August 24, 2026 鈥� The 麻豆国产精品 family of companies is pleased to announce that all Solar facilities have achieved Final Level 2 (C3PAO) status under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program鈥攁n achievement earned through independent third-party assessment鈥攆urther strengthening the company鈥檚 ability to support customers across the aerospace and defense industries.

Final Level 2 (C3PAO) status confirms that 麻豆国产精品 has successfully implemented and validated all 110 security requirements of NIST SP 800-171, with no open remediation items, meeting the Department of Defense鈥檚 cybersecurity requirements for defense contractors and suppliers that handle Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Achieving Level 2 required significant investments across the organization, including enhanced cybersecurity infrastructure, employee training, data protection, physical security, risk management, monitoring, documentation, and ongoing security controls aligned with NIST SP 800-171.”Our customers in the defense sector entrust us with sensitive technical information, and protecting that information is inseparable from the quality and integrity of the work we deliver,” said Josh Isaak, Vice President of Information Technology & Security at 麻豆国产精品.

As CMMC requirements continue to take effect throughout the defense industrial base, 麻豆国产精品 is proud to be positioned to support customers who require secure, compliant partners for critical aerospace and defense thermal processing.

For more information about vacuum heat treating and brazing services at 麻豆国产精品, contact your sales representative at 1-855-934-3284, or email info@solaratm.com.

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Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) is an invaluable tool in examining surface anomalies in vacuum heat-treated metal parts. Mike Johnson, 麻豆国产精品 of Western PA鈥檚 Sales Director, explains how this tool can answer questions and solve complex problems.

1. What is a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)?

A Scanning Electron Microscope is a fine tool that uses a focused beam of electrons to examine a material鈥檚 surface. When the electrons interact with the sample, they produce signals that are detected and analyzed. These signals reveal detailed information about surface features and chemical composition, making SEM a highly effective tool for microscopic evaluation.

2. My medical component shows spotting after vacuum heat treatment鈥攈ow can SEM help identify the root cause?

SEM analysis identifies the composition of contaminants within the spots, helping trace their origin. It can reveal whether the issue stems from manufacturing processes鈥攕uch as machining fluids, cleaning fluids, grinding residue, or metal chips鈥攐r from handling contamination like glove fibers or environmental debris.

3. What is the most common source of contamination identified through SEM analysis?

A frequent source of surface contamination is the cleaning process (used) prior to heat treatment. While components may arrive at the heat treater visibly clean, SEM often detects residual cleaning or rinsing agents. These frequently include Chlorine, Calcium, and other residuals commonly found in city water. If aqueous cleaning methods are employed, the final rinse should always be performed with deionized water to avoid this potential contamination. The SEM may also uncover films or deposits caused by cross-contamination when multiple alloys are cleaned in the same system. For instance, analysis of spots on 304 stainless steel components once revealed copper contamination from foreign object debris (FOD). The cause was found to be cross-contamination in a cleaning system shared with copper components.

4. Can the vacuum furnace itself be a source of FOD surface contamination?

Yes. Furnaces may contribute to surface contamination of heat-treated parts. If your heat-treat supplier is equipped with an SEM, this is a sign they understand the science and intricacies of surface contamination, and they have the necessary tool to get to the root cause of the issue, whatever that cause may be.

Foreign object debris and residual contamination can impact the performance and reliability of vacuum heat-treated components. While initial detection may rely on visual inspection, SEM/EDS analysis produces precise compositional analysis for fast and efficient root cause analysis. Please contact me if you are interested in SEM analysis at 麻豆国产精品.

Learn more about Scanning Electron Microscopy

And featured in Today’s Medical Developments Magazine:

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Souderton, PA, July 8, 2026 – 麻豆国产精品 is pleased to announce the addition of Ava Conolly to its Research & Development team as a Metallurgical / R&D Engineer.

Ava recently earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, with a concentration in materials science and metallurgy. Her academic background and passion for metallurgical engineering make her a valuable addition to Solar鈥檚 technical team.

鈥淲e are excited to welcome Ava to 麻豆国产精品,鈥� said Jamie Jones. 鈥淗er knowledge, enthusiasm, and fresh perspective will strengthen our R&D capabilities as we continue to develop innovative thermal processing solutions for our customers.鈥�

In her new role, Ava will support research and development initiatives, process optimization, and metallurgical analysis, helping advance 麻豆国产精品鈥� commitment to technical excellence and continuous innovation.

