Vacuum Heat Treating

Aerospace Heat Treating Services

We offer a variety of aerospace heat treating services. These services include Annealing, Solution Annealing, Homogenization, Aging, Sintering, and Diffusion Bonding. We also offer several brazing services, including nickel, gold nickel, silver, and copper.. We can perform these services in both vacuum and atmospheric furnaces. We offer services for small parts and assemblies that fit in the palm of a hand all the way to very large structures. Please call us with your size requirements. All of our aerospace heat treating services are NADCAP accredited.

Annealing Services

Annealing is a technique used to relax stresses within a metal, and to bring properties in a metal to a required state. Annealing typically results in a soft, ductile metal that is easier to process. Our annealing services can be accomplished in vacuum, air, or in a specific atmosphere. We also offer other NADCAP accredited heat treatment services such as brazing, sintering, and diffusion bonding.

Annealing Services: Stainless Steel

We offer annealing services for many metals, including stainless steel. The stainless steel annealing process is performed by substantially heating the steel for an extended period of time and then cooling at the proper rate for the particular material. Stainless steel annealing prepares the steel for further work such as shaping, stamping, or forming. Stainless steel annealing services can also be performed concurrent with brazing to provide the properties you desire.

Brazing

Brazing is a joining process whereby a filler metal or alloy is heated to melting temperature (above 450°C; 842°F) and distributed between two or more close-fitting parts by capillary action. During brazing, the molten filler metal diffuses into the base metal components. This forms an exceptionally strong, sealed joint and is superior to welding. Brazing is also superior to welding because it heats the entire part uniformly, causing less distortion and providing a better bond.

Brazing Services

Vac-Met, Inc. provides furnace brazing. We have a number of vacuum or atmosphere furnaces for furnace brazing. We consistently braze with a variety of alloys, including nickel, gold nickel, copper and silver alloys. The materials typically brazed are stainless steels, super alloys and a variety of other metallics. Aerospace, medical, nuclear, military, automotive and commercial industries are the industries that most commonly utilize this type of brazing. We offer services for small parts that fit in the palm of a hand and for very large structures. Please call us with your size requirements. All of our brazing services are NADCAP accredited.

Brazing Services: Furnace

Furnace brazing uses a clean atmosphere. Our furnace brazing services can eliminate complex post-braze cleaning of the part. Furnace brazing is cleaner than other brazing alternatives. Types of furnace brazing include controlled atmosphere and vacuum brazing. Controlled atmosphere brazing typically uses a hydrogen atmosphere, but other gases such as argon or nitrogen are also available.

Brazing Services: Gold

Our gold brazing services are optimized for use in the aerospace, medical, and military industries. Gold brazing is often used with high-temperature alloy and stainless steel assemblies. Gold brazing can be performed in both vacuum and atmospheric furnaces. Gold brazing performed in a vacuum furnace is very efficient because it does not use flux and does not require post-braze cleaning. Our gold brazing services are NADCAP accredited.

Brazing Services: Medical Component

Brazing services can be performed on a variety of medical components. Vacuum brazing is a clean environment that is safe for medical products. When vacuum brazing is used, the component will come out clean and will not require extensive post-braze polishing and cleaning.

Brazing Services: Military Specification

Brazing services can be performed to military specifications. Gold brazing services are optimized for military uses, and can be performed in vacuum and atmospheric furnaces. Many types of custom brazing can be performed to military specification. Brazing services can be performed at lower temperatures than welding and are less likely to distort the piece or produce thermal stresses, making brazing services more appropriate for military specification.

Brazing Services: NADCAP Accredited

Our brazing services are NADCAP accredited. NADCAP provides international certifications of manufacturing processes for industry. Some of the services NADCAP accredits are heat treating and brazing. NADCAP accreditation is required by Aircraft Engine Manufacturers, and is a mark of prestige that represents superior performance and use of industry standards and leading technology.

Brazing Services: Nickel

Nickel brazing services work well when performed in a vacuum, eliminating the challenge of metal oxidation. Nickel brazing is a great solution for joining stainless steels and other metal alloys. Nickel brazing services are one of the many NADCAP accredited brazing services we offer.

Brazing Services: Silver

Silver brazing services are one of the many brazing services that can be utilized in industrial furnace brazing. Silver brazing services are popular for joining or bonding many different metallics. Silver brazing can be performed in a vacuum or in many different atmospheres. Our silver brazing services are NADCAP accredited.

