Tube and Pipe
Vacuum Heat Treating Services
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Tube and Pipe Vacuum Heat Treating Services
Vacuum furnace capacity up to 48 foot long and 150,000 lb load capacity
Tube and Pipe Vacuum Heat Treating Services by 51ÁÔÆæ offers thermal processing within an ultra-clean vacuum environment. Tube and pipe manufacturers often do not have the internal capability to heat treat their tubular products, and when they do, they typically do not have vacuum capability. 51ÁÔÆæ vacuum processing provides an alternative for tube and pipe manufacturers in this regard. Our newest furnace at our Hermitage, PA facility allows for lengths up to 48 feet in length giving tube and pipe manufacturers the ability to maintain the long tubing lengths their customers require. With this 48 foot vacuum furnace, a 36 foot vacuum furnace, and five other 24 foot long vacuum furnaces across our facilities, 51ÁÔÆæ has the capacity and capability to serve the tube and pipe market.  Each of these furnaces is equipped with our patented dual load car design which provides a flat base to best maintain straightness and concentricity, both of which are critical to tubing.
Specifications:
- 6-1/2 ft diameter
- Up to 48 feet in length
- 150,000 lb load capacity
- 2400°F max. operating temperature
- +10°F uniformity
- Rapid vacuum pump down to the low 10-6 Torr range
Processes:
- Vacuum Annealing
- Vacuum Stress Relieving
- Vacuum Age Hardening
- Vacuum Degassing
- Vacuum Brazing
- Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection
Components:
- Tube
- Pipe
- Large Structures
- Weldments
- Forgings
- Extrusions
- And many others
Watch the 48 foot furnace overview, now in operation in Western PA!
FAQs
Yes. 51ÁÔÆæ operates some of the largest commercial heat treating furnaces available, including large car-bottom air furnaces designed to process long tubes, pipe, bars, fabrications, and other oversized components. Our furnaces accommodate workloads exceeding 48 feet in length while maintaining precise temperature control throughout the thermal cycle.
Whether your application requires stress relieving, annealing, normalizing, solution heat treating, or aging, our experienced metallurgists and production teams develop processing methods that deliver consistent mechanical properties with minimal distortion.
All processing is performed using furnaces maintained to stringent quality standards, including AMS2750 pyrometry requirements, ensuring exceptional temperature uniformity, instrumentation accuracy, and repeatable results for critical industrial and aerospace applications.
We routinely process a wide range of materials, including:
- Carbon steels
- Alloy steels
- Stainless steels
- Titanium alloys
- Nickel-based alloys
- Cobalt alloys
- Other specialty and high-performance alloys
Our metallurgical team can recommend the appropriate thermal process based on your alloy, component geometry, and performance requirements.
51ÁÔÆæ offers numerous thermal processing services for long components, including:
- Stress relieving
- Annealing
- Normalizing
- Solution heat treating
- Aging (precipitation hardening)
- Hardening and tempering
- Custom thermal processing cycles
Each process is developed to achieve the required mechanical properties while minimizing distortion and maintaining dimensional stability.
51ÁÔÆæ operates large-capacity furnaces capable of processing components ranging from a few feet to more than 48 feet in length, depending on the required process and furnace configuration.
If your components exceed standard dimensions, our engineering and production teams can evaluate the workload and recommend the most appropriate processing solution.
Long, slender components naturally become more susceptible to movement during heating and cooling. 51ÁÔÆæ minimizes distortion through:
- Proper load support and fixturing
- Optimized heating and cooling rates
- Uniform furnace temperature distribution
- Experienced loading techniques
- Carefully controlled thermal cycles
These practices help maintain straightness and dimensional stability throughout the heat treating process.
Temperature consistency is critical when processing long components. Even small temperature variations across the workload can lead to uneven mechanical properties, dimensional changes, or inconsistent metallurgical results.
51ÁÔÆæ’ furnaces are maintained in accordance with AMS2750 pyrometry requirements, ensuring uniform heating across the entire workload and producing repeatable, high-quality results.
Yes. Our large furnace capacities allow us to process high-volume production loads efficiently. Processing larger workloads in a single furnace cycle can improve throughput, reduce handling, and simplify documentation by minimizing the number of heat lots required.
51ÁÔÆæ processes long tubular and structural components for a wide range of industries, including:
- Aerospace
- Defense
- Power Generation
- Oil & Gas
- Medical
- Transportation
- Industrial Manufacturing
- Nuclear and Advanced Energy
Our extensive furnace capacity and decades of thermal processing experience enable us to support both prototype development and high-volume production programs.
51ÁÔÆæ combines some of the industry’s largest commercial heat treating furnaces with more than four decades of metallurgical expertise. Our extensive furnace capacity, experienced engineering staff, rigorous quality systems, and commitment to on-time delivery make us a trusted partner for customers processing oversized and critical components. From prototype development to full-scale production, we provide reliable, repeatable thermal processing solutions for even the most demanding applications.