MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Sanbao Group Boosts Heat Treatment Capabilities with 3 Annealing and Coating Lines

/ ANNEALING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Steelmaker Sanbao Group has expanded its heat treatment operations with three annealing and coating lines for non-grain oriented (NGO) silicon steel. The equipment enhancement is part of the company’s entry into the field of silicon steel production.

Sanbao contracted with Tenova LOI Thermprocess, an industrial furnace supplier, for the heat treatment furnaces intended for processing metals. Two electric arc furnaces (EAF) previously supplied by Tenova Group have been installed and put into operation.

A signing ceremony was held at the headquarters of Sanbao Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., in Zhangzhou, China, as part of the company’s “Cold rolled Silicon Steel and Metal Products Deep Processing Project”, a new greenfield project for electrical steel that aims to obtain the highest surface quality and best magnetic properties in NGO electrical steel for Southeast China.

Sascha Bothen
Senior Vice President of Sales
Tenova LOI Thermprocess
Source: LinkedIn

“Tenova and Sanbao have already collaborated successfully establishing Tenova’s Consteel® technology and the successful references of Tenova LOI Thermprocess in the heat treatment of electrical steel and great efforts in the research & development in this sector fully convinced us to this investment,” stated Wang Guangwen, chairman of Sanbao Group.

“It was a great honor for us to participate in the signing ceremony of the Sanbao Group in Zhangzhou, which emphasizes their trust in our technology,” stated Sascha Bothen, senior vice president sales, Tenova LOI Thermprocess. “We are proud to further strengthen the cooperation and work together to help propel forward the green energy transition in the steel industry.”

Included in the featured image: Wang Guangwen, chairman of Sanbao Group; Dong Guibo, vice general manager of Sanbao Group; Sascha Bothen, senior vice president of sales, Tenova LOI Thermprocess; and Wolfgang Eggert, general sales manager, Tenova LOI Thermprocess.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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Volkan Steels Expands Production Capabilities With Nitriding/Nitrocarburizing System

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, NITRIDING NEWS, NITROCARBURIZING NEWS

A tool supplier has boosted its production capabilities with the installation of a new nitriding/nitrocarburizing system, expanding its heat treatment services with a large-capacity batch furnace to perform advanced nitriding, nitrocarburizing, and post-oxidation treatments.

Belgin Mert
General Manager
Volkan Steels
Source: kalypdunyasi

Volkan Steels Powders Metal San. Tic ve Ltd. Şti. (V’Steels) acquired the nitriding/nitrocarburizing system from North American furnace manufacturer Nitrex to match the company’s current production capacity and to accommodate future expansion. The Nitrex turnkey system has a 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) capacity for processing tooling loads, including aluminum extrusion dies, die-casting dies, forging dies, and plastic injection molding dies, for industries such as energy, petrochemistry, defense, and maritime.

“Our heat treatment services, which began in 2023, have been strengthened by our recent investment in a Nitrex furnace. This enhancement allows us to comprehensively meet the heat treatment needs of our long-standing business partners in the tool steel industry, enabling them to achieve higher performance,” said Belgin Mert, general manager of V’Steels.

Utku Inan
Nitrex Sales Representative in Türkiye
BDI
Source: Nitrex

“The decision to integrate a Nitrex system was influenced by the expertise of the V’Steels team, several members of whom have prior experience with Nitrex from their previous roles. Our strong relationship and the team’s deep understanding of Nitreg® technologies made this an easy choice,” said Utku Inan of BDI Metal, Nitrex sales representative in Türkiyee. “We managed the installation and startup seamlessly, ensuring optimal performance from the start. V’Steels’ positive feedback underscores their satisfaction with both the Nitrex system and our comprehensive support.”

Marcin Stokłosa
Project Manager
NITREX Poland
LinkedIn.com

“The integration of the Nitrex system will significantly enhance the performance and reliability of tool steels, resulting in longer-lasting and more efficient tooling for V’Steels’ customers,” said Marcin Stoklosa, technical sales manager – EMEA region at Nitrex. “By utilizing Nitreg® technologies, V’Steels is set to offer finished tooling that endures longer under operational stress, translating into increased throughput and reduced downtime for their clients. This advanced treatment not only boosts tool durability but also improves operational value, giving V’Steels’ customers a competitive edge through superior tool steel quality and consistency.”

