Vacuum Systems and Technologies

for Metallurgy and Heat Treatment

Know-How is our Business

ALD Vacuum Technologies supplies vacuum equipment and systems and offers
process services for thermal and thermo chemical treatment of metals in solid
and liquid form. Our expertise is vacuum process technology as well as know-
how in designing customized system solutions.

ALD’s reputation is based on application of its superb know-how and high

investment in research and development. Close cooperation and collaboration
with well-known manufacturers has strengthened our position as a supplier of
key technologies to major growth markets.

Vacuum Metallurgy

Vacuum metallurgy involves the design and supply of systems and processes
for treating metals in liquid form – particularly vacuum systems for the melting,
remelting and casting of metals and alloys, metals for solar cells, as well as
special coating equipment for turbine blades.

Vacuum Heat Treatment

Vacuum furnaces are used for the heat treatment of metals, such as tools,
transmissions, high precision parts for engines and fuel injection systems.
We also specialize in the sintering of high strength cemented carbides
and special oxides.
Vacuum Systems and Technologies ...

New Vacuum Processing Developments for

Metallurgy drive Future Technological Advances

Vacuum metallurgy is presently entering The use of these metalmaking processes High strength and reliability requirements
a new phase building on the experience in modern, efficiently functioning add to demanding applications in the
gained from continuously refining production systems reduces cost aviation industry, while high-purity
established processes and developing significantly. The recycling of waste products contribute to new developments
new process combinations. Secondary from the processing of costly materials in electronics and offshore energy
vacuum processes such as steel contributes to the cost-effectiveness of applications. Each and every technology
degassing and ladle metallurgy, melting these processes. has its pros and cons, partially
and remelting, as well as casting and overlapping each other in their techno-
metal-powder technology, have led Examples of the products that were economic potentials. Choosing the
to high quality metallurgical products derived from these technologies appropriate technology for these highly
tailored to meet the ever-increasing include highly alloyed special steels specialised tasks can only be solved by
demands imposed upon them. New and superalloys, refractory and reactive close cooperation between equipment
processes are being developed that will metals with ultrahigh purity and a fine supplier, producer and consumer. ALD
yield improved quality and efficiency grain structure, precision castings with is proud to master this challenge to the
as well as the opportunity to produce directional and single-crystal structures, benefit of its contractors, manufacturers
entirely new products. forgings in near net shape and high and customers.
purity powder for homogeneous, high
strength parts.

20 t ESR furnace capable of melting Double-door crucible VIGA SCU 400 / 800 Silicon melting and
under protective atmosphere atomization unit for high quality crystallization unit for PV grade ingot
metal powder production
... for Metallurgy and Heat Treatment

Hardening and Tempering, Brazing

Hardening is a metallurgical process used to increase the hardness of materials. Hardening of steels involves a controlled heating to
austenitizing temperature with subsequent quenching and tempering – with the aim to improve strength and ductility properties of the
material by influencing the microstructure. Brazing is a metal joining process where two different metal parts are joined together in a
furnace by melting a filler metal in a small gap between the parts. Vacuum brazing offers significant advantages as it is extremely clean
and produces flux-free braze joints of high integrity and strength.

Case Hardening Sintering Own & Operate

Vacuum carburizing processes are Sintering is a thermal process of making It is ALD’s strategy to offer a full service
used in the gear industry as well as parts from a powder material by heating package to its customers. ALD has
for producing fuel injection systems the material in a sintering furnace below developed customized heat treatment
to withstand high mechanical stress. its melting point. In the overpressure processes with its technologies, using
Following the highly efficient vacuum sintering process, the parts are firstly furnaces built by ALD. This enables
carburizing step, the parts are quenched dewaxed in vacuum or an protected customers to minimize the learning
with inert gases under high pressure. atmosphere before they are sintered curve and investment, keeping their part
This dry quenching method saves in vacuum. To further reduce porosity manufacturing operations updated with
subsequent cleaning steps and reduces Argon at a pressure of 60 to 100 bar the latest developments and technology.
distortion of the quenched parts and is introduced after the vacuum sintering ALD runs several heat treatment centres
therefore minimizes or eliminates to ensure the material quality of high- to process customer´s parts.
cost intensive hard machining. The performance hard metal tools and other
advantages of this new technology are sintered parts.
both environmentally friendly and enable
new manufacturing strategies which can
reduce manufacturing costs.

ModulTherm® furnace system for Over pressure sintering furnace type MonoTherm® furnaces in various
flexible mass production to vacuum VKPgr for up to 100 bar to sinter high designs for high flexible vacuum heat
case harden and heat treat a broad grade cemented carbide parts treatment and case hardening
variety of steels
Our Delivery Program

Vacuum Metallurgy

Primary Melting
Vacuum Induction Melting and casting (VIM/VID/VIDP)

Remelting
Electro Slag Remelting (ESR)
Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR)
Electron Beam melting (EB)

Casting and Coating

Vacuum Induction Melting – Investment Casting (VIM-IC)
Vacuum turbine blade coating (EB/PVD)

Photovoltaic
Solar silicon melting and Crystallization Unit (SCU)

Special Furnaces
Hot Isothermal Forging (HIF)
Vacuum Induction melting Gas Atomizer (VIGA)
Electrode Induction melting Gas Atomizer (EIGA)
Induction heated Quartz tube furnace (IWQ)
High vacuum resistance furnace (WI)

Vacuum Heat Treatment and Sintering

Vacuum Hardening, Tempering
Vacuum heat treatment of tool steels and other metals in vertical
and horizontal batch furnaces

Vacuum Case Hardening

Vacuum carburizing and high pressure gas quenching in
MonoTherm®, DualTherm®, ModulTherm® and SyncroTherm®
furnaces

Vacuum Sintering
Sintering in vacuum or under high pressure (HIP) up to 100 bar

Own & Operate

Service to customers with selected technologies to process

customer’s parts in own subsidaries

Nuclear Activities

Furnaces, engineering, services and process technologies

provided by our subsidiary FNAG Furnaces Nuclear Applications
Grenoble
ALD Vacuum Technologies Worldwide

ALD Vacuum Technologies in Hanau, Germany, is the leading global supplier of

process technologies, furnaces and services in the field of vacuum metallurgy and
vacuum heat treatment. With subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, the UK, Russia, China,
India, Mexico, France, Singapore and more than 70 representative offices, ALD is
a world-wide supplier to industries e.g. power generation, environment, aviation,
photovoltaic and automotive suppliers.

ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH is represented worldwide.

You find our nearest representative office at www.ald-vt.de

ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH

Member of Wilhelm Rohn Strasse 35 · 63450 Hanau · Germany

Fon +49 6181 307-0 · Fax +49 6181 307-3290
E-mail info@ald-vt.de · Internet www.ald-vt.de