Carrier Radically Improves Productivity for Forgings Manufacturer

The Setup

A large forgings manufacturer faced the challenge of quenching 2,300°F forgings without a rapid heat rise in the cooling tank’s water temperature. Unstable, inconsistent results meant that workers were using mass amounts of ice which was both labor intensive and only moderately effective

The Story

This metal manufacturer used a substantial 3,000 gallon quenching tank to immerse forged metal after heating, and to ensure proper specifications, the tank’s water temperature could not exceed 100°F. Historically, the company addressed the challenge by dumping 1,000 lbs. of ice into the tank. The ice lowered the internal temperature to between 55°F and 60°F and initially cooled the product, but workers found it difficult not to exceed the 100°F heat-rise limit. 

For multiple batches of forgings, the ice bath had to be repeated to produce another accurate quenching and allowed the manufacturer only two full batches daily. After explaining the difficulty to Carrier Rental Systems, technicians engineered and installed a chilled water loop that provided 250 GPM of 40°F, substantially cooler than the resulting temperature of the bath with the ice application. This resulted in two important breakthroughs: firstly, the chiller lowered the tank’s recovery water temperatures far more quickly than the ice bath. This alone allowed for an amazing uptick in production with four to six batches of forgings a day. Secondly, the chiller’s more nuanced temperature control allowed workers to manipulate the conditions based on the metal being cooled and contributing to more exacting quality.

The Upshot

Aside from being very grateful for being rid of the laborious and inconvenient ritual of wrestling with 1,000 lbs. of ice twice a day, the forgings manufacturer’s partnership with Carrier Rental Systems had the effect of doubling to tripling the number of forgings they were able to cool. This staggering inventory growth had immediate implications for revenue as a direct consequence of Carrier’s intervention, a fact company ownership never forgot.