The press release is available in its original form here.

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Furniss & White Broadens Production at Heat Treat Facility With High-Performance Alloy Series

/ FOUNDRY CASTING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Furniss & White has partnered with a stainless steel technology company to produce its castings at its heat treatment facility using a new series of high-performance alloys. The foundry, which specializes in high-integrity stainless steel castings, fabrications, and precision machining, has signed a long-term agreement to manufacture its cast products using the high-performance alloys.

The castings are solution heat treated at approximately 1100°C (2012°F) and above and then water quenched by the company’s lift-off cover-type furnace with a load capacity of 5.3 tons (11,684.5 lbs). The N’GENIUS SeriesTM was developed by N’GENIUS Materials Technology and represents the total reinvention of conventional austenitic stainless steels, commonly known as the 300 Series.

Furniss & White will continue to produce its castings now using high-performance alloys under the N’GENIUS Series license for engineering products made using these advanced materials to its clients, serving the pump, valve, filter and engineering industries with castings from approximately 0.5kg to 2,600kg finished weight in a range of materials including carbon and low alloy steels, stainless steels, and nickel alloys. The firm manufactures an extensive selection of cast products for wide application in sectors including oil and gas, chemical, petrochemical, mining, marine, defense, and power generation.

Dr. Ces Roscoe
CEO of N’GENIUS Materials Technology
Source: LinkedIn

“For more than 44 years we have built a strong reputation as a high-quality British manufacturer of high integrity castings made in our modern foundry in the UK,” said Sam Scholes, managing director at Furniss & White. “Now, as an approved licensed N’GENIUS manufacturer, we are writing an exciting new chapter in our history and to be the first foundry in the world to have this capability makes us extremely proud. We expect these game-changing N’GENIUS materials will be extremely popular with our existing customers and help open up new opportunities in other markets including the U.S. and Canada and in clean energy industries such as hydrogen.”

“Furniss & White is a company that shares our own passion and drive for innovation, and we are absolutely delighted to be collaborating with them on what is destined to be an industry changing technology,” said Dr. Ces Roscoe, CEO of N’GENIUS Materials Technology and inventor of the N’GENIUS Series. “With a long history of steelmaking, Sheffield is widely regarded as the birthplace of stainless steel and it seems befitting that it will essentially be ‘reborn’ in the same city more than a century later.”

Furniss & White has successfully completed a range of Manufacturing Procedure Qualification Tests at its facilities in various grades from the N’GENIUS Series.

Main image: Furniss & White casting an N’GENIUS grade alloy.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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News From Abroad: Looking Forward to Production Efficiency, Sustainability

/ ALUMINUM PROCESSING NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Today’s News from Abroad installment examines strategies global manufacturers are investigating and enacting to move the industry toward the next generation of production efficiency and sustainability through decisive equipment investments, cooperative research efforts, and innovative processing breakthroughs.

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 GmbH publication, serves mostly the European and Asian heat treat markets, and Furnaces International, a Quartz Business Media publication, primarily serves the English-speaking globe.

Extruder Expands Production With Additional Homogenization Line

Continuous homogenization furnace installed at Exlabesa at its A Coruña plant
Source: SMS Group

“The recently commissioned state-of-the-art melting furnace is specifically designed to produce recycled billets from post-consumer aluminum scrap that has reached the end of its life cycle. The subsequent expansion of the foundry, which focuses on Hertwich’s new continuous homogenization plant, will once again significantly increase the capacity for processing new scrap. This makes Exlabesa less dependent on the procurement of primary aluminium and at the same time conserves resources. These investments underline Exlabesa’s commitment to greater sustainability and the reduction of CO2 emissions by promoting a cleaner and more efficient industry based on the principles of the circular economy.”

