Industrial Heating articles from February 2002

Industrial Heating archives from February 2002

The electric landscape. (Federal Triangle).(Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and regional transmission organizations)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2002... Last August, this column examined the future of electric power generation in the U.S. and cited both emergence of Independent Power Providers (IPPs) in the deregulated environment of the 1990s and a growing trend to distribute electric power...

Understanding the three-month T-Bill. (Business Trends).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Like the prime rate, a 90-day (three-month) T-Bill measures the cost of borrowing money. While demand for money can affect this interest rate, it is usually the short-term increases or decreases in the supply--properly known as inflation--that...

Atmosphere Heat Treating Inc. (MTI Profiles).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... ATMOSPHERE HEAT TREATING (AHT) INC., Wixom, Mich., began in 1962 when William R. Keough founded Controlled Atmosphere Processing Co., Inc. (CAPCO) in Detroit, Mich., to expand the commercial application of austempering. At that time, the...

Siemens Building Technologies: Combustion control products and solutions. (IHEA Profiles).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Siemens Building Technologies, Buffalo Grove, Ill., offers combustion control products and solutions to optimize process performance, minimize costs and simplify installation. These products include gas valve flow controls, modulating...

Refractory keeps aluminum melter running. (Problem Solver).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Situation: Saturn Corp. processes 60 ton/day of aluminum in a 40-ton aluminum melting furnace to feed two casting lines at its Spring Hill, Tenn. auto plant. To charge molten aluminum into the furnace three times each day, the bath is...

Vacuum furnace installed. (New Facilities and Technology).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., installed a 10-bar furnace with dimensions of 50 in. wide x 50 in. high x 6 ft deep (1.2 x 1.2 x 1.8 m) and a weight capacity of 10,000 lb (4.5 metric ton). In addition, Solar implemented two advancements to...

Galvanizing line furnace ordered. (New Facilities and Technology).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Selas S.A.S. in France, a subsidiary of Selas Corp. of America, Dresher, Pa., received an order from Voestalpine Stahl GmbH for a furnace for a new galvanizing, line CGL #3. The line, devoted to automotive products, will be installed in Linz,...

Walking beam furnace revamped. (New Facilities and Technology).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Techint Technologies, Genoa, Italy, successfully revamped a walking-beam furnace at Luchini's plant in Piombino, Italy. Equalizing area improvements include top and bottom heating in place of a solid hearth and installation of new bottom...

Brass Foundry in operation. (New Facilities and Technology).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Demag Technica, Veitshohheim, and Induga GmbH of Cologne, both in Germany, started a foundry operation to produce brass extrusion billets at Mueller Brass Co. in Port Huron, Mich. Both companies supplied the basic equipment for the new foundry....

High-Pressure quench furnace purchased. (New Facilities and Technology).(by Stanadyne Automotive Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Stanadyne Automotive Corp. installed a 10-bar high-pressure quench furnace having an advanced computer control system from Seco/Warwick Corp., Meadville, Pa., for use in its heat-treat operation in Windsor, Conn. The furnace features a 24 in. x...

Melcor teams with Harvard Thermal. (New Facilities and Technology).(for modeling of assemblies with thermoelectric coolers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Melcor Corp., Trenton, N.J., has teamed with Harvard Thermal to offer a fast, easy and accurate alternative for thermal modeling of assemblies that incorporate thermoelectric coolers. Using TAS, Harvard Thermal's Windows-based thermal analysis...

Heat-Treating facilities planned. (New Facilities and Technology).(by Alfe Heat Treating Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Alfe Heat Treating Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., plans to construct a 15,000-[ft.sup.2] (1,390 [m.sup.2]) heat-treating facility in Massena, N.Y. as part of a contract awarded by General Motors Corp. The plant will specialize in aluminum heat...

NOx burner planned. (New Facilities and Technology).(to be developed by Peabody Engineering)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Peabody Engineering, Shelton, Conn., a division of Hamworthy Combustion Engineering Group, entered into an agreement with Gas Technology Institute (GTI) to develop a multifuel ultralow NOx burner based on the patented GTI Forced Internal...

Nitrogen pipeline commissioned. (New Facilities and Technology).(by BOC)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... BOC, Murray Hill, N.J., commissioned a nitrogen pipeline running from its Braddock, Pa., production facility to the adjacent U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson steel plant. The pipeline, part of a $1.2 million expansion of the BOC Braddock plant, was...

Hauck selected for Pennsylvania Award. (Organizational Developments).(Hauck Manufacturing Co., gets award as one of 50 Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania for medium-sized companies)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Hauck Manufacturing Co., Lebanon, Pa., was honored as one of the top 50 Best Places to Work. The survey and award program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Pennsylvania that benefit the state's...

JAC Manufacturing receives accreditation. (Organizational Development).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B) has accredited JAC MANUFACTURING, Palmyra, Wis., to ISO/IEC 17025:1999 for satisfactory compliance of all procedures, policies and requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:1999 and the relevant requirements of...

