Oct 21 2008
During a special regional program on Cleaning Requirements for Heat Treatment: Developments and Applications, the ASM Heat Treating Society will cover the latest in cleaning requirements, technologies and evaluation methods from leading experts in heat treating. The event will be held October 29-30 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass.
“The aerospace industry, for example, demands that parts are pristine, without stains,” said event organizer Dr. Richard D. Sisson, Jr., FASM, president of the ASM Heat Treating Society. “To achieve this, a heat treater has to keep the part clean throughout every step of the process.”
Prior to heat treating, surface contamination can also lead to a poor response to heat treating, particularly in surface treatments like carburizing and nitriding. “You also need clean parts for vacuum heat treating, so that the furnace is not contaminated,” Rick said.
During and after heat treating, contamination can also lead to corrosion problems, staining, stress corrosion – and a reduction in the part’s performance.
Environmental concerns are also involved. “Heat treating often involves quenching in mineral oils, which will be waste products and require special handling and disposal,” Rick said.
The cleaning program was a recent project selected by the Center for Heat Treating Excellence (CHTE), an alliance between the industrial sector and university researchers to collaboratively address short-term and long-term needs of the heat treating industry.
The technical program will be preceded by an educational seminar, “Heat Treating for the Non-Heat Treater,” on Oct. 28. The course is for engineers, part designers, material specifiers, purchasing agents and technicians who need a basic education in heat treating and need to learn how to speak the language of heat treating.