The ASM Heat Treat 2023 show, held October 16-19, 2023, in Detroit, is the largest gathering of heat treatment specialists in North America. It’s the kind of exhibition Thermcraft prioritizes, given the company’s strong presence in the industry. “It’s important for us to be at these major shows, especially this one for heat treating,” says Bob Reinhart, Thermcraft sales engineer. The show has held a prominent place on Thermcraft’s calendar for as long as Bob has been with the company. “I’ve worked at Thermcraft for roughly 20 years, and we’ve attended Heat Treat Today shows most of that time.”
Attracting influencers, innovators and leading service providers
“It’s a gathering of OEMs, suppliers, and customers that are all working together. They’ve known each other for years, so attending the show is good for staying in contact. You get to talk with the colleagues you work with to discuss both challenges and opportunities.”
It also provides the chance to personally meet the people you’ve been interacting with online via Zoom and other means, Bob says. “We’re all meeting online, but it’s not the same as when you get to talk to the person face to face.”
Mirrors of gold
One showstopper at Thermcraft’s booth was the TransTemp transparent tube furnace. Based on technology developed at MIT, the TransTemp furnace becomes transparent at about 600ºC, making it possible to the view processes that take place in the oven. “You can see the inside of the furnace when it’s heating,” says Bob, “It’s an eyecatcher for people who walk by our booth.” Thermcraft is the only company worldwide that offers this technology. Used primarily in universities and research and development facilities, one striking feature of the transparent tube furnace is a mirror made of gold on the inner surface of the Pyrex glass tube that forms part of the oven. The gold mirror reflects infrared radiation, reduces the furnace’s mass, and enables it to achieve rapid heat-up and cool-down rates.
The show attracts the heat treatment industry’s big commercial service providers, along with a fair share of academics. “Including students,” Bob adds. “The show is held in an area with several universities and is one of the better shows for university students to see what the industry is all about. One of the big things about this show is the education the university students get,” says Bob. “It’s a learning curve for them seeing technologies they’re not familiar with, and whether this industry is something they want to become involved in in the future. The idea is to try to talk some of these young people into getting into what I’ve done all my life.”
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