“We provide solutions for heat treating extrusion dies for aluminium extrusion companies,” Charbel Saliba, owner, Thermika Heating Systems

Thermika Systems Inc. is a leading manufacturer of heat treating solutions for industrial products. Charbel Saliba, became a young entrepreneur and over a decade was involved in various business ventures.   About 10 years ago, he and a business partner were presented with the opportunity to venture into the heat treating industry.  Working together Thermika was born. Currently, he is expanding his businesses, investing on it and supplying globally. As one of our valued associates AlCircle feels glad to highlight the kind of services Thermika has been offering to the Aluminium Extrusion industry. We had a brief discussion with Mr Saliba regarding Thermika’s products and its markets.

Excerpts from the interview:

AlCircle: Tell us in brief about the history of Thermika Heating Systems.

Mr Saliba:  In 1990 a leading international aluminum extrusion company expressed a desire to increase efficiencies in their die heating process.  In response to that, the infra-red die heating technology for extrusion dies was introduced.  The next step was the successful design of a system to streamline die heating operations and improve production.  After, two decades, Thermika Systems Inc. is proud to offer the most advanced system in the industry with an improved high efficiency infra-red heating making our die ovens the absolute state-of-the-art in aluminium extrusion industry.
 
AlCircle: Which industry sector has proved to be the best market of your product and services till date?

Mr Saliba: The aluminium extrusion industry is where we have focused our energies to date.  We provide solutions for heat treating extrusion dies for aluminium extrusion companies around the world.  We design heat treating ovens tailored to the needs of the individual extruder from the smallest to the largest requirement in the industry globally. Our versatility has worked in our favour creating a niche for Thermika in the aluminium sector.


AlCircle: Thermika is one of the largest suppliers of heating system for aluminium extrusion industry. What is your outlook on the growth prospect in this sector?
 
 Mr Saliba: Demand for aluminium extrusion is growing every day as more and more of it is being used in automotive, aerospace and the building and construction sector. Thermika offers an option for many extrusion facilities to lower their energy costs, improve heat cycle times, increase production and lower their scrap count.  Many extrusion companies around the world still have old equipment which can be upgraded with Thermika ovens to save time, energy and costs. Use of better heating technology can improve the quantity and quality of aluminium extrusion products.
 
AlCircle: Please brief us on the improvements in the heating technology of Thermika over the years.
 
Mr Saliba: Over the years, extrusion companies heated their extrusion tooling (dies) by batch heating.   With this type of batch heating system it was almost impossible to know how thoroughly the die was heated.  This inconsistent condition would adversely affect the performance of the die.  With the advanced Thermika IR heating system, the die is isolated and heated quickly and safely, to the desired temperature.  Die failures are greatly reduced and die breakage caused by cold spots in the die are virtually eliminated. This had added consistency to production process.

AlCircle: Thermika Industrial Heating Systems claims itself to be a developer of energy efficient technology. Please brief us on that.
 
Mr Saliba: Thermika custom designs the ovens specifically for the tooling package used by our customer.  We incorporate into our design the ability for our customer to use the least amount of energy necessary to heat the die to maximum efficiency. This helps them lower energy consumption up to 50%.

AlCircle: What are the unique qualities of Thermika infra-red oven that differentiate it from its competitors?
 
Mr Saliba: We design, source, and build our high quality stainless steel ovens in-house, in North America.  Our service is world renowned as we have happy customers spread over five continents. Significant benefits of our ovens include:

• 50% energy savings over conventional batch practices
• Virtually eliminate starter billets
• Virtually eliminate plugged dies
• Significantly reduce broken dies
• Short cycle heating
• Scrap reduction.
• User friendly operator functions
• Reduction in GHG emissions

Disclaimer: “The information presented herein is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The views and opinions shared in the interview section of www.alcircle.com are unique to the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of www.alcircle.com.”