Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) has received Nadcap accreditation for its new, fully integrated Vacuum Oil Quench (VOQ) furnace.

Designed and built by Solar Manufacturing, the two-chamber VOQ furnace is completely sealed, meaning a significantly cleaner and safer oil quenching process. The entire VOQ system is much "greener" than traditional integral quench or open-pit quench furnaces.

With a maximum load weight of 2,000 pounds, the SAWPA VOQ furnace can successfully quench alloy steels and martensitic stainless steels to the most stringent of aerospace industry standards. Near-net shapes and finished products can be hardened by quenching in oil with minimal risk of surface contamination. SAWPA Plant Metallurgist Greg Scheuring says: “I admit I was nervous the first time we ran low alloy steel parts for a military contract. I assumed there would be a minimal partially decarburized layer. But when the low alloy steel parts came out with no decarburization with zero intergranular oxidation I knew the VOQ was going to open up a whole new market for SAWPA.”