Programme

Without lasers, there would be no additive manufacturing of metal parts. Both PBF (powder bed fusion) and DED (direct energy deposition) methods use a laser beam to sinter the metal powder. This paper discusses the thermal effects on the material during the formation of individual layers and printing of tool steels. Attention is paid to the printing
strategy as well as the influence of the subsequent heat treatment on the resulting properties, which are correlated with the properties those of commonly used.

In recent years, advancements in laser hardening have increasingly focused on wide-area surface processing for components with complex shapes and larger dimensions. Initial applications are emerging with laser power levels exceeding 20 kW. A key challenge in laser heat treatment lies in producing uniform temperature fields across surfaces that feature curves, edges, boreholes, and varying wall thicknesses. Various strategies are being explored to adapt and optimize the laser beam profile, which significantly influences the resulting temperature distribution.

Dynamic beam shaping with scanning technology has emerged as an effective method for tailoring temperature fields to specific applications. Research has investigated three different approaches to precisely control localized heat input, utilizing computer simulations supported by experimental studies. Here the accurate temperature measurement is crucial for effective temperature field control, typically achieved through camera-based systems and photodiode sensor technology. From the perspective of increasing demands for spatial resolution and rapid response times in modern laser heat treatment applications, the specific characteristics and common measurement errors related to temperature sensing are evaluated through selected case studies.

Looking ahead, the dynamic laser beam shaping with high-speed scanning technology combined with real-time temperature field control presents a promising alternative to conventional solutions in surface heat treatment. This innovative approach could enhance the efficiency and precision of heat treatment processes, especially for components requiring stringent material properties. The ongoing research in this area indicates exciting future prospects for laser hardening, with potential applications across various industries that demand high-performance components.

Hard coatings provide excellent properties in terms of wear and corrosion protection. However, on soft substrates such as aluminum alloys, there is insufficient support for such coatings, necessitating an additional surface treatment. By utilizing surface remelting and alloying or cladding of aluminum alloys, the wear resistance, corrosion protection, and support for hard coatings can be improved. A key factor for the success of surface alloying is the uniform distribution of the added alloying elements. Therefore, the focus was initially put on homogenizing the element distribution in wire-based cladding using the capabilities of electron beam (EB) technologies.

A CuAl8 wire was applied using both front and back wire feeding techniques with different oscillation patterns. The distribution of alloying elements was characterized using backscattered electron images and energy-dispersive X-ray mappings in a scanning electron microscope as well as hardness mappings. It was shown that the oscillation patterns significantly influence the width and penetration depth of the deposited layers due to the differing intensity distributions of the EB. Compared to the cladding with front feeding, the samples produced with back feeding exhibited deeper penetration. The cladded beads with back feeding showed a very heterogenous distribution of alloying elements. In contrast, front feeding resulted in a more homogeneous distribution.

Thus, the choice of the oscillation pattern combined with the wire feeding direction strongly influences the distribution of alloying elements.

Mid of 2023, the European Union Council announced an agreement to ban the sale of new thermal cars from 2035 in its member countries [1]. Following recent debates during the campaign for the European elections in June 2024 [2], clarifications have been provided. The president of the commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, has assured that this ambition will be maintained. She will not change the objective of 100% zero-emission new cars by 2035, even if synthetic fuels will apparently be authorized.

In this context of energy transition, the future of fossil fuels is almost definitively sealed in Europe. This is why for several years now, car manufacturers, encouraged by states, have developed alternative solutions, including electric vehicles. However, in the current state of technology, electric solutions have drawbacks, particularly in terms of autonomy, charging time and power. These current technical limitations mean that this technology can’t positively meet all of our mobility needs, particularly for buses, trucks, construction machinery, tractors, trains, etc... A possible alternative could be hydrogen, whether used in HFC (Hydrogen Fuel Cells) or in H-ICE (Hydrogen Combustion Engines).

