Quintus Technologies High Pressure Heat Treatment Advances Capabilities At Lake City Heat Treating

HIP with Uniform Rapid Quenching strengthens Indiana service provider’s offerings for aerospace and orthopedic industries

A Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) that combines high pressure with rapid quenching will advance the capabilities of heat treatment specialist Lake City Heat Treating (LCHT). Investment in the new press, from Sweden’s Quintus Technologies, enhances LCHT’s ability to meet demanding customer turnaround requirements by integrating the application of high pressure and heat treatment in a single system. The combined materials densification processes produce parts with improved fatigue and ductile properties to satisfy the critical performance parameters of the aerospace and medical device industries.

The QIH 122 URC model press is the third Quintus HIP to be included in LCHT’s production portfolio. The quenching capability, with controlled cooling rates up to 390°F (200°C) per minute, makes it the first of its kind to be installed in North America.

“Quintus HIPs are recognized as offering the best quality on the market,” says Jan Söderström, CEO of Quintus Technologies. “Our presses are the only systems that can combine traditional hot isostatic pressing with heat treatment in the same cycle, in a process known as High Pressure Heat Treatment. With high-speed quench rates approximating those of vacuum cooling, this innovation increases throughput and lowers costs.”

The new Quintus HIP has a capacity of 2,000 pounds (900 kg) per load, significantly larger than Lake City’s existing systems. Combined with the efficiencies of High Pressure Heat Treatment, the service provider can now offer its aerospace and medical customers shortened lead times while focusing on continued growth in production.

Lake City’s new HIP will be housed in a recently completed 6,000-sf addition to its Warsaw, Ind., facility. The system features a work zone of 26 inches (660 mm) in diameter and 68.9 inches (1,750 mm) in height; an operating temperature of 2552°F (1400°C); and pressure of 30,000 psi (2,070 bar). In addition to boosting productivity, the system saves time and space, lowers energy consumption, and reduces infrastructure needs. “Lake City has been using Quintus HIP systems for the last 25 years,” continues Mr. Söderström. “The company has been a pioneer in using combined HIP and heat treatment cycles to maximize material properties. With the new QIH 122 equipped with quenching capabilities, Lake City will have exceptional possibilities to continue to supply the medical implant and the aerospace industries with high quality parts.”