13.08.2021. One of the leading Chinese aviation companies has started cooperation with Seco/Warwick. The customer has placed an order for a Vector® vacuum furnace for carburising (LPC) and gas quenching. The furnace will be used for the manufacture of hydraulic pump components and other machinery.
The vacuum furnace on order will be used mostly for gas quenching parts sensitive to hardening deformations made from such types of steel as tool steel, stainless steel, structural steel, bearing steel or high-speed steel. In addition, the device will feature the LPC option, which will be used for vacuum carburizing.
Efficient carburising with the Vector vacuum furnace
FineCarb and PreNitLPC are modern and economical methods for low pressure carburising (LPC), making it possible to significantly intensify this process. By dosing a nitrogen medium during the controlled heating stage, the carburising process can be performed under higher temperatures (1,000 °C and more) while ensuring the small-grain structure of the processed layer. This technology enables savings of process costs by shortening the carburising cycle and reducing the consumption of process gases. It is a unique process, delivering complete value both in terms of processing costs as well as quality and performance.
Maciej Korecki, VP, Vacuum Business Segment at the Seco/Warwick Group: “We are pleased that a Fortune Global 500 company has placed trust in us and commissioned the manufacturing of this technology. Our furnace is a guarantee quality of workpieces and of a highly repeatable and uniform carburising process. It is not a coincidence that we have sold hundreds of Vector vacuum furnaces that are in operation in more than 70 countries around the world. We are very pleased with the fact that more and more of our systems are sold to the dynamically developing and very promising Asian market. We understand that the aviation industry is certainly very demanding. Meeting the strictest standards allows us to successfully cooperate with the largest companies in the aviation and automotive industries.”
Hydraulic pump motor components manufactured in a vacuum furnace
Vacuum furnaces, like hydraulic pumps, are used in virtually every industry. Using vacuum is one of the methods of protecting the heated steel and metal elements against the negative effect of exposure to air. A vacuum furnace is usually an electrically heated furnace (with graphite or metal heating elements), where vacuum is maintained during the entire process. The materials processed by the Chinese manufacturer will be intended for hydraulic pump components such as sleeves and spindles.
Hydraulic pumps are high-performance equipment, which translates into their wide industrial use. The equipment is so versatile, that it can be employed in a multitude of production processes. They are also operated in the chemical, ceramic, pharmaceutical, food, automotive and electronic industries.
(Source: Seco/Warwick)
