If you work in a standards-driven industry, you may already feel the imperative of digitalization. In today’s Technical Tuesday, Mike Loepke, head of Nitrex Software & Digitalization, posits how, even if you aren’t necessitated to track compliance digitally, you are probably looking to synthesize and leverage the strengths of multiple advanced operations — furnace and process record-keeping, knowledge of furnace past operations, juggling different new equipment capabilities — across just one platform. In other words, you are looking to bring digitalization system management to your operations.
The Future of Heat Treatment Relies on Digitalization
The ultimate goal for heat treaters, whether commercial or captive, is to uphold the quality of their product and meet client expectations while remaining profitable. Digitalization supports these efforts as it synthesizes and presents detailed, transparent, and accessible data that allows heat treaters to better manage their equipment, processes, and product quality. In addition, the collection of detailed information can serve as a database of knowledge to be used by the next generation of heat treaters, supporting future viability and advancement in the field.
There are necessary steps to take to establish a digital solution and essential components to look for when choosing a software platform that assists heat treaters in optimizing equipment and processes, effectively creating the digitalization of the heat treat operations. Let’s explore these now.
How Digitalization Optimizes Heat Treatment Processes
Digitalization in the heat treatment industry relies on the integration of industrial internet of things (IIoT) technologies with traditional and modern heat treatment processes. Using enabling devices such as sensors, modern connectivity methods, analytics, machine learning, and IIoT software platforms, it is possible for heat treaters to collect and process data that, after analysis, drives informed decisions to optimize equipment, processes, and product quality. To put a finer point on it, digitalization occurs when a manufacturing system is digitally integrated to capture and preserve human experience and knowledge, forming a holistic virtual representation of heat treat operations.
Figure 1. QMULUS Shop Layout enables visual inspection of the current production status, the
location of goods and parts, as well as the real-time status of assets and their ongoing processes. Source: Nitrex
While digitalization varies from industry to industry and plant to plant, there are some common ways in which heat treaters can employ digital technologies to build such a system. Firstly, digitally integrated solutions can optimize process management and control. For example, when a sensor detects a temperature anomaly during a heat treatment process, the integrated software platform picks up that reading, analyzes it in real time, recognizes it as an error based on historical data or programmed parameters, and alerts the operator.
This integration also facilitates predictive, condition-based maintenance. For example, if collected data and analysis suggests that a furnace is behaving abnormally, the system can automatically generate a work order along with a list of potential failure causes, so that a technician can troubleshoot, identify, and correct small issues — such as a failing thermocouple — before they impact quality or result in equipment failure. By addressing these proactively, heat treaters can avoid extended periods of costly unplanned downtime and ensure continuous operation.
Secondly, artificial intelligence through machine learning plays a crucial role in optimizing quality control in a digitalized system. By analyzing data collected during heat treating processes, it learns to detect patterns and identify anomalies. As in the examples above, this capability enables the system to identify deviations from the desired outcomes, allowing heat treaters to quickly rectify any issues before they impact quality.
Figure 2. The heart of the IIoT data platform needs to be thoughtfully planned and designed. Illustrated are 5
steps to follow to ensure the cloud data system properly engages with the data generated from your specific
heat treat operations, ultimately delivering actionable insights. Step 1 depicts the various data sources;
Step 2 shows the data transformation, integration, and processing stages; Step 3 highlights the central
QMULUS database where data is indexed and organized; and Steps 4 and 5 demonstrate how data is further
processed, distributed, and accessed by different end-users. Source: Nitrex
Thirdly, algorithms can be programmed into a comprehensive management system to identify the most energy-efficient operating conditions for the heat treating process, helping heat treaters reduce their carbon footprint, minimize energy costs, and comply with sustainability goals.
In addition to these types of operational advantages, digitalization technologies can also be used to create a database of knowledge before experienced operators and experts leave the workforce. Traditionally, a handful of experts in the plant oversee the furnaces and equipment and understand how to best control and maintain them based on experience. However, passing down this knowledge to the next generation of heat treaters can take years, which may not be possible due to a company’s workflow demands and cost pressures. Digitalization addresses this challenge by creating a streamlined and accessible database of knowledge, offering less experienced operators and technicians immediate access to detailed information about what may be happening in the equipment or process for an issue at hand. This ensures that essential insights are not lost and enables quicker problem-solving and decision-making on the shop floor.
Making the Digitalization Transformation
While digitalization presents obvious advantages, the heat treatment industry, often conservative in its approach to technology, has some initial work and investment required before realizing the full benefits.
Going “paperless” in order to unlock the full potential of the available data is an important first step. All reports, histories, drawings, and other paperwork associated with equipment, processes, maintenance activities, product quality, and other relevant information should be digitized to provide a comprehensive view of both historical and current data.
Connectivity and integration between machine and higher-level systems are essential for effective data acquisition, monitoring, and remote control. SCADA systems, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), and other higher-level systems are rich sources of machine and process data. Gathering and analyzing this data can provide actionable insights that operators can use to make smarter decisions about the control and maintenance of equipment and processes.
Figure 3. A comprehensive overview displays all detected control loop anomalies, indicating possible root causes as well as recommended actions. Incorporating feedback from the responsible maintenance personnel further improves accuracy and delivers more effective recommendations for future
occurrences. Source: Nitrex
Finally, just having data is not enough. The data must be accessible, transparent, and relevant to be valuable. Achieving a complete picture of all the collected data, known as data consolidation, is necessary.
To build an IIoT platform with a well-architectured data engine, heat treaters should begin by identifying and understanding the different sources of data provided by sensors and high-level systems. This involves integrating the data through interfaces adapted to the data type and source, as well as documenting the integrated data sources, data fields, and data streams. Next, a “data lake” should be created to store the collected raw data. From this foundation, a data warehouse can be established to store enriched or analyzed data, derived values, data models, and forecasts in an organized way. For heat treaters, this type of contextualized data might be grouped by parts, loads, or orders.
Once the data engine is in place, the information stored in the data warehouse must be presented in a way that makes sense to operators and technicians for them to make informed decisions for heat treatment processes. To facilitate this, a universal data interface should be considered.
