The heat treat industry is quickly moving away from paper chart records due to changes in heat treatment standards such as AMS 2750 and CQI9. This move to digital data capture is leading to a step-change in the amount of data captured in heat treatment facilities. The amount of data collected in manufacturing can range from a few gigabytes per day to multiple terabytes per day, depending on the size and complexity of the manufacturing operation. However, manufacturers typically use only 10-30% of the data collected due to the following reasons: Lack of data integration - data is collected by different systems in different formats, making it difficult to integrate and analyze; Data quality issues - data is often incomplete, inaccurate, and outdated, making it difficult to make sensible decisions; Limited data analysis capabilities - manufacturers often need more tools and expertise to analyze the data effectively; and Data overload - the growing volume of data generated can be overwhelming and makes it challenging to extract meaningful insights. This paper aims to help explain how to maximize data value in a heat treat operation, focusing on data integration, quality, and analysis capabilities.

This paper examines the latest developments in energy management in heat treatment with a specific focus on electrical heating and tighter integration between the power supply and furnace control to maximize energy efficiency. It also discusses the use of IGBT (insulated-gate bipolar transistor) and SCR (silicon-controlled rectifier) based power supplies as energy-efficient alternatives to variable reactance transformers (VRTs) for powering electric vacuum furnaces.

Millennials (generation Y and beyond) are more socially conscious, more impatient and highly value individuality. They are digital natives – born into the world where technology is ubiquitous. They have grown up with the world at their fingertips. In a short period, these digital natives will make up the majority of the workforce, and this means moving from an average workforce age of 50+ to a new guard of 20+ somethings who have vastly less experience and very different working practices. Bridging this gap will require digital tools to not only capture the knowledge of older workers before they retire but also make it available to the new generation in a way that supports their preference for digital work practices. As the crew changes, so must the Heat Treat plant. Industry 4.0 and IIoT practices are enabling an evolution of smart connected products and solutions to provide the right information in the right place at the right time. This paper will outline the drivers for connected products and solutions and will provide an overview of the digital tools being used today to enable the next generation of operators to become more productive.

Sustainable Heat Treatment requires getting the most from all the available assets in a Heat Treat operation. If run to breaking point, burn-out literally can occur in people and equipment. Making smarter choices by utilizing emerging Wearable technology and Next gen maintenance technology can help avoid this catastrophic situation and produce optimized returns through creating more productive people and equipment.