The SECO/WARWICK Group is reinforcing its position as a global technology leader in heat treatment and vacuum metallurgy by expanding its research and development capabilities across Europe, the United States, and Asia. Through its advanced R&D centres in Poland, the U.S., and China, the company is enabling industrial partners to validate processes, reduce implementation risks, and accelerate the commercialisation of next-generation materials and heat treatment technologies.
As industries such as aerospace, defence, medical, energy, and advanced manufacturing increasingly demand highly customised thermal processing solutions, SECO/WARWICK’s R&D infrastructure allows customers to test technologies under conditions closely aligned with real-world production environments. The company’s facilities support a wide range of advanced processes, including low-pressure carburising (LPC FineCarb), high-pressure gas quenching (HPGQ), ZeroFlow gas nitriding, ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC), vacuum and controlled atmosphere aluminium brazing, and advanced casting technologies such as directional solidification and single-crystal casting.
According to Łukasz Piechowicz, the company’s approach focuses on ensuring that furnace technologies and process parameters deliver the exact mechanical and metallurgical properties required by customers, including hardness profiles, wear resistance, dimensional stability, and optimised microstructures. By conducting process validation under near-production conditions, SECO/WARWICK helps manufacturers minimise implementation risks while improving reliability and performance.
A critical component of this process is the metallographic laboratory, where treated parts undergo detailed microstructural analysis, hardness testing, and surface layer evaluations. These tests verify whether the processed components meet customer specifications and provide valuable insights for further process optimisation.
The company’s U.S.-based subsidiary, RETECH, plays a significant role in supporting the development of advanced alloys and vacuum metallurgy technologies. Operating from Buffalo, New York, RETECH enables industrial and research partners to conduct full-scale trials involving plasma arc melting, vacuum induction melting, electron beam processing, and plasma atomization technologies. These capabilities are particularly important for aerospace, defence, semiconductor, medical, and energy applications where material purity, repeatability, and process precision are critical.
Earl Good noted that the company’s pilot-scale and production-scale installations allow manufacturers to validate metallurgical processes without immediately investing in dedicated infrastructure. This significantly shortens development timelines while reducing capital risk and improving production flexibility.
SECO/WARWICK is also expanding its expertise in aluminium brazing through dedicated CAB Brazing Centres in Poland and China. These facilities support the testing and validation of heat exchanger technologies for automotive, HVAC&R, electronics, and energy sectors, helping manufacturers refine prototypes and optimise production efficiency.
The Group continues to invest heavily in innovation-driven projects aimed at strengthening its global competitiveness. One of its major ongoing developments is the Free High-Pressure Gas Quenching project, valued at PLN 9.59 million, partially funded through European co-financing. The initiative focuses on developing a prototype free-quenching system using advanced CAE simulations, digital twin technologies, thermal imaging, and 3D scanning to improve quenching performance and process control.
In parallel, SECO/WARWICK has secured USD 10 million in long-term financing to support the expansion of powder metallurgy technologies at RETECH’s Buffalo facility. The investment will fund the development and installation of Plasma Gas Atomiser (PAM) furnaces and additional manufacturing infrastructure aimed at strengthening the Group’s position in the rapidly growing additive manufacturing and metal 3D printing sectors.
The company’s innovation strategy also extends into intelligent process automation. A notable example is the DeepCaseMaster Evolution system, developed in collaboration with the University of Zielona Góra. The advanced self-diagnostic solution for pit furnaces enhances low-pressure carburising efficiency while helping reduce energy consumption and emissions.
By combining in-house R&D capabilities, academic partnerships, advanced metallurgy expertise, and industrial-scale testing infrastructure, SECO/WARWICK continues to shape the future of heat treatment and vacuum metallurgy technologies globally. The company’s innovation-led approach has earned it multiple international recognitions, including awards for inventiveness, industrial innovation, and advanced metallurgical equipment development.
