RETROFIT: Improve, Update and Adapt

At ECM, our expertise and retrofit programs allow you to improve, update or adapt your furnace installation no matter what the brand is.

Increase process profitability by optimizing your installation. We maintain newer furnaces or older models - some with more than 45 years in production! This retrofit service conducted by ECM can be mechanical, electrical or both.

We strongly believe all of our customers will highly benefit from these improvements & updates. 

The hot zone is the heart of the heat treat process.

Its condition is key to a reliable & consistent heat treatment.

It is important to replace the hot zone when its condition begins to affect equipment performance, product quality, cycle reliability, and operator safety. Increased heat loss is mainly due to insulation degradation and will cause longer heating times, higher power consumption, and difficulty reaching set temperature. An aging hot zone will also cause accelerated heating element wear or damage which leads to temperature uniformity issues (temperature requirements no longer met).

Contaminated graphite insulation can also lead to vacuum performance problems, mechanical distortion, and excessive maintenance costs. Repairs at this stage may become more expensive than replacing the complete hot zone.

WHEN TO REPLACE A HOT ZONE

• Furnace takes longer to reach temperature
• Increased power consumption
• TUS failures
• Poor vacuum levels
• Product quality issues
• Visible cracks in insulation or insulation deterioration during inspection
• Frequent heating element failures

TRAINING

ECM USA offers a wide range of training for equipment provided to you in a complete, one source, turn-key heat treating solution. This service starts with training offered at our facility, or on-site at your production plant, to understand and learn how to operate our equipment and create recipes based on low pressure carburizing (carbonitriding, hardening, etc) treatment. At our Wisconsin facility, we also offer training based on metallurgical results from your heat treated parts. Testing can be completed in our on-site Synergy Center in order to compare your current process to the ECM LPC vacuum furnace.

On-site training capabilities:
- Operator training
- Electrical and mechanical maintenance
- Troubleshooting equipment software
- Sensor calibration
- TUS or leak detection

ROBOTICS

ECM Robotics is an ECM Group’s division that has the capacity to integrate and manage all kinds of robots for a wide range of applications. Its know how and services ensure the successful integration of robots in your production lines.

ECM Robotics innovates to offer the best experience for your project from its inception to its commissioning. To do so, the latest technology and innovations are involved. Virtual reality is used since the conception phase to “feel” the project since its premises, 3D printers are used to design prototypes (grippers) and 3D simulations are conducted to validate concepts and to simulate cycles.

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SYNERGY CENTER: Recipe Development and R&D Testing

ECM USA’s Synergy Center is an R&D laboratory located in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. It has been designed to solve all of your load testing needs! Bring your parts to ECM USA to test various low pressure vacuum carburizing, gas/oil quenching and loading scenarios – and receive on-site analysis of dimensional measurements and metallurgical results while you wait.

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