Building from this well-architectured data engine, the IIoT platform can then be expanded with statistical analytics, remote monitoring, KPI tracking, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other applications to optimize processes and increase profitability.
What Heat Treaters Need in a Digitalization Solution
Harnessing modern technologies tomake digitalization a reality presents heat treaters with the opportunity to implement a solution based on a complete and well documented data system. It also means that the solution creates a holistic solution to data analysis, interpretation, reporting, and action that supports the real-world actions of heat treaters on the plant floor and in the office.
For this reason, a digitalization solution that has cloud and on-premises allows real-time access to analysis and alert messages for operators on the floor as well as managers who are away from the plant, ensuring quick problem-solving and maximum uptime in the event of process or machine issues.
Additionally, heat treaters should look for a solution that offers the freedom to integrate all the various platforms and equipment from which data are gathered from. These may include relevant machinery and production data from the shop floor as well as third-party and custom controllers. This flexibility to synthesize information from multiple sources will ensure the digitalization efforts lead to a comprehensive solution with actionable process overviews, recipe control, batch tracking, and other customization options.
To further this intent of a holistic solution, heat treaters should consider various data capabilities with different portal views, such as a manufacturer portal, a plant portal, and a client portal. However, considering the historic value of a comprehensive software solution, it may be worthwhile to consider how each user could transfer direct feedback and add new rules into the system, creating a repository of knowledge that bridges the knowledge of outgoing generations to future heat treaters.
Finally, any platform that directs the digitalization of a plant must prioritize robust security measures. Several features to look for are:
enhanced encryption standards to keep data confidential and tamper-proof during transmission and storage;
secure protocols based on industry best practices to safeguard data integrity;
a granular access control system (ACS) to allow IT administrators to define and manage user permissions of authorized personnel, thereby minimizing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized data manipulation; and
intrusion detection and prevention systems to continuously monitor network and system activities, enabling instant identification and mitigation of suspicious behavior. This serves as an additional layer of defense against potential cyber threats.
Beyond the software setup, be sure to use best practices by conducting regular security audits to assess the platform’s vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with evolving cybersecurity standards. While digitalization of heat treat operations may seem like a task for the next generation to complete, secure software options that integrate the hard work of digitizing plant activities can make this endeavor just a step away.
About the Author:
Mike Loepke Head of Nitrex Software & Digitalization Nitrex
Drawing from a background in Mathematics and Physics, coupled with extensive R&D experience and metallurgical modeling, Mike Loepke specializes in AI and process prediction. He has led Nitrex’s initiative in developing QMULUS, a pioneering IIoT cloud-based platform. Mike’s relentless pursuit of knowledge keeps him at the forefront of evolving technology.
A U.S. military firearms manufacturer announced its plan to update its in-house stress relieving operation with a new vacuum retort furnace. The new equipment will be replacing an outdated vacuum stress relieving furnace in order to keep up with production demands.
Piotr Zawistowski Managing Director SECO/VACUUM Source: SECO/VACUUM
The SECO/VACUUM retort furnace will be used to stress relieve firearms components at 1400°F (760°C). At this relatively low temperature, the process is used to prevent subsequent part distortion while enhancing the quality of the firearms.
“Their old furnace was showing its age,” said Piotr Zawistowski, managing director of SECO/VACUUM, USA. “Once we showed them the control system advancements, the cycle time improvements, and the more competitive lead time we could offer, the upgrade really made sense from both a quality control and production pace standpoint.”
Switching from the vertical configuration of the old furnace to the new horizontally configured furnace will shorten loading times. The turbo-cooling option selected by the firearms manufacturer decreases the cooling cycle from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours. Improved loading paired with shorter cooling will bring total heat treat cycle times down by as much as 2.5 hours.
The press release is available in its original form here.
Heat TreatToday publishes twelve print magazines a year and included in each is a letter from the editor, Bethany Leone. In this installment, which first appeared in the December 2024 Medical & Energy Heat Treatprint edition, Bethany addresses the ongoing discussion about automation in industry, the data on how it affects labor, and the way forward for manufacturing and the government.
Feel free to contact Bethany at bethany@heattreattoday.com if you have a question or comment.
You can afford it.
Supervisors, you can afford to raise wages. Skilled laborers, you can afford to purchase a home.
Maybe you’ve heard these hopeful statements before? You can afford it, says economist Mark P. Mills, executive director of the National Center for Energy Analytics, by leaning on automation. Far from destroying jobs, tools like AI and robotics enhance productivity and require highly skilled laborers who, in turn, can and should be compensated. This editor’s page summarizes some of Mills’ main points and how these might be considered in the heat treat industry.
Labor Market Needs Automation
In a recent article released in City Journal, the economist draws attention to what he sees as a new norm for the labor market: the successful bargaining for higher wages by the Longshoremen’s Association. The result of the union’s strike means a starting salary of $80k and a mid-career salary of $150k. Mills terms this “The Great Inversion,” where we see salaries for the trades supersede 90% of salaries for college graduates.
His argument that this is the new norm rests on three points. The first is that population has been in decline; this is exacerbated in the trades by the fact that the average age for skilled tradesmen is older than the average age across U.S. manufacturing.
Secondly, though there is a trend of young workers choosing a career in the trades, not enough would fill the generational chasm that is opening as the older generation leaves the workplace. This means there is still a demand for skilled labor.
Thirdly, industrial manufacturing creates consumable goods, for which there is no end to want, unlike in food and agriculture where there is a limit of consumption. As people grow wealthier, they can afford more “wants” — even if it’s going out to eat at restaurants where iPads automate server-kitchen communications.
Even with the population decline, individuals continue to gain wealth and want to spend it, Mills explains. In this situation, particularly where we have efforts and interests in America restoring industrial productivity, the argument is that automation will allow companies to keep up with the demand for consumable goods while filling the labor gap. This result means a need for upskilling workers to work with robotics, automation software, and AI on the manufacturing floor.
