Archive: Aug 2020

August 2020 Update

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Can you believe it’s been 154 days since we first started sheltering in place? Yes, March 17 was the first day.

I still remember thinking it would be over soon …

And now, here we are, 5 months later, filling our days with hectic activity, worry about others, and optimism that normal days are (somewhere) ahead.

Here at ThermoFusion, we continue to focus on the positive:
– our customers are continuing to make parts, which means they, and we, continue to work.
– we have gone 5 months without a Covid-positive employee.
– we’re receiving new work from new customers with new requirements.
– we’re getting ready for our re-certification of Nadcap, ISO9001 and AS9100.
– we’re closed Sept 7 for Labor Day.

We’ve received a lot of interest in our nitriding and ferritic nitro carburizing (FNC) capabilities. We upgraded our furnace controls a few months ago, and we can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This gives us lead times of a week for most nitride or FNC jobs. Unfortunately, ammonia and electricity, the two things that go into nitriding and FNC, are still expensive. But many of our customers like the decreased lead time.

To keep us Covid-free, our new normal is a wipe-down of all common surfaces at least twice per shift, face coverings at all times, and keeping distance between each other as we work. We’re still asking customers not to come to the front door, but rather to go to the shipping & receiving gate and ring the buzzer (buzz the ringer?). Small precautions, and so far its working.

All our equipment is up and running. That includes our salt quench tanks for austempering and marquenching, our 4 vacuum furnaces, 3 hydrogen furnaces, 3 induction furnaces and 3 oil quench furnaces, and of course our large stress relief furnace and our bead blasters. We’re heat treating and brazing 24 hours a day.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, send me an email (nkjell@thermo-fusion.com) or call us (510-782-7755 x0). We’re here to help you succeed.