Present work will be focus on standard construction steel grade that could be used in future hydrogen solutions, for example for hydrogen storage tanks or for parts of the hydrogen combustion engine. The potential will be evaluated at different levels of mechanical characteristics according to their sensitivity to hydrogen after electrolytic charging. Links between the behaviour face to the Hydrogen Embrittlement and different microstructural parameters, like dislocation density, apparent diffusion coefficient and trapping energy will be in particular presented and discussed. Understanding the role of these parameters should allow us to better design future steel grades to have low HE.

Reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental impact, and the availability and sustainable use of raw materials have become top priorities for large energy-consuming industrial sectors such as industrial furnaces and kilns. However, this opens up opportunities for new innovations and changes the payback period for already existing alternative technologies.

Vacuum heat treatment with high-pressure gas quenching is a proven process for heat treating primarily high-alloy tool steels. By increasing the quenching pressure up to 20 bar and using either helium or hydrogen as the quenching medium, this process can also be applied to the heat treatment of case hardening steels and lower alloy steels. However, primarily for economic reasons, its use was largely limited to nitrogen, and the use of hydrogen was often not pursued. Nevertheless, changes in the environmental policy framework now offer new opportunities, which will be discussed in more detail in this contribution. In addition, the aspect of gas mixtures should also be mentioned. Only a few papers discuss the effects of a modified quenching rate – with slow cooling in the MS temperature region – on the fatigue strength of carburized and gas-hardened low-pressure steels and its effect on the fatigue strength. This aspect should also be addressed here as there may be additional potential.

However, the limitations of high-pressure gas quenching are also demonstrated by the example of austempering. Compared to martensite, the main advantages of bainitic structures are increased toughness and compressive stresses at the surface of the heat treated parts. In addition, the distortion is usually lower due to lower thermal and phase transformation stresses. Initial work has been done in the area of high-pressure gas quenching for this application, but standard salt bath quenching dominates due to its significant advantages.

Carburizing-quenching is a thermochemical surface treatment aimed at hardeningthe surface of steels, making them more resistant to friction, wear and corrosion. It consists in the diffusion of carbon atoms at high temperature, followed by a rapid cooling to induce a phase transformation from austenite to martensite. The overall objective of this work is to develop a strongly coupled Finite Element model for the simulation of the complete carburizing-quenching process on Abaqus software and User subroutines.

Heat transfer and stress-assisted diffusion of carbon atoms are modeled. Thermal expansion and carbon-related volumetric expansion are considered. Finally, the martensitic transformation induced by temperature evolution and carbon concentration is introduced, adding expansion strain and transformation plasticity. The residual martensite and austenite contents, as well as the evolution of internal stresses, are predicted as a function of the distance from the sample surface.

Today, most of the heat treatment simulations are performed using heat transfer coefficients. This technique implies to identify these coefficients in the first place. To do that, representative geometries used to be instrumented and thermal coefficients were identified using the inverse method. In the future, we seek to use improved thermal flux at the interfaces of the parts and limit new instrumentations. In this context, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation is currently under maturity review. This work focuses on air quenching applied on nickel based alloy parts. Laboratory experiments were performed on an instrumented crescent disk using an air quenching chamber. Two different configurations were tested: a crescent was positioned directly under the nozzles blowing cool air and another was placed in the center of the chamber between the nozzles. CFD simulation was then performed for both configurations. Experimental and simulation results were compared and showed good results. An application on an industrial part being air quenched is also currently under investigation.

