The Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) has commissioned a state-of-the-art vacuum furnace at TMK-INOX, a TMK subsidiary, for heat-treating cold-worked stainless steel tubes. The new equipment will improve product quality, reduce energy consumption and increase annual heat-treatment capacity by 1,500 tonnes.
The furnace is designed to heat tubes up to 16.5 meters long to a temperature of 1,250 degrees Celsius. Its extended working chamber and temperature-control systems ensure uniform heating along the entire length of the product, minimize heat loss and optimize energy consumption.
Vacuum heat treatment using the new equipment is carried out without an oxidizing atmosphere—the environment in which metal reacts with oxygen when heated. This makes it possible to achieve the required properties and eliminate the need for chemical cleaning of the tubes. This reduces the number of process steps and significantly lowers the environmental impact. The new unit also outperforms the previously used furnaces with an oxidizing atmosphere in terms of productivity and energy efficiency.
"Equipment upgrades improve operational efficiency at every level, enhance product characteristics and boost competitiveness. The launch of the vacuum furnace expands the plant’s technological capabilities and creates the conditions to increase output of cold-worked stainless steel tubes with improved performance properties. This strengthens TMK-INOX’s market position and enables it to confidently overcome today’s economic challenges," said Boris Pyankov, CEO of TMK-INOX.
TMK-INOX specializes in manufacturing precision tubes—products with enhanced performance characteristics. The launch of the product heat-treatment furnace is part of TMK’s production-asset modernization program and is being implemented as part of the company’s sustainable development strategy. The new equipment is scheduled to reach its design capacity in the first quarter of 2027.