Solar Atmospheres
Souderton, PA 18964
Fluorescent Liquid Penetrant
This month Solar Atmospheres of Hermitage PA officially launched its Florescent Liquid Penetrant (FLP) testing line which is capable of testing up to 40 foot long parts. This crane accessible operation is run by in house level 2 inspectors (IAW NAS410 rev.3) and includes a 36'x3' wash tank with a 10'x12' inspection booth. Michael Johnson, Solar Atmospheres Sales Manager, expects the line to...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres Brazes Heavy Copper Electrodes
Solar Atmospheres took on a very difficult brazing job on August 13, 2007. The challenge was to silver braze three 1 diameter copper rounds into a copper bar that measured 3 Ã-½ x 3 x 71 and weighed approximately 225 lbs each. The customer had 130 bars that they needed brazed. After unsuccessful attempts to torch braze these parts by hand, our customer, Clayton H. Landis Company, from...
Read More »Vacuum Heat Treating in Aluminum
Advances in vacuum furnace gas quenching processing continue to expand the materials that benefit from this technology. Fabricators of aluminum are discovering the benefits of minimized distortion and clean parts that vacuum processing offers. Solar Atmospheres, Hermitage, PA, recently solution aged 6061 aluminum from 0 to a T6 condition. This task was accomplished because of the plant's 12 foot...
Read More »Vacuum Heat Treating Tanks for Space
Since repair trips are usually not an option, space vehicles require manufacturing and processing expertise. Solar Atmospheres' proficiency in vacuum heat treating responded to the processing requirements of space tank manufacturer ARDE, Norwood, NJ. ARDE has manufactured over 4000 spaceflight and missile tanks, but required heat treating capabilities to improve production and meet metallurgical...
Read More »World's Largest Commercial Vacuum Furnaces
Solar Atmospheres specializes in vacuum furnace processing with heat treating and brazing as the primary services. Solar's two Pennsylvania facilities have over 40 vacuum furnaces and is the home of the world's largest commercial furnaces. In Western PA there are three 24 foot vacuum furnaces and a soon to be installed a 36 foot long furnace with a loading capacity of 150,000 lbs. These furnaces...
Read More »Boeing Chooses Solar
Hermitage, PA. Solar Atmosphere's, 24 foot vacuum furnace had caught the eye of Boeing's project managers. Boeing had a very specific need to process long titanium components for its new commercial jet, the 787 Dreamliner. After initial prototype testing, it was not only the 24 foot furnace's capacity that impressed Boeing, but the programming skill and furnace cycle controls that have made Solar...
Read More »Full Production Vacuum Carburizing Offered by Solar Atmospheres
Three years of intense research and engineering have lead to the production of Solar Manufacturingfs Low Torr Vacuum Carburizing furnace. Now operating at Solar Atmospheresf Eastern PA commercial heat treating facility, the furnace has successfully carburized thousands of parts in the 24 x 24 x 72 chamber. Vacuum carburizing extends tool or part life by attaining a specified case and core...
Read More »11,000 LB Weldment Heat Treated
Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA, recently heat treated two 4140 (chromium molybdenum) steel weldments, each weighing 11,000 lbs. Using a 12 foot long horizontal loading Solar Manufacturing furnace with a 50,000 lb. capacity, Solar normalized and tempered the weldments to achieve specific yield strength, while minimizing distortion, through controlled heating and cooling. The weldment dimensions...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres at IMTS Show
Solar Atmospheres, with plants in Eastern and Western PA, will offer two new and unique heat treating capabilities at IMTS 2006 in Chicago. Located at booth B-6423, Solar is introducing the largest load capacity vacuum heat treating in the world. Another unique and new service offer is the insitu vacuum carburizing technology to case harden and improve part wear life. Outstanding furnace load...