This study focuses on optimizing the gas distribution and propagation in a sintering furnace to improve the process efficiency and product conformity. Indeed, ensuring a homogeneous and controlled air flow in the furnace is essential to achieve a uniform thermal treatment quality for all the workpieces. The main goal was to understand the airflow behavior near the components being processed to analyze their interactions with the surrounding air. During the heating and debinding stages of a full batch of components, certain parts were found to be non-conforming, making it necessary to further investigate the furnace dynamics.
Using qobeo® software, we conducted a numerical simulation to analyze gas flow and heat distribution. The simulation allowed us to detect and identify critical zones where airflow irregularities occurred. These zones correspond to racks where non-compliant parts were observed. This analysis provided valuable insights into the airflow behavior and patterns and allowed us to pinpoint areas requiring optimization.
Based on these findings, a targeted solution was proposed: the addition of strips to one of the edges of each rack. Before implementation in the actual furnace, this modification was also simulated using the qobeo® software to assess its effectiveness. The results confirmed that the addition of strips leads to more uniform gas circulation between the shelves. After its implementation, the modification of the racks showed significant improvements in the furnace performance reducing the occurrence of non-compliant parts. The overall product quality was enhanced.
This work shows the value of numerical simulation in diagnosing industrial challenges and validating a proposed solution. The findings presented highlight the potential of this methodology and the use of numerical tools such as qobeo® to improve manufacturing efficiency and product quality in industrial settings.

In order to ensure the steel suitability for specific usages, many customers of steel companies define constraints and/or target values of its hardenability profile, an experimental curve obtained through a codified test, which is frequently used to the capability of steel to improve its hardness through heat treatment. The problem, therefore, arises to determine or design the most appropriate steel grade to meet a given target hardenability profile, and the solution might not be unique. Moreover, while customers’ requirements are becoming increasingly challenging, the steel sector is pressurized by ever more stringent environmental regulations and relevant costs of ferroalloys. Therefore, in the design of a steel grade, it is important to consider not only the end-user’s constraints but also other factors, such as cost, availability and environmental impact of micro-alloying elements.

The paper presents an optimization approach based on evolutionary computation, which exploits a model using a particular type of artificial neural network named autoencoder to estimate the hardenability profile of a steel from its chemical composition. The proposed can be customized to the production range and targets of any steel company, in terms of both datasets exploited for internal model training, and optimization targets. The flexible formulation of the objective function of the optimization problem allows jointly considering several objectives by weighing them based on their importance for the company’s strategy.

The modelling of industrial furnace behaviour is critical for optimizing heat treatment processes, improving energy efficiency, and ensuring precise temperature control in parts for metallurgical purposes. The current work proposes a method based on Finite Element (FEM) simulations to predict thermal kinetics of heavy parts in industrial furnaces. A major outcome of this study is the great importance of considering heat transfers by radiation.

Two practical cases are addressed using a methane combustion furnace. First, the thermal evolution of a heavy ingot (33CrMoV12-9 steel) is investigated. The second case introduces a more complex scenario involving two billets of different materials (nickel-based alloy and X25CrMn steel) to study reciprocal radiative heat transfers between initial cold parts, in addition to the energy provided from furnace burners, walls, atmosphere or smokes.

The study reveals how mutual radiative effects influence temperature gradients and heating uniformity. It strongly depends on accurate knowledge of the furnace’s properties, such as heat power distribution, temperature regulation and last but not least physical properties of the insulating material inside.

This work demonstrates the capability of FEM modelling to accurately predict the thermal behaviour of parts in industrial furnaces. In both cases, the dominance of radiative heat transfer was evident, emphasizing the need for detailed radiation modelling to achieve reliable industrial predictions. Furthermore, the second study illustrated the sensitivity of thermal evolutions to part positioning, surface properties and the concomitant presence of multiple parts, providing valuable insights for optimizing furnace operations.

Evaluation of layers after thermochemical treatment is typically associated with the preparation of metallographic cross-sections and destructive testing. In cases where nitrocarburizing or carburizing processes are carried out in batches of hundreds to thousands of parts, destructive testing is challenging and requires a large number of samples. Moreover, if a process failure occurs and there is suspicion that some parts do not meet specifications, the costs of scrapping can be significant.

