FEATURE ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY 2026 37 distortion, and old equipment make automation more difficult. Effective solutions will help operators address these issues. Practical steps include robots with AI camera vision, flexible gripping, stable composite fixtures, and the addition of sensor packages to older furnaces[10-12]. Typically, most plants move forward gradually, starting with automating basic tasks and then adding more advanced controls (Fig. 2). THE DESIRED STATE: SUPERVISED AUTONOMY It is important to emphasize that the goal of this transformation is not a “dark” factory without people, but a supervised semi-autonomous system. Robots handle repetitive and dangerous tasks, automated control systems run approved recipes, digital models estimate internal states, and artificial intelligence (e.g., machine vision) supports optimization and early fault detection (Fig. 3). Operators still make final decisions on qualification, approval, and system improvements. In this setup, expertise is carefully preserved, even improved, without ever being lost. CLOSING THOUGHTS Heat treatment is moving rapidly from a craft-based practice to a fully engineered, data-driven field. Auto- mation, robotics, and artificial intelligence help by using metallurgical knowledge in systems that are repeatable, auditable, and reliable. The authors call this “automation on purpose;” not just to demonstrate advanced technology, but as a careful way to build strong operations for modern manufacturing. ~HTPro For more information: Thomas Wingens, president, Wingens Consultants, 100 Corporate Center Dr., Coraopolis, PA 15108, 724.732.3338, thomas@wingens.com, wingens.com. References 1. SAE International, AMS2750H: Pyrometry, 2024. 2. ISO, ISO 23247-1, Digital Twin Framework for Manufacturing, 2021. 3. NIST, Digital Twins for Advanced Manufacturing, 2022. 4. ISA, ISA-95/IEC 62264, Enterprise–Control Integration. 5. ISA/IEC 62443 Series, Industrial Automation Cybersecurity. 6. OPC Foundation, OPC UA/IEC 62541. 7. ISO, ISO 10218-1, Industrial Robot Safety, 2025. 8. ECM Meets Heat-treat Demands with Robotics System, Thermal Processing, July 15, 2023. 9. The Subtleties of Induction Processing, Thermal Processing, July 15, 2021. 10. D. Beauchesne, The Heat Treat Robotic Paradigm Shift, Heat Treat Today, 2025. 11. P. Buzzi, Heat Treatment in the Era of Industry 4.0, HTPro, 12(1), p 9-11, 2024. 12. Penna Flame Industries, Robotic Flame and Induction Hardening Systems. Fig. 2 — Robotic loading of pinion gears in an automated ECM low-pressure carburizing line at SEW-Eurodrive. Courtesy of ECM. Fig. 3 — A robotic heat treatment handling cell at SEW-Eurodrive. Courtesy of ECM.
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