Quality of leadership matters – at all employee levels
Leadership isn’t always about the top management directing the way for the company. Leadership can be found at all levels of the company in...
The paradox of work and happiness
There are obviously a lot of factors that go into making a company successful. Probably the biggest factor is the people who work there....
Transitions and transformations in the workplace
In the heat-treat world, metals are carefully ramped up to certain temperatures to allow for transformation of the microstructure. Temperature and time allow the...
Purchasing a furnace: Quality concerns to consider
For any heat-treater, whether captive or commercial, purchasing a furnace is the largest investment that can be made. It is important to establish a...
Developing a ‘C’reative culture in heat treat process
Hitchiner Manufacturing’s motto is, “imagination in metallurgy.” As a heat treater, there are certainly opportunities to use a bit of creativity in creating a...
Settle requirement conflicts before accepting a contract
Resolving conflict among purchase order requirements, drawings, and regulatory requirements can be quite the task when accepting contracts for heat treatment. Unfortunately, it happens...
The process of problem solving
The corrective action. That dreaded tally on one’s personal record at work that is available for all of upper management to see a mistake...
‘Say what you do, do what you say’
In the special process world of the aerospace industry, companies with requirements of aerospace manufacturing must rely on the accreditation of AS9100 and the...
The importance of contract review
Within any aspect of our business structure, understanding the specific requirements needed to produce product that conforms to customer requirements is important. These requirements...
Achieving consistent quality is a slow, steady process
In a world that asks for more, what we sometimes need is less. I’m currently back in school, working on a Ph.D. in Industrial...
Method means comparing checklists vs. procedure
Whether commercial heat-treating or captive, procedures are essential to the production of conforming product and its repeatability. Procedures can be challenging to write at...
The Right Prepared Atmosphere
Furnace atmospheres are critical to meeting metallurgical specifications defined by control processes. The makeup of a furnace’s atmosphere in the heat-treating process varies based...
Gas Nitriding
In general, nitriding of parts involves a thermal process that provides a tough, corrosion-resistant, and wear-resistant surface with less distortion compared to other case...
Process quality control in heat treatment
In thermal processing, process quality control is imperative to produce and control conforming product and overall conformance. In this article we will be examining...
It’s time to recognize ‘fitness’ at work
Almost every child who grows up playing sports dreams of being a professional one day and playing on the big stage (instead of going...
The life of a heat treat process engineer
Editor’s note: Beginning with the March 2020 issue of Thermal Processing, there will be multiple contributors to the Quality Counts column. Conrad Kacsik’s Jason...
Understanding the technology is key to proper use
I teach pyrometry courses throughout the year and, when I do, I include a thermocouple tutorial video from YouTube. In this video the function...
A technical guide to quenching
From a quality perspective, verification of the conformance of quench requirements can be accomplished by examining a furnace chart that shows the quench trend....
The ‘why’ in heat treating is important to operators
Quality is in the details, but what details need the most attention? A good contract review, starting with the purchase order, then the drawing,...
Poor Carbon Control
Carburizing has an advantage over other gear case hardening processes because it increases a gear’s ability to carry high torque. Carbon control is critical to...
Quality management is vital in heat-treating
Quality management in the thermal-processing industry is essential to not only conformance, but also as a check-and-balance to both systems and operations. Quality at...
Getting Control — Let’s Start with PID
It does not matter what thermal treatment work piece requires, proper control is the foundation for repeatability and quality processing. For heat-treating processes, there...
Process Control and Scada
Heat treaters are always looking for methods to improve productivity without compromising quality. One method that many heat treaters have put in place is...
AMS2750 pyrometry revisions tweak a crucial process
AMS2750 pyrometry is a daunting heat-treat special process requirement in the aerospace industry. It’s a literal definition implying measurement of temperature, but it also...
Compliance via internal procedures
Verification of compliance is two-fold; witnessing operations being performed in accordance with internal procedures. As long as procedures are followed, the challenge in conformance...
Gap analysis can guide procedure changes
Well-designed procedures are crucial to any business operation, whether it’s a simple task of following a procedure to construct a cardboard box, or something...
Good habits, a solid system can help avoid mistakes
The contract is the first piece of paper you receive with incoming parts prior to processing. This is the purchase order (PO) that details...
Technology is key to improving process efficiency
Efficiency. What is it, exactly?
The term “efficiency” refers to the peak level of performance that uses the least amount of input to achieve the...
Process automation and controls for carburizing
Process control can be defined as the ability to meet certain parameters over time using inputs from the process and controlling outputs for desired...
Quality staff: Understanding the technical side
Last month, we examined the history and heat-treatment of aluminum and how it applies to the quality functions of the industry. This month, we...
AMS2750E as it applies to Nadcap
Thorough knowledge of AMS2750E will speed implementation of new standard as it applies to NADCAP requirements
AMS2750E, Nadcap requirements
When I consult, I will periodically perform a gap analysis on a supplier’s heat-treat process to either obtain Nadcap approval or as a check-and-balance...
Industrial automation and labor in heat treating
There is a changing landscape on two fronts in the thermal processing market. Without a doubt, there are technological opportunities that companies can take...
Quality and production are a team, not adversaries
Let me be honest about the elephant in the room that often exists in heat treating. In some cases, but certainly not all, quality...
ASTM E18 and Nadcap: Rockwell hardness testing
Rockwell hardness testing is a common way to ensure the material response to heat treat is conforming and is required by applicable industry and...
Furnace Atmospheres
The makeup of a furnace’s atmosphere in the heat treating process varies depending upon the application. Sensor technology allows for the in-situ monitoring of...
An argument in support of Nadcap
I think it is safe to assume that the majority of Thermal Processing readers have, in some capacity and at some point in their...
Pyrometry, Industry Standards, & Temperature Uniformity Surveys
In its simplest sense, pyrometry is the measurement of temperatures. Practically speaking, in the business of heat treatment, the term also refers to the...
Keeping thorough test records key to resolving issues
Record retention is an important part of quality. Quality is tasked with keeping records of periodic tests performed on all equipment used for heat...
Thermal Process Modeling
Thermal process modeling has been a hot topic in the heat treating community over the past few years. The project conducted by ASM International...