This contribution focuses on a non-destructive testing and batch sorting method using the Magnatest device, which can significantly facilitate handling of suspect batches and minimize costs related to non-conforming parts. Additionally, this methodology can serve as a valuable complement for verifying test batches during production ramp-up.

The application of Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) in the domain of steel research, heat treatment and inspection of structural components by non-destructive testing (NDT) facilitates the characterization of the phase composition of steels. This technique can be used to analyze whole machine components, their surfaces, sections and cuttings, which are usually prepared for metallographic analysis. The method is useful in industry for research and development, input and output quality control, etc. The present article principally concerns itself with the presentation of the use of MS in practice on selected retained austenite (RA) evaluation tasks.

Due to the increasing demand to save CO2, air-hardening forging steels, which achieve their mechanical properties during cooling from the forging heat without further heat treatment, are interesting alternatives to conventional quenching and tempering steels. For the design of such steels a precise knowledge of the continuous cooling transformation behavior and factors influencing toughness are crucial. Therefore, a new manganese alloyed steel was produced by a semi-industrial vertical continuous casting process following hot rolling. Subsequently, the effect of the heat treatment parameters on strength, toughness and microstructure was investigated. In addition, the content of segregated elements at the austenite grain boundary was measured using auger electron spectroscopy (AES). From the heat treatment experiments can be concluded that surprisingly an increase of the austenitisation temperature leads, despite the higher grain size, to better toughness values after fast cooling. Decreasing the cooling rate has no significant influence on strength and hardness but reduces toughness. Interestingly there is only a small influence of the austenitisation temperature on toughness at lower cooling rates. As the microstructure at the lower cooling rate is still predominantly martensitic, this behavior cannot simply be explained by a different microstructure. However, the steel contains, beside rather high amounts of manganese and silicon, also small amounts of phosphorous. Phosphorus is not only a dominant factor for temper embrittlement but also tends to segregate to austenite grain boundaries at lower austenitisation temperatures or during slow cooling from higher austenitisation temperatures at higher manganese contents. This reduces grain boundary cohesion, which is very detrimental to the toughness. This phenomenon was validated by AES measurements on the fracture surfaces. Therefore, such new air hardening forging steels reach high strengths even at low cooling rates, however toughness is very sensitive to cooling rate and austenitisation temperature due to phosphorus segregation in austenite.

Keywords: electrodeposition, trivalent hard chromium, metallurgy, heat treatment.

This work focusses on the morphological and microstructural evolution of chromium deposits from a new trivalent inorganic electrolyte “IneoChrome” as a function of plating parameters, namely bath temperature and current density. Over a wide range of these parameters, two distinct phases are observed: the classical bcc α-Cr phase usually reported for electrodeposited chromium, and another phase which was identified as δ-Cr phase from the A-15 type structure. The formation of this δ-Cr metastable phase has never been reported for electrodeposited chromium deposits in the literature to our knowledge, and it seems to be related to the IneoChrome process. This δ-Cr phase seems to be favoured by the incorporation of light elements. Varying plating parameters, it is possible to modulate the properties of the deposits (crystal structure, morphology, chemical composition) to obtain the desired functional properties (hardness, anti-corrosion).

HEESS is the global leader in development, engineering and production of hardening machines as well as their integration into the heat treatment process.

Throughout the world, well-known automotive- and gearbox-manufacturer are operating with HEESS quenching presses to achieve better quality of their workpieces by reducing distortion caused during the hardening process. This achieves substantial cost reductions by avoiding scrap, reduction of rework and shorter carbonization periods.

The presentation will show the point of view from a fixture hardening machine supplier and with which technology at the heat treatment one can influence the roundness and flatness.

The working principle of fixture hardening is to flow cooling medium around each workpiece in a controlled and  reproduceable manner and at the same time to keep it in shape by applying external forces. This has been proven to significantly reduce distortion caused by heat treatment. By treating individual parts and automating the process, a high level of reproducibility and dimensional stability are achieved. This means that rework costs for grinding processes, for example, can be minimized or partially saved and scrap rates can be significantly reduced. The cost savings are also visible in advance. Less post-processing means a reduction in grinding material and thus also the hardening depth. This means that oven carburizing times, which often last several days for these workpieces, can be drastically shortened. These energy savings cannot be ignored not only in terms of costs, but also in terms of the environment.

