VAC AERO’s IG Series Quench Gas Storage Systems are available as an option. IG GAS SUPPLY SYSTEMS In vacuum furnace applications where rapid gas quenching is required (for example, heat treating of air hardening tool steels or high speed steel) it is important that the furnace chamber be backfilled very rapidly with inert gas. It […]
Archives for August 2007
Permission E-mail Policy
Our permission e-mail policy strictly forbids the use of our service for transmission of unsolicited “bulk” or commercial email. Affirmative Consent: VAC AERO sends emails to individuals who have either provided affirmative consent through an “opt-in” process that they want to receive the type of email communication being sent or with whom they have a […]
Coatings Division Equipment List
Equipment list Four (4) robotized acoustical thermal spray booth equipped with Fanuc robots Two (2) Sulzer plasma spray system 9MC Two (2) Sulzer HVOF spray system DJC Two (2) Miller plasma spray system One (1) Thermach plasma spray system Sand Blasting Five (5) Blasting Cabinets – From 24’’x 24’’x 24’’ to 36’’x 36’’x 48’’ Two […]
HVOF Coatings for Chrome Replacement on Landing Gears
Hard chromium plating has traditionally been used on aircraft airframe components to provide corrosion protection and wear resistance. Chromium plating has been identified by governmental regulatory agencies as a health hazard due to the presence of hexavalent chromium within the plating solutions. This has prompted major airframe and landing gear manufacturers to search for alternative processes to chromium plating which do not pose a health threat to the process operators. The leading candidate for hard chromium replacement is tungsten carbide coating applied by the HVOF (High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel) thermal spray process. There are many practical considerations to account for when implementing a change of this magnitude.
Canada is the world’s foremost supplier of landing gears. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency imposing stricter limits on the use of hexavalent chromium, and other countries considering similar legislation, efforts are underway to adopt a new coating process. “It’s in everyone’s interest to be ready in time for that legislation,” says IAR project director Dr. Jean-Pierre Immarigeon. “If new technology can be mastered, you can adopt it in advance of the legislation being passed.” The best clean alternative technology being considered by the aerospace industry is a ceramic/metal composite coating applied by High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF), a thermal spraying process that is environmentally safer than chrome plating and has the potential for cost and time savings.
Diffusion Brazing Technique for IN738
Transient liquid phase bonding, also known as diffusion brazing, is a metal joining process that produces a high-quality bond through the isothermal solidification of a melting point depressant-rich interlayer. The advantage of using diffusion brazing over conventional processes is that the microstructural properties in the fusion zone are very similar to those of the base metal. The process is broken down into four distinct stages; heating, dissolution, isothermal solidification, and homogenization. The rate-controlling stage of the process is the isothermal solidification stage which may take hours or even days.
Recently, VAC AERO teamed up with researchers from the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario) to develop a practical method for diffusion brazing of Inconel 738. This alloy is used extensively in turbine engine hot section components. Brazing techniques are often used to restore these components when they have been damaged in service, but conventional vacuum brazing produces a repair with limited durability.
VAC AERO Develops New Hybrid Vacuum Furnace Control System
VAC AERO’s latest advancement in vacuum furnace controls is a hybrid system based on the Honeywell HC900 controller to regulate mechanical and thermal functions integrated with the Honeywell Experion HS software to provide Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) using a large color touch screen LCD for operator interface. The operator interface is provided through a large, color 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.
VAC AERO’s Furnace Control System is Versatile and Operator-Friendly
VAC AERO’s programmable, logic based control system is comprised of proven hardware components, suitably hardened for an “industrial shop” environment and optimized to cover all normal operating and alarm conditions. Process information is accessible by operators and across a company’s network for process engineers, allowing control and monitoring for higher productivity, reduced costs, and increased quality.
The new system has several features intended to improve security and reduce dependence on human operators. For example, it can be configured to send an e-mail message or call a pager in the event of an alarm condition. It has customizable operator sign on and sign-off functions with multiple levels of access security. It also has extensive reporting capabilities and can generate reports in flexible formats including mathematical and statistical functions.
VAC AERO control systems have been operating reliably through thousands of service hours. All control system innovations are fully tested and refined in our own heat treating facilities before being offered to our customers.
For more information on our HC 900 Control System please Click Here
New NADCAP Accreditations
VAC AERO Press Release VAC AERO’s Oakville Thermal Processing Division has received NADCAP accreditation AC7110 Rev C as well as AC7110/5 Rev C for welding, fusion welding, brazing and tensile testing. VAC AERO provides TIG welding services for several commercial and military aerospace programs. An in-house tensile testing capability was established in response to the growing demand for […]
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