Heat Treating in Red, White, and Blue

FEATURED NEWS, HARDENING TECHNICAL CONTENT, INDUCTION HEATING EQUIPMENT TECHNICAL CONTENT, MANUFACTURING HEAT TREAT, NITRIDING TECHNICAL CONTENT /

OCIndependence Day is right around the corner, and Heat Treat Today wanted to share some red, white, and blue processes from across the heat treating industry. We're highlighting induction hardening, gas nitriding, and hydrogen generation. Curious? Get ready for Independence Day with this red, white, and blue Technical Tuesday.

Red Hot Basics: Induction Hardening: Understanding the Basics

Induction hardening in action
Photo Credit: Contour Hardening

Induction hardening is a bit out of place in the heat treating world. There are no huge pieces of equipment, long wait times, or mysterious happenings behind furnace walls. But using those red hot coils for hardening can be a game-changer, because induction hardening offers selective hardening, increased part strength, and uninterrupted process flow.

"The induction coil is a copper conductor that is shaped in order to harden the specified area of the part. The current that flows through the coil is what produces the magnetic field, which in turn heats the part. Coils are typically part specific, since they need to be precisely constructed to heat a particular portion of the part."

White Layer Cases in Gas Nitriding: Elevate Your Knowledge: 5 Need-to-Know Case Hardening Processes

White layer from nitriding
Photo Credit: SECO/VACUUM

Gas nitriding is a valuable case hardening process. In gas nitriding, a white layer made up of a nitrogen-rich compound is formed. This white layer is hard and wear-resistant, but is also very brittle.

"This compound layer depth is dependent on processing time. In the more traditional two-stage process, the case depth produces a gradient of hardness from surface to core that commonly ranges from 0.010-0.025”, with minimal white layer, typically between 0-0.0005”."

Blue Water Gas: On-Site Hydrogen Generation: A Viable Option for Reducing Atmospheres in Heat Treating

Water and electricity: that's all the materials that are needed to generate hydrogen on site. Water electrolyzers for hydrogen generation are compact, portable, and reliable, as well as being safer than storing gases. Could the future of heat treating — and perhaps the end of natural gas — be "blue"? Now, unless you live on the beach in the Bahamas, the water you're used to probably isn't blue, but you catch our drift.

"Electricity and water come into a plant in pipes and wires and are highly reliable. Additionally, there are no hydrogen storage tanks taking up a large amount of unusable space."

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