In the lecture, a corresponding machine and tool concept will be presented and practical experiences will be reported including an outlook on new developments and innovations.

Solutions and new processes are continually being developed to produce components that demonstrate both high strength and remarkable ductility. This paper focuses on medium manganese steel with a composition of 0.2% carbon, 3% manganese, and 2.15% alumi-num (by weight percent). The steel sheets are shaped using a press tool, followed by an-nealing of the formed omega profiles to enhance the ductility of the resulting components. Prior to the experiment, the anticipated values included a tensile strength (UTS) of ap-proximately 1100 MPa and ductility within the range of 30-35%. A key objective was to achieve a microstructure that incorporates residual austenite. The experimental parame-ters were carefully derived from an extensive exploration aimed at identifying potential weaknesses in the experiment. The main parameters selected were the intercritical an-nealing (IA) temperature and IA dwell time. The results revealed that the highest recorded UTS was 1262±6 MPa, while the maximum elongation achieved was 16±1%.

The production of structural parts for the automotive and aerospace industries faces significant challenges, including risks of thinning and cracking, uneven cooling, and limited suitability for certain heat-treatable aluminum alloys. Process instability, high production costs, and the need for multi-step forming requirements further complicate industrial application.

A novel spiking heat-treatment process is applied to automotive aluminum sheets made of AA6016 and AA7075 alloys. Controlled temperatures between 150°C and 250°C for less than 120 seconds improve formability and toughness. Additionally, a 25-minute paint baking heat treatment at 185°C further enhances the material properties. These processes improve deep-drawing characteristics and increase part strength and its variability over the whole part, while remaining compatible with cold forming tools.

For aerospace aluminum sheet made of AA2024, the spiking heat-treatment process is optimized at temperatures between 175°C and 250°C for less than 300 seconds. Pre-aging at 90°C to 130°C for up to 5 hours improves sheet stabilization, enhancing toughness and stretch formability by increasing the Rm/Rp0.2 ratio. The easy integration of the spiking heat-treatment process into a CASH line enables continuous production of sheets with consistent quality for fuselage applications.

H11 medium-carbon hot work tool steel was printed using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and subjected to various heat treatment regimes to relieve internal stress and enhance mechanical properties. For comparison, the same heat treatments were applied to conventionally produced H11 steel (cold-rolled and annealed). Microstructural analysis, tensile testing, and HV 10 hardness measurements were performed on both materials. The conventionally produced steel initially exhibited low strength (600 MPa) but high ductility (41%), whereas the as-printed 3D steel had a much higher tensile strength (over 1500 MPa) but significantly lower ductility (5%). After heat treatment, conventional steel consistently achieved superior strength and ductility compared to its additively manufactured counterpart. By applying hardening followed by two-step tempering at 550°C, the 3D-printed steel reached a tensile strength of 2030 MPa with 4% elongation, while conventionally produced steel attained 2100 MPa strength and 14% ductility under the same conditions. The structure of both steels became almost identical when the temperature and heat treatment time increased.

