Abbott Furnace Company Successfully Tests Its Munitions Treatment Unit

Monday August 7, 1:45 pm ET

Improved method for neutralizing chemical munitions

ST. MARYS, Pa., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott Furnace Company, a private Pennsylvania corporation, announced today that it has successfully completed the build and test of its first Munitions Treatment Unit designed to safely neutralize artillery shells and mortars that contained chemical agent. Using the company's continuous belt furnace technology, the munitions are heated to a high temperature in a steel tunnel-like oven which will safely contain and destroy any agent that remains after the munitions have been neutralized.

Abbott is one of two vendors selected by the Army's prime contractor for a chemical demilitarization project in Pueblo, Colorado. The Pueblo plant, which is in the early stages of construction, will destroy a stockpile of chemical weapons containing mustard agent. The munitions treatment unit will destroy any trace amounts of mustard agent that may remain on the munitions after they have been drained and the agent has been neutralized.

Tom Jesberger, Chief Technical Officer of Abbott Furnace Co. said, "We are very pleased the Unit met all of the customer's test specifications. We believe this is a superior method of treating these decades-old munitions, and we are also confident our design will be easier to maintain."

Mike Gelsick, Director of Marketing of Abbott Furnace Co. said, "This is a very exciting development for the company. We are the leading manufacturer of continuous-belt sintering furnaces for the North American powdered metal industry and we are delighted to be able to utilize our technology for such a useful purpose. Depending on a decision to deploy the Unit, orders for one or more additional units are possible," he added.

Source: Abbott Furnace Company