This new heat treating format uses low volumes of high pressure heated air to rapidly heat-treat and/or thermally de-core castings.

This new concept includes these main features:

1. Closely positioned air nozzles to impinge the parts. 
   
2. Handling parts directly to and from the furnace system using robotics and eliminating baskets and trays
   
   • Use of shorter cycle heat treatment to obtain similar properties compared to current longer cycle processes.

These features promote lower equipment capital cost, cellular process arrangements, lower operating costs, and many process benefits. Some of these benefits include:

1. Rapid de-coring capability - Less than one hour required to de-core complex V8 cylinder head test castings even from a cold condition
2. Heat treatment process consistency - All castings receive the same air-flow
3. Short cycle heat treatment capability - Potential for short-cycle heat treating, especially if hot castings are processed directly from a casting cell
4. Flexible plant arrangements- Requires less floor space, and cellular heat treatment process can receive parts directly from a manufacturing cell.
5. Promotes lean, smaller scale equipment eliminating expensive basket-handling conveyor systems
6. Reduces in-process inventories
7. Elimination of baskets and trays saves basket and tray costs, energy and time required for heating baskets and trays each cycle, reduces air circulation restriction from baskets and trays, and eliminates handling equipment for empty baskets.
   • Allows smaller quench equipment, flexible and programmable quench process, faster time from furnace to submersion in quench, and less retained sand entering the quench

CFD Modeling
CEC uses CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modeling extensively in product design. These are validated in our R&D facility with extensive testing. Different jet flows used for de-coring have been modeled and tested (Fig 1). Wheel heating using jet flow has also been modeled and tested. CFD modeling is also used for the unique high temperature, wear resistant, and vibration free axial fans that CEC engineers and builds (Fig. 2). The predicted flows and pressure drops are then validated with testing.

Part Quenching

CEC has the technology to predict quenching rates using air, water immersion or water spray. Recent advances in water spray research have enabled better prediction of the quenching process.

Using high velocity water droplets, we can rapidly quench sections and plates and predict temperature variations within the sections after quenching.