Automation in Heat Treat
In the heat treat industry, I’ve heard several perspectives on this topic. Robotics and automation don’t take away jobs, some claim; they only improve labor market jobs that are there. At another’s operations, the installation of an automated piece of instrumentation didn’t result in any immediate layoff, but did result in the company not having to train an operator to fill a position since that position was no longer available.
The fact is that the pro-automation side relies on addressing situations where there is a lack in able workers in the labor market. This demonstrates that jobs are being filled by automation.
Turning to employment opportunity, it is hard to argue with Mills’ outlook that automation in jobs increases wages and profits. He supports this claim saying, “data show that, over the last half of the twentieth century, even as manufacturing productivity rose (that is, fewer labor-hours per output), the U.S. manufacturing workforce remained surprisingly unchanged and really started to shrink only when an increasing share of manufactured goods were imported — namely, when the production and labor were exported.” Interestingly, while he acknowledges the role of companies in offshoring goods in the last century, he puts focus on the difficult environment for businesses in meeting the government regulations in America. Therefore, he offers three steps forward addressed at government (in)action:
The U.S. government must look for ways to make the country more amenable to industrial expansion that go beyond subsidies with caveated use.
Policymakers must avoid intervening in the economy when a system isn’t broken. (Here, Mills addresses cost and reliability issues tied to state and federal energy policies.)
The trifecta of policymakers, unions, and manufacturers need to welcome advances in automation.
Mills points out that in order for automation to be successful, skilled laborers need to welcome it and help it, emphasizing that, like the Longshoremen’s Union strike, automation allows for wage increase.
My question to you in the heat treat industry is: What is your job function in the industry? How have you benefited from automation (AI, robotics, digitalization) initiatives in the industry? What concerns — or hopes! — do you see that have yet to be addressed? Write to me. And if any article on digitalization in this magazine strikes you, I would love to hear that, too.
References
Mills, Mark P. “The Longshoremen’s Strike and the Great Inversion.” City Journal, October 8, 2024. https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-longshoremens-strike-and-the-great-inversion.
Welcome to the first installment of Heat Treat Today’sThis Week in Heat Treat Social Media of 2025, and today we are focusing on holiday-themed social media posts. From handing out Christmas cheer to learning opportunities shared over the holiday break, check out these posts and videos for a roundup of festal heat treat social media: We start with alternatives to New Year’s resolutions.
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. Not Into Resolutions? Here Are Some Alternatives
Leave it to young leaders in the heat treat industry to think of new ways to approach a new year. What’s your innovative alternative to resolutions?
3. We Don’t Stop Learning Just Because It’s a Holiday Break
Between important family time, seasonal activities, and festal joy, some of your industry colleagues were uploading opportunities for you to expand your knowledge about heat treating and all things related.
Aalberts N.V. has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of shares of Paulo Products Company (Paulo), expanding the company’s geographical footprint in the U.S. The acquisition will bolster the Dutch company’s capabilities to provide heat treating, brazing, and metal finishing operations for the North American automotive, aerospace, defense, and energy sectors.
Stéphane Simonetta CEO Aalberts N.V.
Pending regulatory approval, the management team of Paulo, which operates five heat treatment facilities in the USA and one in Mexico, will work with the management of Aalberts Surface Technologies in North America. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second quarter of 2025 and generate an annual revenue of approximately USD 105 million with 522 employees.
“We are excited about the growth potential in the different end markets and are looking forward to welcoming Paulo’s employees to Aalberts,” said Stéphane Simonetta, CEO of Aalberts N.V. “This strategic acquisition will further enhance our proximity in North America and Mexico as per our ‘thrive 2030’ strategy. Together, our leadership position will enable us to serve our customers with short lead times, high quality and full-service capabilities.”
The press release is available in its original form here.
Your Heat Treat Todayteam will be celebrating the holidays with our families, and our offices will be closed from December 21 to January 1. Look for your next Heat Treat Daily e-newsletter on January 2nd! Until then, we hope this message encourages you and directs you to the true source of hope during this season.
Room with Him
In the next few days, it’ll be easy to get overwhelmed with all the activities, the gatherings, the lights and colors, crinkly wrapping paper and Christmas songs . . . and the movies. Who doesn’t settle down at least once during the season to watch a favorite Christmas movie? Some folks prefer the classics like White Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life. Others love the new seasonal specials, like Home Alone or Elf. Maybe it’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that reigns in your house. My family’s favorite is The Muppet Christmas Carol.
In most Christmas movies, there’s always a special scene that moves viewers, reinforcing the themes of Christmas: hope, love, hospitality, faith, generosity, thankfulness. One scene from Rudolph moves me more than most, but I bet it’s not the one you’re thinking of.
Do you remember the residents of the Island of Misfit Toys? Dolly, and Charlie-in-the-box, and the boomerang who wouldn’t come back — toys that weren’t wanted because they didn’t do what was expected of them, or they were a little different in their design. Exiled to the Island of Misfit Toys, they waited and hoped for a chance to be enjoyed, appreciated and loved. However, the island was so far off course that they were forgotten year after year, and they were never given the opportunity to brighten a child’s Christmas morning.
Disappointments, slights, brokenness are felt, even at this time of year. Dolly’s words resonate with us when she says, “I just don’t feel like I have any more hope left in me.” Our hearts are troubled, and our coordinates don’t register on the radar. We might feel lost and forgotten along with the misfit toys.
This season is about more than parties, gifts, and decorations, as we all know. Jesus, the Son of God, became man, taking the form of a baby and living as the God-man, the perfect redemption for the lost, the broken, the misfits.
It is striking that at the end of his ministry, as he was wrapping up his time with his disciples before he went to the cross, Jesus assured them, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:2-3) Jesus wandered about without a place to lay his head, yet he is quick to promise his troubled people not merely shelter, any shelter, but a room in the Father’s house.
Although the Savior came to no room at his birthplace, he has gone on to prepare rooms for us, and it’s not just a room, that is, a designated space with measurements and coordinates. He will be there also. And not just a room with him there — that would be awesome enough, but he also prepares for us, his followers, to be with him, to abide with him, to reside in him. He is what makes up the features, the atmosphere, the feng shui of the room. He is home. He is the where of kicking off our shoes and settling down with a cuppa joe. He is comfort food, a soft blanket, and a wagging tail at the door. This is what Christians mean when we say Jesus is our Sabbath.