Read More »Mike Moffit Promoted to Vice President of Operations of Solar Atmospheres of California
Fontana, CA. –Ã- Solar Atmospheres of California recently named Mike Moffit as its new Vice President of Operations. Mr. Moffit has been with the company for 21 years in a variety of departments and served as the Quality Manager for the past five years at Solar Atmospheres of California. In his new role, Mr. Moffit will oversee the day-to-day operations of the heat treating facility in...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres Receives 1st MedAccred Accreditation
Souderton, PA – Solar Atmospheres, Inc. announced today that it has become the first company to receive MedAccred accreditation. Medical prime contractors are demanding that environmental conditions are controlled, processes validated, and the risk of foreign object debris (FOD) reduced. Performance Review Institute (PRI) states that MedAccred is an industry managed supply chain oversight...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres, Southeast Now Open!
Greenville, SCÃ- – Solar Atmospheres, Southeast announced today it has officially opened its doors for business. We have brought our first furnace online the first week of May. Other furnaces will continue to be delivered and brought online over the summer months and we will be notifying customers as we gain sufficient capacity and capability to serve them from our newest facility in...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres Creates Tutorial on Understanding PID Control As Applied to Vacuum Furnace Performance
Solar Atmospheres, Inc. has written a technical white paper on understanding and proper usage of PID parameters as they relate to controlling vacuum furnace temperature. This tutorial will assist furnace engineers and operators to better understand and properly use the functions of a PID Controller and thereby obtain improved temperature control, particularly in program ramping and minimizing...
Read More »New Technical Procedure For Temperature Uniformity Surveying For Vacuum Furnaces
Solar Atmospheres and Solar Manufacturing Have Released a Technical Procedure For Temperature Uniformity Surveying For Vacuum Furnaces Solar Atmospheres and Solar Manufacturing Have Released A Procedure For Temperature Uniformity Surveying ( TUS ) of Vacuum Furnaces That Will Meet and Satisfy The Requirements of The AMS 2750D Specifications. The Procedure is Being Made Available to All Vacuum...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres California Nears Opening
Solar Atmospheres of California (SACA) has completed construction of a new 22,000 square foot facility in Fontana, CA. The plant is situated on over 2.5 acres of land with plenty of room for expansion. Populating the building with equipment and support systems is in full gear. Five vacuum furnaces will be installed initially, which will consist of two high pressure, 10 bar quench furnaces and...
Read More »Chuck Miller Joins Solar Atmospheres of Southern California
Solar Atmospheres of California (SACA) is one step closer to the establishment of its state-of-the-art Vacuum Heat Treating facility in Southern California with the hiring of Charles (Chuck) Miller as Manager of Maintenance and Facilities Engineer. Chuck comes to Solar after many years of supervisory experience in the heat treating industry. Some of Chuck's areas of expertise are vacuum furnace...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres Adds Senior Technical Consultant
William R. Jones, CEO of the Solar Atmosphere Companies, has announced the addition to the corporate staff of Real J. Fradette in the position of Senior Technical Consultant. Mr. Fradette brings an extensive background in the field of Vacuum Furnace Technology and Sales having spent more than 30 years in the industry. Mr. Fradette previously held several senior positions in Sales, Marketing, and...
Read More »80 Million Pounds of Titanium Over 10 Years
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA ( SAWPA ) strategically located a state-of-the-art facility within the epicenter of the US titanium producers. SAWPA also partnered with its sister company, Solar Manufacturing, to build the largest capacity vacuum furnaces (both in volume and weight). Therefore, it is no surprise that over 50% of SAWPA's annual sales is attributed to processing the wonder metal...
Read More »Solar Atmospheres Launches New Vacuum Heat Treating Website
Solar Atmospheres, Inc. develops a new and innovative website for their company. Over the past year, Solar Atmospheres has developed a brand new website (www.solaratm.com) focused on reinforcing our leadership position in the vacuum heat treating industry and further demonstrating our unique capabilities and services in vacuum heat treating, vacuum brazing, vacuum carburizing, ion nitriding, gas...
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