In North America, heat treating is a large industry. Approximately 18,000 manufacturers, both captive and commercial shop, rely on heat treating equipment to get their products made. Annually, the heat treating industry amounts to approximately $20-22.5 billion. At the basis of any heat treating industry are the industrial sized oven furnaces.
What is Heat Treating Equipment?
The purpose of heat treating equipment is to change the physical and, frequently, the chemical make-up of certain materials. In industry, the most common material worked with is metal. However, glass and ceramics/pottery are other materials industries use heat devices to alter. To bring about the required alterations in the properties of the material requires extreme temperatures. This can involve both heating and chilling the material. The heat will tend to either soften or harden the material to the desired consistency. Heat treatment involves several techniques to accomplish this. They include:
- Annealing
- Case hardening
- Precipitation strengthening
- Tempering
- Quenching
While the same type of actions can occur during the process of welding or hot forming, these are not considered heat treatment nor do they involve heat treating equipment.
What Does Heat Treatment Do?
As noted above, heat treatment equipment allows the manufacturer to alter the chemical and/or physical properties of an element. The purpose of this physical, mechanical and/or metallurgical change is to optimize its intended usage. The performance of the design must be changed in order to achieve maximum efficiency in both production costs and the desired result. As is the case with all successful industries, heat treatment is all about providing the best product at the lowest cost possible. It involves efficiency and, as a result, the best technology currently available. For heat treatment, the usual equipment is some form of oven.
Heat Treatment Ovens
Ovens are an important part of the heat treatment industry. They may be called companion draw or draw batch furnaces. The specific type depends upon several factors including the choice of material and the proposed product. If an industry is to be competitive, it is essential that the heat treating equipment be state-of-the-art. This requires a knowledge and awareness of any technological advances in the industry and updating and/or upgrading when necessary.
To be a force in the market, it is essential a manufacturer employ the best heat treating equipment available. To do so, it is necessary to locate the best heat treatment equipment manufacturers. It is possible with a click of a mouse to find the right someone to satisfy your demands.
