As the first company in the surface hardening and heat treatment industry, Expanite has completed an independently verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that documents the environmental footprint of its hardening technologies. The results confirm what Expanite has long claimed that its processes have a low climate impact thanks to a low CO2 footprint and no use of toxic materials.
The findings of the LCA were very positive. The climate impact of Expanite’s processes on stainless steel surface hardening leads to only 0,23-0.46 kg CO2 eq per kg of treated material. When compared to the 10.5 kg CO2 eq/kg emissions of untreated stainless steel, the Expanite process adds only 2-14% of greenhouse gas emissions. This very low impact justifies investing or switching to Expanite is environmentally responsible and economically sound. The LCA documents that the Expanite processes are free from fluoride, hydrochloric acid and/or cyanides. The processes generate no toxic waste and, perhaps even more importantly, do not use solvents. The soot emissions from the Expanite processes are so low that there are no health risks. All Expanite sites are fully compliant with local and national environmental standards.
As the first company in the surface hardening and heat treatment industry, Expanite has completed an independently verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that documents the environmental footprint of its hardening technologies. The results confirm what Expanite has long claimed that its processes have a low climate impact thanks to a low CO2 footprint and no use of toxic materials.
The findings of the LCA were very positive. The climate impact of Expanite’s processes on stainless steel surface hardening leads to only 0,23-0.46 kg CO2 eq per kg of treated material. When compared to the 10.5 kg CO2 eq/kg emissions of untreated stainless steel, the Expanite process adds only 2-14% of greenhouse gas emissions. This very low impact justifies investing or switching to Expanite is environmentally responsible and economically sound. The LCA documents that the Expanite processes are free from fluoride, hydrochloric acid and/or cyanides. The processes generate no toxic waste and, perhaps even more importantly, do not use solvents. The soot emissions from the Expanite processes are so low that there are no health risks. All Expanite sites are fully compliant with local and national environmental standards.
Troppe parole pochi dati concreti. E cosi che Expanite, specialista nel trattamento termico superficiale, descrive lo stato attuale della sostenibilita nel settore dei trattamenti termici. Ma ora Expanite sta cambiando questa narrativa. E infatti la prima azienda nel settore della nitrurazione e trattamento termico superficiale ad aver completato unanalisi LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) verificata da un ente indipendente, che documenta limpatto ambientale delle proprie tecnologie di indurimento. I risultati confermano cio che Expanite sostiene da tempo: processi a basso impatto climatico, grazie a unimpronta CO2 ridotta e allassenza di materiali tossici.
Trasparenza
“Quando abbiamo avviato il progetto per documentare limpronta CO2 dei processi Expanite, ci siamo subito resi conto che, nonostante le numerose presentazioni e proclami, mancavano dati concreti afferma Thomas Sandholdt, CEO di Expanite. Crediamo che la trasparenza generi fiducia, specialmente in un settore che storicamente non ha brillato per apertura. Dai confronti con i nostri clienti sappiamo quanto la conformita sia una sfida, proprio perche i dati sono difficili da ottenere. Per questo motivo abbiamo incaricato una societa di consulenza indipendente, con sede nellUE, di realizzare una LCA completa dei nostri processi per documentare la nostra impronta ambientale.”
Dati indipendenti confermano il basso impatto ambientale di Expanite:
I risultati della LCA sono stati molto positivi. Limpatto climatico dei processi Expanite per lindurimento superficiale dellacciaio inox e compreso tra 0,23 e 0,46 kg CO2 equivalente per kg di materiale trattato. A confronto, lacciaio inox non trattato emette circa 10,5 kg CO2 eq/kg, il che significa che il trattamento Expanite aggiunge solo dal 2% al 14% di emissioni di gas serra. Un impatto cosi basso rende la scelta di Expanite responsabile dal punto di vista ambientale e vantaggiosa anche economicamente.
