MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Furnace Manufacturers Form Partnership To Bolster Processing in North America

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

AFC-Holcroft (AFCH), an industrial furnace manufacturer based in Wixom, MI, recently announced a strategic partnership with Tokai Konetsu Kogyo Co., Ltd. (TKK), a designer and manufacturer of industrial furnaces in Japan and China. The merger is aimed at enhancing their industrial furnace business for electronics part and battery material (anode/cathode) processing in North America.

Tracy Doughterty
Chief Operating Officer
AFC Holcroft
Source: AFC Holcroft

AFC-Holcroft designs and manufactures a wide range of industrial furnaces, including universal batch quench, pusher, continuous belt, roller and rotary hearth, and walking beam furnaces, predominantly for the North American market. Tokai Konetsu Kogyo Co., Ltd., based in Tokyo, Japan, is an industrial furnace manufacturer with a client base primarily in Japan and China. The company has supplied continuous and batch furnaces and battery material processing furnaces to industrial sectors across North America, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as Asia.

“AFC-Holcroft is thrilled to join forces with TKK,” said Tracy Dougherty, chief operating officer of AFCH. “Together, we will drive innovation and deliver exceptional value to our EV customers in the anode and cathode materials industrial furnace market.”

The press release is available in its original form here.

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

Furnace Manufacturers Form Partnership To Bolster Processing in North America Read More »

Steel Industry Acquisitions: Updates Following US Election

/ FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

As U.S. election results were announced last week, several steel industry players are in the midst of acquisitions that could mean changes for in-house heat treat operators in North America.

Cleveland-Cliffs Expands North American Presence

Lourenco Goncalves
Chairman, President, CEO
Cliffs
Source: Cliffs

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (“Cliffs”) today announced that it has successfully completed its acquisition of Stelco Holdings Inc. (“Stelco”). The addition of Stelco enhances Cliffs’ position as the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America, diversifies Cliffs’ end-markets and expands its geographical presence in Canada. Stelco will continue operations as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cliffs, preserving the name and iconic Canadian legacy of the business.

Lourenco Goncalves, chairman, president and CEO of Cliffs, stated: “Today marks a transformative step forward for Cleveland-Cliffs. By bringing Stelco into the Cliffs family, we are building on our commitment to integrated steelmaking and good paying union jobs in North America. This acquisition allows us to further diversify our customer base and lower our cost structure. We are excited about the opportunities this acquisition brings and appreciate the warm welcome we have received from all government officials in Canada. We take our permission to operate very seriously and aim to continue the Stelco legacy with dedication and purpose.”

Nothing New: Questions for Nippon-U. S. Steel Acquisition

Takahiro Mori
Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President
Nippon Steel
Source: Nippon Steel

This past April 2024, U. S. Steel was heralding the merger with Nippon Steel as advancing their sustainable steel goals. Still, outgoing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as well as President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance have all spoken out with concerns to preserve American ownership of U. S. Steel. “And I couldn’t agree more with President Biden,” commented Harris recently along the campaign trail in September, “US Steel should remain American owned and American operated.”

At this time, the U. S. Committee on Foreign Investment has the proposed acquisition under review until late December 2024.

If the deal is approved before the January 2025 inauguration, that does not guarantee that Trump would not overturn the results. However, “The previous Trump administration said it would attract foreign investment and create new jobs,” commented Nippon Steel Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori. “This (acquisition) is extremely in line with such a policy.” He still aims to see the deal close before the end of the calendar year.

The press release for the Cliff’s story is available in its original form here.

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

Steel Industry Acquisitions: Updates Following US Election Read More »

West Coast Semiconductor Supplier Bolsters In-House Heat Treat

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

A semiconductor industry supplier recently ordered an extra-large 2-bar vacuum furnace specific to the company’s high-temperature process. The new addition will increase the supplier’s capabilities to meet demand from industry sectors.

Piotr Zawistowski
Managing Director
SECO/VACUUM
Source: SECO/VACUUM

The 2-bar vacuum furnace designed by SECO/VACUUM will be shipped more quickly than other options.

