Thermal processing equipment technology - AFC

Thermal processing equipment technology
Innovative products. Global solutions.
C O N T E N T S
Batch furnace systems
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nnovative product designs that are engineered for performance and
customer satisfaction have propelled AFC-Holcroft to its leadership position
in high-quality industrial thermal processing equipment technology.
Our process and equipment knowledge stems from the more than 225
years of collective experience of the firms that make up our company:
Pusher furnace systems
Conveyor furnace systems
Rotary hearth furnace systems
Nonferrous furnace systems
General thermal processing equipment
Atmosphere systems
Process controls/supervisory systems
Aftermarket service
Atmosphere Furnace Company (AFC), Pacific Industrial Furnace Company
(PIFCO), Therm Alliance, Dow Furnace Company, Standard Fuel Engineering, Process Master Controls,
and Holcroft. Ingenuity, an unwavering commitment to quality, and driving determination have been the
foundation of our continued growth.
Rely on us for both standard and custom heat treating and brazing systems. Numerous worldwide patents and
satisfied customers attest to our ability to meet any challenge in the field of thermal processing. We listen to our
customers, anticipate the unexpected, offer creative solutions, embrace continuous improvement, and execute by
delivering a high quality product on time. Equipment and service are provided per your specifications or our own
rigorous and demanding standards. We provide solutions to help you maximize your profits, year after year.
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Engineered to be the best
To meet your most demanding needs, we employ
experienced sales and application engineers with
comprehensive backgrounds in thermal processing
applications. They are knowledgeable in the industry and capable of proposing the most economical
solutions to meet your needs. Our engineering staff
is highly educated in the engineering disciplines,
including mechanical, electrical, thermal,
metallurgical, and software programming.
We use AutoCAD and 3-D modeling software to
create the most economical and efficient designs.
Modeling design concepts allows rapid customizing
of equipment.
One-on-one customer service
A project manager is assigned to every contract.
This manager has total responsibility and authority
from start to finish—and is your principal contact,
providing one voice to speak for the entire company.
Our project managers are our most experienced
engineers. They possess essential communication skills
for timely and accurate response to your inquiries
and questions. Each project manager draws upon
the resources of the engineering and manufacturing
staff to form a team that is dedicated to the
successful completion of your project.
Your manager will create and maintain a project
schedule to bring visibility to your order and establish a yardstick for our progress. Deviations are
quickly noted and countermeasures immediately
employed to stay on schedule.
Global manufacturing
Proven innovation
AFC-Holcroft has formulated our own rigorous manufacturing procedures to standardize manufacturing
practices, no matter source or location. In addition
to our modern, efficient manufacturing facilities
in Wixom, Michigan, we have joint manufacturing
facilities in North America and abroad.
Since our company’s inception, we have dedicated
ourselves to constant innovation. The result? New
products and services that can help you reduce your
costs and improve your profitability:
We’ve pioneered simultaneous manufacturing techniques that dramatically reduce work in process and
shorten delivery lead times. That means, compared
to conventional sequential manufacturing practices
common throughout our industry, we can respond
faster and deliver more quickly—with greater
accuracy and higher quality.
Extensive aftermarket service
and support
Our staff of experienced installation and field
service personnel travel around the world for
turnkey installation, startup, and preventative
maintenance services. We employ the latest in
diagnostic instrumentation for quick problem
resolution. Our technicians are connected to our
company database via computer for instant access
to technical support.
AFC-Holcroft technicians are trained to optimize
equipment performance, so your systems will run
efficiently and cleanly. They also conduct preventative maintenance programs and offer technical
service support. And should you require a replacement
part, we maintain an extensive inventory available
for immediate shipment, often within 24 hours. Our
aftermarket support sales personnel can help you
identify the parts you need to keep your equipment
running efficiently.
