In a continuing quest to enhance customer service, Solar Atmospheres of Western PA has added another type of mechanical testing to its repertoire: tensile testing.
"Tensile tests are essential in determining and understanding the ultimate strengths of materials," said a company spokesperson. "Currently, many aerospace specifications demand at least one tensile test to be performed on each heat lot of material and/or for every furnace load of components being heat treated. Tensile testing is not only more prevalent today, but is often the mechanical test of choice that supercedes all others for the acceptance of properties."
Solar Atmospheres has traditionally outsourced all tensile testing by utilizing locally accredited independent laboratories, but shipping and transporting test specimens to these laboratories added a delay of 24 to 48 hours.
Listening to customers' needs of receiving tensile results faster and more efficiently, Solar Atmospheres set out on a continuous improvement initiative to bring tensile testing in house.
Solar took delivery of a new Tinius Olsen 300SL Universal testing machine and installed it in a temperature-controlled environment. In addition, in order to custom machine test specimens, Solar Atmospheres purchased a new Haas Model TL-1 CNC lathe. Both units are located in a new 10,000 sq. ft. facility adjacent to its 75,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art vacuum heat treating production facility.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA also added room temperature tensile testing to the scope of its Nadcap accreditation, and final approval has been completed.
Bob Hill, Solar Atmosphere President, said, "We at Solar listen to our customers very carefully. They wanted faster turnaround on their heat-treated components. By bringing this new destructive mechanical test in house we will be able to do just that."
For more information contact:
Mike Johnson
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA
30 Industrial Road
Hermitage, PA 16148
866-982-0660
724-982-0660, ext. 2223
mike@solarwpa.com
www.solaratm.com