“Not every thermal process calls for a solution that falls neatly into one of our traditional furnace categories. This one is oversized, has a hot-zone equipped for unconventional features, and will serve an application with different process considerations than most of our furnaces,” said Piotr Zawistowski, managing director of SECO/VACUUM.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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

West Coast Semiconductor Supplier Bolsters In-House Heat Treat Read More »

Sandia National Laboratories Expands Production Capabilities with 2 Vacuum Furnaces

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

Sandia National Laboratories has acquired two horizontal vacuum furnaces for one of its production labs in Albuquerque, NM. The furnaces will meet the multimission laboratory’s goal to maintain process parameters and datalogging essential for analysis to coincide with the process payload run results. The facility’s applications target roughly 70 industry sectors, including nuclear deterrence, arms control, nonproliferation, hazardous waste disposal, and climate change.

In the tandem system designed and set up by AVS Incorporated, one furnace operates at a maximum of 1600°C (2912°F) and the other at 1300°C (2372°F). Both have a 100-lb load capacity. The systems integrate wet and dry hydrogen process gas along with all refractory metal hot zones. The HMI interface and controls allow for countless combinations of recipes and selectable functions.

Sandia National Laboratories is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy‘s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) with the primary goal of advancing U.S. national security by developing various science-based technologies. 

Horizontal vacuum furnaces installed at Sandia National Laboratories

The press release is available in its original form here.

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

Sandia National Laboratories Expands Production Capabilities with 2 Vacuum Furnaces Read More »

Special Springs Enhances Production Capabilities with Nitriding System

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, NITRIDING NEWS

Springs and gas cylinders manufacturer Special Springs has bolstered its heat treating capacity with a new nitriding turnkey system. By adding to their production capabilities, the company aims to meet the growing demands of their client base, which includes the automotive, appliance, agriculture, and heavy equipment sectors.

Marcin Stokłosa
Technical Sales Manager
NITREX Poland

This expansion follows a long-standing collaboration, which began in October 2004 with the commissioning of Special Springs‘ first Nitrex nitriding turnkey system and continues with the installation of an NXK series furnace in July 2024.

The springs manufacturer installed the compact NXK-812 furnace, which incorporates the heat treat technologies Nitreg and ONC, to accommodate increased capacity and optimize production efficiency. The system has a load capacity of 1,200 kg (2,600 lbs); the two furnaces work alongside each other, utilizing interchangeable material handling equipment to ensure continuity and efficiency in their production process.

“[Special Springs’] decision to expand with a second Nitrex system highlights the strength of our solutions and the trust we’ve built over the years. We look forward to seeing future advancements supporting advanced gas springs exemplifies the synergy achieved through strategic collaboration, advanced heat treat technologies, and exceptional support,” said Marcin Stoklosa, technical sales manager of EMEA region at Nitrex.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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

Special Springs Enhances Production Capabilities with Nitriding System Read More »

Commercial Heat Treater Expands Capabilities with 12th Vacuum Furnace

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

HART-TECH has expanded its capabilities with a vacuum furnace that will allow for the heat treatment of multiple steel types and the ability to implement a wide range of processes, from hardening through vacuum carburizing and carbonitriding. The furnace will efficiently heat treat large loads of research, test, and production elements.

Maciej Korecki
Vice President of Business of the Vacuum Furnace Segment
SECO/WARWICK

The commercial heat treater has previously incorporated over 10 SECO/WARWICK processing solutions. This system is being provided to work on the implementation of vacuum carbonitriding technology services that HART-TECH can now offer to a wide range of clients.

“We can say that we have a kind of synergy with the HART-TECH hardening plant,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the SECO/WARWICK Group’s vacuum segment. “Our partner, just like us, loves science, research, and development, and the common curiosity about the world motivates us to create further innovations.” 

Dr. Eng. Robert Pietrasik, Sc.D.
Management Board CEO & Technological Dept Head Director
HART-TECH Sp. zo. o.

“This solution will help us to put into action a project concerning the implementation of vacuum carbonitriding technology at the HART-TECH plant with our customers in mind,” said Dr. Eng. Robert Pietrasik, president of HART-TECH. “We want to implement the low-pressure carbonitriding process and be able to use it in mass production. 

“By expanding the machine park with a new vacuum furnace,” Dr. Pietrasik continued, “we will also significantly shorten the waiting times for heat treatment for our current and future customers. The large workspace will significantly increase our capabilities for processing elements hardened in gas. Thus, we will be able to gradually switch from hardening elements in oil to hardening in gas, which is more efficient, cleaner and ensures smaller deformations.” 

