Integration, Automation & Optimization

INTEGRATION OF HEAT TREATING EQUIPMENT 

Today a heat treating furnace can no longer be seen as a stand-alone piece of equipment. It is part of a whole system, interconnected and working in concert with other elements of a heat treating installation, and operated by a sophisticated computer control system requiring minimal or no operator supervision.

At Nitrex, our philosophy is to deliver automated turnkey installations incorporating advanced features that provide process stability and reliability, and which ensure functional integration with the manufacturing environment.

AUTOMATION AND INTEGRATION OF PRODUCTION CELLS

Automation solutions are increasingly used to enhance performance and productivity in order to offset these high costs. This approach can be achieved in one or two stages. The first involves integrating heat treating furnaces equipped with automated gas cabinets, fitted with atmosphere controls and a control computer system, into cells or into the production line. The second is to automate the heat treating operations, running equipment more or less continuously with little or no personnel. Both stages will effectively reduce the number of required employees, improve delivery, increase productivity and the overall efficiency of a plant by maximizing the equipment usage, thus reducing the cost per piece of the manufactured goods.

HEAT TREATING CELLS

Nitrex offers cells with three different operating modes. In the fully automatic mode all the equipment movements within the cell are entirely automated. The semi-automatic mode requires an operator to control the movements within the cell through a computer terminal. Lastly, in the manual mode, each movement is carried out by a shop employee, while only the activities within the furnaces and washers are controlled automatically.

INTEGRATING NITRIDING / NITROCARBURIZING TURNKEY SYSTEMS INTO YOUR PRODUCTION LINE

To this day many manufacturers are still sending parts to commercial heat treaters to have them nitrided or nitrocarburized. Others, with in-house facilities, often have their heat treating equipment in remote locations of the plant. These practices slow down the production process and increase costs.

In many cases integrating the nitriding / nitrocarburizing (FNC process) stage into the production line brings significant benefits such as control over quality and faster deliveries.

We would gladly discuss your production needs and provide you with our expert advice. Please contact us for more information.