J. S. Keist, Arizotah, LLC, Plymouth, MN; G. T. Handzel, C. H. Bergman, Technomics, LLC, Plymouth, MN

Summary: The fluidized bed offers excellent temperature control and rapid heating rates in heat treating aluminum alloys. Heating rates in the fluidized bed are around 10 times faster than otherwise achieved in conventional furnaces. Excellent temperature control also allows one to safely solution aluminum alloy parts at a higher holding temperature. Conveying parts through the fluidized bed line offers further advantages. First, unlike batch operations, conveying allows one to transfer parts directly off the casting/forging line into the heat treating process. Secondly, consistency of the heat treating process is assured since each part will undergo the same heat treating parameters. Finally, conveying systems allows one to design the quenching process around only the few parts that will be quenched at one time per cycle. This paper discusses the conveying system developed utilizing fluidized beds for T6 and T7 heat treatment of aluminum alloys and discusses potential cost savings.