With recent advances in technology, the vacuum furnace purchaser faces an array of new considerations when buying furnace equipment. Innovations in hot zone materials, control packages and quenching systems can offer many operating and performance improvements, but can also affect the price of the equipment.

Many companies that outsource vacuum heat treating must eventually decide if they would be better served by setting up this capability in-house. Establishing a new heat treating capability requires a significant capital investment in furnace equipment.  However, there are other costs and issues that should be considered when assessing the business case for such a project.  VAC AERO has prepared a few brief guidelines to assist customers who are not well-experienced in heat treating but are assessing the need to establish a heat treating capability. (Download PDF of this article)