SONA BLW Precision Forge purchased a new AFC-Holcroft UBQ (universal batch quench) furnace and support equipment for its existing heat-treating facility in Selma, N.C. AFC-Holcroft customized a standard UBQ furnace, typically rated for a 3,500-pound load capacity, to the 4,000-pound capacity SONA required. The new equipment consists of a UBQ integral-quench batch furnace with an effective work zone of 36 inches wide x 48 inches long x 36 inches high, two universal batch nitrogen temper furnaces, a universal batch spray-dunk washer, and a two-module array of "E-Z Series" endothermic gas generators that provide 9,000 cubic feet/hour of endothermic gas. SONA designs and manufactures transmission and axle components for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.