Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Illinois, announced a new equipment order from Urschel Laboratories for a MetalMaster HR 54×48 vacuum furnace. The order marks 40 years of partnership between the two companies, with the new unit replacing an original Ipsen furnace installed in 1986. The MetalMaster HR is designed for high-performance heat treating applications including hardening, tempering, brazing, and annealing in a vacuum or partial-pressure environment. The furnace features a horizontal front-loading design with an integrated

Seco/Warwick, Swiebodzin, Poland, announced its first contract with a European defense manufacturer. The company will deliver a customized single-chamber vacuum furnace equipped with advanced low-pressure carburizing technology and high-pressure gas quenching for heat treatment of steels used in firearm manufacturing. The contract represents a shift by the defense client from traditional gas carburizing to modern low-pressure carburizing, which improves quality, process predictability, and energy efficiency. The vacuum furnace approach eliminates the environmental concerns associated with

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems, DuBois, Pennsylvania, and SOLO Swiss SA, Porrentruy, Switzerland, announced an exclusive licensing agreement granting Gasbarre the rights to promote, sell, and manufacture the SOLO ProfiTherm heat treating system in North America. The agreement was announced on January 21, 2026. The ProfiTherm system features a modular arrangement of bell furnaces and quench tanks with direct, rapid transfer from furnace to quench. The design is positioned as a practical alternative to traditional integral

Bodycote, Macclesfield, UK, announced the acquisition of Spectrum Thermal Processing, a heat treatment provider based in Cranston, Rhode Island. The transaction closed on January 14, 2026. Spectrum brings established Nadcap-accredited and ITAR-compliant capabilities to Bodycote’s North American operations, including vacuum heat treatment, low-pressure carburizing, and gas nitriding services. The acquisition strengthens Bodycote’s regional capacity in the northeastern United States and reinforces its ability to support aerospace, defense, space, and industrial customers. The deal expands Bodycote’s

Heat treatment simulation can be a tool for optimization of heat-treatment processes, but at the present this method is still limited. Therefore most HTS is based on rough simplifications of the process. Simplifications can involve the process, number of phases, transformation kinetics, continuums models instead of micro-mechanical models, etc. These simplifications also result in inaccuracies in the calculations. For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 16. R Schneider;

ECM USA, Pleasant Prairie, WI, announced the official launch of its new Mexican subsidiary, ECM Mexico, operating as MEXVAC ECM, S.A. DE C.V. This development marks a significant step in expanding ECM’s presence and service capabilities within the Mexican heat treatment industry. The ECM Mexico team is led by operations manager Juan Cruz and field service and PLC engineer José López, under the direction of Pierre-Loic Rousset and Dennis Beauchesne. The team will work closely