A popular saying at this time of year is “Make room in your heart for Jesus.” Notwithstanding we can’t make the room, but he must, the truer saying is that “Jesus has made room for us.”
Hear his tender words of encouragement, which come after his prediction that Simon Peter will fail and deny him, just as we do in unbelief and discontentment: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” What follows next is his exhortation: “You believe in God? Believe also in me.” (John 14:1)
He doesn’t leave us to our own devices or our own means of finding our way to him. He comes to dwell with us; he becomes our dwelling place. And now, he is preparing an eternal dwelling place for his people. That’s the hope he gives the disciples as their steps falter under the burden of their troubled hearts, “that where I am you may be also.”
Know Jesus, and we can be assured we won’t be left on this island of misfit toys forever. We have a home.
And that makes for a merry Christmas message!
Here at Heat Treat Today, we are looking to 2025 with much anticipation and hope for more opportunities to work together and challenge ourselves and others with new ideas in the North American heat treat industry. Thank you for the opportunities every day to serve and encourage you in our heat treat corner of the world.
From the entire Heat Treat Todayteam, we wish you a very joyous and restful Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ!
A North American manufacturer has bolstered its heat treatment capabilities for annealing steel parts after induction hardening. The two-zone belt conveyor furnace shipped to the facility ensures precise temperature control, energy efficiency, and compliance with AIAG specification CQI-9.
“The customer chose to enhance the operating efficiency of the oven with the E-Pack™ Energy Efficiency Package. Depending on utility rates, operating temperature, and weekly usage, customers may achieve significant annual energy savings with this upgrade,” said Tom Trueman, senior application engineer for Wisconsin Oven Corporation.
Tom Trueman Senior Applications Engineer Wisconsin Oven Corporation
Wisconsin Oven Corporation designed the conveyor furnace with the capacity to heat 2,400 pounds of steel per hour from 70° to 350°F with a maximum temperature rating of 500°F and the ability to anneal the components after induction hardening. The recirculation system features a top-down airflow design with a 32,000 CFM blower, with each of the two zones utilizing 16,000 CFM. The temperature for both zones is controlled by a Watlow F4T digital recorder/controller, which provides Ethernet communication capabilities and PID temperature control with adaptive tuning. As a factor in its CQI-9 compliance, a temperature uniformity survey was conducted, documenting uniformity of ±10°F at 350°F with verified part soak.
To maximize energy efficiency, the oven has been upgraded with an E-Pack™ Energy Efficiency Package, which includes 2” thicker insulation in the walls, floor, and roof, as well as variable frequency drives on the recirculation blowers.
The press release is available in its original form here.
In this Heat TreatRadioepisode, Dave Deiwert, a seasoned expert in leak detection, shares key steps to locate leaks in a vacuum furnace. Host Doug Glenn and his guest specifically look at helium as a tracer gas. From Dave’s extensive experience starting as a field service engineer to founding his own company, Tracer Gas Technologies, listen as he identifies systematic approaches, the influence of air currents, and cost-effective strategies for effective leak detection.
Below, you can watch the video, listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button, or read an edited transcript.
The following transcript has been edited for your reading enjoyment.
Meet Dave Deiwert (01:10)
Doug Glenn: Welcome to another episode of Heat TreatRadio. We’re talking today about leak detection in vacuum, and we’re happy to have Dave Deiwert with us who is a leak detection expert.
Dave, would you give our listeners a little bit of background about you and your qualifications in the industry, and then we’ll jump into some questions about leak detection?
Dave Deiwert: I’ve been in leak detection since 1989. I started off my career as a field service engineer. I did that for about 10 years, then moved into sales engineering for probably the second third of my career. And for the last number of years, I’ve been a product manager and applications manager, working with several of the major vacuum and leak detection companies in the world. I thoroughly enjoy what I do and helping others with their leak testing applications.
Doug Glenn: And now you’ve got your own company. Could we hear a bit about that?
Dave Deiwert: Sure, Tracer Gas Technologies had its birth in September of this year. My focus will be on providing training and applications assistance to industrial clients, research and development labs, and government and university labs.
Doug Glenn: What’s the best way for people to reach you?
Doug Glenn and Dave Deiwert discuss his new position as president of Tracer Gas Technologies.
Dave Deiwert: We are new and still working on the website, but in the meantime, you can reach me at my phone at (765) 685-3360 or email me at DDeiwert@gmail.com.
Doug Glenn: Dave recently published an article in the November 2024 print issue ofHeat TreatTodaycalled, “Basics of Vacuum Furnace Leak Detection, Part One.” The article includes ten tips for vacuum leak detection using a helium leak detector.
Indicators of Leaks (03:45)
We’re going to cover some of those tips today. But before we get started, what are the most common symptoms that we have a leak when operating a vacuum furnace?
Dave Deiwert: I’ve been helping these clients for a number of years. And typically, one or two things happen: So, the client is following the furnace manufacturer’s recommendations to do a periodic “leak up test,” where they pump the furnace down towards base vacuum; they isolate the pumps to look for the pressure to rise after the pump’s been isolated, and if the pressure rises at a faster rate over a test period of time, which might be ten minutes, then they determine they have a leak that they should be looking for.
It’s either during that test that they discover they have a leak that they should be looking for before it impacts quality. Or the problem develops while they’re using the furnace, and it begins to affect the quality of the product. They start to see a difference in the appearance of the product because there’s some type of contaminant gas from atmosphere, water vapor, or maybe their product is sensitive to oxygen and such. It also could be as simple as they used to pump down to base pressure for the process in “x” amount of time, and it seems like it’s taking longer.
One of those two things will get their attention, and that’s okay. Let’s look for the leaks.
Isolating the Source of the Leak (05:11)
Doug Glenn: Most of the discussion we’re going to have today is going to be on using helium leak detectors. But let’s assume you don’t have a helium leak detector. What would be your checklist of things to run through to try to isolate the source of the leak?
