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In the
late 1960s August G. Hebel Jr. and A. George Hebel III of
Bonal Corporation, developed the Sub-Harmonic technology that
Meta-Lax utilizes. At the time, the Bonal Corporation was
a planermill machine shop.
The Hebels
found that all available vibratory stress relief equipment
was only reliable from 40-50% of the time. These findings
were very discouraging to other companies who had the same
results. However, the Hebels did not give up on the concept
all together. They researched and experimented with vibratory
processing searching for a way to achieve 100% reliability.
The Hebels
discovered that to get successful stress relief results when
using vibrational energy two key principles must be followed:
Sub-Harmonic energy must be used, and the harmonic
curve of a stressed part would "shift" frequency
from an unnatural frequency to its natural frequency as the
part is relieved of stress.
Through
several inventions, innovations, and patents, Bonal developed
a process that would measure the harmonic curve and provide
the 100% success rate that the Hebels originally envisioned.
They named their Sub-Harmonic process "Meta-Lax:"
(Metal Relaxation). Meta-Lax
quickly became the leader in vibratory stress relief and provided
industry with its first attractive alternative to heat-treat
stress relief for widespread use.
Soon
after, Meta-Lax technology brought about a new breakthrough
for the fabrication industry. Through a specialized process
called Meta-Lax Weld Conditioning welders were able
to do something they could never do before: weld a part while
inducing negligible stress. It was also found that Meta-Lax
Weld Conditioning yielded several other benefits to welders
and their products.
To manufacture
and market Meta-Lax, a separate company, Bonal Technologies,
Inc. was formed. Later it became a public company as a subsidiary
of Bonal International.
Today
Meta-Lax equipment is sold throughout the US and in 50 foreign
countries through a network of national and international
distributorships.
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