The vacuum furnace supplied to the company has been enhanced with a gas system equipped with two acetylene mass valves, a hydrogen mass valve, and an ammonia mass valve. The furnace can use three gases for various technologies: acetylene, hydrogen and ammonia. HART-TECH specializes in hardening, carburizing, nitriding, sulfur nitriding, steel tempering, supersaturation and aging, annealing, vacuum brazing and low-friction layers, and hardening of machine and tool elements.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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

Commercial Heat Treater Expands Capabilities with 12th Vacuum Furnace Read More »

18 News Chatter To Keep You Current

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry. Enjoy these 18 news items.

Equipment

  1. Saarstahl expands its production with an alternate current-electric arc furnace (AC-EAF) supplied by SMS group.
  2. A Class A safety oven equipped with a solvent monitor and roll-in rack, meeting the stringent safety requirements of industries working with volatile materials, was recently shipped by industrial and laboratory ovens manufacturer Blue M. 
  3. A manufacturer in the defense industry has received shipment of a gas-fired walk-in batch oven from Wisconsin Oven Corporation, to be used for curing filament wound composite materials.
The Saarstahl team announces AC-EAF agreement with SMS
Class A safety oven equipped to process volatile materials
Gas-fired walk-in batch oven delivered to defense industry

Company & Personnel

  1. Sean Patrick Murphy has been named product manager for laboratory and R&D furnaces at Centorr Vacuum Industries. He will be responsible for representing over 30 different vacuum furnace product lines to national laboratories, universities, and industrial sectors.
  2. Charles (Charlie) Caldwell joins the team at Solar Atmospheres of Michigan Inc. as the quality manager for its new facility in Chesterfield.
  3. Steel Goode Products LLC (SGP), a thermal spray specialist, has recently been acquired by Aalberts N.V., a provider of thermal spray coating and finishing services. The acquisition includes two operating facilities in Texas and one in Ohio.
  4. The Wirco, Inc, team recently announced Chris Robbins as the new director of business development and Chad Kumfer to the position of director of sales.
  5. Daniel Sonnenberg joins Nitrex Heat Treating Services as the new business development lead for North America. Daniel will focus on identifying and cultivating relationships with potential customers. His goal is to foster trust and drive growth by building enduring partnerships that deliver sustained value over time.
  6. Dave Deiwart has begun a new position as president at Tracer Gas Technologies, based in Yorktown, Indiana. This follows a brief retirement after 35 years of providing leak detection and vacuum application support and training. Dave’s new focus will be on providing training and consulting.
  7. Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser AS, a fully owned subsidiary of Nel ASA, has been awarded a grant from the EU Innovation Fund of up to EUR 135 million (over $145.4M USD) for industrialization of its next-generation pressurized alkaline technology. The technology is currently being prototyped, and the potential industrialization is planned at Herøya, Norway.
  8. OTTO JUNKER GmbH, system providers for metallurgic processes and metal refinement, recently announced that the new business division OTTO JUNKER Solutions, which was established in late 2023, will be further expanded. The company’s focus will be on the development and implementation of green technologies. The new division is headed by R&D expert Tobias Mertens.
Sean Patrick Murphy
Product Manager of Laboratory and R&D Furnaces
Centorr Vacuum Industries
Charles (Charlie) Caldwell
Quality Manager – Chesterfield
Solar Atmospheres of Michigan Inc.
Chris Robbins
Director of Business Development
Wirco, Inc.
Chad Kumfer
Director of Sales
Wirco, Inc.
Daniel Sonnenberg
Business Development Lead – America
Nitrex Heat Treating Services
Tobias Mertens
General Manager
OTTO JUNKER SOLUTIONS GmbH