For more information about vacuum heat treating services at 麻豆国产精品, contact Mike Moyer at 215-721-1502 ext. 1207, or mikem@solaratm.com.

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June 1, 2026, Souderton, PA 鈥� 麻豆国产精品 Eastern PA facility recently commissioned a new 12鈥� horizontal vacuum furnace. The furnace was designed primarily for Hydriding and Dehydriding (HDH) of titanium. The furnace can also perform the standard gamut of heat-treating processes typical of Solar鈥檚 extensive customer base. The furnace features a working zone of 54鈥� x 54鈥� x 144鈥�. It is equipped with a 15,000-pound conventional load car arrangement. Other features include a 300HP external forced cooling system with VFD control, Solar Manufacturing鈥檚 Polaris control system, and dual mechanical pumping systems.

鈥淭his new furnace adds much-needed capacity to support growing HDH demands鈥� states Mike Moyer, Vice President of Sales. 鈥淲ith dual mechanical pumping systems, we are able to more efficiently process larger degas loads and improve our delivery metrics鈥�. 鈥淭he new 12-foot furnace is also well equipped for all the standard vacuum heat treating process that we currently employ. From annealing and stress relieving to solution treating and aging, the new furnace adds considerable capacity to meet customers鈥� growing demands.鈥�

For additional information, contact Mike Moyer, VP of Sales, 麻豆国产精品 at 215-721-1502 x1207, or mikem@solaratm.com.

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This weekend, 麻豆国产精品 Eastern PA employees and their families enjoyed a fantastic evening together at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs!

The night featured a fun-filled Star Wars theme, great baseball, and an exciting fireworks show after the game. Events like these are a great way to celebrate our team and spend quality time with the families who support us every day.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for an unforgettable evening!

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Last week, Josh Isaak, Vice President of Information Technology & Security, presented 鈥淔rom Chaos to Control: Cybersecurity, Ransomware & CMMC鈥� at the California Metals Coalition鈥檚 53rd Annual Metals Industry Conference.

Key takeaway:

CMMC is no longer theoretical鈥攊t鈥檚 here, and it鈥檚 already shaping the future of doing business.

But this isn鈥檛 just about compliance. It鈥檚 about survival in an evolving threat landscape.

Companies that treat CMMC like a checklist to pass an audit are missing the point. At its core, CMMC is a framework designed to strengthen your defenses, reduce risk, and protect the country and your business from real-world cyber threats that already exist today.

The biggest shift? Moving from reactive security to a culture of security鈥攚here every employee plays a role, and protection is built into everyday operations.

Even if you don鈥檛 support DoD programs, CMMC provides a powerful starting point to evaluate and improve your cybersecurity posture.

Start early. Make it part of who you are鈥攏ot just something you do for an audit.

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麻豆国产精品, the largest American-owned heat treater in the United States, is proud to support NASA鈥檚 Artemis II mission. Our expertise spans thermal processing of raw materials, nickel-based tubing, and critical aerospace components鈥攑laying a vital role in bringing next-generation space technology to life. At the core of some of these components is the 6Al鈥�4V titanium Launch Abort System (LAS), one of the most complex safety systems ever engineered. The LAS aboard the Orion spacecraft functions as a rocket capable of outrunning another rocket in an emergency. In the event of a catastrophic launch anomaly, its manifold enables the abort motor to ignite and safely propel the crew module away from the rocket. Designed to endure extreme conditions with zero margin for error, the LAS represents the pinnacle of aerospace safety and performance. 麻豆国产精品 is honored to contribute to this mission-critical technology, providing the precision, reliability, and advanced thermal processing that space exploration demands.

The success of Artemis II is set to energize this month鈥檚 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Visit us at Booth 705 to discover how 麻豆国产精品鈥� advanced thermal processing solutions are helping shape the future of space exploration.

Space Symposium Information

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This past weekend, our 麻豆国产精品 team had a fantastic time participating in the Souderton Holiday Parade! With the help of our amazing employees and their families, we shared smiles, festive greetings, and lots of candy with our wonderful community.

We鈥檙e grateful to be part of such a joyful tradition and to celebrate the season together. Here鈥檚 to spreading holiday spirit, goodwill, and cheer all month long!