READ MORE: “Exlabesa expands aluminium recycling capacities with additional continuous homogenisation plant from Hertwich Engineering” – at heat-processing.com

Breakthrough: World’s first successful industrial-scale hydrogen Casting

First successful industrial-scale production of aluminium slab using hydrogen combustion explores the performance of hydrogen as a substitute for natural gas at an industrial scale
Source: Unsplash

“Constellium announced the successful completion of its first industrial-scale hydrogen casting at C-TEC, Constellium’s primary R&D center. This casting was performed in a 12-ton furnace following strict internal procedures. . . . ‘The 12-ton aluminium slab produced using hydrogen will be further processed at our Neuf-Brisach site in France for use in electric vehicles. This milestone is significant in our roadmap towards decarbonising our industrial activities, as we have begun exploring the performance of hydrogen as a substitute for natural gas at an industrial scale, provided that hydrogen is green, more accessible, and cost-effective for industrial applications.’”

READ MORE: “World’s First Successful Industrial-Scale Production of Aluminium Slab Using Hydrogen Combustion” at furnaces-international.com

New Production Line Moves Steelmaker Closer to Next Generation

Curved section of Primetals Technologies’ Stelmor Conveyor for future in-line direct solution treatment (DST) processing
Source: Primetals

“A further benefit for Yantai Walsin was the fact that the bar-in-coil outlet realizes in-line quenching for austenitic and ferritic stainless products, leading to a reduction of subsequent post-processing annealing. Moreover, Primetals Technologies has designed the equipment to accommodate a future addition of an in-line solution for the direct treatment of wire rod products, which also reduces subsequent post-processing annealing. For bar products, the producer now uses a rapid transfer system to slow cooling bins for martensitic grades.”

READ MORE: “Primetals Technologies Awarded FAC for Yantai Walsin’s Stainless Steel Combination Mill” at heat-processing.com. 

Toward Climate-Neutral Steel Production: Replacing Blast Furnace With Direct Reduction Plant

Dr. Heike Denecke-Arnold (left), Chief Operations Officer Executive Board of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, and Gretta Stephens, Chief Executive for Climate Change and Sustainability at BlueScope Steel (right)
Source: thyssenkrupp

“thyssenkrupp expands its research activities in the field of CO2 low-carbon steel production in cooperation with BlueScope Steel. At the heart of this collaboration are the smelting units, which are a central component of the first transformation step towards climate-neutral steel production: the replacement of the first blast furnace with a direct reduction plant (DR plant) with downstream smelters. . . . As part of the research cooperation with BlueScope Steel, which is scheduled to run for four years, the process understanding and plant management are to be optimized in the run-up to the commissioning of the smelter. These include electrode management, furnace operation, process parameters, refractory material and maintenance.”

READ MORE: “Cooperation on low-CO2 steel production” at heat-processing.com. 

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Defense Industry Manufacturer Expands Heat Treating Capabilities

/ ATMOSPHERE AIR FURNACES NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

A defense industry manufacturer has purchased an inert atmosphere batch oven for processing stainless steel parts in a reduced oxygen environment to prevent scaling. The furnace is designed to use a nitrogen atmosphere system to reduce surface oxidation of parts and includes a flow meter calibrated for nitrogen and controlled via closed loop to maintain the reduced oxygen level.

Wisconsin Oven Corporation shipped the system, which has a maximum temperature rating of 1,250°F with the capacity to heat and cool approximately 6,000 lbs. of steel per load in an inert atmosphere. The temperature is controlled by a Watlow F4T digital recorder/controller with ethernet communication capabilities. Temperature uniformity of +/- 10°F at 1,000°F and 1,200°F was verified with a nine-point profile test.

Mike Grande
Vice President of Sales
Wisconsin Oven Corporation
Source: Wisconsin Oven Corporation

The oven features a “CAN” style construction with a heavy plate exterior, a total of six inches of insulation, and an 18-gauge 304 stainless steel interior. To maximize throughput and productivity, the oven is designed with a pneumatically operated vertical lift door and powered load/unload table capable of handling up to 6,000 lbs., along with a water cooling system to reduce the cooling time, to allow for faster production cycles.