Kudos

  1. Constellium SE has received the Supplier of the Year Award from Stellantis, recognized for its overall best-in-class performance as a long-time partner.
  2. Gary Sharp, founder of Advanced Heat Treat Corp, has been honored with the Legends of Manufacturing Award at the Iowa Manufacturing Conference.
  3. Global Thermal Systems (GTS) Mexico’s pyrometry laboratories recently completed the reaccreditation process in the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.
  4. Rex Heat Treat has achieved its fourth consecutive merit-status Nadcap certification under the leadership of Conner Popo, quality assurance manager, and Vindon Griffin, technical services manager. 
  5. Aalberts surface technologies Dzierżoniów recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. Through acquisition and expansion, the company has grown from 16 employees in 2014 to a current team of over 90 employees, serving the automotive, aerospace, power, fasteners, agriculture, and mining sectors.
  6. The Metal Treating Institute (MTI) recently celebrated its 2024 YES Management Training Program graduates at the final reception of Furnaces North America (FNA) 2024.
  7. Bennett Heat Treating & Brazing Co. received the 2024 Master Craftsman Award, also known as the Heat Treater of the Year Award, at the Metal Treating Institute’s Final Night Dinner & Awards Ceremony following FNA 2024. The award was announced by Doug Glenn, publisher of Heat Treat Today along with a scholarship check for the heat treater to bestow upon a deserving young student going into heat treat.
Ingrid Joerg, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Constellium, and Maxime Picat, Chief Global Purchasing & Supply Chain Officer, Greater Paris Metropolitan Region, at Stellantis
Gary Sharp, founder of Advanced Heat Treat Corp, honored with the Legends of Manufacturing Award
The Global Thermal Systems (GTS) Mexico’s pyrometry laboratories team completes ISO/IEC 17025 standard reaccreditation process

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

18 News Chatter To Keep You Current Read More »

News from Abroad: New Technologies and Sustainability Initiatives Result in Industry Growths and Closures

/ ALLOY FABRICATIONS TECHNICAL CONTENT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Today’s News from Abroad installment highlights some of the ups and downs in the global heat treating market which are largely driven by new technologies and sustainability initiatives. In growth news, a heat treater expands its product line with industrial furnaces and technologies and an Italian company invests in sustainable technology. In addition, a UK steelmaker closes its last remaining blast furnace.

Heat Treat Today partners with two international publications to deliver the latest news, tech tips, and cutting-edge articles that will serve our audience — manufacturers with in-house heat treat. heat processing, a Vulkan-Verlag GmbHa publication, serves mostly the European and Asian heat treat markets, and Furnaces International, a Quartz Business Media publication, primarily serves the English-speaking globe.

Heat Treater Expands Product Line To Include Vacuum Furnaces

Aichelin product range expands with vacuum furnaces and technologies
Source: AICHELIN

“AICHELIN Group has expanded its product range to include innovative industrial vacuum furnaces and technologies. The modern, flexible, and environmentally friendly solutions were presented for the first time at the ‘HärtereiKongress’ in Cologne from October 8 to 10. The new vacuum furnaces are sold, designed, and produced by the joint venture company AICHELIN ST Vacuum GmbH, which was founded in May. With the addition of this important market segment, AICHELIN is now a full-service provider for heat treatment solutions.”

READ MORE: “AICHELIN expands into the industrial vacuum furnace market” – at heat-processing.com

Italian Company Boosts Green Transition With Investment in ARP

Delna S.p.A. team at Tenova’s acid regeneration plant in Italy
Source: Tenova

“Tenova, a developer and provider of sustainable solutions for the green transition of the metals industry, has been awarded a contract by Delna S.p.A., an ArcelorMittal CLN Distribuzione Italia Group company and primary provider of pickling service of coils and wire rod, for its plant in Brivio, Italy, for an acid regeneration plant (ARP) with a capacity of 2.000 l/h. Delna’s investment will boost the green transition of its plant, recovering the waste acid used in its pickling line and therefore minimizing its environmental footprint. The new ARP will be equipped with the BLUEdriven™ cutting-edge package solutions that will be controlled by a customized monitoring process, increasing production flexibility and optimizing operative costs, while guaranteeing minimal environmental impact.”

READ MORE: “Tenova to supply an Acid Regeneration Plant for Delna in Italy“ at heat-processing.com. 

UK Steel plant shutters last remaining blast furnace

Final furnace shuts down at Tata’s UK plant
Source: Tata Steel

“Tata Steel has begun the process of winding down operations at blast furnace 4 at Port Talbot and engineers have already started altering the raw materials poured into the top of the furnace to prepare for decommissioning. Blast furnace 5 was closed in July. The closure is part of Tata’s transition towards a greener form of steelmaking as it plans to build a £1.25 billion electric arc furnace for the Port Talbot site by 2027, which produces steel by melting scrap metal. The new Labour government agreed a taxpayer-backed deal earlier this month for the Port Talbot plant in which it will provide £500 million towards the construction of the new electric arc furnace at the site, with the plant’s Indian owners, Tata Steel, paying £750 million.”

