vacuum hardening
what is vacuum hardening?
Vacuum hardening is the hardening of components under a controlled partial pressure, during which temperatures of up to 1,300°C can be reached. The aim of this process variant is the creation of bright metallic workpiece surfaces which render further mechanical processing unnecessary.
the process
Hardening is the heating and subsequent cooling of steel at such a speed that there is a considerable increase in hardness, either on the surface or throughout. In the case of vacuum hardening, this process is done in vacuum furnaces in which temperatures of up to 1,300°C can be reached. The quenching methods will differ with regards to the material treated but gas quenching using nitrogen is most common.
In most cases hardening takes place in conjunction with subsequent reheating, the tempering. Depending on the material, hardening improves the hardness and wear resistance or regulates the ratio of toughness to hardness.
fields of application
Practically all technically interesting steel alloys, such as spring steels, cold-worked steels, quenched and tempered steels, anti-friction bearing steels, hot-worked steels and tool steels, as well as a large number of high-alloy stainless steels and cast-iron alloys, can be hardened.
Vacuum hardening however, is mostly used for high-alloy steels and steels that require a bright metallic workpiece surface.
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process locations
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Blackburn
United Kingdom 53.7642256-2.4548116 info.blackburn@aalberts-st.com +44 1254 264901 show locationLetchworth
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 locationAtxondo (Pais Vasco)
Spain 43.136701799453-2.5944685935974 info.paisvasco@aalberts-st.com +34 946215590 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 locationGoffstown (New Hampshire)
United States 42.9936399-71.5222791 info@accuratebrazing.com (603) 945-3761 show locationGreenville (South Carolina)
United States 34.8319956-82.2940535 info@accuratebrazing.com (864) 213-9310 show locationKalisz
Poland 51.736470518.03159 info.kalisz@aalberts-st.com +48 798 804 003 show locationEindhoven
the Netherlands 51.47035245.419001 info.eindhoven-heat@aalberts-st.com +31 40 266 3000 show location