Control technology
There are many demands for precision manufacturing of steel components. Heat treatment is a critical step in nearly all manufacturing processes to achieve required...
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 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...
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...
Working for the business vs. working on the business
I heard a story once that went something like this:
One day, the owner of a company flies in to the manufacturing site by helicopter,...
True Carbon Potential
The relationship between a carbon-rich atmosphere and its effects on low-carbon steel are well known. The evolution of carburizing led to in-situ monitoring of...
The State of Process Controls
It is hard to find a market segment that has not benefited from technology advancements. Heat-treating process control is no different. While there are...
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...
Employers need to expand on carrot-stick philosophy
We all trade time for money. Gone are the days of bartering, trading your chickens for goats. We go to work to earn a...
Be attached to process, not results of Nadcap audit
The dreaded Nadcap audit. The daunting AC7102 main checklist with 10 job audits. The strict requirements of AC7102/8 pyrometry adhering to AMS2750. The additional...
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...
You can’t overlook the process
Cycle verification identifies thermal nonconformance, ensures deviation from requirements is reported
Willingness to change course leads to satisfying career
Editor’s note: Beginning with the March issue of Thermal Processing, we added Tony Tenaglier, a heat treat process engineer at Hitchiner Manufacturing, as a...
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...
The art and science of Nadcap audit
My company has an audit coming up later this year, and as the team gets ready for the Nadcap Heat Treat audit, it always...
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,...
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...
When different processes co-exist
I’m a quality director at Byington Steel Treating, Inc. (BST). We are a commercial heat-treat shop with accreditation to perform NADCAP/AMS (aerospace) processes. Similar...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Set company goals that engage employees daily
It’s a new year. A chance to start fresh. A chance to set the entire year’s goals for yourself, the department you work for,...
QMULUS harnesses power of data to transform operations
In the rapidly evolving industrial landscape, efficiency, reliability, and adaptability are paramount. Industries ranging from manufacturing to energy production face the constant challenge of...
Friend or work colleague? Can they be both?
Some cultures focus on the fact that work is work. You keep your relationships at work separate from those of your personal life. In...
Working with different generations: Communication
> Part 1 of a series on working with different generations
If there is one constant in life, it’s that things change. In heat treating,...
Reflections after a Nadcap audit
We recently finished up a Nadcap heat-treat audit at the facility where I work, and no matter how many times I think they are...
Good leaders properly manage from start to finish
Anyone who tells you that running a business — any business — is easy, is lying to you. Each one has its pitfalls. When...
Feeding the feedback for heat treat success
Last year, I started a podcast called “Work Sucks, But I Like It.” It was definitely inspired by the aerospace industry heat-treat requirements in...
Working with different generations: Part 2
In Part 1, I discussed how managers today need to be aware of not just the technical requirements of heat treating in order to...
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....
Keeping the momentum going
One of the challenging things about manufacturing is the need to continually stay motivated each day. This is because in the manufacturing world of...