E-Z™ series endothermic modular
gas generators
Pyro-Kleen® thermal cleaning systems
GapMiser™ soft loading system for
continuous belt furnaces
Continuous austempering systems
Mesh belt furnaces
Automated hot-forged powder metal systems
Single- and multiple-row pushers, and
multi-chamber carburizing systems
Flexible heat treat cells
Computer-controlled belt, batch, and
pusher systems
Sealed walking beam furnaces
Tension-free belt drive systems
Fully automated heat treat systems
Fully automated heat treat and press set
systems for valve springs
Automated heat treat and fixture quench
systems for bearings and gears
“Low-Flow” generator-free
atmosphere systems
Flexible quenching systems: high pressure
gas, IntensiQuench,® oil, salt/austemper
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UBQA Systems
Batch furnace systems
Universal Batch Ausquench systems using salt as
the quench medium are designed for neutral
hardening, carburizing, carbonitriding, carbo
austempering, normalizing, annealing, austempering of steel, and austempering of ductile iron.
UBQA features/benefits
Batch furnace systems
offer flexibility in features
UBQ features/benefits
Our technology allows you to remain a step ahead
of the competition, as evidenced by our Universal
Batch Quench (UBQ) and Universal Batch
Ausquench (UBQA) lines of furnace equipment. Each
system offers flexibility in features—allowing you
to utilize the equipment according to your specific
heat treating needs. Designed to meet industry
demands for quality-built, dependable furnaces
that are competitively priced, the UBQ and UBQA
lines also satisfy a wide range of production
requirements.
UBQ Systems
Universal Batch Quench systems include state-of-theart technology in combustion systems, recuperators,
atmospheres, insulation, microprocessor temperature and carbon controls, quench media, and
quench agitation systems. These units are designed
for neutral hardening, carburizing, carbonitriding,
normalizing, and annealing in atmospherecontrolled environments.
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Modular design for rapid and accurate
assembly, and for ease of maintenance
and serviceability
Oil, polymer, marquench, or
IntensiQuench capability
Improved atmosphere circulation under the
load for more uniform case depth
High-efficiency, spark-ignited sealed burners
assure extremely uniform tube temperature
and longer tube life
New air-cooled furnace fan; no water
required, simpler design, less expensive
to maintain
Total process and control management
available from fully computerized UBQ
PC system
Increased load capacity by 17%
Large-diameter radiant tubes effectively and
uniformly heat work for faster recovery rates
Patented “upflow” quench agitation for more
uniform hardness
Flexible metallurgical processes and
equipment layout
Fully automated system available
Modular design for rapid and accurate
assembly, and for ease of maintenance
and serviceability
Quench salt range: 350 to 800 °F
Patented water injection system provides
quench severity equivalent to water quench
Improved atmosphere circulation under the
load for more uniform case depth
High-efficiency, spark-ignited sealed burners
assure extremely uniform tube temperature
and longer tube life
New air-cooled furnace fan; no water
required, simpler design, less expensive
to maintain
Hardens up to 6-inch-thick cross-sections
Patented “upflow” quench agitation for more
uniform hardness
Total process and control management
available from fully computerized UBQ
BatchMaster system
Large-diameter radiant tubes effectively and
uniformly heat work for faster recovery rates
Fully automated system available
Other Universal Batch products
Batch temper
Batch washer
Batch transfer car
Scissors lift tables
Forced-air cooling stations
Mist cooling stations
Stationary tables
Across-the-aisle quench systems
Endothermic gas generators
Nitrogen-methanol panels
Automatic temperature and carbon
control systems
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Pusher furnace systems
Pusher furnace systems
offer custom-built satisfaction
Achieve high quality at maximum production
levels with pusher furnaces designed and built by
AFC-Holcroft. Our reliable, low-maintenance furnaces offer exceptionally precise control over the
entire heat treat process and the highest equipment
up-time availability in the industry.
Our state-of-the-art pusher furnace design features
include separate temperature and atmosphere
control zones, strategic location of circulating fans,
drop arches, and gas inlets. High-volume atmosphere circulation allows each furnace zone to be
individually controlled during the heating,
carburizing, or diffusion phases.
In addition to oil, salt, and IntensiQuench capability,
we have teamed with ALD Vacuum Technologies AG
of Hanau, Germany, to introduce our proprietary
high-pressure gas quenching technology that offers
less work distortion and ensures clean, dry parts—
with no subsequent washing required. Even less
distortion and more uniform hardness can be
achieved with a reversed gas flow. Either standalone
or coupled with another quench medium, you
have maximum flexibility to meet your particular
metallurgical and manufacturing requirements.