Norsk Hydro to acquire VAW Aluminum. (Organizational Development).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Norsk HYDRO ASA, Oslo, Norway, has entered into an agreement to buy all shares of VAW Aluminum AG in Germany. The combined activities after the acquisition will be named Hydro Aluminum and will be headquartered in Oslo. VAW's Flexible Packaging...

NCMS and InfraGard establish initiative. (Association News).
February 1, 2002... The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), Ann Arbor, Mich., has been authorized by the executive board of InfraGard to establish an InfraGard Manufacturing Industry Association (IMIA). The mission of IMIA is to equip manufacturers...

PMA Chairs NAM Communications Council. (Association News).(Precision Metalforming Association becomes first trade association to chair National Association of Manufacturers Communications Council.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), Cleveland, Ohio, has become the first trade association to chair the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Communications Council. The communications council is a group of about 23 senior...

ASTM changes name. (Association News).(to ASTM International)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), West Conshohocken, Pa., changed its name to ASTM International to reinforce the openness of the ASTM standards development process to worldwide input, as well as to reflect the global...

Correction.(Vacuum Furnace Systems Corp. headquarters is in Souderton, Pennsylvania)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2002... On page 25 of the January issue of Industrial Heating it was incorrectly stated that Vacuum Furnace Systems (VFS) Corp. is located in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. VFS is located in Souderton, Pa.

Calendar.
February 1, 2002... Conferences and Expositions MARCH 4-7 Metal Form 2002, McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill., sponsored by Precision Metalforming Association (PMA). For more information contact PMA by phone: 216.901.8800; by fax: 216.901.9190; or on the web:...

Friction stir processing creates aluminum-alloy superplasticity. (Nonferrous Thermal Processing).
February 1, 2002... Superplasticity is achieved in thick section aluminum alloys using a unique thermo-mechanical metal working process based on the friction stir welding process. The process offers the potential to form complex shaped parts at a higher strain...

Combustion safety for furnace operation. (Industrial Gases/Combustion).
February 1, 2002... This article provides an overview of the requirements of NFPA Standard 86 with an emphasis on the theory of combustion safety as it applies to any type of combustion device, especially a direct-fired furnace. A furnace can be defined in a...

Closed-loop control in hardness testing. (Materials Characterization).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Inherent design features of closed-loop systems significantly improve performance over that of dead weight-type hardness testers widely used in the industry today. Deadweight-type testers cannot match the repeatability, stability and...

Insulation system speeds up furnace lining maintenance. (Ceramics & Refractories/Insulation).(Unifrax Corp.'s Foamfrax monolithic insulation system)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... When furnace lining maintenance is required, companies want minimum downtime and reliable uptime to keep their operations running smoothly. A new gunnable foam/fiber insulation offers fast installation and good lining performance, as well as...

Furnace-Charge System. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... The ShuttleTrac [TM] charge car system offers the latest technology in automatic control of loading/unloading heat-treating furnace equipment. The system enables movement of loads between multiple batch and continuous furnace lines without...

Inert-atmosphere furnace. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... The No. 854 electrically heated, inert-atmosphere floor furnace has workspace dimensions measuring 24 in. wide x 48 in. deep x 24 in. high (609 x 1220 x 609 mm). Kanthal AF alloy wire, rod overbend design heaters provides a maximum operating...

All-metal hot zone. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Enerzone [TM] all-metal vacuum furnace hot zones are designed to reduce energy consumption 15 to 20% as compared to conventional designs. They may be substituted for insulated types without requiring a transformer change. PLANSEE...

Electric conveyor oven. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... The electric conveyor oven is designed for annealing glass at temperatures to 1200[degrees]F (650[degrees]C). The stainless steel design uses TRENT Folded and Formed [R] nickel-chrome ribbon-type heating elements and has exterior dimensions of...

Induction hardening system. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... The Ultramate [TM] induction-hardening system is available with two, three or four spindles to allow several parts to be simultaneously processed. The system, which can scan or single shot, accepts parts up to 20 in. long and weighing up to 20...

Oxygen-fuel burner. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... PrimeFire oxygen-fuel burners can burn gas and oil and is available in four models having capacities from 0.25 to 20 MM Btu/hr. Burner controls allow adjustment in flame coverage to suit furnace size and temperature needs. Forging, foundry and...

Recuperative burners. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Rekumat [R] CX200 is a larger version of the company's existing SiSiC recuperative burners that yield high efficiency and low NOx emissions in applications at temperatures to 2250[degrees]F (1260[degrees]C). They are available as both...

Double-seated gas valves. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Siemens VGD40 line of double gas valves has expanded from 1.5 to 6 in. (38 to 150 mm). The VGD4O contains a patented double-seated design, which provides high flow rates. A 4-in. (100-mm) VGD4O effectively incorporating all control functions of...

