Atmosphere Sintering Furnace

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems shipped a 60-inch-wide x 90-inch-deep x 30-inch-high atmosphere sintering furnace to Mueller Brass Co., a Port Huron, Mich.-based supplier of brass rod and forgings in the United States. Utilizing a nitrogen atmosphere, the batch furnace is designed with a maximum operating temperature of 1650°F (899°C) and a capacity of 14,000 pounds. The indirect-fired gas heating system incorporates parallel positioning control for efficiency and process flexibility. An integrated oxygen analyzer ensures proper furnace environment prior to heating, and an accelerated gas cooling system improves floor-to-floor cycle time for Mueller Brass’ production needs.

Automated Nitriding Cell

An automotive manufacturer in China will install a second Nitrex-supplied automated heat-treating cell for nitriding parts. As part of the company’s growth, the cell will be placed adjacent to the first cell to expand production capacity to meet increasing market demand. The investment will allow the company to bring the production process in-house for greater control and flexibility. Nitrex received an order for six continuous flow-through nitriding systems to create the fully automated cell, which is responsible for automatic loading/unloading, processing and transport. Delivery is scheduled for August 2022, and the cell should start operating in the fall.

Nitrex will undertake almost all aspects of the cell for 24/7 lights-out manufacturing: furnaces, charge cars, loading/unloading and magazine tables, and auxiliary equipment (e.g., atmosphere neutralizer and water-cooling stations). All equipment will be connected to the Protherm 9800 automation platform for automatic handling and processing, which improves workflow efficiency, process reliability, furnace utilization, work-order tracking and real-time performance metrics.

Nitrex previously delivered three nitriding furnaces to this manufacturer in August 2021 to create the first automated cell. The company ordered three more furnaces to complete the cell. These last three nitriding systems are currently under production and will be delivered in April.

Benchtop Lab Furnaces

L&L Special Furnace Co. Inc. received an order for 10 benchtop laboratory furnaces. The furnaces, which have an effective work zone of 10 inches high x 15 inches wide x 13 inches deep, will be used as part of a precious-metals recovery system for a manufacturer of catalytic convertors, medical devices and pollution controls. The precious metals are burned out of the existing product and placed in crucibles. The crucibles are then heated at temperatures of 1800-2200°F (982-1204°C). This allows any impurities in the metals to rise to the surface and be removed for further refinement. The project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

The furnace is designed to be placed on a bench top or with an optional furnace stand. It has a Honeywell DCP50 program control and over-temperature protection system. Solid-state relays drive the element circuit and Inconel-sheathed thermocouples are included. There is a 0.75-inch alloy outlet on top of the furnace to remove any binder or contaminants that may exist within the product.

Electron-Beam AM System

Sciaky Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), will deliver what it says is the world’s largest electron-beam directed energy deposition (DED) 3D printer to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). The customized electron-beam additive-manufacturing (EBAM) system is going to TAI’s Ankara plant, where it will 3D print some of the largest titanium aerostructures in the industry. The machine’s work envelope stretches beyond 19.7 feet (6 meters) long x 6.5 Feet (2 meters) wide x 5.9 feet (1.8 meters) high. Deposition rates will exceed 20 kg of metal per hour for many metal alloys.

In addition, the 3D printer can quickly switch over to an electron-beam welder (EBW) for large-scale welding applications. TAI will have the capability to combine EB welding and 3D printing functionality for applications that require both technologies. The contract between TAI and Sciaky also includes collaboration on a series of projects aimed at optimizing TAI’s use of the EBAM machine and its technology.

Metal AM Systems

GE Aviation is acquiring five metal additive-manufacturing (AM) systems from GE Additive. The first four Concept Laser M Line systems will be installed at GE Aviation’s Additive Technology Center (ATC) in West Chester, Ohio, during 2022. A fifth M Line system will be installed at Avio Aero’s Turin site in Italy to support serial production of additive components for the GE Catalyst turboprop engine during 2022. Once installed at the GE Aviation ATC, two M Line systems will be dedicated to aluminum alloy. One each of the two other systems will be dedicated to cobalt chrome and nickel alloy 718, adding additional manufacturing capacity to GE Aviation’s additive infrastructure at its development facility.

Atmosphere Furnaces

SECO/WARWICK received an equipment order from Aalberts Surface Technologies for its hardening plant in Dzierżoniów, Poland. SECO/WARWICK will deliver a two-chamber atmosphere furnace, tempering furnace, endothermic atmosphere generator, and loading and unloading devices along with the auxiliary infrastructure. The AFT-type atmosphere furnace is intended for carburizing, hardening, nitrocarburizing and annealing. It is suited for manufacturing various transmission components. According to Aalberts, the new equipment will increase its capacity in Dzierżoniów and allow the company to expand its business to other eastern European countries.

Vacuum Furnace

Solar Atmospheres’ Souderton, Pa., facility commissioned a new high-production vacuum furnace. It will double the plant’s hydriding and de-hydriding capacity in the reclamation process of high-value titanium and tantalum materials. The furnace incorporates supplier Solar Manufacturing’s latest and most advanced vacuum technology aimed at safety and efficiency. The qualified working zone measures 48 x 48 x 72 inches with a weight capacity of up to 7,500 pounds per batch.