Abbott Furnace Company hosted its 6th Continuous Furnace Brazing Symposium at Fiesta Americana in Aguascalientes, Mexico from August 8-10, 2023. The two-and-a-half-day symposium featured 13 different technical presentations offered by experts in their specialized fields representing a variety of companies. While including a virtual component in addition to the live presentations, nearly 50 attendees participated in discussions on brazing Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, Brass, and Aluminum materials.
From attendees just beginning their brazing careers to technical specialists who have been in the industry for decades, the brazing symposium was ideal for brazing engineers, furnace maintenance personnel, product designers, process engineers, and anyone involved in the production of brazed components. The topics ranged from being equipment specific such as furnace brazing, CAB furnace brazing, furnace atmosphere control, furnace optimization, and furnace safety to process focused topics such as braze troubleshooting, joint/gap design, filler metals, and part preparation/cleaning.
Abbott Furnace’s symposium is focused on attendee participation and facilitates exchanging information while supporting others in the industry who may be experiencing similar quality or production issues. Participants were encouraged to bring samples or photos of brazing problems and these challenges were discussed during the troubleshooting portion of the event. Those discussions not only allowed the experts to provide technical analysis and recommendations, but also encouraged others in the audience to discuss similar problems, experiences, and achieved solutions.
The final half day was devoted to CQI-29 Brazing System Assessment, which was developed to validate the effectiveness of brazing processes throughout the entire supply chain. Abbott Furnace’s Director of Research & Development, Stephen L. Feldbauer, Ph.D., who is also on the board of CQI-29, provided an in-depth presentation and answered many questions. Dr. Feldbauer states: “This assessment provides valuable information and examples that can be used to capture known process knowledges, target issues, and make continued improvements to the brazing process.”
In addition to multiple days full of technical discussion, there was still time for great food, entertainment, and conversation, even some quite entertaining karaoke!
Abbott Furnace Company is in the process of finalizing future Symposium dates and locations. When finalized, all information will be posted on the website and social media. In addition to technical brazing webinars throughout the year, Abbott Furnace Company also offers private continuous furnace symposiums for companies at their locations. Please contact us directly for details.
We would like to not only thank everyone who attended, but also those who worked diligently to organize, prepare, and present at this symposium. This symposium wouldn’t have been possible without Abbott Furnace employees Carlos Garcia, Business Development Manager-Mexico and Miguel Martel, Furnace Technician-Mexico, Stephen Feldbauer, Ph.D., Director of Research & Development, Mike Jacobs, Sales Engineer, and Jeff Danaher, Sales & Business Development Manager. We would also like to thank our presenters from Prince & Izant Company and BASF / Chemetall.
We look forward to hosting Symposiums for years to come!
