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...
Furnace Maintenance
When a heat treat manager or anyone responsible for purchasing heat treating equipment makes a buy decision, they must first consider the process required,...
Furnace atmospheres and temperature
Getting the Right Protective and Carburizing Atmosphere
The makeup of a furnace’s atmosphere in the heat treating process varies based upon the application. For carburizing,...
Q&A with Bob Wells
What are some factors one should consider in cryogenic processing of gears?
First off, what is the size I need? Secondly, how do I want...
Some workpieces are too large and expensive to fit into conventional benchtop hardness testers
Portable Rockwell Hardness Testing of Large Induction Hardened Work Pieces
The previous article identified many factors related to benchtop Rockwell hardness testing practices. This article...
Carburizing and Steel
In carburizing, gears must be heated to reach the appropriate temperature for the steel grade without causing excessive grain growth and distortion in a...
Site Safety
We live and work around fire all day. It’s pretty much taken for granted. We cook with it, and use it to heat our...
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...
Q&A with Jim Litzinger
Your company, Orton, offers TempTabs, some pretty ingenious technology for monitoring temperature throughout a furnace. How did the idea come about?
Our founder, Edward Orton...
Testing of Induction Hardened Work Pieces
Hardness testing is a simple and universally accepted practice for checking induction hardened parts and is performed in literally thousands of manufacturing facilities. There...
Lighter Weight and Increased Fatigue Strength with Adi
Have you ever hit a rock or other hard projectile while cutting your lawn? Have you noticed that the blade is dented, not broken...
Site Safety
In the last issue of Thermal Processing, I wrote a pretty broad and general article about the do's and dont’s of safety, using some...
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...
Q&A with Tom Ott
Most people don’t associate hardness testing with heat treatment, but it’s very relevant. You say there are a number of products that are really...
Induction Hardening Choices for Gears
Of the various types of applied energy processing, induction hardening is the most common. Induction heating is a process that uses an alternating electrical...
Future of heat treating of gears is similar to garage sale mentality
When and how does a heat treater determine whether to purchase new equipment or rebuild an old furnace?
Several years ago I participated in a...
Site Safety
In 35 years, I’ve witnessed many industrial accidents. Even at the start of my career, I was evaluating the combination of events that lead...
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...
Q&A with Keith Boeckenhauer
What is your background?
I have an engineering degree from the University of Missouri and I’ve been with Seco/Warwick since 1984, working in sales, engineering,...
Compelling reasons normalizing produces high quality gears
In this day and age, adding steps to the gear manufacturing process is not highly desirable unless the benefits far outweigh the costs incurred....
