Darby Metal Treating

Darby Metal Treating is growing again! Today we took delivery of our third integral quench (IQ) batch-style furnace. These types of furnaces are generally considered the workhorses of the heat treating industry and can perform a variety of processes such as neutral hardening, carburizing, and carbonitriding, to name a few. We are excited to bring this additional capacity to our portfolio for our customers who have come to value our capabilities and customer service by rewarding us with more business. We are thankful to you for placing your trust and your business with us and we will continue to strive to be the best at what we do!

Ahhh, the quintessential heat treating video...the opening of an atmosphere furnace that instantly transforms it into a cubic metal fire breathing dragon!!!! It looks dangerous, and don't get us wrong, it can be. However, what's actually happening here is a safety feature. These types of furnaces operate with potentially explosive atmospheres inside them. When controlled correctly, it's not an issue, and necessary to produce parts to specification. However, if too much oxygen is mixed into this tightly controlled atmosphere, you can get a backdraft situation. So, the point of that "curtain" of flame at the door is to burn off any oxygen that might seek to infiltrate the atmosphere. This keeps a fireball from blasting out the door while parts are loaded or unloaded into the furnace. So sit back, enjoy the show without having to feel the heat up close, and know that the furnace is operating correctly to bring good parts to your process.

How much will my parts move during heat treat? This is a common question that customers ask their heat treater. And, sometimes frustratringly so, the answer is often, we don't know. While there are some processes where part movement is somewhat predictable, there are several others where it is not. We do know that there are factors that can influence dimensional movement. A non-exhaustive list includes: part fixturing in furnace baskets, cold-working stresses imparted into the microstructure such as machining or stamping, and, perhaps most importantly, the type of quenching media used, as there are several. Selecting the proper quenching media can be challenging, as there are certain trade-offs that must be considered. It can also complicate your supply chain as not all heat treaters have all quenching processes available. If you need some help with this big decision, contact us. We are happy to help you to select the right quenching media for the application that you are considering.

For anyone that's toured a heat treating facility, it's easy to mistake it as a manufacturing business, but in reality, it's a service business. The best heat treaters are the ones that recognize this and structure their business accordingly. In the past week, we assisted a customer facing a line down situation with a 48 hour turn time, and turned around parts for another customer over the Labor Day weekend. Here at DMT, we are serious about providing top notch service to our customers. So serious, it's written into our core values as "Happy to Help". If your heat treater doesn't seem happy to help, give us a call; we will be.

Continuing our series on "Is heat treating a commodity?" It's a common misperception that heat treaters just bake your parts like a baker would cookies. Fortunately, it's not quite that simple. Often, parts go through multiple processes inside a heat treat operation. They can include: -Pre-washing -Parts racking -Pre-heating -The actual heat treating process to be performed -Post-oil quench wash -Tempering -Straightening -Ultrasonic washing -Rust preventive application -Part re-packaging Do you know how many of these your heat treater is performing on your parts? Do they specify on their quote what you're paying for? If you're experiencing certain quality issues with your parts, exploration of these details could help. Let us know if you'd like us to take a look at your parts. We're happy to let you know what we will do with them.

Is heat treating a commodity? One of the more overlooked aspects of heat treating is part fixturing. With all of the different shapes and sizes of parts that a heat treater sees, it is very important for the parts to be fixtured properly. Improper fixturing can affect dimensional stability and proper oil quench flow. At DMT, we understand fixturing. Contact us if you're getting some sudden movement or other issues with your parts. Our dedication to proper part fixturing can make a difference.

More progress on our vacuum oil quench furnace! As you can see, a fresh coat of paint is underway, and the control cabinet is starting to take shape. We're excited to bring this additional capacity to our customers. Stay tuned for more updates and an eventual announcement for production readiness!