Valve actuators. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Smartlink[TM] intelligent control valve actuators are designed for precise, accurate flow control in industrial applications. This level of control provides the accuracy necessary for use in critical, low-emission applications and can lower...

Solenoid Valves. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... The VG..OCS is the newest addition to the VG series solenoid valve family. It is designed for use in commercial and industrial applications, and meets the NFPA 86 standard for ovens and furnaces, stipulating valve proof of closure with...

Heat-Resistant Furnace Alloy. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... RA 602 CA [TM] otters increased resistance to cyclic oxidation at temperatures to 2200 [degrees] F (1205 [degrees]C), good creep rupture strength and high resistance to carburization. In addition, it offers high-quality performance in...

Fabricated rotary retorts. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Fabricated retorts weigh less than cast retorts, resulting in faster heat-up times, shorter cycle times and lower temperature differentials to reduce thermal stresses. In an application experiencing cast-retort failures after only nine months...

Self-lubricating Cam followers. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Cam followers having a self-lubricating Graphalloy [R] bushing offer an alternative to grease-lubricated cam followers at temperatures to 750[degrees]F (400[degrees]C) in hostile environments and in submerged applications. Graphalloy, a...

Coil-Heating Elements. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Most heating-element designs use round-wire, close-wound on mandrel arbor and then stretched to form a helix of at least twice the close-wound length. Element design involves selecting the proper alloy and choosing a wire size that will operate...

Radiant tube gas burners. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... The radiant tube, recuperator and combustor of SERamic radiant tube burners are made of heat-resistant silicon-carbide ceramic. Flame exits from the combustor at high velocity, entraining large volumes of exhaust gas and promoting recirculation...

Furnace Heating Elements. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Specially-formulated Super(r) elements have a broader range of use in specific applications and atmospheres. Hot Rod(r) elements and Crusilite [R] elements-now available with the Globar [R] line of SiC elements-offer greater high-temperature...

Induction Heating Blanket. (New Products).(Flexible Induction Blanket advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... TOCCO/FECO/MOCO The Flexible Induction Blanket, a flexible, lightweight induction-heating blanket, comes in a variety of sizes and is capable of preheat temperatures to 400[degrees]F (204[degrees]C). The blanket easily conforms to circular...

Furnace lining insulation. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Foamfrax [TM] insulation offers increased energy savings, installation speed and lining performance for upgrades of existing fiber linings, lining over hard refractory and furnace lining patches and refits. It can be directly gunned onto metal,...

Thermal insulation blanket. (New Products).(advertisement)
February 1, 2002... Therma Tex [RM] is a flexible needled blanket insulation material that can be laid flat or wrapped around equipment and surfaces. Made of mineral fiber, it is available for use in applications at temperatures to 1800[degrees]F (980[degrees]C)....

Insulated ductwork. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Vacuduct [R] is a high-temperature, ceramic-fiber ductwork insulating sleeve, which is vacuum-formed inside lightweight metal ductwork for industrial heat-producing equipment. Results of company research showed that 100 linear feet (30 m) of...

Silica refractory composites. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The RSLE family of silica refractory composites are thermal shock resistant, not brittle and fully machinable to tight tolerances. Type RSLE-57 boards, RSLE-56 moldable and RSLE-501 cylinders are low expansion, high-strength reinforced...

Chemical-Setting Castable Refractory. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... EXO -SET UNO is a cost-effective remedy for use in refractory applications--from complete installations to fast repairs and quick shape production. Easier to use than two-component systems, the product performs like a phosphate-bonded plastic...

Process Controller. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The 1776 controller is available with custom RTD's and thermocouples, and has universal input capability with custom linearization and set-point programming. The unit is available as a stand-alone device or as part of a combustion loop and can...

Furnace-Control System. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The PURIFIRE [R] data acquisition and process-monitoring system (DAPM) enables furnace operators to maximum product consistency and quality. The PC system consists custom software and interface panels that connect to various plant operations....

Microindentation hardness tester. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The CM-700AT digital microindentation hardness tester features 2 indenters/4 objective lenses for increased versatility. Other features include an auto turret mechanism, touch panel display, 8-load dial-a-weight system together with the ability...

Digital camera. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... AxioCam MR digital color and a Peltier-cooled monochrome camera is suitable for standard tasks in materials research and analysis, metallography and quality assurance. It uses 12-bit digitization process for improved image and color quality. A...

Rockwell-Hardness Tester. (New Products).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Silver Series Rockwell[R] hardness testers include four models: the RA-1 analog manual regular-scale tester, the MRA-1 analog motorized regular-scale tester, the MRD-1 digital regular-scale tester, and the MTD-2 twin scale digital tester....

Uncertainty a certainty. (Editorial).(uncertainty of measurement results)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... ED KUBEL JR. Uncertainty is the buzzword today for persons performing calibrations, as noted in the article "Closed-Loop Control in Hardness Testing" in this issue. For example, an uncertainty statement must be submitted with most...