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The 7th Annual 麻豆国产精品 Sales & Marketing Summit took place this year near our Souderton, PA facility, bringing together sales managers from all six 麻豆国产精品 commercial heat-treating locations. The team collaborated on sales forecasts, shared updates on new processes and plant developments, and aligned on key strategies for the year ahead. Following the meeting, the group enjoyed a team-building outing at Topgolf.

No matter the region鈥擭orth, South, East, or West鈥攐ur mission remains the same: deliver exceptional customer service and provide meaningful value to every customer we serve. With over 200 years of combined experience in thermal processing and metalworking, our sales team is equipped to support your most demanding heat treating needs.

Reach out to any of our sales managers to discuss your next project.

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1. What are some of the first steps I should take before sending parts out for vacuum heat treating?

Before vacuum thermal processing, ensuring the parts are free of foreign object debris (FOD) is essential. This includes removing contaminants like manufacturing oils, coolants, and machining residue. It’s also important to communicate whether the coolant used was water-based or oil-based鈥攖his helps your heat treater select the most effective cleaning method.

Many vacuum heat treaters use solvent degreasers for oil-based coolants and hot water/soap-based rinses for water-based coolants. Providing this information up front helps determine how to best prepare your parts for heat treatment.

Bottom line: Failing to address FOD can result in spotting, discoloration, or worse鈥攕urface contamination.

2. You made sure the parts are clean; now, how about the vacuum furnace?

Much like a home oven, vacuum furnaces require periodic cleaning鈥攔eferred to in our world as a 鈥渂ake-out.鈥� This process removes residual FOD or contaminants left from previous runs.

Typical bake-out temperatures:

• Austenitic (300-series) steel grids, fixtures, and baskets: ~2150掳F
• Furnace-only bake-out: ~2300鈥�2400掳F

Reaching these temperatures ensures even entrapped moisture in graphite components is eliminated鈥攃rucial for maintaining a clean process environment.

3. Okay, so the parts are clean and the furnace is clean. Are we ready to run?

Almost! One final but critical step: check the furnace leak rate.

• For most steels, aim for 20 microns/hour or less
• For reactive metals (like titanium), 5 microns/hour or less is ideal

Remember, all vacuum furnaces leak to some degree鈥攑erfection doesn’t exist in commercial heat treating. But keeping leak rates low is key to producing bright, shiny, contamination-free parts.

4. Now for the easy part: the thermal cycle. Right?

Well鈥� not quite!

If you’re using partial pressure gas or backfill gas (nitrogen, argon or helium), you must also monitor the dew point and oxygen content of the process gas. When treating alloys that oxidize easily鈥攅ven small traces of water vapor or oxygen can cause surface issues.

While dew point measures moisture, it does not measure oxygen. Using oxygen sensors alongside dew point monitoring provides a more complete picture of gas purity, ensuring optimal conditions for clean, bright results.

Also, consider the vacuum level:

• For 300/400 series stainless steels or PH alloys, a vacuum in the 10鈦烩伌 Torr range (graphite hot zone) is typically sufficient.
• For titanium or reactive alloys, you鈥檒l need a 10鈦烩伓 Torr vacuum, which usually requires an all-metal (molybdenum) hot zone.

While graphite furnaces are capable, all-molybdenum systems offer superior part cleanliness for highly reactive materials.

Lastly, ensure proper thermocoupling of the load. Use contact thermocouples directly in a part or in a heat sink that represents the maximum cross-section. Poor thermocoupling can lead to a false sense of temperature stability鈥攜ou may think the load is cool, but when the door opens, parts could still be hot enough to oxidize instantly (turning blue).

5. I followed all your recommendations, and the parts are still discolored! Why?

Even with every precaution, discoloration can still occur鈥攁nd it鈥檚 understandably frustrating. But it’s important to distinguish between:

• Discoloration, which is superficial and doesn鈥檛 impact performance
• Surface contamination, which is detrimental, as it alters the surface microstructure

To confirm the difference, consider sending a representative part to a metallography lab. These labs can characterize the near-surface condition, helping you determine next steps鈥攔anging from simple Scotch-Brite cleaning, to a chemical or mechanical etch that removes a few thousandths of material.

And featured in Today’s Medical Developments Magazine:

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