Press Releases
View the most recent ECM USA vacuum furnace systems press releases and company news below! For further inquiries into ECM USA archived press releases or news, please contact marketing@ecm-usa.com.
3rd Integrated Robotics Vacuum Furnace System by ECM for Increasing Heat Treat Automation Demands
June 5, 2023 - ECM USA has partnered with prominent global manufacturer, SEW-EURODRIVE, to commission a modular NANO vacuum furnace system completely integrated with advanced automation for their Lyman, South Carolina facility. It is the third ECM NANO system with integrated robotics and advanced capabilities for the US heat treat market within the last two years. The system was specifically designed to run multiple materials (including carburized grades and tool steels) and has the modular flexibility to adapt to an increase in production for various load scenarios and processes. SEW-EURODRIVE MOVITRANS® (SEW-EURODRIVE’s patented inductive energy power transfer supply system) will also be incorporated within ECM’s vacuum furnace transfer system.
AddUp Partners with the ECM Group to Offer Post Additive Manufacturing Heat Treat Solutions
July 11, 2022 - AddUp, a major player in the field of metal additive manufacturing and the ECM Group, creator of innovative thermal solutions, have signed a partnership to develop high value-added solutions for the thermal treatment of 3D printed metal parts. The ECM Group and AddUp will create and develop solutions that will help current and prospective customers reduce their manufacturing costs and lead times, while improving the performance of their parts produced using additive
technology. The two groups will work jointly on a development program to define the appropriate specifications for a heat treatment solution adapted to additive manufacturing applications. Next, the ECM Group will design and industrialize a suitable vacuum furnace system according to the specifications defined during this
joint development program.
ECM Nano Lands in North American Aerospace Market
November 8, 2021 – ECM USA Director of Sales, Bill Gornicki, announces the purchase of a NANO system for deployment into the North American aerospace manufacturing market. The NANO flexibility provides a variety of processes including LPC (Low Pressure Carburizing), hardening, brazing and annealing. ECM’s advanced automation capabilities also integrate the NANO with cryogenics, tempering and pre-washing. As more aerospace manufacturers migrate to streamlined manufacturing techniques, the value rises for predictive production with defined takt time. This system is equipped with 3 treatment cells (upgradable to 6) for multi-process operation, all within the same vacuum chamber. The multi-process zones share a common high pressure gas quenching chamber rated up to 20 bar absolute pressure. The consistency of automation and unmanned operation integrate hybrid pre-cleaning capabilities. As per aerospace requirements, all system controls are designed and manufactured to UL requirements.
ECM Excels in Semiconductor Market for Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP/RTA)
October 25, 2021 – ECM’s product expansion with research & development and laboratory furnace systems, brand name JIPELEC, has proven highly successful within the academic and semiconductor industries. With the recent increased interest in US semiconductor research and manufacturing, ECM is excited to announce a strong bi-monthly sales order pattern for 2021. These smaller-scale system processes range from rapid thermal processing (RTP), annealing (RTA), oxidation (RTO), nitridation (RTN), diffusion (RTD) to sulfurization, selenization and crystallization. Of the several orders placed so far in 2021, the bench-top JIPELEC JetFirst 100-200 product line leads the way as a cold-wall, single-wafer RTP furnace for process engineering and qualification utilizing atmospheric or vacuum thermal treatment.
Mercury Marine Advances Heat Treating Processes with ECM Technologies Vacuum Furnace Systems with Advanced Automation
August 30, 2021 – Mercury Marine of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, recently launched a plan to upgrade its heat-treating capabilities with a move to the low-pressure carburization and high-pressure gas quench system. Partnering with ECM Technologies, the new plan incorporates completely automated Nano vacuum heat treating systems. The innovative Nano system incorporates 20 bar nitrogen gas quenching along with Low Pressure Carburizing (aka vacuum carburizing). The Nano, with its versatile configuration, will operate several different carburizing, hardening, and spheroidizing processes simultaneously. This change marks a departure from Mercury’s traditional atmospheric carburization and oil quench system while benefiting from advantages that come with vacuum processing.
