Ecocat India, a leading catalyst manufacturer whose mission is to purify air by supplying the market with innovative catalysts for the automotive sector, has ordered an advanced technology vacuum gas cooling furnace from Seco/Warwick. The furnace, which will be delivered to Ecocat India in the second half of 2022, is a vacuum design adapted to complex brazing processes. The solution is based on a single chamber, standard vacuum furnace with gas cooling. Thanks to the dedicated modifications, the system will carry out efficient and precise brazing and annealing processes that are necessary for the catalyst production process. The process takes place in a large working space with the ability to adjust to an oversized load by using the advantages of the round heating chamber.
“The furnace for Ecocat India is quite a large piece of equipment that will enable our customer to process more elements than previously,” said Maciej Korecki, vice president of the Seco/Warwick Vacuum Segment. “This in turn will significantly increase the hardening plant efficiency and, consequently, will result in increased production capacity. The solution uses a high vacuum system based on a very powerful diffusion pump and a medium vacuum system. This furnace, although based on our standard solution, has been fully adapted to the needs and requirements of our customer.”
Good temperature control is essential when brazing components in vacuum furnaces. The Ecocat India furnace is equipped with an inverter-controlled cooling system. As a result, it has better control over the cooling power within the furnace chamber. The furnace is also characterized by a complex temperature control system. The purpose of the latter is to obtain better heating temperature control and uniformity while protecting the load from overheating during the brazing process. Low heat losses and good temperature distribution in the heating chamber are also the great advantages of this type of furnace.
High vacuum brazed joints are considered to have very good quality when they are free of oxide inclusions, dispersed gases, and bubbles. For this reason, the vacuum brazing technology has become competitive with other joining methods when manufacturing highly loaded components with complex cross-sections. It is more widely used by catalyst and heat exchanger manufacturers.
Catalyst manufacturers are demanding customers who produce a product with very complex shapes using the difficult process of element joining (brazing). A vacuum furnace that will work in this industry must meet a number of criteria that will allow for a precise, repeatable, and safe brazing process. A good vacuum furnace designed for catalyst brazing should have a pumping system that is more resistant to dirt. It should also be equipped with a complex temperature control system that prevents load overheating, an efficient vacuum system that ensures a faster evacuation process, and inverter-controlled cooling to accelerate the safe cooling process. Thanks to this, the highest cooling power turns on at the moment of gas-forced cooling after stabilizing the brazed joint by means of static cooling.
Ecocat India is world-renowned as one of the leading manufacturers of catalysts and exhaust emission control systems for passenger cars, heavy commercial vehicles, off-road equipment, and stationary engines. These manufactured products allow end users to meet the Euro IV, V, and VI emission standards. The company provides complete catalysts for various applications, including gasoline, diesel, CNG, LPG, biofuel, SCR and urea mixers, VOC catalyst, particle oxidation catalyst, and DPF filter.
“Our superior mission is to purify the environment by providing innovative technological solutions to reduce pollutant emissions from automotive systems,” said Alok Trigunayat, executive director of Ecocat India. “Ecocat India represents advanced technology, high quality, and compliance with environmental policy. The new vacuum furnace, which is our third Seco/Warwick solution, will significantly increase our production capacity. Vacuum brazing is a key process for us, and thanks to the purchased furnace, it will be precise and efficient. Seco/Warwick is the first-choice company when it comes to supplying equipment for metal heat treatment.”
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