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12 Quick Heat Treat News Chatter Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry. Enjoy these 12 news bites that will help you stay up to date on all things heat treat.

Equipment Chatter

  1. National Test Pty Ltd. (NDT) has been contracted by AusGroup Ltd. to provide NDT and heat treatment services on 58 stainless steel and carbon steel tanks for the covalent lithium refinery in Kwinana in Australia.
  2. thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel supplied transformer specialist SGB-SMIT with CO2-reduced electrical steel for E.ON’s new digital stations.

Personnel/Company Chatter

  1. Braddock Metallurgical, Inc. is proud to announce the addition of a new operations manager at their Bridgewater facility. Jeff Asselta has over 15 years of experience working in the heat treating and metallurgical industry in various roles including quality and operations. They are excited to have Jeff join their team. They are also proud to announce Stanley Lopacinski as the new general manager in Bridgewater.
  2. Advanced Heat Treat Corp. announced the promotion of Kody Kottke to plant manager at its MidPort Blvd. location in Waterloo, Iowa.
  3. Bob Brock has transitioned to be the sales engineer at AFC-Holcroft. He will continue to serve the company as Modular Products.
  4. Hubbard-Hall has added Jason Potts as the product manager in their Technical Department. He will be a technical resource for customers.
  5. Friedr. Lohmann GmbH, Germany announced that Marco Möser is the new sales director of North America. Möser will be responsible for developing new business and supporting the sales team.
  6. Thomas Pfingstler of Atlas Pressed Metals in DuBois, PA has been appointed to be the president of the Center for Powder Metallurgy Technology, succeeding Arthur (Bud) Jones, Symmco, Inc.
  7. Douglass R. Brown, president of Inductoheat, to retire after 42 years in the induction heating industry. Doug’s contributions to the Inductotherm Group include 14 years as president/COO of Inductoheat, 2 years as president of Alpha 1, and 15 years as technology manager of Group Forging.

Kudos Chatter

  1. In 2021, SECO/WARWICK received six awards: “Reliable Employer of the Year,” “Innovation Leader,” “Business Leader,” an international award for the Best Economic Expansion on the North-American Market as well as “Safety Laurel,” and the title “Employer — Creator of Safe Jobs.”
  2. Thomas Wingens of WINGENS LLC – International Industry Consultancy received ASM International’s HTS Prime Contributor Recognition award for his paper presented at the 2021 Heat Treat Show.
  3. The Nitrex Heat Treating Services (HTS) facility in Franklin, Indiana, received the Nadcap accreditation for the following processes: heat treating for multiple alloy families, stress relieving, carburizing, nitriding, vacuum heat treating, hardness and metallography.

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to bethany@heattreattoday.com.

Find heat treating products and services when you search on Heat Treat Buyers Guide.com

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Nitriding vs. FNC

/ FEATURED NEWS, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, NITRIDING TECHNICAL CONTENT, NITROCARBURIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT

OCHow well do you know hardness processing? Can you draw the line where nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC) differ? In this Technical Tuesday feature, skim this straight forward data that has been assembled from information provided by four heat treat experts: Jason Orosz and Mark Hemsath at Nitrex, Thomas Wingens at WINGENS LLC – International Industry Consultancy, and Dan Herring, The Heat Treat Doctor at The HERRING GROUP, Inc.

Let us know what you think! What is the next comparison you'd like to see? What facts were you surprised by? Email Heat Treat Daily editor Bethany Leone at bethany@heattreattoday.com.

