Blog
June 19, 2026
There has been a boom in various infographics generated by artificial intelligence. But no AI is the same as AI. Some don’t speak Czech, some don’t
June 11, 2026
Internal stress is an intangible quantity. People keep talking about it, but no one has actually seen it. So we tried it. Results of XRD stress
May 29, 2026
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May 7, 2026
The world is still full of innovations. ECM has started to supply vacuum furnaces with oil quenching up to 250 C. There are two variants: ECO
March 29, 2026
In the first part, I thought about calculating the dwell time at the austenitization temperature. (https://intelligent-kalam.80-240-27-133.plesk.page/nadca-207-a-soaking-time/) The basis is the interpretation of aerospace standards, e.g. AMS
March 15, 2026
A particular problem in the assessment of furnace records is the assessment of the correct soaking time and temperature of the austenitization segment. According to NADCA
March 3, 2026
So I expanded my portfolio again. This time I was approached by someone from India. It’s a bit out of hand, but we’ll see. After my
February 28, 2026
When you think of 3D metal printing, everyone imagines a printer. This simplified thinking has become dominant. However, the reality in practice is different and is
February 11, 2026
Giorgio Valsecchi presented this blog on Linkedin, which really interested me. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tav-vacuum-furnaces-k9-fat-ugcPost-7424083253575397376-tiFk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAwiV- What does the abbreviation CVI stand for and what is it for? Chemical Vapor
February 3, 2026
With the increasing demand for LPC, it is crucial for the choice of equipment whether to quench in a gas stream or into oil. And if
January 10, 2026
It’s a strange topic. When I started at ZEZ Praha, VVZ Liberec, I was in charge of the development of PVD technologies and the Leybold device
November 26, 2025
The ECM Flex system has so far enabled all types of processes, except nitriding and nitrcarburizing. But because the word FLEX offers flexibility, a new nitriding
November 20, 2025
“Hidden defects” is a term that expresses our uncertainty about the outcome. If we are not aware of their seriousness, sooner or later we will end
November 11, 2025
I already wrote about carbonitriding under reduced pressure last year. https://intelligent-kalam.80-240-27-133.plesk.page/nitrocementace-jak-na-to-v-lpc/. My conclusion that the LPCN process is feasible is valid, but I have been instructed
November 7, 2025
As I have already described in the previous sections, in order for the LPC to work properly, both with regard to the layers and the condition
November 3, 2025
So we have already learned why it sometimes works and sometimes it doesn’t. Because I started with LPC in the socialism time, in ZEZ VVZ Liberec,
November 1, 2025
I’m still wondering how it is possible that some LPC systems need a batch surface area, others don’t, some LPC systems produce soot and others don’t,
October 31, 2025
Last week, Klára Tesárková’s online presentation on the topic of LPC took place. I think that in today’s online era, it’s the right step to offer
October 27, 2025
Once in the 1980s, I worked with ing. M. Čermák from SVÚM Prague and ing. Jirka Sikač from SVÚOM Prague on the development of thin films
October 21, 2025
Every technology always has its “waste”, which can surprisingly be used for something we never expected. The entire HIP technology is based on heating parts under
October 19, 2025
Annealing to remove internal stress is one of the completely banal operations. The extent to which this thermal operation is necessary is decided by the designer
July 10, 2025
After a long hiatus, I created a new e-learning course, LPC, for low-pressure carburizing. Not only because it is modern, but also because this technology is
June 30, 2025
News are coming that always surprise me too. Janusz Kowalewski published statistics on the use of vacuum furnaces for the US aerospace industry. Brazing is in
June 18, 2025
It is not widely known that there is a big, I would even say fundamental difference between LPC from ECM and from SecoWarwick or BMI. And
June 10, 2025
Hot work material applications to die casting dies require special control, as defined by Nadca 207:2025. It states: Grain size: Grain size shall be developed using
May 23, 2025
When I wrote my blog on LPCN (Low Pressure CarboNitriding), I had no idea it would get such a response. However, I was just trying to
April 27, 2025
The effort to improve the surface properties of low-alloy or pure carbon steels is quite evident. They are cheap, and nitriding or nitrocarburizing processes can improve
March 24, 2025