Dave Deiwert: My perception is that end users that only have maybe one or two furnaces might not have their own leak detector, and calling for help might be quite a pricey option. They may try to do some things on their own without the leak detector or help from somebody outside the organization.
The first thing you’re going to do is consider where most leaks typically would be on a furnace. You’re going to think of things like the door is opened and closed on every cycle of the furnace, so the gasket or O-ring type material there can get worn over time.
Or maybe while the door was open, something came to rest on the O-ring: a piece of fuzz, hair, or slag metal. Something may be there that creates a leak path when they close the door. To look at that in greater detail, they get some extra light on it and see if they can determine something there. They may go ahead and remove that O-ring and just clean it up really well. Many might put a light coating with some vacuum grease or some type on it and then reinstall it.
Of course, we recommend that you try not to use vacuum grease. That could be a whole other discussion. But many will try that and see if it’s helpful to them.
The vent valve for the system also opens up after every test. So, there’s another gasket that can get worn or dirty.
Another thing would be process gases. If they filled their furnace with some back stream with argon or something, those process gas valves can leak past the seal.
So they think about each of these things and go through them one at a time and inspect them. And if they’re not quite sure what they’re seeing, they might replace the gasket or seal and then hope that they’re successful. And if they continue to not be successful, they ultimately end up calling for help.
Somebody could get very frustrated looking for leaks if you don’t know for sure that it’s only picking up helium. It’s not reacting to Dave Deiwert’s aftershave or cologne, or something else… the fork truck that went by, or something else. I can say with 100% certainty it’s reacting to helium.
Understanding Leak Detector Technology (07:14)
Doug Glenn: I want to ask for a further explanation on the first tip in this article.You say, “Understand how your leak detector works to the point that you can confirm it is working properly.” How does a company do that?
Dave Deiwert: If you’re going to go to the expense of having a leak detector — which many should — they should understand how it works properly and how to tell that it’s working properly or not before you start spraying helium to look for leaks.
Every manufacturer of leak detectors today, and for quite a number of years, has a leak detector that will let you know whether you’re in the test mode or in a standby mode. If you ever approach somebody that is leak testing and the leak detector is in standby mode and they’re spraying helium, you can suggest, “I bet you haven’t found any leaks yet, have you? Well then, you might want to put your leak detector in test mode.”
Understanding it’s in test mode and understanding how to calibrate the leak detector are good tools to help your success in finding leaks on the system. You have to at least be familiar enough with the leak detector to understand its operation and knowing that it’s sensitive to helium and the calibrating procedure increases and supports this understanding.
Doug Glenn: That makes a lot of sense: Make sure it’s turned on.
Dave Deiwert: Right, turned on and connected to your system. If you don’t have a hose going from the leak detector to the furnace and you’re spraying helium, that’s also going to be a problem.This might sound silly, but sometimes people think, “Hey, this sounds easy. You just spray helium and look for leaks.” They may ask some person who doesn’t really have much experience, “Hey, go over and test the furnace.” They may be embarrassed to say that they don’t know how to use the leak detector, so they may give it a go. Because they don’t understand the leak detector, they might not be successful.
Doug Glenn: That leads me to my next question because I would be that guy that doesn’t really know how they work. When you’re performing a leak detection using a helium leak detector, how does that process work? Where is the leak detector? Where are you spraying the helium?
Dave Deiwert: Sure. In my career I’ve seen people choose a few different points of connection to the furnace, but you’ll find our industry that we teach people that the best place would be to connect the hose from the leak detector to point in front of the blower if they’ve got a blower on their system. If they don’t have one, it’s going to go at a connection point near the inlet of the pump of gas pumping through this system. But you want to sample that flow of gases from the furnace towards the pumps. That way, you can get a sample to the leak detector as you’re spraying the helium.
When you talk about how the leak detectors work… at every class I teach, I think it’s important to at least give enough information so that you have confidence that the leak detector can help you. How’s it sensitive to helium and why? With these leak detectors, no matter who manufactures them, typically you’ll see that inside there’s a mass spectrometer that’s tuned to the gas mass weight of a helium molecule. And because it’s dependent on the mass weight of a helium molecule, not the mass weight of oxygen, nitrogen, argon, or whatever, you can be 100% sure that when the leak detector reacts, it’s getting helium from somewhere.
I stress that because somebody could get very frustrated looking for leaks if you don’t know for sure that it’s only picking up helium. It’s not reacting to Dave Deiwert’s aftershave or cologne, or something else… the fork truck that went by, or something else. I can say with 100% certainty it’s reacting to helium.
You might be surprised how often in my career somebody said, “Dave, the leak detector’s reacting, and I haven’t even started spraying helium yet.” I will tell them helium is coming from somewhere, and it could be the tank of helium that you’ve rolled up to the furnace is spraying helium and you didn’t realize it. Maybe the spray gun is still spraying helium even though the trigger is not pulled. Maybe the regulator’s leaking.
Leak detector hooked up to vacuum furnace Source: Dave Deiwert
And if that furnace has got a leak, it’s the whole reason you brought the leak detector over. You’re not spraying helium yet, but helium is being sprayed by the tank or the regulator. The leak detector is going to react to the helium regardless of how it got into the system. So that can be very frustrating.
Let me back up: If you know beyond the shadow of a doubt the leak detector will only respond to helium and you haven’t sprayed helium yet, you know immediately it’s coming from somewhere.That is to say, I need to figure out what’s going on there. Otherwise I might spin my wheels looking for a leak while something else is a distraction for me.
Does that make sense?
Understanding Helium (11:53)
Doug Glenn: Yes, it does. Let me ask you this, though, because I’ve never done a helium leak detection as a publisher of a magazine — we don’t have a lot of helium in this business. You’ve got this box called the helium leak detector. It’s got a hose. You connect the hose near the blower or someplace close to the vacuum pump. I assume the leak detector is sampling the air as it’s coming towards the pump or towards the blower. Correct?
Dave Deiwert: Absolutely.
Doug Glenn: Then you’re spraying helium on the outside of the furnace somewhere to see if it’s being pulled into the furnace through some hole and therefore heading towards the pump.Correct?
Dave Deiwert: Yes.