You also get the latest advancements in thermal
processing equipment. All furnaces are built from
standard building-block components, developed
over 85 years, and meet the industry’s rigid quality
requirements. They can be combined to meet your
unique heat treating needs.
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Multi-chamber carburizing furnaces
meet growing application challenges
A small but growing number of industries require
increased precision and more reliable control over
the carburizing process. Anticipation of growing
demands in this specific area of processing led us
to develop the patented multi-chamber carburizing
furnace system. This system offers more efficient
carburizing, with complete control over surface
carbon distribution and depth of penetration.
The multi-chamber furnace offers separate, isolated
chambers for maximum control over the three basic
phases of the carburizing process: heating, carburizing,
and diffusion. Short passageways with barrier
doors to form a continuous, enclosed system connect
the chambers. This makes it possible to precisely
regulate specific temperature and carbon atmosphere
requirements for each carburizing phase.
Numerous advantages result from utilizing this
advanced technology. For instance, you can produce
different case depths simultaneously—without the
normal interaction experienced between adjacent
rows in single chamber–type furnaces. You can
also select our “Low-FLow” generator-free atmosphere system that accelerates carbon absorption for
shorter cycles and greatly reduced gas consumption.
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Conveyor furnace systems
Conveyor furnace systems
put production control in
your hands
Over the years, AFC-Holcroft has created and built
many innovative conveyor-type furnace designs for
a wide range of heat treat applications, including
both atmosphere and non-atmosphere types for
carburizing, carbonitriding, carbon restoration,
annealing, hardening, tempering, stress relieving,
and isothermal annealing. Our furnaces can be fully
automated, enabling you to process a wide range
of part sizes at a high rate of productivity.
Our cast link belt conveyor furnaces offer a
patented driving system. This exclusive tension-free
roller heath drive, with smooth head and tail
drums, eliminates the need for toothed drive drums.
It also increases conveyor belt usable life dramatically by supporting and driving the conveyor with
powered rolls—carrying the belt instead of pulling
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it. As a result, tensile stress within the conveyor belt
is almost totally eliminated. The system also puts an
end to the bending or “crankshafting” effect on the
conveyor cross rods. That means lighter conveyors
can handle heavier loads, increasing the net-togross ratio of the furnace without added costs or
reduced service life.
Coupled with our patented GapMiser soft loading
system, our cast link conveyor furnaces give you
the advantages of small gaps between different
part lots for maximum productivity, unequalled
soft part loading to avoid part damage, and large
throughput capacity that only a cast link conveyor
can offer.
Our mesh belt conveyor furnaces can be used in a
wide range of applications, including traditional
atmosphere and non-atmosphere types for
annealing, hardening, tempering, stress relieving,
isothermal annealing, carburizing, carbonitriding,
and austempering. Our newest modular design
allows you the flexibility to configure the furnace
to meet your particular capacity requirements, all
without resorting to a custom design. Standardized
modules help us deliver a reliable, low-cost product
to you quickly.
Continuous conveyor systems designed and manufactured by AFC-Holcroft keep production control in
your hands—enabling you to efficiently utilize a
variety of heat treat applications.
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Rotary hearth furnace systems
Solid performance from
AFC-Holcroft’s rotary hearth
furnace
Quality is an AFC-Holcroft hallmark. And our
reputation as a leader in providing high quality
industrial heat treat furnace systems is exemplified
in our rotary hearth furnace line.
These dependable, cost-efficient, low maintenance
furnace systems are designed for maximum
flexibility. They’ll provide years of trouble-free
operation for a variety of heat treat operations,
including:
Design options include direct-fired units, indirect
heating with either gas or electricity and a variety
of atmosphere options. The castable “pancake”
style hearth provides flexible loading options for
manual operation or automatic loading/unloading.
Features
Heating for forming or forging
Clean hardening
Sintering
Carbonitriding
Reheating for press quenching
Our rotary furnaces can be custom-tailored to
meet your exact processing requirement and their
compact size allows us to completely assemble
the furnace prior to shipment, minimizing
installation time.
