AALBERTS SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES HEAT TO RECEIVE A CME-T FASTEST COOLING FURNACE WITH NITROGEN QUENCHING

Performance and environmental-friendliness of the CMe-T

A SECO/WARWICK CaseMaster Evolution vacuum furnace and BREW atmosphere furnace will make up a new production line in the specialized commercial hardening plant of Aalberts Surface Technologies Heat in Kalisz (Poland).

Last year, the Dutch branch of Aalberts Surface Technologies Heat (formerly Hauck) in Eindhoven received a furnace, operating under high vacuum, with the working chamber of 1200x1200x2000 [mm], which is not only the largest furnace with an all-metal heating chamber but also the largest device of this kind to be operated in the Benelux Region of Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg). Now the Polish, Kalisz-based branch of the heat treatment systems and services provider will expand its production line getting a solution that can only be described with “the most” prefix.

The new SECO/WARWICK furnaces will create a production line that will be used for successive vacuum carburizing (LPC) and gas quenching (CMe-T furnace), followed by annealing (BREW furnace) to reduce the internal stress of the treated metals. Performing so many processes is possible thanks to the combination of vacuum technology with atmosphere technology.

Performance and environmental-friendliness of the CMe-T

The three-chamber CaseMaster Evolution-T is a huge furnace with 1 ton per batch capacity and an annual output of up to 2,000 tons of parts. Such a device can successfully replace 3 conventional atmosphere furnaces. It is interesting to note that this furnace has an incredibly fast cool nitrogen chamber, achieving results similar to helium and oil cooling, creating an ultra-environmentally friendly system. Using the nitrogen taken from and discharged to the air eliminates both the use of expensive and difficult to obtain helium and harmful quenching oil. This makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by 300 tons annually. This is exactly the amount generated by three standard atmosphere furnaces.