Do you ever wonder what garners the most attention on our sister publication Industrial Heating's website? Are you curious what your peers in the thermal-processing industry are looking at? Do you think, “How many people read that article?” If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, this is the place you want to be.

Here’s a list of the top-10 most viewed feature articles on www.industrialheating.com in 2019. This list only includes articles published throughout 2019.

10. Magnetic Particle Testing 101

Current codes, specifications and contracts usually require magnetic particle testing personnel to be certified. This article, published in August 2019, takes a close look at what you need to know.

9. Various Heat-Treating Applications for the Aluminum Industry

Heat treating is a critical thermal process for not only aluminum parts and products but also for the coating of aluminum sheet. This article from February 2019 details some heat-treating applications dedicated to aluminum.

8. Connected Approach to Thermal Processing Applications

Published in January 2019, this article describes how the latest integrated technology solutions help optimize thermal processes by securely connecting production assets in the cloud for enhanced control and performance monitoring, which makes critical asset data available anytime and anywhere.

7. Vacuum Furnace Leaks and Detection Techniques

Many papers have been written on the subject of vacuum furnace leaks, how to detect them and how to find them. This article – published in September 2019 – provides a detailed explanation of the various types of leaks that can occur, where they typically occur and methods of locating and correcting these problems. Particular safety concerns relating to leak checking are also discussed.

6. Metallurgical Quality for Heat-Treated Gears

Gears perform the critical functions of transmitting power or carrying motion in mechanical assemblies. To perform these functions effectively, gears need to have certain properties that enable them to meet specified quality requirements. The heat-treated gear in this article (published in May 2019) was evaluated based on its microstructure and its hardness values from the hardened surface to the softer core.

5. Through-Process Temperature Profiling for Heat-Treat Efficiency

For anyone involved in industrial heating, a critical need of any heat-treatment process is the ability to measure and control both process and product temperature. This article, published in June 2019, describes thru-process temperature profiling.

4. Endothermic Generator FAQs

Published in August 2019, this article answers some questions about the endothermic generator, which has been used in heat treating for decades. It was first introduced into the heat-treating market to produce consistency for a nonoxidizing, carbon-rich source for a neutral or carburizing atmosphere.

3. Metal 3D Printing Without Melting?

This article from July 2019 highlights ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM), which combines a unique room-temperature metal deposition process with the ease of traditional CNC milling. The patented ultrasonic print head is integrated into three-axis mills to create a hybrid additive-subtractive process.

2. Improving Wear with a Novel Heat-Treatment Method

January 2019 brought you this article, which focused on an example of plain-carbon steel component parts that require added strength and wear resistance while being prone to distortion during carbonitriding. The WearAll^TM process substantially reduced distortion and provided wear properties not otherwise achievable.

1. The Ups and Downs of the Worldwide Graphite Electrode Market

Published in April 2019, this was our most popular article of the year. It is widely known that graphite is used in the automobile and steel industries. Besides the classical markets, there are new and ever-growing markets, such as lithium-ion batteries, being driven by the megatrends of digitalization and the Internet of Things. Of global graphite production, 70% is being accumulated by China.