Integrated Heat Treating Solutions (IHTS) Information

Integrated Heat Treating Solutions provides its customers with complete “Lean-Integrated” Heat Treating Solutions that are concurrently engineered with their customers’ lean part manufacturing processes, all in the proper sequence of operations; from optimizing the part design and material selection that is “upstream” of heat treating, to the elimination of the waste downstream of heat treating. IHTS consultants assist the part designer to select the optimal raw material to obtain the needed mechanical properties; whether wrought, forged, powdered metal or cast raw material, the goal is to provide better wear resistance, longer cyclic fatigue life, better corrosion resistance, higher power density, etc., all at a total lower cost of manufacture. IHTS assists the customers with concurrent engineering of “upstream” machining and fabricating steps before heat treatments, as well as all “downstream” steps after heat treating, with due consideration for all of the “intended” as well as the “unintended” end-use requirements for the part. IHTS will also help with considerations for additive or subtractive manufacturing of the part for the specific end-use, in the proper sequence of operations relative to heat treating. By examining each and every step of the part making value stream, as it relates to the heat treating processes, IHTS consultants help to specify the optimal heating and cooling processes and the optimal equipment that can eliminate waste caused by the heat treating processes. IHTS works to assure that each heat treating process is truly delivering value to its customer, as well as for the part end-users, while eliminating waste “downstream” of heat treatment – part cleaning, cold straightening, hard turning, grinding, etc. IHTS consultants recommend the optimal heating methods, whether by controlled atmosphere furnace, molten salt bath, vacuum furnace or by induction or flame heating, as well as the optimal quench cooling methods (air/gas, molten salts, oil or intensive water quench). IHTS consultants also help their clients to evaluate the heat treating services and equipment that are available to their customer; either within a part maker’s organization (their “captive” heat treat department), or at a high quality commercial heat treater, such as ASTC. If a particular part heat treatment can be integrated into the part-machining cell or forging operation for single part flow, IHTS teaming partners can assist with the sourcing of the needed methods and equipment that are optimized to each part.