MetalTek International

United States

Heat Treatment - Expertise and facilities to give you the material properties you need.Combined with the technical expertise of our metallurgical staff, MetalTek's in-house metal heat treat capabilities are second-to-none. Our computer automated and controlled facilities lead the industry. Our many years of experience in austenitizing, quenching, tempering, annealing, and case hardening over hundreds of alloy grades help us meet your spec, or problem solve with you to deliver the higher properties that you need.

In the Continuous Casting process, molten metal is poured through a die of the desired outside profile. If an inner shape is also desired, the material may flow around a mandrel to create that profile. As the material flows through the water-cooled die, sufficient heat is extracted to solidify an outer shell. As it continues to solidify, the material can then be drawn by pull rolls. Continuous Casting speed based on the solidification rate is managed to allow the material to be sawed into bars, and may later be cut to a desired shorter length.

This refining process produces steel with low carbon properties (.01% or lower) and low silicon levels, which, in turn, creates a metal that has better weldability (can reduce weld electrode use by over 50%), and is more corrosion resistant, malleable, and heat resistant. AOD is increasingly used by the premier members of the foundry industry like MetalTek, to improve alloy performance. We control cost by capturing and reusing machine chips and can recycle raw materials with guaranteed high purity. Our AOD steel capability at multiple facilities supports MetalTek's standing as a leading master melt foundry. We routinely pour over 450 alloys, including many proprietary grades. Specify AOD in your specifications to significantly improve your alloys properties.

Centrifugal casting is a process that delivers castings of very high material soundness, and thus is the technology of choice for applications like jet engine compressor cases, petrochemical furnace tubes, many military products, and other high-reliability applications. In the centrifugal casting process, molten metal is poured into a spinning die. The die can be spinning either on a vertical or horizontal axis depending on the configuration of the desired part. Ring and cylinder type shapes are cast vertically; tubular shapes are made with the horizontal centrifugal process. Either process may be used to produce multiple parts from a single casting. External structures and shaping can be cast in place to significantly reduce post-processing including machining or fabrication.

High performance alloys like 718, 625, GTD222, and Rene77 may require the use of vacuum during casting.Vacuum is used when part detail and control of exposure to oxygen is critical. MetalTek can centrifugally cast parts in vacuum in sizes up to 18" x 42" (455 mm x 1, 070 mm) and pour weights up to 800 lbs. (364 kg).

A number of our facilities are independently audited and certified to Nadcap NDT and other standards. Instrumentation is fully calibrated to industry standards. On-site technicians are fully trained and certified Level II, and we have NDT certified Level III staff. If you need it, we do it: Multiple facilities for x-ray and film processingFluorescent penetrant inspectionLiquid penetrant inspectionMagnetic particle inspectionOn-line & off-line hydrostatic testingPositive material identificationLaser scanning for dimensional compliance inspectionCMM

Sand casting as a technology has been around for millennia, and is selected as a preferred method to produce shaped parts that weigh less than a pound, to very large parts. The process is versatile and cost effective, even for low volume runs because of tooling cost. Nearly any part configuration that can be made using another casting process can be reduced to a pattern and created as a sand casting.

Near-Net Shaped Centrifugals combine the cost advantages of a product that has desired profiles cast in with the metallurgical and thru-wall structural integrity that only the centrifugal process delivers. Net-shaping can be readily added to centrifugally cast components through the use of sand or ceramic split dies. True net-shaping at investment casting levels of O.D. detail can be added by employing MetalTeks proprietary net shaping technology and special tooling. Either net shaping or near-net shaping can very dramatically reduce post processing costs while delivering the advantages of centrifugal casting.

As an alternative to traditional sand casting processes, MetalTek employs proprietary HPLT casting technologies. The technology is suitable for shaped parts, including those with internal structures. The HPLT Casting ProcessSimilar to traditional sand castings in up-front tooling and concept, sand with a bonding material is packed around a pattern of the desired part to create a mold. The pattern is removed leaving a cavity in the mold. Using HPLT process technology, metal is introduced to the mold in a way that minimizes turbulence. This low turbulence helps prevent inclusions and other casting defects that can develop using traditional casting processes. After solidification, the sand is broken away, gates and risers are removed, and the finished part remains.

Investment castings are typically selected because they can be produced with fine detail, excellent "as-cast" surface finish, shape into internal or external features, thin walls, and internal passageways to get to a near-net shape. This often leads to significant customer cost savings in material, labor and machining.

Air contains elements that can cause undesirable results, such as discoloration, scale, or contamination, during the heat treating process. By heating treating the metal in a vacuum, these reactive elements are removed from heat treating chamber and heated to the appropriate temperature to achieve desired properties. As in the case with traditional heat treating, the metal is quickly cooled to below 400 degrees but in the case of vacuum heat treating, an inert gas such as Argon in used.