Nitrex Inc. recently began operation of a low-pressure carburizing (LPC) furnace at its plant in Franklin, Ind. The brand-new installation comes from ECM of France. It features ECM’s Infracarb technology, a process that guarantees the reduction of cycle time, the absence of oxidation and a precise and repeatable control of carburizing parameters. The furnace has a capacity of 1,650 pounds (750 kg) and a work chamber measuring 24 x 26 x 39 inches (610 mm x 660 mm x 1,000 mm).

The LPC system is fully automated and currently configured with two heat-treat/carburizing cells and a load-transfer system that is completely under vacuum. It has the ability of quenching in both high-pressure gas (20 bar) and in oil to address most specifications. Additional process chambers can be simply integrated into this system to meet high-volume demand.