“This inert atmosphere oven includes several state-of-the-art features that increase production throughput and provide reduced surface oxidation,” said Mike Grande, vice president of sales at Wisconsin Oven. “These include water cooling to reduce the cooling time at the end of the cycle, closed-loop nitrogen control to prevent nitrogen overconsumption, oxygen and humidity sensors to provide real time data, and an industrial IoT system to connect the unit to the Wisconsin Oven aftermarket team for remote data monitoring and tech support.” 

The press release is available in its original form here.

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IperionX Delivers First Titanium Furnace Production Run

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, TITANIUM PROCESSING NEWS

IperionX, a U.S. titanium metal and critical materials company, recently delivered its first successful titanium furnace production run at the company’s Titanium Manufacturing Campus, based in Virginia. The furnace was installed in April 2024 with full run rate target capacity of at least 125 metric tons per year anticipated by the end of the year.

Anastasios (Taso) Arima
CEO
IperionX
Source: IperionX

IperionX announced the commissioning of the Hydrogen Assisted Metallothermic Reduction (HAMRTM) furnace, noting that the titanium de-oxygenation production run represents a technological milestone for the company with a breakthrough +60x increase in titanium production capacity. The company’s titanium metal and critical minerals are processed for the consumer electronics, space, aerospace, defense, hydrogen, electric vehicles, and additive manufacturing industries.

“Over the last two years, we have successfully operated our pilot titanium production facility in Utah, producing high performance titanium products for customers and importantly – delivering first revenues for our company,” said Anastasios (Taso) Arima, CEO of IperionX. “Today, we demonstrated that our HAMR technology works at commercial scale. We successfully increased the furnace production capacity by ~60x times and produced high performance titanium that exceeds industry quality standards.”

The HAMR furnace is produced entirely from 100% scrap titanium (Ti-6Al-4V alloy, Grade 5 titanium), with a confirmed reduction in oxygen levels from 3.42% to below 0.07%, far exceeding the ASTM standard requirement of 0.2% for Grade 5 titanium. IperionX’s proprietary HAMR technologies offer a range of competitive advantages, including lower operating temperatures, reduced energy consumption, enhanced process efficiency, and accelerated production cycles.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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East Coast Manufacturer To Replace Aging Fleet of Vacuum Sintering Furnaces

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

An East Coast manufacturer has purchased six new vacuum sintering furnaces to replace the 1980s-era sintering furnaces it has used for heat treating components.

SECO/VACUUM received the commission to transition the production line from nine 40-yr-old SECO/WARWICK sintering furnaces to the six Vector sintering vacuum furnaces with 2-bar gas cooling. The furnace hot zones will be 26″ wide, 30″ high, and 62″ deep (660 x 760 x 1575 mm), which are the same size as the retiring furnaces, allowing them to continue using their existing heat treat fixtures.

Sintering is a critical process used to fuse metals together without reaching melting temperature. It is generally used for fixing the strands of wire mesh in place, consolidating powder metals, or any application where the objective is fusing metals together while remaining below melting temperatures.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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Heat Treater’s Michigan Expansion Progressing

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

The Michigan expansion of a furnace manufacturer and heat treating company has advanced with the erection of the entire steel structure in one week. The new 20,000-sq-ft building for Solar Atmospheres of Michigan Inc. will not only house additional vacuum and air furnaces but will also serve as a new shipping and receiving space.

Solar Atmospheres, headquartered in Souderton, PA, relocated equipment to its Michigan facility in April, 2024, where the ten vacuum furnaces are fully operational. The expansion project, which began in July, 2024, will more than double the company’s current footprint in Chesterfield, MI, and is on track for completion by the end of 2024.

The press release is available in its original form here.

Follow the development of this story in the previous Heat Treat Today posts found here, here, and here.

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Inductotherm Group Announces Leadership Transition

/ HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, INDUCTION HEATING EQUIPMENT NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS

Inductotherm Group, which provides thermal processing technologies, has announced a significant leadership transition as part of a planned succession strategy of the company. After 15 years as CEO and 38 years with the company, Gary Doyon has stepped down from his role as CEO, effective July 1, 2024, coinciding with Mick Nallen and Satyen Prabhu taking over as co‐leaders.

