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 three 2 bar quench furnaces. The largest furnace will be a 24 foot car bottom vacuum furnace with 2 load cars for optimum utilization. Other vacuum furnaces will include a 6 foot furnace, two 4 foot furnaces and a lab furnace. The facility will also be equipped with air furnaces, cryogenic freezers and hardness testing machines. A 10 ton crane spans the entire building allowing for overhead access to virtually every piece of equipment in the facility. A drive-in bay has been added to the facility to facilitate loading and unloading of large flatbed trucks and an onsite bulk gas storage facility will supply nitrogen, argon and helium. In addition, a brazing room is currently under construction in the facility to handle the preparation of parts as long as 24 feet. Vacuum brazing equipment will be installed prior to opening.
This new facility will offer Solar's full complement of processes currently available within the Solar group. SACA's primary focus will be to service customers in the western United States. Some of our services will include annealing, stress relieving, age hardening, degassing, solution treating, brazing, carburizing, homogenizing, magnetic annealing, hydriding and hardening. SACA will also offer process development as well as customer specific processes.
Mike Drakeley has moved to California from Solar Atmospheres in Pennsylvania and will head up the Sales Department for SACA. He brings with him over 17 years of experience in vacuum heat treating and brazing. Mike will work with customers and prospects to ensure that we understand their needs and that we meet those needs in a cost effect manner. Working for Mike is Tom Matulaitis, our Regional Salesman. Tom has lived in California for 25 years and has worked in the heat treating and forging industry for much of his career. Tom's main focus will be outside sales, developing a solid relationship with our customers, and ensuring the lines of communication are kept open to guarantee that SACA is meeting, or exceeding, our customer's requirements.
Dan Barszcz will also be making the transition from Pennsylvania to California. Dan has been with Solar Atmospheres for over 11 years and comes to SACA with many years of shop experience. Most recently Dan's role was as a Quality Technician in the Quality Department. Dan's assignment in the new CA facility will be as Production Manager. Additionally, Jim Anderson will be relocating to California with his family. Jim has been with Solar for 6 years and comes to CA with experience in both the Production and Maintenance Departments.
Derek Dennis, President of SACA states, "I am pleased to have the opportunity to welcome Mike, Dan and Jim to California. Their years of experience and knowledge base are invaluable in the start up of Solar's newest operation. With them they bring the Solar can-do attitude and in depth knowledge of the company's policies and procedures which have made Solar a leader in our industry. I'm looking forward to working with them to position SACA as the obvious choice for quality, professional and honest heat treating services on the West Coast".
SACA plans to be fully operational in December 2010. For more information on how SACA can service your needs and requirements please contact Mike Drakeley @ mjd@solaratm-ca.com or call 909-217-7400 or 866-559-5994.