La LCA conferma inoltre che i processi Expanite sono esenti da fluoro, acido cloridrico o cianuri, non generano rifiuti tossici e aspetto ancora piu rilevante non impiegano solventi. Le emissioni di fuliggine sono talmente basse da non rappresentare alcun rischio per la salute. Tutti gli impianti Expanite sono pienamente conformi alle normative ambientali locali e nazionali
Una sfida ai trattamentisti convenzionali
“Sappiamo, dalle nostre ricerche di mercato, che la sostenibilita inclusa la decarbonizzazione e sempre piu centrale nella scelta dei fornitori. La trasparenza e sempre stata nel nostro DNA. Le nostre porte sono aperte, e i clienti sono sempre i benvenuti nei nostri centri di trattamento in tutto il mondo. Expanite e nata proprio dal desiderio di offrire una soluzione piu sostenibile per i trattamenti termici. Lanciamo una sfida al settore: chiedete ai vostri fornitori attuali di fornirvi dati documentati sui loro processi di trattamento termico. Se non possono farlo… forse e il momento di parlare con Expanite”, conclude con un sorriso Thomas Sandholdt.
Grazie alla combinazione di due fasi di processo, Expanite elimina il cosiddetto effetto guscio duovo, presente nella maggior parte dei metodi di indurimento superficiale. Questo garantisce prestazioni superiori del materiale per numerose applicazioni, come pompe e valvole per lindustria alimentare. Altri settori che traggono vantaggio da una maggiore resistenza allusura, al grippaggio e alla corrosione sono: Medica, Oil&Gas, Marine, e molti altri.
Chi e Expanite
Dal 2010, Expanite fornisce soluzioni collaudate e affidabili di trattamento termico e indurimento superficiale per acciai inox, titanio, leghe a base nichel e altre leghe speciali.
Le nostre soluzioni migliorano la resistenza allusura, al grippaggio e alla corrosione, prolungando la vita utile dei componenti critici e riducendo la necessita di materiali vergini.
La sede principale e a Hillerd, vicino a Copenaghen, con centri di servizio e licenziatari in USA, Germania, Corea e Cina. Il nostro modello di business brevettato permette accordi di licenza, offrendo ai clienti la possibilita di implementare la tecnologia direttamente nelle proprie linee produttive. Scopri di più su www.expanite.com.
La primavera è arrivata e anche gli aggiornamenti di Expanite!
Mentre le giornate si allungano e diventano più luminose, vi proponiamo nuovi spunti su come Expanite continua a spingersi oltre i confini dell’indurimento superficiale dei materiali.
In questa newsletter, vi illustriamo come il nostro processo ExpaniteHard-Ti riesca a ottenere un miglioramento della resistenza all’usura di 370 volte, leader del settore, per il titanio di grado 5.
Potrete inoltre conoscere meglio il nostro CTO, Thomas Strabo Hummelshøj, nella serie “Meet the Tech Team”, scoprire perché le industrie stanno abbandonando la cromatura dura e incontrate i nostri nuovi colleghi in Europa e negli Stati Uniti.
Infine, se la sostenibilità è una priorità per voi, offriamo piena trasparenza sull’impronta ambientale dei nostri processi con i nostri dati LCA verificati in modo indipendente.
Expanite® is expanding its U.S. Operations and Organization – adding signicant Heat Treatment Capacity and New Technologies! Expanite, the innovative heat treatment and surface hardening provider, is signicantly expanding its U.S. operations. As part of this strategic investment, Expanite is making its ExpaniteHard-Ti process for surface hardening of titanium available to North American customers, alongside the widely adopted SuperExpanite® processes enhancing wear, galling and corrosion resistance of stainless steel, nickel-based, and other specialty alloys. New Facility, Bigger Volumes, Larger Parts, and New Capabilities Expanite Inc., a subsidiary of Expanite A/S based in Denmark, is signicantly expanding its operations in North America with a major investment in a larger facility, tripling its heat treatment and surface hardening capacity.