ECM Eco System: Green Business Award Recipient
May 3, 2021 - At the Beijing Shaping Tomorrow Gala (annual dinner for the French and Chinese business community), CCI FRANCE CHINE Green Business acknowledged outstanding businesses for their deep commitments to environmental sustainability, from reducing water waste to improving atmospheric conditions. ECM was recognized as one of the companies who is leading the way towards a better, brighter, greener future. ECM's ECO Furnace was presented the Green Business Award for accomplishing a cleaner, safer, and more efficient operation in the heat treat industry; more specifically the environment benefits from a low carbon footprint (energy consumption is minimal and CO2 emissions are near 80% less).
The future of heat treat is looking quite eco-friendly (specifically in the automotive industry), as recently announced during the 2021 Virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, the United States plans on reducing CO2 emissions approximately 50-52 percent by 2030. Comparably, the France Recovery Plan has designated ecological transition as top priority...
ECM USA Announces the Official Addition of Gordon Banish for the Crystal Growth Market (Cyberstar)
April 8, 2021 – ECM USA is pleased to announce the addition of Gordon Banish, Technical Sales Engineer for the North, Central and South American thermal process markets. Gordon Banish joins ECM USA with a highly skilled background in various induction/resistive equipment systems & heat treat applications, such as large ferrous & non-ferrous alloy melting equipment. Working primarily as a National/Global Sales Manager in Crystal Growth Furnaces (including PV/Solar) with various global companies for 20 years, including Cyberstar since 2004, his experience also expands into the automotive industry with automation systems for custom-designed tooling with induction & heat transfer applications. He is a graduate of Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Gordon will primarily be working with ECM’s Cyberstar division...
Juan Cruz joins the ECM USA Team as Senior Project Manager in Mexico
March 16, 2021 - Many in the heat treat community may recognize one of the newer faces to join the ECM USA Team – Juan Cruz, of Saltillo Coahuila Mexico! With a Mechatronics Engineering degree from the Technologic Institute of Saltillo ITS and Master Degree MBA from the Northeast Autonomous University UANE, Juan has more than 10 years of experience in the Heat Treat industry. His industry experience is anything short of impressive with previous leading roles in maintenance, sales and service in the USA, and senior management in Mexico. With international vacuum furnace experience in supporting many projects for the Heat Treat Industry, his extremely efficient focus is and always will be on continuous improvement. In his role as ECM USA’s Senior Project Manager to Mexico, Juan will be leading the Mexican market, projects and support for our customers. He will be located in Saltillo Coahuila which is in the north of Mexico.
ECM Group New Offer: ECM Lab Solutions, Furnaces Built for Laboratories
ECM Lab Solutions is a new offer from the ECM Group, dedicated to laboratories, research centers and universities. This offer combines equipment from three companies and four brands: ECM Technologies, ECM Greentech, SEMCO Technologies & Cyberstar. With more than 90 years of experience in manufacturing industrial equipment, this ECM Group offer highlights the diverse and flexible nature of ECM's technology and expertise by transitioning from heat treating steels and automotive applications to a wide range of research and specialty fields. With advanced technologies for crystal growth, vacuum heat treatment and chemical vapor deposition, ECM Lab Solutions offers reliable solutions for semiconductor, solar, medical and other mechanical applications.
New Year, New ECM Flex Multi-Chamber System Orders for LPC
February 22, 2021 - ECM’s dedication to providing captive and commercial heat treaters the best vacuum furnace solutions continues into 2021 with two multi-chamber system orders for Low Pressure Carburizing. After shipping more than 60 vacuum heating chambers in 2020 for existing and new heat treat applications, it’s clear that ECM’s commitment to customer satisfaction & application solutions continues to thrive into the New Year. Advanced automation technology, including robotics, and decades of experience are also proving to be a driving force behind this surge in activity including those applications outside the LPC-HPGQ sector, including, but not limited to: multiple tool steel processing systems, brazing applications, and Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) systems. With the automotive industry embracing revolutionary environmental policy and process changes, an automotive supplier of innovative driveline solutions recently invested in an ECM Flex system for vacuum carburizing...