flammable gases. LPC eliminates direct CO₂ emissions from the carburizing atmosphere.”

The original press release from SECO/WARWICK is available here.

Find Heat Treating Products And Services When You Search On Heat Treat Buyers Guide.Com

Aerospace Manufacturer Adds LPC Furnace Read More »

IperionX Titanium Furnace Set To Arrive in Virginia

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, SINTERING POWDER METAL NEWS, TITANIUM PROCESSING NEWS
HAMR titanium furnace for Virginia facility (Source: IperionX)

IperionX announced their HAMR (Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction) furnace has completed its final mechanical assembly and passed factory acceptance tests. The furnace will be delivered to the company’s Virginia Titanium Production Facility as a foundational asset to the low-cost titanium supply chain.

The HAMR furnace is a large-scale titanium furnace with IperionX-patented technologies. HAMR is a powder metallurgy process technology that allows for the production of titanium powders.

Installation is expected during 2024’s second quarter, with production of titanium beginning mid-2024. To ramp up low-cost titanium production, IperionX has received $2.4 million from the DoD as part of a $12.7 million grant fund.

To learn more about IperionX’s Viriginia Titanium Production Facility, visit this link.

This press release is available in its original form here.

IperionX Titanium Furnace Set To Arrive in Virginia Read More »