Expanite Inc. is relocating to a new and larger facility in Twinsburg, Ohio and bringing in new furnaces to meet the growing demand for advanced surface hardening and heat treatment solutions across a wide range of industries. The new advanced furnaces – with chamber sizes up to 24x24x36” – are supplied and installed by Seco/Warwick. The new equipment will allow Expanite to process larger and more complex components while maintaining the unique hardening quality, widely accepted for improving product performance on stainless steel. The increased capacity and capabilities will further enhance the lead times and flexibility that Expanite is known for. This strategic expansion not only boosts Expanite’s ability to serve a growing number of industries such as pumps, valves, food & beverage processing equipment, medical devices and automotive, but also aligns with the company’s commitment to sustainability by offering greener alternatives to traditional technologies
“Our investment is all about meeting the growing demands from our North American customers,” says Thomas Sandholdt, CEO of Expanite. “We’re now able to handle much larger volumes while maintaining the fast lead times and flexibility that our customers expect from Expanite.” Expanite is bringing Patented Technology USA Commercial Heat Treater Expands for Hardening of Titanium to North America Expanite Inc. is now not only offering its well-known SuperExpanite processes for stainless steel but also its patented ExpaniteHard-Ti process — an advanced surface hardening solution designed for hardening of titanium parts.
Previously ExpaniteHard-Ti was only available from Expanite’s headquarters in Denmark. The ExpaniteHard-Ti process significantly improves wear and galling resistance, extending life and expanding the possible applications of titanium components. “Our expanded capabilities mean we can now offer our full range of Expanite technologies, including the processes for titanium, right here in the U.S.”, added Claus Løndal, Country Manager, North America “This allows us to serve a wide range of customers while reducing lead times and costs”. Expanding Heat Treatment Capabilities Besides the proprietary Expanite standard vacuum heat treatment processes are offered from Expanite.
This includes hardening of tool steels (D2, A2, M2, H13, etc.), austenite annealing of stainless (304, 316, etc.), precipitation treatment of PH-steels (17-4PH, 13-8PH, etc.) and specialty treatment of alloys (Inconel 718, MU-metal etc.). The addition of vacuum heat treatment solutions extends Expanite’s capabilities, offering more solutions, and greater flexibility and ensuring customers receive hardening solutions tailored to their specific needs. A Stronger Team, A Stronger Presence To support this expansion, Expanite Inc. has also strengthened its team with additional specialists in surface hardening and heat treatment, ensuring that the growing demand is met with the highest level of service and expertise while reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.
Expanite offers an innovative technology that prevents wear, galling, and corrosion of components in stainless steel or titanium by hardening the material in a pure-gas environment without using harsh chemicals, leaving no toxic waste and with a low carbon footprint.
Hardening of parts such as gears and other essential products made from stainless-steel alloys is a vital and necessary process to ensure those parts perform optimally.
Expanite, a company that was born from research at The Technical University of Copenhagen, has grown its innovative process of hardening stainless steel more efficiently than previous methods.
Besides the proprietary processes for stainless steel and titanium, Expanite offers specialty heat treatment solutions including hardening, tempering, solution treatment, aging, and annealing for nickel-based alloys such Monel®, Inconel® or Mu-metal, stainless steels, titanium, and other specialty materials.
“You can easily take stainless steel and put it in and harden it, but you lose corrosion properties right away if you don’t know how to do it,” said Claus Løndal, country manager North America with Expanite. “We do that without losing corrosion properties.”
The beauty of Expanite’s hardening process is it works with any stainless-steel alloy, according to Løndal.
“We can take all stainless-steel alloys – and I mean every stainless-steel alloy, as long as they are defined as stainless steel,” he said. “That means that it has to have around 12 percent chrome in the alloy. And we can harden them all. We can also harden some other alloys and titanium.”
Hardening stainless steel
Stainless steel is an amazing material, according to Løndal, but it isn’t a very hard material.
“If you go out and — you probably have a refrigerator or a dishwasher that is a stainless-steel surface – and if you take a knife, you can scratch it, or you can scratch it with your fingers; that’s how soft it is,” he said. “We can harden it almost 10 times as hard as that in the surface. It’s a surface hardening of the material. Our advantage is that you don’t see a drop in corrosion properties after our process.”
Corrosion is a common problem when dealing with stainless steels, and — if not dealt with — can become a hazard for industries using food and beverage equipment or medical and aerospace sectors, according to Løndal.
“You don’t want your parts to corrode because, at some point, it will corrode so much that it goes to pieces,” he said.
