2015 Articles
Heat treating is all about using the most cost-effective process.
Vacuum pumps and nitrogen purge can equally achieve low ppm oxygen levels. However, pumps are slow to remove water vapor while an inert gas purge is time consuming.
Low-pressure carburizing (LPC) furnaces employ strategically positioned jets, and atmosphere furnaces must use the proper fan. However, all fans are not equally able to handle the task.
Heat treating—no matter the process—is an energy hog where three energy sources or utilities directly find application: natural gas, electricity and fuel oil.
This month's column will focus on heat treating in the United States—where we have been and where we are going.
Critical and non-critical aspects of achieving expected results in heat treating processes—Endo carburizing.
This month's column will focus on heat treating in the United States—where we have been and where we are going.
Recent years have shown that metal alternatives - ceramics and ceramic composites - are achieving real-world applications in the automotive and aviation industries, and the potential for lightweight drivetrain applications can't be far behind.
Copper brazing, in theory, is not a difficult process. However, proper braze joint fit-up, mesh belt furnaces using disassociated ammonia, and vacuum furnaces have their own important considerations.
When troubleshooting heat treating furnaces and the processes they manage, two elements such as maintenance and the furnace’s historical results can be influential factors.
When troubleshooting heat treating furnaces and the processes they manage, two elements such as maintenance and the furnace’s historical results can be influential factors.
Convection Phase: Velocity, boundary layer, and turbulence in quenching have implications on heat transfer in batch and continuous furnaces.
2014 Articles
From smaller cold formed steel, gears can be cold pressed into the final shape and size, teeth and all.
Like any problem, a heat treating difficulty must be dissected into smaller parts.
Heat treating is all about using the most cost-effective process.
Equipment hardware with nitrogen/methanol carburizing atmosphere and the necessary utility configurations.
An accurate comparison between LPC/HPGQ and endo atmosphere carburizing cell.
Over the years, FNC and gas nitriding have been used in applications where reduced surface friction is a requirement, such as gears and brake motors.
Heat treating, carburizing and furnaces: how and why we arrived where we are today.
An armchair guide for predicting results for LPC and atmosphere carburizing.
Metallurgical and heat treat forensics play an important part in determining how and why parts fail.
Achieving modernization in carburizing and quenching requires an overhaul of load sizes and material handling.
How one morning car ride turned into an ethical dilemma over Jeep, and why heat-treating equipment suppliers are unclear as to what the future may hold.
2013 Articles
Gas and electricity are both viable energy sources for heating furnaces, but there are economic and energetic reasons to pick one over the other.
As manufacturers of furnaces, we are obligated to make sure that all parties involved with installation
are trained in the proper operating procedures.How to perfectly heat treat the gear that is smaller, thinner, finer pitch, with a ton of residual stress from machining and the ability to satisfy the cost constraints of a commercial orOEM heat treathas been the topic of conversation around the world.
You can't open a technical journal or online magazine without someone opining about carburizing, quenching, nitriding, distortion control, and all of the pre- and post-processing required for a successful outcome.
But one very important process has a major impact on that success:
Machining, or more specifically, the tools that make removing metal.A discussion of the 3D heat-treatment process called Direct Metal Laser Sintering.
One of the requirements depending on a gear's mass when HPGQ is considered is the hardenability of the steel.
Each part of the heat treat process requires the parts to be arranged for maximum productivity and quality.
Three barriers prevent the state of perfectly achieved heat treat evolution: material handling, energy source, and capital cost.
One of the most critical functions of heat treating doesn't involve heat at all. Hardening ferrous alloys concerns the removal of heat at very precise schedules and heat transfer rates.
Nissan has announced that it will offer a driverless car in 2021. There is no doubt others are working on similar technology. Contributing to the effort, the European Union is debating implementing speed limit signs that signal cars to brake if they detect an offender. Similar ideas are being discussed in the U.S.
Powder metal gears can be carburized and quenched, with the alloy and size dictating the quenching process.
2012 Articles
Catalytic Gas Nitriding, a process available in Russia for decades that has migrated to the United States, stands to alter our thinking of nitriding as a case hardening process.
