gas nitriding
what is gas nitriding?
Gas nitriding is a low temperature furnace treatment with an atmosphere of Ammonia. The nitriding process is an established and successful means of generating a hard case on a component. The aim of the process is to create a certain level of protection against corrosion and to protect the material from wear. In addition, the strength of the material can be improved in this way.
the process
Nitriding is another form of surface hardening of steels. It is a thermochemical process in a nitrogen-releasing environment. In this atmosphere the material is heated to a temperature between 475 and 550°C. The material is then held at this temperature for a certain time. This time can vary from a few minutes up to 120 hours. Eventually, the material is cooled down.
The desired hardness is created by the transfer of nitrides into the metal mesh. Different degrees of hardness can be achieved depending on the element used.
The characteristics of the process are:
- Low temperature between 475°C to 550°
- Flexibly applied – process duration modified according to the specification of the required final component properties.
- Environmentally friendly compared to serious alternatives (e.g. chrome plating).
- Clean for the component –g. leaving no heavy surface contaminant or residue.
fields of application
The process is usually performed on fully finished components which, in many instances, require no additional operations prior to assembly.
Usually nitriding is only used on alloy steel. These have a carbon content of 0.3 to 0.4%. It is possible to nitride other materials such as stainless steel, titanium and nickel alloys, however the preferred nitriding route for those materials is Plasma Nitriding.
The resulting layer is relatively thin, so that changes in shape cannot be changed afterwards by grinding. However, the changes in shape during nitriding are comparatively very small. Stress relieving should be carried out beforehand. In this way it can be achieved that the material is free from stresses, which in turn reduces the risk of shape changes.
This process is most useful for components such as Crankshafts, Gears and a multitude of other parts in tough environments (especially oil & gas, energy, aerospace, etc).
groundbreaking industries we serve
process locations
Any questions? Contact us directly or select a process location near you.
Letchworth
United Kingdom 51.9887569-0.2038797 info.letchworth@aalberts-st.com +44 1462 472100 show locationPinto
Spain 40.2523494-3.7105911 info.madrid@aalberts-st.com +34 916 923 330 show locationTelford
United Kingdom 52.7205556-2.4701772 info.telford@aalberts-st.com +44 1952 677372 show locationVenlo (Lomm)
the Netherlands 51.44642316.1786697 info.venlo@aalberts-st.com +31 77 308 1333 show locationWerther
Germany 52.085558.42509 info.werther@aalberts-st.com +49 5203 97405 show locationRemscheid
Germany 51.22193897.2353813 info.remscheid@aalberts-st.com +49 2191 56200 show locationThyez
France 46.07632076.5266973 info.thyez@aalberts-st.com +33 450 3463 98 show locationGaildorf
Germany 49.01621959.7588191 info.gaildorf@aalberts-st.com +49 7971 96980 show locationKehl
Germany 48.500157.82006 info.kehl@aalberts-st.com +49 7854 96470 show locationLaupheim
Germany 48.229769.83458 info.laupheim@aalberts-st.com +49 7392 70960 show locationAmboise
France 47.41544421.0245775 info.amboise@aalberts-st.com +33 247 2374 74 show locationAnderstorp
Sweden 57.265275813.615284 info.nordic@aalberts-st.com +46 371 58 71 70 show locationDunningen
Germany 48.2249668.5003521 info.dunningen@aalberts-st.com +49 7403 92907-0 show locationEindhoven
the Netherlands 51.47035245.419001 info.eindhoven-heat@aalberts-st.com +31 40 266 3000 show location