There are still many doubts about hardening materials in vacuum after low-pressure carburizing. So what is it? Some time ago, ALD published this feasibility matrix. If
January 18, 2025
Nitrocarburizing of steels belongs to a group of progressive technologies that enable surface improvement of low-alloy steels. The advantage of this process is that it is
January 8, 2025
Isothermal annealing is a process that usually requires 2 temperatures. The first is the austenitization temperature, where we must be sure that the material has fully
October 14, 2024
In 2003 I visited the ECM in Grenoble for the first time. My interest was to purchase equipment with LPC for Bodycote CZ, and I was
August 29, 2024
When choosing a new furnace, we have to consider a number of criteria that I tried to describe in the previous chapters. In this last section,
August 25, 2024
In this section, we will focus on the energy consumption of annealing and tempering furnaces. There are a large number of different designs of tempering or
August 20, 2024
In the first part, we tried to define the furnace for annealing and tempering from the point of view of the surface condition of the processed
August 13, 2024
In my past career, I well remember our constant battle between what the management wanted and what we wanted. Our first vacuum tempering B64R furnace from
July 29, 2024
On my blog already in 2021, I published the theoretical course of the production process of the die-casting dies. https://intelligent-kalam.80-240-27-133.plesk.page/jak-na-zihaci-procesy-u-form-na-tlakove-liti/. Since time has advanced, I am
April 14, 2024
So, I made myself happy. I bought the iconic book Carbonitriding written by Bohumil Přenosil in 1964 year. Back then it cost 22.50 CZK, now I
December 17, 2023
As a philosopher would say, everything good is bad for something… Carburizing under reduced pressure, or vacuum carburizing or low presssure carburizing has the advantage of
December 10, 2023
I ran into a problem. A reputable supplier of low-pressure carburizing furnaces has supplied a brand-new vacuum furnace for this technology, but without the default TUS.
November 4, 2023
Vacuum furnace maintenance is an important part of vacuum processes. If everything is working, we tend to do nothing. However, as soon as a problem appears,
May 25, 2023
In 1992, I presented my doctor dissertation focussed on combination of Titanium nitride and plasma nitriding. So, it’s been more than 30 years since I tried
May 20, 2023
As I have long recommended this technology for testing thermal fatigue stress relaxation for die casting dies, I was a bit unhappy as I could not
April 6, 2023
Representing the ECM company gives me an insight into the new world of heat treatment, especially in the field of low pressure carburizing. But in fact,
October 7, 2022
Back in the days of Bodycote, I lectured on an alternative method for releasing internal stresses on die casting dies. At first glance, this method is
September 8, 2022
There was a discreet message on Linkedin that ŽĎAS is launching its first steel remelting furnace using the ESR method. And since ŽĎAS also produces H13
June 13, 2022
Occasionally there is an application that can make life easier for those who work with steels. Although the TAVENGINEERING company is a service organization of TAV
June 5, 2022
Duplex coating technology is based on a combination of nitriding and thin film deposited by PVD or PACVD technology (TiN, TiCN, TiAlN, TiB2, etc.). Because the
June 5, 2022
Sometimes you come into the company and you know right away that you don’t belong there. The exact opposite was the meeting in SHM Šumperk. Although
February 3, 2022
The basic and always valid principle of industrial cleaning is only one: „the like dissolves and removes the like”, i.e. Non-polar (organic) contamination such as oils
September 13, 2021
In parts I and II, I described the heating phases, the aim of which is to heat up the parts to the austenitization temperature and then
August 3, 2021
In the first part of the heating, we achieved that the inserts are heated to a temperature corresponding approximately to the setup furnace temperature Tp =
July 12, 2021
Correct heating in a vacuum furnace has some drawbacks. Its success depends not only on the heat treater, but also on the tool manufacturer. Therefore, in
June 2, 2021
Sometime more than 20 years ago, I tried to find a model that I could show to the customer, and which could specify exactly why the
May 3, 2021
Almost every day I learn from various sources that someone is selling to someone or someone is buying a new vacuum hardening furnace somewhere. However, information
April 16, 2021
What should such a tempering furnace look like? There are two basic solutions. Retort furnace and non-retort furnace with direct batch heating. Those who want to