Paulo products

Integral quench (or batch) furnaces often prove ideal for small batches of parts, larger-sized parts and parts which require some flexibility in cycle time. As opposed to a continuous heat treating furnace, these furnaces feature enclosed, atmosphere-tight heating chambers, not unlike a heavy-duty version of the oven found in your home kitchen. Unlike your home kitchen, though, Paulo’s integral quench furnaces reach 1750 degrees Fahrenheit and run four processes for the treatment of metal parts: neutral hardening, carburizing, carbonitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing.

For more complex alloys, vacuum furnaces are often the best option for heat treating and brazing. As their name suggests, vacuum furnaces evacuate all atmosphere in order to prevent unwanted chemical reactions from occurring during the heat treating or brazing process and to allow metallurgists to design in-depth thermal processes for complex alloys. During heat treating, these impressive machines are able to heat complex alloys weighing up to 8,000 pounds in uniform intervals until it reaches the austenitizing temperature. And once this process is complete, there’s no need for quenching by dipping in a liquid solution, since the furnace can be back-filled with nitrogen, or other gasses like Argon, for cooling. Quench gasses in vacuum furnaces are able to reach quench pressures of up to 20 bar.

Zinc plating is a process typically undertaken as an aesthetic finish or for corrosion control for small parts such as screws, fasteners, nuts, bolts and other small hardware. Paulo is able to handle high-volume zinc plating orders with automatic barrel plating lines combined with a proven engineering process. Our process outfits parts with a zinc electroplating finish that’s second to none in the industry. Our time-tested, proven process is guaranteed to deliver quality plating with a 12,000 pounds per hour capacity for a quick turnaround time

In the automotive, electronic and appliance industries, parts are often required to have some degree of corrosion resistance, a non-metallic finish or a non-conductive finish. In these cases, zinc phosphating is often an option worthy of some exploration. Zinc phosphating can also be performed to achieve a certain color, base plating or as a means of gaining better adhesion properties. As a part of our metal finishing services, Paulo maintains a zinc phosphating line capable of quickly processing large-batch orders with additional capabilities such as oils and sealants for added corrosion resistance or increased lubrication.

When a sharp black is required to nail a part’s cosmetic finish, Paulo has the black oxide lines to get it done. Used for aesthetics, mild corrosion resistance and to minimize light reflection, black oxide finishes are available for a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Achieved by submersion in a high-temperature chemical bath, many of our customers request this process to give consumer products a look that set their products apart from the rest.

It’s a physical reality that steel tends to expand when it transforms. For some parts, though, this can present a real problem. If a part needs to remain flat, or a bore needs to be preserved in its present dimensions, it can be pressed as it’s quenched, or a cold plug can be inserted into the bore as it cools. Using plates or dies under pressure to minimize distortion, these specialized quenches help to prevent the sort of distortion that could result in a malfunctioning part.