Nitriding Descriptor Ferritic Nitrocarburizing
480º-590C (896º-1094ºF) typical Temperature Range 565º-590ºC (1049ºF-1094ºF) typical
Wrought and powder metallurgy materials including alloy steels (e.g., 4140), stainless steel (e.g., 304L, 420), tool steels (e.g., H11, H13) and special nitriding steels (e.g,, Nitralloy 135M, Nitralloy EZ) are typical examples. Many other steel grades are possible. Materials Commonly Processed Plain and medium carbon steels (e.g., 1015, 1018, 1045), alloy steels (e.g., 4140, 4340) and tool steels (e.g., H11, H13) are typical examples. Many other steels grades are possible.
Wear (as in abrasion resistance), bending, torsional and rolling contact, fatigue resistance, lubricity, and adhesive strength improvements. Materials Commonly Processed: Why to Process Them with These Methods Wear resistance, lubricity, fatigue, and corrosion resistance are primary benefits with improved fatigue strength and adhesive strength possible.
3-48 hours at temperature. May be up to 72 hours. Relative Cycle Times 2-6 hours at temperature.
Pit retort furnaces and front load retort furnaces for gas nitriding, although bell retort furnaces have also been used. Equipment Types Used for the Process Pit retort furnaces and front load retort furnaces for gaseous ferritic nitrocarburizing. Bell retort furnaces have also been used.
Ammonia and nitrogen or ammonia and dissociated ammonia. Atmospheres Used/Required Ammonia and nitrogen and carbon-bearing gas such as CO2, CO, or endothermic gas.
Dies, gears, pump bodies, springs, gun barrels, shafts and pinions, pins, brake rotors and may other types of component parts produced from bar, plate, rod, forgings and castings formed by stampings, machining, rolling, forging, casting, etc. Typical Parts Processed Wear plates, washers, clutch plates, gas pistons, brake pistons, brake rotors, barrels, slides, differential cases and other types of component parts produced from bar, plate, rod, etc., and formed by stampings, rolling, machining, casting, etc.
Automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, industrial machinery (e.g., pumps), and tool & die. Typical Industries Served Automotive and industrial machinery hydraulics.
Cost is often higher for gas nitriding as opposed to other case hardening processes (including FNC) based on the type of component parts run. In many cases, cost is a function of the longer cycle time and/or more labor involved. Relative Cost Per Unit Cost is often lower than many other case hardening processes (including gas nitriding) based on the type(s) of component parts run. In many cases, cost is a function of a shorter cycle time and/or less labor involved.
Basic specifications are easily achieved with good equipment and/or controls; difficulty increases when attempting to produce specialized layer compositions/phases. Ease of Use/Control Basic specifications are easily achieved with good equipment and/or controls; difficulty increases when attempting to produce specialized layer compositions/phases. Hardware/control requirements are more complicated than for nitriding when controlling for carbon potential.
It can range from very simple to medium-high depending on application. Relative Expertise Necessary to Perform Medium-high depending on the application. The user will want to look for clean parts, a good loading system, and PLC controlled cycle.
Aqueous (clean chemistry) including rinse/dry, vapor degreasing (clean chemistry). Cleaning Requirements Aqueous (clean chemistry) including rinse/dry, vapor degreasing (clean chemistry).
White glove Handling Requirements White glove
Pre- and post-oxidation Process Options Pre- and post-oxidation
AMS 2759, AMS 2759/10, (latest revisions) Applicable Specifications AMS 2757, AMS 2759/12, AMS 2759/13 (latest revisions)
Time, temperature, gas flow, nitriding potential (Kn) and/or percent dissociation, hydrogen sensors. Controls Time, temperature, gas flow, nitriding potential (Kn), carbon potential (Kc) and oxygen potential (Ko). Hydrogen sensor and oxygen (carburizing) sensor may be used.
electric and gas-fired equipment Fuel Source electric and gas-fired equipment
Hardness (surface, core), case depth determination (via microhardness – typically core hardness + 50 HV), microstructure (compound and diffusion zone depths), composition, core structure, presence of absence of nitride networking (aka nitride needles), and the presence or absence of cracking or spalling of the case. Testing Required Hardness (surface, core), case depth determination (via microhardness – typically core hardness + 50 HV), microstructure (compound and diffusion zone depths), composition, core structure, porosity (type and depth), and the presence or absence of cracking or spalling of the case.
Warm wall plasma nitriding, as well as advances in controls, sensors, temperature uniformity, and reduced gas volumes. Latest Advances Black oxide, hydrogen sensors, and fast cooling techniques as well as advances in controls, sensors, and temperature uniformity.
(1) simple equipment, (2) can offer beneficial tribological changes part/metal, (3) performed after part machining, (4) little-to-no distortion. Pros (Strengths) (1) fast, cheap, repeatable results, (2) excellent corrosion resistance, especially with (black) oxide, (3) performed after part machining, (4) minimal distortion/almost distortion free
(1) long cycle time, sometimes a multi-day process if deep case is required, (2) effective pre-cleaning required, (3) weldability becomes reduced, (4) ammonia is used, (5) embrittlement with too much white layer. Cons (Weaknesses) (1) Focused on part surface, mainly with inexpensive materials, (2) effective pre-cleaning required, (3) weldability becomes reduced, (4) ammonia is sometimes a concern.

 

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