Although he is stepping down as CEO, Mr. Doyon will remain actively involved with the company. He will continue to serve as the only non family member on the parent company Board, assisting with specific operational needs of other businesses owned by the Rowan family and pursuing new business avenues and opportunities for the Inductotherm Group.

Gary Doyon
retiring CEO
Inductotherm Group

“We greatly appreciate and thank Gary Doyon for his exceptional leadership over the past 15 years,” said Virginia Rowan Smith, chairman of Inductotherm Group. “As we move forward with our succession plans, we are confident that the new leadership will continue to uphold the high standards and legacy that Gary has established.

“We are pleased to announce that Mick Nallen and Satyen Prabhu have been selected to be co‐leaders,” added Ms. Smith. “This management strategy fits perfectly with the fact that our business is large, growing fast, and becoming wider in product technologies around the world. Mick and Satyen have come up with strong business plans that meet our family’s goal of maintaining a stable, customer‐focused, and technology‐centric business. We have an exciting future ahead of us.”

The unique co-leadership arrangement of Mick Nallen and Satyen Prabhu is designed to leverage their complementary strengths and experiences. In their new roles, they will focus on thought leadership, market comprehension, and a deep understanding of the thermal processing industry’s various sectors. with a goal to preserve the core values and vision of the company’s founder, Henry Rowan.

Under Doyon’s tenure as CEO, Inductotherm Group, which offers advanced technology for the engineering, manufacturing and service of thermal processing equipment used in the melting, heating, heat treating, forging, galvanizing, coating, cutting and welding of metals, has diversified its product offerings. In addition, the company has expanded its global footprint, bringing together 40 companies with 38 manufacturing facilities located in 19 countries under the brands Inductotherm, Inductoheat, Thermatool, Radyne, Consarc, and others.

The press release is available in its original form here.

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SECO/WARWICK Group Expands US Footprint

/ MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT NEWS, VACUUM FURNACES NEWS

The SECO/WARWICK Group, the parent company of SECO/VACUUM Technologies and SECO/WARWICK USA, has announced plans to bolster its production capacity in the U.S., increasing its footprint and workforce. The expansion will include relocating a portion of its manufacturing and a metallurgical lab for vacuum furnaces from its headquarters site in Poland to Crawford County, Pennsylvania.

The 120,000-sq ft facility located in Meadville, PA, will house equipment for furnace production and serve the company’s North American customers through the addition of parts, service, and training capacity, resulting in an increase in its heat treat manufacturing workforce. an international furnace manufacturer

SECO/WARWICK Group announced that this expansion received support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through a $2 million package of matching fund grants from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) through its Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). The primary use and intent of RACP funds is for reimbursement of eligible construction costs which SECO/WARWICK Group companies will match on a 1:1 basis. The Commonwealth will also provide an additional $69 thousand in matching funds for job training through the Workforce & Economic Development Network (WEDnet).

Employees of SECO/VACUUM Technologies and SECO/WARWICK at the announcement of the Meadville, PA, site expansion, held jointly by The SECO/WARWICK Group and the Commonwealth of PA Department of Community and Economic Development
Source: Heat Treat Today

State, county and local officials as well as representatives from the international and US-based offices of the SECO/WARWICK Group were present at an event marking the expansion.

“Governor Shapiro is committed to making Pennsylvania an economic leader by investing in the growth of businesses like SECO/VACUUM and SECO/WARWICK,” stated the Commonwealth in the grant award letter. “In addition to the financing package outlined above, the Governor’s Action Team is prepared to provide both companies with any assistance that may be required throughout the application process, as well as to coordinate the involvement of all other state agencies in the project.”

“We look forward to working with our local partners including the City of Meadville, the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County (EPACC), the Workforce and Economic Development Network (WEDnet), and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to make this expansion happen!” said Piotr Zawistowski, president and managing director of SECO/VACUUM.

Pictured in feature image (L to R): Don Marteeny, vice president of engineering; Slawomir Wozniak, president and CEO, SECO/WARWICK Group; Piotr Zawistowski, president and managing director of SECO VACUUM Technologies

The press release is available in its original form here.

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