Sheets of experimental high carbon low-density steels (LDS) with a thickness of 1.7 mm were processed in a combined tool designed for press-hardening. Press-hardening, also known as hot stamping or hot press forming, is a manufacturing process used to create car body parts with exceptional mechanical properties and safety standards. These components often require tailored properties, meaning different mechanical characteristics in various parts of the compo-nent. LDS have a lower specific density than conventional steels, so their use would be particu-larly suitable in automotive applications. Combined tools are employed to achieve distinct me-chanical properties within a single part through thermomechanical processing. This results in the final part shape and simultaneous heat treatment, leading to high strength in one area of the sheet metal and high plasticity (ductility) in another. The hardened part provides collision strength, while the more ductile part absorbs kinetic energy and converts it into deformation energy. Three different high carbon LDS with differences in chemical composition were subject-ed to this experiment and the hardness, microstructure and mechanical properties for the two areas of each sheet were evaluated. The aim is to determine their suitability for processing by press-hardening and to try to achieve tailored properties (i.e. differences in ductility and strength across one part) as in a typical representative of 22MnB5 boron steel, where a strength limit of 1500 MPa at 5% ductility is achieved in the cooled part and 600 MPa at 15% in the heated part. Tailored properties were also achieved in LDS but with only relatively small differences between the two tool areas. The omega profiles were produced by press-hardening without any defects and it was possible to process the steels in the mentioned process without any difficul-ties.

Mechanical alloying is a processing technique that enables the production of fine-grained and homogeneous alloys, even from elements that cannot be combined using conventional casting methods. The process involves high-energy milling of powder mixtures, during which repeated plastic deformation, fragmentation, and cold welding of particles occur. This method has found applications in the development of nanocrystalline and amorphous materials, high-entropy alloys, and biomedical materials.

One of the critical factors in mechanical alloying is the temperature generated during the milling process. While several theoretical studies have attempted to estimate these temperatures, experimental investigations have mainly focused on measuring the temperature of the milling container, grinding media, or reference capsules. However, local temperatures of the milled material itself remain a key area of interest, particularly for understanding the formation of intermetallic phases.

This work explores the possibility of assessing the temperatures reached during mechanical alloying by examining the decomposition of selected inorganic salts. The salts are milled under specific conditions, and their final composition is analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, the influence of metallic elements on the alloying process is investigated, including tribological tests to evaluate their effect.

Keywords: mechanical alloying, mechanical milling, local temperatures

It is known that the addition of boron and annealing treatment could enhance the hardness of Ni-based deposits. However, the mechanism at the microstructure level requires further investigation. In this study, Ni-B deposits were electroplated onto a medium-carbon steel rod using Watts baths containing trimethylamine borane (TMAB) and saccharin. Subsequently, the Ni-B deposits were annealed at temperatures of 200, 300, 400, and 500°C for a duration of 30 minutes. All samples were then stored at room temperature for up to 300 days to observe potential self-annealing effects. The hardness of the prepared Ni-B deposits was evaluated, and their microstructures were examined using a transmission electron microscope. The experimental results demonstrated that the highest deposit hardness was achieved at 400°C, but it was significantly decreased when the annealing temperature was raised to 500°C. Based on electron-diffraction patterns, the hardening mechanism of the annealed Ni-B deposits was primarily attributed to the precipitation of NiB particles. However, it was found that after annealing at 500°C, the NiB precipitates grew from a few nanometers to approximately 100~200 nm. This abnormal grain growth through the merging with nearby nanosized grains was observed, leading to a loss of hardness. Additionally, the evidence of self-annealing through abnormal grain growth was found in both the as-plated and annealed Ni-B deposits stored at room temperarure. The relationship of mechanical properties and microstructure for the Ni-B deposits has been investigated in the report.

Surface hardening processes enable the production of workpieces with a hard and wear resistant surface and a tough core. Induction hardening is a well-established method for surface hardening and used for a vast variety of metal parts from different industries. Often, the treated parts are rather small with a specified surface hardening depth of a few millimetres. Special challenges arise when dealing with exceptionally large pieces of several tons and an extended hardening depth of about an order of magnitude higher. Here, choosing the right frequency and likewise the proper converter technology is crucial.

This report shows as an example the inductive hardening of large rolls used in cold rolling mills. It explains how a large surface hardening depth of several centimetres can be reached, employing specially adapted converter technology.

