FPM Heat Treating, a provider of heat treat processes, has announced the acquisition of a vacuum furnace from Solar Manufacturing, aiming to enhance the firm’s growing capabilities to serve the manufacturing community, especially in the automotive and aerospace industries.
The new investment promises to meet an increasing demand for a specialized family of parts. This cutting-edge furnace is fully compliant with NFPA, NADCAP, AMS, CQI-9, and other critical industry standards.
The furnace boasts an operating temperature of up to 2400°F (1315.5°C) and a weight capacity of 5,000 pounds along with the advanced SolarVac® Polaris Controls. In addition, it is also equipped with the latest features for precise temperature control, uniformity, and rapid heating and cooling cycles, which are crucial for achieving superior metallurgical results.
With these features, it can not only process specialized heat treatment cycles critical for automotive components but also precise specifications for applications within consumer products and the military or aerospace sectors while eliminating intergranular oxidation.
Last year, Solar Manufacturing announced an order from FPM heat treating for a vacuum furnace featuring a graphite-insulated hot zone of 48” x 48” x 72” and a 5,000-pound weight capacity.
The acquisition is driven by an increasing demand for a specialized family of parts. The Solar vacuum furnace features flexible programmability, allowing a wide range of thermal cycles, perfectly suited to meet the demands of a dynamic commercial heat treating operation.
Founded in 2002, Solar Manufacturing designs and manufactures a wide variety of advanced vacuum heat treating, sintering, and brazing furnaces. The company offers replacement hot zones, spare parts, and related services.
In February, the company delivered a Mentor Pro Model HFL-3036-2IQ vacuum furnace to a USA-based company developing engineered knitted wire mesh solutions. The furnace is used for vacuum annealing materials that are easily damaged due to their mechanical properties when exposed to oxygen or nitrogen.
In July, they shipped two identical Mentor Pro vacuum furnaces to another customer, who develops advanced alternative renewable energy technologies for large-scale industrial applications. The model’s flexibility was important for the customer in achieving optimal results across a wide range of metallurgical applications.
Article & Image source: Solar Manufacturing
