Solar Atmospheres Expands Capacity With New Furnace

Solar Atmospheres’ Eastern Pennsylvania facility recently commissioned a new 12-foot horizontal vacuum furnace designed primarily for titanium hydriding and dehydriding (HDH).

The furnace can also perform the standard gamut of heat-treating processes typical of Solar Atmospheres’ customer base. The furnace features a 54-inch-by-54-inch-by-144-inch working zone and is equipped with a 15,000-pound conventional load car arrangement. Other features include a 300 HP external forced-cooling system with VFD control, Solar Manufacturing’s Polaris control system, and dual mechanical pumping systems.

“This new furnace adds much-needed capacity to support growing HDH demands” Solar Atmospheres Sales Vice President Mike Moyer stated. “With dual mechanical pumping systems, we are able to more efficiently process larger degas loads and improve our delivery metrics. The new 12-foot furnace is also well equipped for all the standard vacuum heat treating process that we currently employ. From annealing and stress relieving to solution treating and aging, the new furnace adds considerable capacity to meet customers’ growing demands.”

Solar Atmospheres is the largest U.S. family-owned commercial heat treating company. Its seven heat treat facilities – Eastern Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, California, San Diego, South Carolina, Michigan, and Connecticut serve more than 18 industries, including aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, and power generation, among others.