Key words: inductive hardening, roll hardening, large surface hardening depth, converter technology, IGBT converter

guide tour from Kaiserstein Palace to restaurant Cerveny Jelen

Restaurant Červený Jelen

R&D - Massimo Pellizzari, AIM / IFHTSE, Italy ,  Masahiro Okumiya, JSHT / IFHTSE, Japan

Heat Treatment Companies - Thomas  Waldenmaier, AWT / Bosch, Germany  ,   Yoichi Watanabe, JSHT, Japan

 Steel Industry - Francesca Maurigh, AIM / Acciaierie Bertoli Safau, Italy

 Car Manufacturers  - Martin Hrdlička, Škoda Auto, Czech Republic        

Ambitious climate targets and social responsibility drive the industry to reduce their CO2-emissions and to become climate-neutral by 2050 in Europe. Achieving this target without a big impact on the bottom line can only happen through a sum of small steps. This could mean starting with improving the efficiency of the heat treatment process, either through reducing the raw materials input or less energy consumption, to finally replacing the carbon-intense fuels with renewable energy sources in the production.

Nowadays, heat treatment processes such as annealing and sintering are conducted in nitrogen and hydrogen atmospheres. In most cases, those treatments aim to enhance the properties of treated materials. Despite that, heat treaters still heavily rely on fixed gas blends and an empirical approach to adjust the process set points. Lack of process monitoring makes detecting quality variations possible only after the heat treatment operation is completed, and finding the cause becomes a difficult and lengthy process.

The time has finally come to forfeit the “worst-case scenario” approach to process and atmosphere settings and focus on improving the operation efficiency, reducing process waste, and lowering part’s CO2-footprint. The clear answer to current industry challenges and improving furnace operation lies in deploying digital tools such as cloud-based data analytics and machine learning. Collecting the production data, monitoring deviations of operation parameters, and identifying links between process values and part quality enable identifying the optimum settings faster and make them specific to the part type or material rather than “one-fits-all” solution.

This paper describes how Air Products supports the industry through multiple platforms along every step of the way towards sustainable manufacturing. Beginning with a cloud-based process optimization platform to building a resilient supply chain of renewable fuels such as hydrogen to complete the journey of industrial decarbonization.

The process heat in industrial sector remains one of the largest consumers of energy globally, with heat treatment operations representing a particularly thermal-energy-intensive segment. In Europe, industrial heat treatment processes generate an estimated 100 TWh/year of waste heat within the 60–100 °C temperature range, suitable as a heat source for high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) applications. Despite this significant potential, much of this heat remains unused, leading to inefficiencies and excessive reliance on fossil fuels. As energy costs rise and decarbonization efforts accelerate, HTHPs and waste heat recovery technologies emerge as viable solutions for improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in metal heat treatment plants.

This presentation examines the potential future role of HTHPs in industrial heat treatment, with a specific focus on the energy landscape in the Czech Republic and projected developments over the next years. The thermodynamic principles, technical feasibility, and economic considerations of integrating HTHPs into existing heat treatment processes are discussed, supported by case studies demonstrating successful implementations. Particular attention is given to the utilization of waste heat as a secondary energy source to contribute to energy and emissions savings.

Additionally, the research and technological contributions of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings (UCEEB) are introduced, presenting ongoing advancements in the field of high-temperature heat pumps for industrial applications.

This paper discusses groundbreaking advancements in high power laser cladding technology, primarily focusing on two innovative systems: COAXquattro and Flextrack. The COAXquattro system operates with laser powers of up to 20 kW and incorporates four coaxial wires and four powder channels, enabling simultaneous feeding into a single melt pool. This design allows for independent control of feed rates, facilitating in-situ alloying and graded coatings by real-time chemical composition adjustment of the deposition material.

The paper presents various use cases showcasing high productivity laser cladding processes for functional coatings, including sliding bearings and wear-resistant surfaces, which enhance component durability. Additionally, large-scale additive manufacturing applications using aerospace aluminum alloys and stainless steel 316L are discussed, highlighting their importance in producing lightweight, high-strength components for critical industries. Experimental results and case studies illustrate substantial improvements in manufacturing efficiency and adaptability to complex geometries.