Other nitriding processes have been around for many years, but only the plasma process can come close to matching CGN's speed with equal or better controllability.
For heat-treating applications such as carburizing and quenching gears, pusher furnaces by far outpace drivetrain carburizing when compared to all other furnace types.
Pusher furnaces have many advantages over others, as long as the handling system moving trays through the hot zone is properly designed. Remember the KISS principle!
According to the author, for 24/7/365 carburizing compared to nitrogen methanol, generator created endo gas is a no-brainer.
Shallow case hardening in mesh belt and casst link belt furnaces is acceptable for small gears, shafts, screws and nuts when fixturing is not required.
With 91 percent of survey respondents saying they dunk quench in oil, why does LPC continue to be conducted in graphite lined furnaces?
If you're considering bringing heat-treating in-house, first study existing outsource processes so transition is seamless.
Orders are increasing for pusher furnaces for users planning to employ oil press quenching to control distortion.
Nitriding continues to gain market share as a case hardening process.
Common methods and processes for heat-treating equipment.
2011 Articles
In applying heat-treat theory, understanding the reality of surface hardening equipment and processes is critical. Read on for important insights.>
When ionitriding was introduced to the United States, it was expected to be the eighth wonder of the heat-treating world. Here's the inside story.
Carburizing vs. nitriding—where does the future lie? An in-depth examination of each reveals the pros and cons, allowing you to choose the right process for your desired goal.
In response to an increased interest in high-pressure gas quenching (HPGQ), the author addresses the issue in this month's installment.
When considering vacuum carburizing you should audit your post heat-treat processing cost to determine if the upfront capital, operating, and maintenance costs are worth it.
In this installment of his column the author presents a discussion of the equipment used in the endo and low pressure carburizing processes.
The author presents a comparison of the physical relationship between the process mechanics and the furnace design in transporting carburizing media to the target.
Heat treating has come a long way, but the heat treater, component manufacturer, and furnace supplier must still choose the most cost effective and application-appropriate process.
Heat treaters of old were onto something, since they knew that the way to reduce distortion in steel was to heat and cool in steps. Read about how salt processing can save the day!
Thinking of bringing your heat-treat process in-house? It could save time and make you more competitive, but there are many factors to consider first.
What we need is a nitriding process combining the speed and control of plasma, but without the degree of difficulty. According to the author, stay tuned.
Remembering old-school lab work is a blast from the past
Why Heat Treating Furnaces Look The Way They Do (Part 2)
Why Heat Treating Furnaces Look The Way They Do (Part 1)
Jan/Feb 2018 - (Hot Seat column) - Carbon: Essential Element or Too Much of a Good Thing
Jan/Feb 2018 - (Technical article) - Cryogenic Process and Application to Ferrous Alloy
Atmosphere and vacuum heat treating will require specific equipment-operating and performance options.
Material and Process Options for Vehicle Weight Reduction Are Available to Automobile Designers and Heat Treaters.
Ingenuity Can Often Negate Murphy's Law.
Heating element materials should beconsidered to achieve reliable performance for applications.
Furnace Doors: For proper seal and functionality, doors are the furnace's most critical component.
Stainless Steels: Understanding the properties, fatigue limits, and designations of stainless steels used in heat treatment processes can be helpful in selecting the right one for specific applications.
While LPC with electric heating and HPGQ have won over many auto OEMs, oil LPC, oil-marquenching, and heating with natural gas can offer an effective, lower cost alternative for neutral hardening and carburizing.
Intensive quenching calls for very high cooling rates. (Part II)
Intensive quenching calls for very high cooling rates. (Part I)
Each furnace type requires a totally different maintenance mindset.
Thermal Processing Fall/Winter 2013
Carburizing's Influence on the Wear Performance of Steel
Thermal Processing Spring/Summer 2013
Lighter Weight and Increased Fatigue Strength with ADI.
Thermal Processing, Fall November 2012
Future of heat treating of gears is similar to garage sale mentality.
Industrial Heating Magazine
Case Hardening: Comparing HPGQ, Oil and Salt January 2016
Intergranular Oxidation: Scourge or Does It Really Matter? April 2014
First IQ Batch Furnace Certified to Carburize Wind Turbine Gears January 2009
