New heat treatment capacities 2021/2022
Although the time is not favorable for investments, it is surprising how many heat treatment equipment is newly installed not only in existing custom tempering plants, but also in other companies. In this list, I do not take into account equipment that acts as a supplement for 3D printing of metallic materials, where companies such as LAC or Nabertherm apply.
Vacuum hardening furnaces predominate, but a set of new equipment also includes HIP equipment from Quintus.
What does this show?
- The need for heat treatment does not decrease
- OPIK support works
- The majority of investments go to vacuum systems
- Emphasis is placed on energy savings, although there is no general criterion for comparing these values between furnace types
- Market instability leads to a reduction in the share of in-house capacity at the expense of outsourcing
- E-mobility significantly changes the requirements for technologies, and in this context also for the types of furnaces and types of processing
- Inflationary pressures significantly increase both costs and sales prices for heat treatment. However, the market seems to be able to accept these rising prices for the time being. However, as this means that all the effects of the current changes in the economy are passed on to the final consumer, it is a question of when and where this process will reach its limits.
Fig.1 – Map of new investments in CZ
Fig.2 – Number of new installations from designated suppliers for the period 2021/2022
Fig. 3 – Financial share of individual suppliers on the market in CZ for the last year 2021/2022
April 19, 2022
Jiří Stanislav