READ MORE: “Tata Steel’s UK plant shutters last remaining blast furnace” at furnaces-international.com. 

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

News from Abroad: New Technologies and Sustainability Initiatives Result in Industry Growths and Closures Read More »

MIHEU Expands with 4th Vacuum Furnace

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

MIHEU, a commercial heat treater for the steel processing industry, recently expanded its vacuum furnace line for processing large dies at its hardening plant with a single-chamber vacuum furnace.

The SECO/WARWICK furnace will allow MIHEU to increase processing capacity while maintaining precision, joining three other vacuum furnaces purchased from the supplier. The vacuum furnace with high pressure gas quenching includes large load capacity and workspace with an option to make adjustments for an oversized load.

Jędrzej Malinowski
Sales Manager
SECO/WARWICK Group
Source: LinkedIn

“The Vector vacuum furnace will solve the challenge of hardening large dies, because it uses a large working space,” said Jędrzej Malinowski, sales manager of SECO/WARWICK. “The furnace is equipped with convection heating — a system which improves the heat transfer efficiency when heating at lower temperatures, as well as directional cooling, which allows for cooling problematic shape elements in various ways.”

“We wanted a solution which would shorten the heat treatment cycle time,” commented Aleš Prikeržnik, managing director at MIHEU Slovenia. “By expanding our machine park with a new vacuum furnace, we will significantly shorten the waiting times for customer orders. . . . We already have three such solutions and we are very pleased with their operation.”

MIHEU is a Slovenian commercial heat treating center with a range of additional services, including traditional hardening and tempering in oil in pit furnaces, carburizing, carbonitriding, nitrocarburizing, hardening in vacuum furnaces, and all types of nitriding, gas and plasma nitriding processes.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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

MIHEU Expands with 4th Vacuum Furnace Read More »

FNA Week in Heat Treat Social Media

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Welcome to a special edition of Heat Treat Today’s This Week in Heat Treat Social Media. We’ve discovered a furnace-full collection of posts that document the excitement of the past week at Furnaces North America (FNA). From the arrival of booth materials to the final speech at the MTI awards ceremony, they’re all here: check out these posts and videos for a roundup of FNA and heat treat social media.

As you know, there is so much content available on the web that it’s next to impossible to sift through all of the articles and posts that flood our inboxes and notifications on a daily basis. So, Heat Treat Today is here to bring you the latest in compelling, inspiring, and entertaining heat treat news from the different social media venues that you’ve just got to see and read! If you have content that everyone has to see, please send the link to editor@heattreattoday.com.

1. Lightening the Pre-Show Heavy Lifting

A good show is more than just what happens from curtain rise to curtain fall. Whether it’s a play on the stage or a trade show in a convention hall, there is a lot of work that goes into setting up and tearing down . . . sometimes back-breaking work. The advent of 3D printing has made that task a little easier, and ironically, at FNA 2024, that means models set out for display were processed with 3D printing to preserve the look of metal while making it easy for team to carry to the floor. Thanks to Sarah Jordan for bringing this post to the web.

2. Kudos and Awards from Beginning to End

We love it when social media is full of the faces of the heat treat industry, and this week is no exception. We found individual recognition posts, the celebration of Heat Treat Today’s 40 Under 40, and the Metal Treating Institute‘s honorees at the awards ceremony on the last night of the show.

Look these posts up on LinkedIn here: Dave Deiwert; JUMO Process Control; Paulo Heat Treating; Brazing and Metal Finishing; Solar Atmospheres, Inc.; and Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems.

3. Presenting . . .

Eyes and ears were open and trained on all that’s new in heat treating presented at FNA 2024, whether in technical sessions; impromptu, on-the-floor demonstrations; or new product reveals.

Look these posts up on LinkedIn here: Carlos Torres; Solar Atmospheres, Inc.; SAFECHEM; and Nitrex.

4. Sparkling Shoes and Aching Feet

‘Nuff said.

Look these posts up on LinkedIn here: Christina Tiell and Heather Falcone.

5. The Camera Turned on Us

What does Heat Treat Today do when at FNA? Here’s the link to the reel.

Look this post up on LinkedIn here.

Hope to see you next year at ASM Heat Treat Show and the year after at FNA 2026!

Find Heat Treating Products and Services When You Search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

FNA Week in Heat Treat Social Media Read More »