A North American based aerospace manufacturer is replacing two integral quench batch furnaces with an integrated vacuum furnace heat treat system. In addition to running low pressure carburizing (LPC), the vacuum heat treat furnace is also capable of austenitizing, brazing, gas quenching, cryogenic treating and tempering. The SyncroTherm(r) system, provided by ALD Vacuum Systems, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V., is believed to be the first of its type to be installed west of the Mississippi. This is the third unit being installed in the aerospace industry capable of performing processes compliant with Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program). The vacuum heat treat furnace will have five independently controlled hot zones each rated for load sizes of 24″ x 20″ x 9″ high and up to 110 lbs. The complete systems will be a “lights-out,” fully-automated system with individual part tracking and complete process history retention along with a consistent process cadence.