Doug Glenn: I wasn’t ever sure how that worked — whether you spray the helium inside the furnace then you’re checking around the outside of the furnace with the leak detector; I know that sounds silly, but I thought that might be how it worked. But the truth is you’re sampling the air inside, and you’re spraying helium on the outside. If that’s the case, with a canister of helium on the outside of the furnace, won’t the detector be detecting the gas because it is going from that helium canister through and into the furnace, right?
Dave Deiwert: Yes, that’s correct.
When we get into the idea of spraying helium — where does the helium go when I spray it? When I started my career way back in 1989 as a field service engineer, I was taught that helium rises because it’s the lightest gas. And so I was taught, as were many other people, to start at the top of the furnace and work your way down.
The problem with teaching that is (remember, there’s five parts per million of helium naturally in the air we breathe) that if I start spraying helium, I can tell you with 100% confidence that the air currents in the room are going to impact that helium. If you can feel the air blowing from your right towards your left, and when someone’s got a floor fan on you can be sure of it, the predominant helium you’re spraying is going to move that way. It’s going to dissipate over time, but starting somewhere methodical to spray the helium is important and to not spray too much.
Be Patient with Leak Detection! (13:14)
Doug Glenn: I did want to ask a little bit about that because in your second and third tip in this article you expressed the need to be patient when doing a leak detection. Just exactly how patient do we need to be, and why do we need to be so patient?
Dave Deiwert: Frequently throughout my career, I’ve run into people who say, “I’m not sure if I’ve got a leak, so I’m going to spray a lot of helium so I can determine it pretty quickly.” But if you spray that helium like you’re trying to dust off the equipment, you will have so much helium in the air the leak detector will definitely react if there’s a leak. However, now you have to wait forever and a day; it could be quite a while until the helium that you just sprayed all over the system and in the room dissipates before you can continue looking for a leak.
I always ask this question when I’m teaching a class with people who have been doing leak testing: “How do you set your helium spray nozzle?” The ones that’ve been doing it for quite a while will say that they’ll get a glass of water, for example, and they’ll put the spray nozzle down in the water and adjust the flow to where they get one bubble every two to three seconds. I see some variation on that, one to ten seconds. But they’ll try to meter it down. Somebody might say, “I’ll put the nozzle up to my lip and spray so I can barely feel it.”
I’ve run into people who say, “I’m not sure if I’ve got a leak, so I’m going to spray a lot of helium so I can determine it pretty quickly.” But if you spray that helium like you’re trying to dust off the equipment, you will have so much helium in the air the leak detector will definitely react if there’s a leak. However, now you have to wait forever and a day.
To those people, I’ll say, “That’s a good start. If you put that nozzle in that glass of water and it looks like a Ken and Barbie jacuzzi, you’re spending way too much helium into that.” I would meter that down to a very small amount, whether it’s a bubble every three seconds or you can barely feel it on your lip is a good place to start.
And because I made the comment that helium doesn’t necessarily rise but can go different directions based on the wind, air currents in the room, and fresh air makeup, eventually somebody says, “Where should I start?” I’ll say, “I don’t have a problem with you starting at the top of the furnace and working your way down. Be methodical.”
Some people will start at the leak detector they just hooked up because they might have put a leak in the bellows connection from the leak detector. You might start there to make sure the assembly you just did is leak tight.
But start somewhere, be methodical as you move across the system, and remember that helium can go up, down, left, back, or forward depending on what the air currents are.
Doug Glenn: I was actually going to ask you about the air currents, because I thought that was an interesting tip that you had made. In fact, I think that’s like tip four and five in this article. I think we’re dealing with air currents and things of that sort. So, we’ll skip over that, because I think you’veaddressed that.
The Dead Stick Method (16:48)
Doug Glenn: You mention an interesting thing called a “dead stick method” in tip number six. Can you explain what that is?
Dave Deiwert: I’m glad you asked that because I looked back on that later and thought I don’t think I elaborated on that enough for somebody that’s never done the dead stick method. That is a term for when you spray just a little squirt of helium away from you and the furnace, and then stop spraying. Then you’re going to rely on the residual helium that’s coming out of the tip of the nozzle for some period of time.
In my training classes, I typically have a plastic bottle that has a little right-angle nozzle on it. You may have used them back in high school in chemistry; it might have had alcohol in it. I will squirt a little helium in that plastic bottle and then screw the cap on; that will last me for two or three days at a trade show or a training event. I don’t have to squeeze the bottle. There’s enough helium coming out of the nozzle that you can detect leaks.
To demonstrate, I’ll put hair on an O-ring on a test for the leak detector. (It’s the cause of my receding hairline.) I can take that nozzle without squeezing the bottle and move it near the hair that I put in there, and it will detect it very impressively every single time, at least over the course of two to three days.
Perspective looking up into the world’s largest vacuum chamber at NASA’s facility in Sandusky, Ohio Source: Dave Deiwert
My point of demoing that is people tend to spray away too much helium. If there’s five parts per million naturally in the air we breathe, you only need enough delta difference so that as you go past where the leak’s at you can see a reaction from the leak detector and pinpoint it.
Backtrack to if somebody sprays a lot of helium to prove they have a leak. Now they have to wait a long time for the helium to dissipate. And by the way it’s not just dissipating from the room. You’ve sprayed a lot of helium that is now feeding that leak. And as it goes through the leak path in the furnace, it expands back out in front of you. It’s got to pump away from the furnace, too. It’s also got to clear the system and go out to the pumps before you get back to baseline so that you can continue leak checking.
Therefore, if you spray just very small amounts,, you have to get close to where the leak is before you start to get a response. This way you have less concern of helium drifting to the opposite side of the furnace and going through a leak path there — that can really distract. You may think you’re near the leak, but it’s really on the other side of the furnace because you’ve sprayed way too much helium.
Spraying little amounts might make you feel like it’s taking longer. But the fact is, when you start to get a reaction at the leak detector, you can be comfortable that you’re getting close to the where the leak is.
Doug Glenn: If you know you’re in a room with air currents in it (let’s just say there’s a flow of some sort from left to right), does it make sense to always start downwind, and then work your way back across the system?
