Savings can be achieved by improving energy efficiency, which reduces the amount of electricity consumed. Savings can also be easily achieved by making slight changes to the timing of this consumption, thereby reducing the peak electricity demand.

Large heat-treating facilities are substantial electricity consumers. Specializing in vacuum heat treating and brazing for aerospace and other high-technology industries, VAC AERO International’s Oakville, Ontario, plant operates more than 24 vacuum, air and controlled-atmosphere furnaces. Included are three very large vacuum oil-quench furnaces, all of which result in substantial electricity consumption. Indeed, the company’s electricity costs have increased by more than 30% in recent years, thereby driving an effort to find lower-cost solutions. by Mark Passalent

Besides catastrophic damage due to mechanical abuse, eutectic melting or braze alloy spillage, vacuum furnace hot zones will deteriorate over time as a result of the repeated thermal cycling to which they are exposed.

The life of a hot zone may vary widely depending on operating conditions. Furnaces that are operated constantly in aggressive environments (eg. sintering) or consistently at temperatures over 1370ºC (2500ºF) may require fairly major hot zone maintenance as often as once per year. Hot zones in furnaces used for standard heat treating operations can be expected to last from 5 to 7 years. READ MORE

For maximum fuel efficiency, many gas turbine engine designs depend on sacrificial coatings to tighten internal clearances between moving parts. An extra gap of .005" between the rotating blades and the engine casing can increase fuel consumption by as much as 0.5%. As fuel comprises more than half of direct operating costs, this waste can be significant. Engine efficiency largely depends on close clearance between blades and casing. Clearance can be affected by a number of engine operating variables, including casing expansion and contraction, loading due to maneuvering, thrust, gust, stall, vibration and manufacturing tolerances. An industrial turbine engine manufacturer was experiencing unsatisfactory results with the ring segment coatings used to maintain rotor-shroud clearance. Because of poor abradability, the coatings caused excessive wear on the tips of the turbine blades. The engine manufacturer and VAC AERO agreed to work cooperatively to develop an improved abradable coating for these applications. Read More

When joining aluminum for aerospace electronics, brazing often is the most practical choice for creating a continuous all-metal joint interface. Because of its light weight and excellent thermal conductivity, aluminum often is the material of choice for assemblies that house or cool airborne electronics. These complex assemblies often are manufactured from numerous individual components that must be joined. There are many ways to join aluminum including mechanical fastening (screws, rivets, etc.), adhesive bonding, welding and brazing. The selection of a joining process must be based on a careful analysis of the service requirements and the materials involved. 

VAC AERO provides custom furnace designs and process capabilities to suit your specific requirements.

In addition to standard vacuum heat treating and brazing furnaces, VAC AERO also manufactures custom vacuum systems for a wide variety of special processing applications. VAC AERO’s skilled team of engineers works closely with the customer from concept through design, final manufacture and installation. VAC AERO designs and builds standard Gas Quench furnaces for maximum durability, reliability and trouble-free operation and provides an outstanding level of training, field and technical support based on decades of commercial heat treating experience.

Because of its light weight and good thermal conductivity, aluminum is often the material of choice for assemblies that house or cool electronics. These complex assemblies often are manufactured from numerous individual components that must be joined. There are many ways to join aluminum including mechanical fastening (screws, rivets, etc.), adhesive bonding, welding and brazing. The selection of a joining process must be based on a careful analysis of the service requirements and the materials involved.

VAC AERO’s latest advancement in vacuum furnace controls is a hybrid system based on the Honeywell HC 900 controller for mechanical and thermal functions integrated with Honeywell Plantscape Vista for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). Operator interface is provided through a large, colour touchscreen. Using this system, process information is accessible by operators at the furnace and by process engineers via the network. This provides comprehensive control and monitoring capabilities for higher productivity, reduced costs and increased quality.

Click here for more information on our HC 900 Control System