Heat Treatment
Two furnace types, different jobs
Electric pit furnaces take work vertically, which suits long shafts, rings and anything that would sag if it were laid flat. The deepest takes a metre and a half of section. Gas-fired box furnaces take work horizontally and take it large: the biggest is six metres by two and a half by two, which covers fabrications most job shops would have to refuse or split.
Why quench volume decides consistency
A large charge dropped into a small quench raises the oil temperature as it goes in, so the last component out of the basket is quenched in warmer oil than the first and comes out different. Our tank holds 30,000 litres. That volume is what keeps a batch consistent from one end to the other, and it is worth asking any supplier about before you place work.
What runs here
Hardening and tempering, annealing, normalising, stress relieving and solution annealing all run on this floor, along with the induction and flame work that happens off it. If your drawing names a cycle we have not listed, send it — most named treatments are a variation on temperature, time and cooling rate rather than a different machine.
Common questions
How large a component can you treat?
Up to six metres long in the gas-fired box furnaces, and a metre and a half of vertical section in the pit furnaces. If your part is near either limit, send the drawing and we will confirm before you ship it.
Do you take small batches?
Yes. Fifteen furnaces across five sizes means a small job does not have to wait for a large one, and does not have to be charged into a furnace far bigger than it needs.
What temperature range do you work to?
All the furnaces are rated to 1200 °C. The cycle for your part is set at engineering review against the grade and the specification you supply.