AFC-Holcroft rotary furnaces:
Rugged designs for maximum
productivity
Our rotary furnaces are designed to provide greater
uptime, ease of maintenance and trouble-free
operation. AFC-Holcroft’s high standards for
heavy duty construction are combined with a
solid commitment to bring you full flexibility to
customize proven solutions to meet your exact
processing needs.
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More Choices…Better Results
Rugged construction
Clean design is formed, reinforced and
welded gas tight.
Heating system
Either direct-fired burners or large diameter
radiant tubes provide uniform heating. Both
gas-fired and electric radiant tube heaters are
horizontally mounted and easily removable
from the outside for servicing.
Charge/Discharge Door
A downward operating pneumatic door is
provided for loading or unloading parts.
The door provides an atmosphere-tight seal
during normal operation.
Hearth Drive
The furnace hearth is supported on stationary
steel casters. The hearth can be designed
for continuous rotation or to index for part
loading or unloading.
Atmosphere recirculating fan
An optional roof-mounted fan is offered
to enhance uniform heating and optimize
atmosphere circulation.
Nonferrous furnace systems
Nonferrous furnace systems
provide complete solutions
AFC-Holcroft offers a complete line of furnaces to
process brass, aluminum, and other nonferrous
products. Our capabilities include harden, quench
and temper lines, slug heating furnaces, aluminum
solution heat treating lines, aging furnaces, annealing furnaces, sand casting removal furnaces and
controlled atmosphere aluminum brazing lines
(CAAB™).
We designed our systems as complete solutions to
today’s ever-increasing demands to produce highquality, dependable throughput, while maintaining
minimal operating cost. We provide total systems as
simple as manual loading and unloading into batch
equipment, step-continuous, or continuous units. We
also provide fully automated systems with the latest
in programmable control and monitoring.
Continuous furnaces include roller hearth, pusher
tray, and conveyor furnaces with integral
quench. Batch furnaces are in/out, slot,
or car bottom.
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General thermal
processing
equipment
General thermal processing
equipment meets a wide range
of application needs
AFC-Holcroft offers a wide range of thermal processing equipment for a variety of heat treating and
brazing processes, including rotary retort furnaces,
hydrogen brazing furnaces, luminous wall furnaces,
rotary drum washers, rotary hearth furnaces, walking beam furnaces, sintering furnaces, and roller
hearth indexing furnaces.
Roller hearth tube annealing furnaces are designed
for tube annealing processes. They are ideal for both
seamless and welded tube applications.
Rotary hearth indexing furnaces are designed for
maximum production when handling one part at a
time. They are especially suited for hot forging or
press quench applications.
Sintering furnaces are tailored for the powder metal
industry. They are thoroughly proved in automotive,
aircraft, domestic appliances, and other industrial
appliance applications.
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Atmosphere systems
Advanced atmosphere generating
systems feature patented,
revolutionary designs
We manufacture a wide range of atmosphere
generating systems, ranging from our patented
Lo-Dew® endothermic and patent-pending E-Z series
endothermic modular gas generators to exothermic
and nitrogen-methanol systems. All gas generators
engineered by us combine precision control of finish
gas analysis with maximum operating reliability
and economy.
Our “Low-Flow” atmosphere system directly injects
gases for carburizing without the need for a generator, reduces carburizing gas consumption by up to
90%, and reduces cycle time by as much as 15%.
A revolutionary new endothermic gas generator,
aptly named the E-Z series endothermic modular
gas generator, was introduced to meet your need
for an easily maintainable generator capable of
reliable operating results with the ability to vary
or add capacity as needed.
E-Z series features/benefits
Our exothermic generators produce heat treating
atmospheres with combustibles ranging from 0 to
20%. Our standard endothermic generators produce
type 301/302 atmosphere for applications such as
clean hardening, clean annealing, carbon restoration,
carbonitriding, and carburizing.
Our patented Lo-Dew gas generator produces a
wide variety of atmospheres with analysis ranging
from exothermic (101/102) to endothermic
(501/502).