Brazing Services: Stainless Steel

We utilize copper, silver, nickel and gold nickel for industrial stainless steel brazing. Stainless steel brazing services can be performed in vacuum furnaces or in standard atmospheres. Our stainless steel brazing services are NADCAP accredited.

Copper Alloy Brazing

Copper alloy brazing uses low cost, versatile alloys. Copper alloy brazing can be performed in both vacuum and atmospheric furnaces, and can be used to braze many different metals. Copper brazing alloys can be used to improve ductility and electrical conductivity. Copper alloy brazing is economical and used in a wide variety of industries. Our copper alloy brazing services are NADCAP accredited.

Diffusion Bonding

Diffusion bonding is a solid state joining technique that is normally carried out at a temperature much lower than the melting point of the materials to be bonded. Diffusion bonding does not involve the use of filler metal. It uses heat and pressure applied in vacuum or inert atmosphere furnaces to join pieces of metal. The heat and pressure are applied for a specific amount of time (from minutes to hours) depending on the type of metal to be bonded. Our diffusion bonding services are NADCAP accredited.

Heat Treat Annealing

One of the many ways we can heat treat material is through annealing. Annealing is a heat treatment intended to alter the properties of a material, changing strength and hardness. During annealing the material involved is heated and maintained at a suitable temperature for a specific amount of time, then allowed to cool very fast or very slowly depending on the material. Annealing is used to induce softness, relieve internal stresses, and refine the structure of the metal involved. As with other heat treatments, our Annealing services are NADCAP accredited.

Heat Treating

Heat treating is used to alter the physical or chemical properties of a material. Heat treating involves the use of heating or chilling to achieve a desired result, which is normally strengthening or softening of a material.

Heat Treating Services

We offer many heat treating services. We provide many common heat treating services, including Annealing, Solution Annealing, Beta Annealing, Homogenization, Aging, Hardening, Tempering, Diffusion Bonding, and Sintering. Our heat treating services are performed in vacuum, atmospheric, and air furnaces. These services can be performed to aerospace, medical, military, nuclear, automotive or commercial specifications. We offer heat treating services for small parts and assemblies that fit in the palm of a hand all the way to very large structures. Please call us with your size requirements. All of our heat treating services are NADCAP accredited.

Heat Treating: Hydrogen

Our atmospheric heat treating services typically use a hydrogen atmosphere, but can also use other atmospheres. Atmospheric heat treating typically uses inert atmospheres to prevent oxidation of the parts subject to heat treating. All of our various atmospheres can be used in all of our furnaces. Our heat treating services, including hyrogen atmospheres, are NADCAP accredited.

Nickel Alloy Brazing

Our nickel alloy brazing is performed in high temperature furnaces using vacuum or atmospheric brazing techniques. As with other brazing services, nickel alloy brazing reduces the need for post-assembly finishing and can be used to join two similar or dissimilar metals. Our nickel alloy brazing services are NADCAP accredited.

Sintering

Sintering is often used to produce small or complex metal objects that it would be impractical to cast. Our sintering services are NADCAP accredited.

Tool Steel Hardening

We offer heat treatment services for tool steel hardening. The proper heat treatment of tool steel is one of the most important parts of tool manufacture and is very important to the tool industry. The hardening and quenching of tool steel can be performed in our facilities using our industrial furnaces. We offer many tool steel hardening services, and all of our heat treatment services are NADCAP accredited.

Vacuum Annealing

We offer vacuum annealing services using our industrial vacuum furnaces. Vacuum furnace annealing is performed to keep metal from exposure to oxygen which can oxidize and discolor the surface of the metal involved. Vacuum annealing is accomplished by heating the material to extreme temperatures in a vacuum furnace, allowing the material to remain at that temperature for a specified period of time, then allowing the material to cool at a particular rate. Our vacuum annealing services are NADCAP accredited.

Vacuum Brazing

Vacuum brazing offers extremely clean, superior, flux-free braze joints. Joints created using vacuum brazing provide high integrity and strength. Vacuum brazing helps to retain temperature uniformity in the work piece, which greatly reduces residual stresses. Vacuum brazing is performed inside of our high quality vacuum chamber furnaces and can be performed to aerospace, medical, nuclear, military, automotive, and commercial specifications. All of our vacuum brazing services are NADCAP accredited.


Home