Insight

SECO/WARWICK Group has a rich history in industrial heat treatment furnace innovation and is constantly developing – recently implementing innovative, ecological technologies that enable its customers to make pro-environmental changes in their industries.

From its headquarters in Świebodzin, Poland, SECO/WARWICK has been shaping the global metallurgical and heat treatment industry for decades, delivering industrial furnaces to leading companies in the aviation, automotive, machinery, medical, tooling, power and commercial heat treatment industries. 

“At SECO/WARWICK we want to make the world a better and greener place,” states CEO Sławomir Woźniak. “Our ecological approach makes us produce more efficient and more effective products, which translates not only into benefits for our planet, but also financial savings, which is a critical issue for every company.”

Sławomir adds: “We understand the ‘ECO’ prefix in our name as a combination of ecology and economy. This is not a trend for SECO/WARWICK, it is a real need and value thanks to which we will leave the planet in a good condition for the next generation. We believe that working in heavy industry does not have to mean devastation of what is most valuable – the natural environment. Heavy industry has a lot to offer to ecology and that is why we are constantly striving to offer innovative products, as well as care for even the smallest matters – making SECO/WARWICK one of the most pro-ecological companies in the metal heat treatment furnace industry.”

In order to deliver on this ecology promise, SECO/WARWICK is constantly investing in its technology development – with its R&D department, featuring a metallographic laboratory (SECO/LAB), working on solutions that will not only be ecological, but also cost-effective for the company’s customers. “For the regulations protecting the environment to be accepted, they must also bring real profits for the recipients in the financial sphere,” explains Sławomir. “That is why we do not approach SECO/ECO purely ideologically. With each project we make sure that the innovation brings additional advantages – such as shortening the process time, higher efficiency, or lower gas consumption. For us, being greener is also about being a more efficient company, achieving the same results at a lower cost. Our customers appreciate this and it is a typical example of a win-win operation – the manufacturer wins and our planet wins.”

SECO/WARWICK and fasteners

SECO/WARWICK’s product portfolio covers five areas, and the one dedicated to fastener manufacturers includes the company’s signature Vector^® vacuum furnaces. “This is one of the most popular solutions and is perfectly suited to meet fastener companies’ heat treatment challenges and standards,” points out Sławomir. “The heating processes for these materials require extraordinary purity, which is why the presence of two gases is important – argon, used for partial pressure, and nitrogen, used mainly in the cooling process. Very short cooling times are also required in this industry, which is made possible thanks to the 15 bar abs pressure and gas blower utilisation, which are standard features of the Vector^® vacuum furnace.”

Other products from the SECO/WARWICK portfolio that are dedicated to the fastener industry include an atmosphere furnace with a rotary retort – providing process flexibility and enabling the system to be used for both single and complex components. “This furnace can be built as a standalone oil quenching or annealing furnace, with a loading system and an integrated quench system, or as part of a complete production line with an annealing furnace, quench, washers, atmosphere generators, analysers, etc,” mentions Sławomir. “Rotary retort atmosphere furnaces are used to process a variety of small items, such as bolts, nuts, screws, nails, washers, and coins. These furnaces are ideal for controlled atmospheres during quenching, nitriding and carburising in the temperature range of 840˚C to 955˚C. The furnace lines are also pre-designed in standard sizes, with production capacities from 225kg to 450kg.”

The final group of furnaces valued by the fastener industry are mesh belt furnaces, designed for heat and thermochemical treatment of small parts, as they provide homogeneous, repeatable technological results. “Mesh Belt solutions can be offered with both heating systems, electric or gas, and offer numerous advantages including low energy consumption, long muffle life and minimum part deformation risk,”
adds Sławomir.

As a global company, SECO/WARWICK is able to fulfil orders all over the world. “Thanks to the cooperation between the companies belonging to the Group, we can efficiently not only deliver the furnaces themselves, but also execute service actions on a regular basis,” concludes Sławomir. “SECO/WARWICK is the first choice among metal heat treatment furnace suppliers and our solutions are in over 70 countries at leading businesses within the aviation, energy and automotive industries, as well as fastener manufacturers who find quality and reliability in our furnaces.”