Dave Deiwert: Yes. If I can feel a fan — Joe’s got his fan on because it’s keeping him cool, and it’s blowing over towards where I’m leak testing, I might say, “Hey Joe, could you turn your fan off a little bit while I’m testing?” He may say, “No, it’s making me comfortable.” All right, now I’ve got to work with that. I know that I can feel the air currents moving from my right towards my left. So, yes, starting downwind and working my way up could be helpful. You want to pay attention to what the air is doing if you can tell. It may be a very calm environment, and you’re not sure what the air currents are doing; just be methodical. Pick somewhere to start in the furnace.
Here’s something else about spraying helium: Once you think you know where the leak is at, every time you put the spray nozzle there you should get the same response. You spray the helium, you get a response, you stop spraying and wait until it drops back to baseline, and then you go back to where you think the leak is. If that’s where the leak is, every time you put the probe there, you should get the same response time at the leak detector. If even one time you put the spray gun there and don’t get a response or not nearly the same, then that’s not where the leak is at. Yeah, you should know beyond a shadow of a doubt when you pinpoint the leak.
Doug Glenn: How often do you see more than one leak at a time? Let’s say you isolate a leak, you think you got it, then say you take the gasket off or whatever you do, do the test again, and there’s still a leak.How often does that happen?
Dave Deiwert: It happens most of the time. When I was a field service engineer and somebody called me in to help, I almost never found one leak. That tells me they were working with one leak that maybe wasn’t large enough to affect their quality or the cycle time, and they were living with it. And the day comes where they have a leak that gets their attention or the leak got larger. It can be more challenging if you’ve got more than one leak. It’s a short-lived celebration when you think you found a leak and then you go to start the process, and, oh, it looks like you still have a leak. That wasn’t the one. So, you might make a case for looking to see if you can pinpoint another leak while you’re in the leak testing mode.
Doug Glenn displays the cover of the November 2024 issue of Heat Treat Today, in which Dave Deiwert’s article, “Basics of Vacuum Furnace Leak Detection, Pt 1,” is featured.
Saving on Helium Gas (21:35)
Doug Glenn: Besides the fact that a helium leak detector can save you all kinds of time because typically you can find a leak faster with a helium leak detector then in a process of elimination, you also mentioned a tip for saving money regarding the mixing of the gas. Could you elaborate on that and any other cost savings tips?
Dave Deiwert: I already mentioned that people tend to spray way too much helium at least until they’re sensitive to that concern and cut back. But when they buy the tanks of helium, they’re buying 100% helium. And remember my comment that you just need enough delta increase in the helium that you’re applying to where the leaks at to be able to pinpoint it. The possibility that you could buy your tanks of helium at a lesser percentage, maybe 25% helium and 75% nitrogen, would help you save on some helium and help your efforts to not be spraying too much.
People have not been saying that in this industry, and so that can make folks nervous. “I don’t know, Dave. We’ve never done that before. I’ve never heard anybody else say that before.” I suggest if you are going through a lot of helium, you could cut down how much helium you’re spraying. You could save some significant money, especially these larger facilities with many furnaces and so forth. Give it a try. Buy one tank of it with a mix gas and pick something that you’re comfortable trying, whether it be 25% or 50% helium and buy one bottle. And the next time you test your furnace and find a leak, then try to look at that leak with the lower percentage helium and prove to yourself whether using a lower percentage of helium is going to save you money.
Doug Glenn: You’re suggesting people get themselves comfortable with it, use their 100% until they find the leak, and then try the lower helium.
Dave Deiwert: When they show the proof to themselves, that they can still have the capability to find leaks like that, then they could save a little money. Plus, there’s the added benefit of not spraying so much helium and having to wait as long for the area to clear up before you can start spraying again to continue to pinpoint a leak.
Doug Glenn: And that would save you additional time. Dave, thank you very much. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up?
Dave Deiwert: Only that if you know you’ve got a leak in the system — it failed the leak up test or quality or whatever, you sprayed it around the entire system, and you can’t find any leaks — then you’re probably looking at an internal leak most likely past the seat of a valve. Or maybe you’ve got a vent valve that’s leaking past the seat, but your plumbing to that vent valve maybe goes out of the building, so you don’t really have an easy access to spray helium past that.
For example, with an argon valve, you may need to disconnect the argon supply from that valve so you can get access to that side of the valve to spray helium to see if you can detect a leak past the seat of that valve.
Doug Glenn: Dave, thanks very much, I appreciate it. I’m sure we’ll be talking again. I know vacuum leak detection is an important thing.
About The Guest
Dave Deiwert President Tracer Gas Technologies
Dave Deiwert has over 35 years of technical experience in industrial leak detection gained from his time at Vacuum Instruments Corp., Agilent Vacuum Technologies (Varian Vacuum), Edwards Vacuum, and Pfeiffer Vacuum. He leverages this experience by providing leak detection and vacuum technology training and consulting services as the owner and president of Tracer Gas Technologies.
The growth we’re reporting on in today’s News from Abroad installment is not just about expansions but also modernization and innovation. Read about a continuous galvanizing and annealing line for a Turkish automaker, a new 190-ton EAF set to be one of the largest installations in the world, a next-generation anode furnace to meet sustainability targets, and for reducing CO2 emissions, improving impurity removal capabilities and bringing flexibility in treating secondary materials, and the installation and commissioning of new hot edge inductors for its cold mill rolling line (S5) to address the tight edge issues in aluminum strip that occurred during high-speed rolling.
Heat TreatTodaypartners 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. Furnaces International, a Quartz Business Media publication, primarily serves the English-speaking globe, and heat processing. a Vulkan-Verlag GmbHa publication, serves mostly the European and Asian heat treat markets.
Turkish Auto Maker Expands with Continuous Galvanizing/Annealing Line
View of the Borçelik site
“Turkish steel manufacturer Borçelikhas selected international technology group ANDRITZto supply a combi-line furnace for a new continuous galvanizing and annealing line to produce automotive material. The line will be part of a new cold strip mill complex to be built in Bursa, Gemlik, region. It will supply hot-dip galvanized strip for automotive exposed panels as well as uncoated strip. Start-up at Borçelik is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026. The ANDRITZ scope of supply includes a radiant-tube furnace with annealing and soaking sections and a mixed soaking/slow cooling section followed by ANDRITZ Differential Rapid Jet Cooling.”
