Controlled gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing
Objective: Resistance to fatigue, wear, seizure and corrosion
In detail, nitriding is the diffusion of atomic nitrogen N onto the surface of previously hardened and tempered parts. This thermochemical process increases the surface hardness of ferrous materials, providing good resistance to abrasion, as well as increasing compressive stresses to improve fatigue strength. Nitrocarburizing, on the other hand, is a treatment derived from nitriding, in which carbon is added to nitrogen diffusion, increasing the wear and friction resistance of the steel. The insertion of nitrogen N (or N and C in the case of nitrocarburizing) and the formation of nitrides with the steel's alloying elements result in surface hardening, providing the desired properties (hardness of 750 to 1100 HV).
Treatment between 500 and 570°C greatly reduces the risk of deformation.
Further information on controlled gas nitriding
Controlled gas nitriding is carried out in a forced convection furnace, using a mixture or active gas at close to atmospheric pressure, often in a low-temperature environment to minimize the risk of deformation. The active species, atomic nitrogen N, or in the case of nitrocarburizing N and C, are obtained by cracking ammonia NH3 (or NH3 with added fuel gas for nitrocarburizing) at the process temperature (500 to 570°C).Nitrogen and/or carbon enrichment is automatically regulated using specific sensors (hydrogen probe and oxygen probe), feeding an algorithm for calculating nitriding potential (KN) and/or carbon potential (KC), to guarantee optimum quality and maximum surface cleanliness.
For study and order
Information to be communicated :
- Drawing of the part (with areas to be protected if necessary).
- Number of parts per shipment per year.
- Type of steel: standard (or commercial) designation.
- Specification of the layers to be produced (with machining allowance - if necessary).
- Previous treatments (pretreated, tempered, stabilized, annealed).
business sectors concerned
Typical applications: extrusion screws and sleeves, forging tools, deep drawing, cams, slides, gears, mechanical friction parts.
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Our FAQs
Vacuum deposition is a surface treatment used to deposit a material or alloy on a mechanical part.
The use of vacuum technology ensures a perfectly clean, non-polluting process.
It is not subject to REACH legislation.
This process greatly increases resistance to wear, abrasion, friction and corrosion. As a result, component life is greatly extended.
Standard thicknesses are of the order of 3µm and deposition is carried out on finished parts.
PVD is physical vapor deposition. The element to be deposited is obtained by evaporation or sputtering via a physical process. PACVD is plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition. The element to be deposited is obtained from chemical reactions. Plasma enables this chemical reaction to take place at lower temperatures.
Vacuum deposits are classified into several categories: anti-wear, friction, decorative and biocompatibility. The applications are therefore very varied: automotive components, aerospace, tooling, cutting tools, medical devices, decorative parts...
The deposition method depends above all on the nature of the coating to be deposited and the substrate.
If the substrate cannot be heated to high temperature, the deposition must be carried out using low-temperature technology.
If the coating to be deposited consists of a solid element (metal or graphite target), a physical process such as PVD is used. If the coating consists of a gas or liquid, a chemical process such as CVD or PACVD is used.
Incorporate carbon below the surface of the steel part to improve fatigue and wear resistance on the surface, while maintaining good core mechanical properties.
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