Supplier notes… (June 01, 2001)

Mecof is strengthening its presence in Canada with the announcement of new sales and service resources. UBJ-Boehringer Inc. (Mississauga, ON) is now the exclusive agency in Canada for Mecof’s line of high-speed milling machines. In addition, Geoteck Services Inc. (Burlington, ON) is responsible for local service support for Mecof machines.

A heat treatment facility opened last year by Bohler Uddeholm Thermo-Tech Inc. (Mississauga, ON) is fitted with dedicated furnaces for vacuum tempering. Tempering uses lower temperatures than hardening, so although the process can be performed in a heat treatment furnace, it can be performed with greater accuracy and control in a dedicated tempering furnace, explains John Di Bello, division manager, Bohler-Uddeholm Thermo-Tech.

By tempering in vacuum, the atmosphere is neutral and there are no impurities to discolor the surface of the steel. Tempering is performed to relieve stress in the brittle steel that results from the hardening process.