SCI resumed in-person meetings, participated onsite in industry trade shows, and continue to maintain regular contact, via phone and other electronic means, with all customers and suppliers during 2022.
The Company installed a new vacuum hot press in September 2022 which enabled SCI to increase manufacturing efficiencies and produce products at higher temperatures. This vacuum hot press has an advanced water-cooling systems with a maximum pressure rating of 75 tons and operates up to 2400 degrees Celsius which enables the manufacture of targets utilizing diverse precious metals. Each planar target can be manufactured up to 18 inches in diameter with multiple nitrogen purge cycles that ensure minimal oxygen content. Inert or forming gases can also be introduced at any pressure during the production cycle. The vacuum hot press has a retractable work thermocouple for lower temperature operations up to 1100 degrees Celsius. At higher temperature requirements, an controller receives production data from a pyrometer ensuring accurate and repeatable runs.
