A U.S.-based cooling systems manufacturer has selected the Universal CAB Batch Furnace from SECO/WARWICK for aluminum brazing, equipped with a thermal degreasing furnace, a dryer, a final cooling chamber, and an external transport system. The solution will enable the company to launch in-house production of brazed heat exchangers, shorten response times to market needs, and reduce dependence on external suppliers.
The first collaboration with the SECO/WARWICK Group.
A U.S. manufacturer is adopting SECO/WARWICK’s Universal CAB Batch Furnace to gain in-house aluminum brazing capabilities, ensuring production independence and process flexibility.
- SECO/WARWICK provides a complete aluminum brazing line to a U.S. partner.
- The system includes a batch furnace, degreasing furnace, dryer, and cooling chamber.
- The solution enables in-house production of large plate-and-bar heat exchangers.
- The furnace design offers high flexibility and future scalability.
- Controlled nitrogen atmosphere ensures high quality and repeatable results.
The equipment will be delivered to the company’s plant in Pennsylvania, the same state where the American subsidiary of the SECO/WARWICK Group is also located. The solution will primarily be used for aluminum brazing of large plate-and-bar heat exchangers, used in the heavy-duty segment and the aftermarket. The new line will include the Universal CAB Batch Furnace for aluminum brazing, a dryer, a final cooling chamber, and an external transport system. In addition, a continuous thermal degreasing furnace will be supplied to properly prepare components before fluxing and brazing. This configuration will allow the process to be carried out in a controlled protective atmosphere, ensuring high brazing quality, repeatable parameters, and stable production of heat exchangers with various designs.
The purchase of SECO/WARWICK technology addresses one of the partner’s most important challenges: the need to become independent from its current suppliers of brazed heat exchangers.
“For many heat exchanger manufacturers, investing in their own aluminum brazing capabilities means moving to an entirely new level of process control. This partner will gain technological independence, greater production flexibility, and the ability to respond faster to market needs. The Universal CAB Batch Furnace is particularly well suited for such tasks because it combines high brazing quality with a compact design, short cycle times and exceptional application versatility,” said Piotr Skarbiński, Vice President of the Aluminum and CAB Products Segment at the SECO/WARWICK Group.
Brazing large heat exchangers
The solution on order is designed primarily for brazing large plate-and-bar heat exchangers in the recommended vertical position. Thanks to its versatile design, the furnace will also enable the effective brazing of standard fin-and-tube heat exchangers as well as plate heat exchangers. The Universal CAB Batch Furnace enables manufacturers to respond flexibly to changing market needs without investing in multiple, specialized production lines.
“The deciding factors behind the selection of our technology are the advantages that matter in everyday heat exchanger production: convection heating and cooling, short setup and process times, high nitrogen atmosphere purity, temperature uniformity and a modern control system. This partner was looking for a solution that would allow them to start their own heat exchanger production without locking it into a single product geometry. The Universal CAB Batch Furnace offers that flexibility and can also be upgraded in the future from a batch system to a semi-continuous configuration,” emphasized Maciej Stempniewicz, Deputy Director of CAB Technology Sales.
One of the key advantages of SECO/WARWICK CAB batch furnaces is the ability to run the process in a clean nitrogen atmosphere while maintaining high temperature uniformity and steep heating profiles. In practice, this translates into high brazing quality, process stability and repeatable results. Convection heating and cooling shorten cycle times, which directly affects production efficiency and operating economics.
A compact furnace for big challenges
The Universal CAB Batch Furnace is a compact solution with a smaller footprint and lower investment, installation, and operating costs compared with more extensive continuous systems. At the same time, the furnace design allows for future expansion to a semi-continuous configuration, increasing production capacity. For the U.S. customer, this means a safe entry into in-house CAB production without the need for an immediate investment in a large continuous line. The company gains a technology that meets its current production needs while also supporting future business growth.
The system supplied will be complemented by equipment supporting the entire technological process. The continuous thermal degreasing furnace will prepare components before fluxing, the dryer will ensure proper load preparation before brazing, the final cooling chamber will stabilize the final stage of the process, and the external transport system will streamline product flow between successive stages of the line. This integrated configuration improves production repeatability and reduces the risk of process errors.
The contract was completed through the cooperation of SECO/WARWICK’s U.S. operation, Retech and SECO/WARWICK engineers in Poland. It is an example of the synergy within the Group and the joint use of sales, engineering and technological expertise on the North American market.