Next-Gen Anode Furnace Targets Reduction in CO2 emissions
Metso’s modernized Anode Furnace
“Metso is launching a next-generation Anode Furnace for reducing CO2 emissions, improving impurity removal capabilities and bringing flexibility in treating secondary materials. The upgraded Anode Furnace features the latest design, advances in process safety, and ease of maintenance. Furthermore, it presents two exciting methods for reducing CO2 emissions. The Anode Furnace delivery scope consists of all key equipment required for operating the furnace. Metso’s holistic competence in smelter process optimization and integration of automation systems ensures that the furnace will be seamlessly integrated into the processing chain in both brownfield and greenfield applications. When combined with services and on-site support, a smooth commissioning and start-up is ensured.”
Oxelösund, where SSAB’s new 190-ton EAF will be installed
“Swedish steelmaker SSABhas chosen plant supplier SMS group for the construction of a new 190-ton EAF, which is set to be one of the largest installations in the world with an upper shell diameter of 9.3 metres. The new EAF, located in Oxelösund, has its first heat scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and will lower total CO2 emissions in Sweden by 3%, say the companies. Powered by a 280 MVA transformer, the EAF will also utilize technology to meet the limitations imposed by the grid authority in terms of flicker, power factor, and harmonic distortion. SSAB has also entrusted SMS group with the integration of a direct feed (DF) system from GE Vernova to be fitted in the new furnace at Oxelösund. The technology aims to ensure the new EAF operates smoothly and efficiently without disrupting the grid, thereby contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions.”
hot edge inductors for cold mill rolling line Installed
Hot edge inductors installed by Primetals Technologies at Hulamin’s cold mill rolling line (S5) in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
“Primetals Technologies have signed the final acceptance certificate (FAC) with aluminum producer Hulamin following the installation and commissioning of new hot edge inductors for its cold mill rolling line (S5) in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. This upgrade aims to address the tight edge issues in aluminum strip that occurred during high-speed rolling, leading to improved product quality. The moving induction heating head assembly has been installed on the exit side of the mill, below the exit delivery table. These assemblies are positioned close to the roll surface, just outside of the strip width, effectively counteracting the thermal camber that causes tight edge issues during high-speed rolling. The hot edge inductors have resolved the tight edge issues by providing additional heat to the work roll at the strip edge, expanding the roll and alleviating tight edges. This has led to better control of the strip edge shape. The aluminum producer has observed noticeable improvements in the on-line strip shape performance and continue to further optimise and refine the use of these actuators in its rolling programme.”
Heat TreatToday publishes eight print magazines a year and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in the December 2024 Medical & Energy Heat Treat print edition.
If you’ve been thinking of sending someone, including yourself, to Heat TreatBoot Camp, this column should help motivate you to pull the trigger for 2025.
On September 23–25 of this year (2024), 40+ individuals gathered at the DoubleTree Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown and experienced the 3rd AnnualHeat TreatBoot Camptogether. By all measures, it was a resounding success. Here’s why.
The Content
The foundation of the event’s success is the information provided in seven different and intensive presentations by Thomas Wingens, of WINGENS CONSULTANTS— Material and Thermal Processes, and me. The presentations cover the following in language intended for newcomers to the industry:
Heat Treat Players (the companies that make the products)
Heat Treat Latest Developments
Heat Treat Resources (for continual and continuing education)
These seven presentations are presented classroom style for a full 1.5 days and really serve as the core of the boot camp’s success. Each attendee goes home with a handy resource manual which I’ve been told by several of the attendees stays on or near their desks and is referenced weekly.
Given the fact that Heat TreatToday publishes believes people are happier and make better decisions when they are well informed, it is no surprise one of the primary reasons that the boot camp is successful is the content provided. While nearly all of Heat TreatToday’s publishes content is targeted at professionals working for in-house heat treat operations, Heat TreatBoot Camp content is one exception where the content is more specifically targeted at industry suppliers. The content is intended to help newbies to the industry gain 2+ years of industry knowledge in two days.
But it’s not just about the content.
The People, Networking & Relationships
Speaking for myself, one of the most satisfying parts of the boot camp is seeing the personal relationships that are developed and grown during the two-day event. There is a lovely mix of eager learners including a spattering of captive heat treaters (individuals from companies that do their own in-house heat treating), commercial heaters, and suppliers to the industry. The interaction between these three groups of attendees and the Heat TreatToday staff and speakers is remarkable, and according to numerous comments in the largely positive feedback forms received at the end of the event, it is one of the most beneficial aspects of the event.
Knowing that people talking to people is one of the most important things that will take place at this event, we’ve made a point to provide plenty of time for these interactions … mostly around food! Boot camp starts on a Monday evening with an opening reception with some excellent heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks. The atmosphere is casual and engaging and there are ample opportunities to meet fellow attendees.
There is also a good bit of relationship development going on during our “field trip” at the end of the first full day (Tuesday) when we jump on a school bus (yes, an actual yellow school bus!) and make our way over to one of Pittsburgh’s iconic sites, the Duquesne Incline, where we all ride the Incline to the top of Mt. Washington and literally look down on the city of Pittsburgh — one of the most spectacular sights of any city in the U.S.A.
At the end of the 1.5 days of classroom instruction, there is an optional commercial heat treat plant tour where additional networking and relationship developing takes place.
This year we did something new that also proved to be great for networking. Roughly a dozen supplier companies opted to help sponsor the event. These sponsors had small tabletop displays and the conversations around those tables during breaktimes were energetic, and from feedback comments, very productive and beneficial to both sponsor and attendee.
Boot Camp 2025
The dates and location of the 2025 event have not been nailed down as of this writing, but please keep your eyes open for the announcement of that information and please feel free to visit heattreatbootcamp.com. Sincerely hope to see you at the 2025 event.