Individual standalone control, so additional
generator modules can be added easily
with plug-and-play flexibility to meet your
production needs
Low-profile design, so no overhead clearance
required for retort servicing
Each module is standalone with its own VFD
mixing pump, pressure switches, sensors, and
programmable burnout
VFD mixing pump produces only the gas
needed by your furnace(s)
High-efficiency, air-cooled heat exchanger
stays undisturbed when servicing the retort
Heat exchanger has provision for soot removal
without contaminating the catalyst bed
Multi-loop temperature and dew point control
Programmable turndown, burnout, heat-up,
and cooldown recipes
Cartridge Catalyst System; prepackaged
catalyst reduces time and mess involved with
replacement
Recuperative burner provides preheated air
to burner for increased fuel efficiency
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Process controls/supervisory systems
Process controls/supervisory
systems let you face the future
with confidence
Advanced flexible control systems enable you to
effectively respond to changing industry and customer
requirements. We provide you with a variety of systems designed to maintain the industry standards
that your success depends upon—enabling your
company to face the future with confidence.
Developed in response to increased JIT manufacturing requirements, high-integrity control systems
enable you to meet stringent production schedules.
Our high-integrity control systems provide the
reliable control and production information
necessary for cost-effective operation—enabling
increased product quality through repeatability
and traceability.
Additionally, AFC-Holcroft offers standard,
multi-level control systems, developed with offthe-shelf component availability in mind. These
systems provide a wide range of controls, from the
most basic to sophisticated, computerized “lights
out” operation.
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We’ve developed and refined our own facility
management software package built upon a process
communications and data logging technology honed
over the past 20 years. This software incorporates
industry standard OPC server techniques and a
Microsoft server fully relational database designed
around heat treating facility operating practices.
The package gathers and distributes heat treating
information not only from a wide variety of instrumentation, but also from most programmable logic
controllers and other databases via Microsoft ODBC
connectivity. It integrates seamlessly to our equipment management software. Our software acts in a
supervisory capacity only, allowing the equipment
management software systems to furnish the local
control and data collection functions.
Aftermarket service
Aftermarket service and support
keep your system up and running
AFC-Holcroft offers continuous technical support—
from analyzing and designing heat treating solutions
to helping you maintain high-quality production
after equipment installation.
Depend on us to service all of your furnace
equipment needs. Our firm commitment to customer
service is the foundation of our business. We understand the importance of customer satisfaction and
respond quickly to every challenge you present.
In addition to evaluating your current production
equipment, we provide recommendations and fiscal
solutions. We offer you the resources of multiple
manufacturing facilities throughout North America
with machine shops on premises, as well as
complete assembly and fabricating capabilities.
We’re committed to providing you with individualized
attention and outstanding service. We’re dedicated
to improving product quality, productivity, and fuel
efficiency, whether supplying you with state-of-theart equipment, retrofitting, remanufacturing, or
rebuilding your current furnace system. We strive to
meet your current and future challenges—working
with you every step of the way.
You’ll get complete preventative maintenance
services to ensure that your furnace system is
running smoothly. We offer scheduled inspections,
maintenance visits, and on- or off-site training programs that can be tailored to your needs. You also
can depend on us when upgrading or minor repairs
are needed. We stock and manufacture-to-order a
complete line of high-quality replacement parts that
are guaranteed to fit, minimize downtime, and
keep your furnace equipment operating smoothly.
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Industries served
Aerospace
Aluminum Foundry & Forging
Appliance
Automotive
Bearing
Ceramics and Glass
Commercial Heat Treating
Construction & Mining
Copper
Ductile Iron Foundry
Farm Implement
Fastener
Gears
Powdered Metal
Spring
Tool & Die
Wire & Cable
AFC-Holcroft – A global supplier of quality heat treating systems
Engineered for performance
AFC-HOLCROFT
ISO 9001 Certified
www.afc-holcroft.com
World Headquarters
49630 Pontiac Trail
Wixom, MI 48393 USA
Phone: +248 624 8191
Fax: +248 624 3710
sales@afc-holcroft.com
AFC-HOLCROFT Europe
Route de France 17
2926 Boncourt
Switzerland
Phone: +41 32 465 11 43
Fax: +41 32 465 11 45
europe@afc-holcroft.com
IntensiQuench is a registered trademark of IQ Technologies, Inc.
Pyro-Kleen and Lo-Dew are registered trademarks of AFC-Holcroft.
E-Z, GapMiser, and CAAB are trademarks of AFC-Holcroft.
Bulletin No. COR-0803 4/11