On the other hand, the Flextrack system introduces wide-field laser cladding with adjustable deposition track width. Utilizing advanced 1D laser scanning technology, Flextrack accommodates rectangular spots up to 45 mm wide, enabling cladding tracks between 10 mm and 45 mm during motion. This system offers various scanning frequencies from 1 Hz to 300 Hz to evaluate their effects on cladding results. Furthermore, an integrated camera system monitors the melt pool's temperature and size, providing insights into laser power distribution and providing options for process monitoring and control. These innovations significantly enhance the flexibility of laser cladding, especially for applications with varying part geometriessuch as wear-resistant coatings on conveyor screws and tailored patches for agricultural tools.

Energy-intensive industries face growing challenges due to rising energy costs and increasingly stringent environmental regulations on CO₂ emissions. As the energy transition advances, the share of renewable energy sources continues to grow, offering potential cost and emissions benefits. However, their availability remains inconsistent, creating a need for flexible energy solutions.

To address these challenges, Ipsen's hybrid furnace leverages multiple energy sources. However, strategic process planning and optimized energy management are crucial to fully utilize this adaptability.

A key step toward intelligent energy management is the forecasting of power consumption during scheduled hardening processes. To achieve this, a digital twin is employed to simulate system behavior before the actual process begins. This enables energy flow analysis, power demand forecasting, process optimization, and comprehensive planning for the entire hardening shop, ensuring optimal energy resource utilization.

This article explores the design of a digital twin for a sealed quench furnace, used for carburizing and hardening steel in a gas atmosphere. Accurate modelling of thermal transitions and heat flows within the heating chamber is critical for predicting power demand over time. The article explains how energy exchange through convection and radiation is calculated between the furnace components, atmosphere, and batch.

To validate the model, simulation results are compared with data from various batches. The study further demonstrates how power profiles generated by the digital twin can be used to optimize process and system controls in a hardening shop, with a focus on reducing peak power requirements and minimizing CO₂ emissions.

Low Pressure Carburizing (LPC) represents a significant advancement in heat treatment technology, offering substantial benefits in both cost savings and process efficiency. This presentation will explore how LPC, as a modern alternative to traditional carburizing methods, can be a game-changer for manufacturers aiming to optimize their production processes.

Case studies from various industries will illustrate the tangible benefits of implementing LPC, including reduced cycle times, lower energy consumption, improved product quality, and overall cost reductions. Attendees will gain insights into the technical and economic advantages of LPC, making it an essential consideration for companies looking to stay competitive in today’s manufacturing landscape.

Keywords: Case hardening, low pressure carburizing, LPC, oil quenching, high-pressure gas quenching, multi-chamber, semicontinuous, high volume production

This study defines the system boundaries for CO₂ emissions of a vacuum gas quenching process, analyzing energy consumption and gas usage across all operational stages aligned with Green House Gases protocols (GHG). The evaluation reflects conditions representative of commercial heat treatment practices. Experimental analysis were conducted to assess energy and nitrogen consumption during the process, and to calculate CO₂ equivalent (CO₂eq) emissions based on the transitional benchmarksof the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) [4]. Results show that specific energy consumption varies between heating and cooling stages, while nitrogen use is concentrated in partial pressure and cooling phases. A comparative analysis across selected national electricity grids reveals significant differences in Scope 2 emissions, with specific embedded emissions (SEE) ranging from 0.0002 to 0.748 tCO₂eq/kg for studied product. The findings indicate that a higher share of renewable electricity significantly reduces SEE. Within the CBAM context, emissions from the vacuum furnace process account for 8–13% of the default total emissions for comparable greener and low-emission steel products.

Keywords: CBAM, vacuum furnace, carbon footprint, gas quenching, heat treatment