Expansion of HIP and vacuum heat treatment capabilities at ITS Bilbao
October 25, 2024
Isostatic Toll Services Bilbao SL (ITS Bilbao), Spain, has announced that it intends to commission its fourth MEGA Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) unit within the next three years and, by Q2 2025, to commission a fully molybdenum vacuum heat treatment furnace from TAV. Its first heat treatment unit, the 1200 x 1600 x 1200 mm furnace will feature a maximum vacuum of 10-5 mbar, making it suitable for titanium. This additional heat treatment capability will enable ITS Bilbao to offer a combined MEGA HIP and MEGA Heat Treatment service to its HIP customers.
ITS Bilbao ran the first cycle of its MEGA HIP unit in December 2019. While the COVID-19 pandemic followed shortly after, with its impact on the aerospace sector felt by the company, demand for toll HIP services surged again following the recovery. This increased demand prompted the company to decide, in Q1 2022, to double its existing capacity. A MEGA HIP unit, identical to the original, was commissioned in the following year.
Over the following twelve months, demand for the second unit exceeded its capacity, leading to the installation of a third MEGA HIP unit in 2024. Set to be commissioned in 2025, the unit is identical to the previous, with a Ø1088 x 2570 mm loadable zone corresponding to 2.4 m3, and an increased maximum working pressure of up to 138 MPa (20,000 psi).
