An Illinois commercial heat-treater has installed a new, large-volume vacuum furnace to expand its range of capabilities for processing manufactured parts, especially in automotive and aerospace sectors, according to the furnace supplier. Solar Manufacturing built and supplied the 48x48x72-inch deep furnace to FPM Heat Treating, noting that the chamber is fully compliant with NFPA, NADCAP, AMS, CQI-9, and other industrial standards.
FPM Heat Treating operates two plants, in Elk Grove Village and Cherry Valley, IL, and offers a wide range of batch and continuous treatment services, metallurgical testing, and other services.
"We are committed to meeting the growing demands of our clients in the manufacturing community," stated FPM Heat Treating v.p. Bob Ferry. "The new Solar furnace enhances our capabilities and enables us to maintain the highest standards of quality and efficiency in our operations."
The new furnace offers an operating temperature of up to 2400°F and a weight capacity of 5,000 pounds, so it is suited to conducting specialized heat-treatment cycles for automotive components. Its programming flexibility makes it available for a wide range of thermal cycles, as may be needed by a commercial heat treating operation.
The unit is also sufficiently versatile to maintain the precise specifications required for consumer, defense, and aerospace sectors, including eliminating intergranular oxidation.
Solar Manufacturing explained that FPM’s choice of FPM’s new furnace was a response to “an increasing demand for a specialized family of parts.” It did not specify those parts, but it added that the demand is projected to rise steadily through the end of the 2020s.