History

 

Traditions of the Heat Treatment Department reach back to early fifties of the last century. Some works on the range of the heat treatment (salt bath heat treatments) of cutting and forging tools and aluminium alloy aircraft elements (for WSK Mielec) were carried-out then. The diffusion chromizing in powders of various tools and machine parts was elaborated to improve their durability and implemented in Kuźnia-Ustroń and in Hungary (patent 52207).

 

In the nineteen sixties several works on the generation and usage of protective and diffusion atmospheres were started. As the result of those works first Polish prototypes of atmosphere generators and atmospheric furnaces were created. Their production was undertaken by ŁZT-„Elcal” and then LZT-„Elterma”. Various atmosphere controlling equipment, as the measuring and control instruments of dew-point and controlled ignition systems were elaborated.

In the nineteen seventies several works connected with vacuum heat treatment were initiated. At that time many technologies and equipment were elaborated and implemented into national armaments industry or exported abroad. Fluidized-bed heat treatment technologies and equipment together with synthetic cooling and atmosphere generating mediums were also elaborated.

 

During successive years the development works included advancement and modernisation of atmospheric and fluidized bed heat treatment technologies and vacuum, glow discharge thermochemical treatment processes. Last years some works of computer assisted control of the heat treatment processes were started. Through over half a century of activity the scientific workers of the Institute have published several books on the heat treatment of tools, atmospheric heat treatment, heat treatment equipment and a hand book „Heat treatment of ferrous alloys” (971 pages).

The actual directions of development and implementation works consist in the continuation of main technologies of heat treatment and thermochemical treatment of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys.During last years the Institute and its personnel were frequently honoured with many awards of Polish Ministry, National Technical Organisations and international fairs and exhibitions. Hundreds of patents and utility patterns were obtained and applied in Polish industry and abroad.