Akademi Metalurji, a commercial heat treater located in Turkey, upgraded its heat-treatment facility with a turnkey nitriding installation provided by Nitrex. The project includes a pit-type furnace, advanced controls, three process technologies (Nitreg controlled nitriding, Nitreg-C controlled nitrocarburizing and ONC post-oxidation) and accelerated cooling. The latter is an add-on equipment that will help the customer reduce cycle times, optimize production between batches, and run more cycles. The system was successfully installed at the company’s Gebze facility, located southeast of Istanbul, and commenced operations in April 2023.

The decision to invest in a new nitriding system was driven by the company’s objective to overcome efficiency and quality challenges faced with its previous furnace, which consumed excessive amounts of process gases and yielded inconsistent nitriding results. With the addition of a Nitrex NX-1015 pit furnace, Akademi Metalurji can now save on process gases and production time while expanding its heat-treatment capabilities to accommodate wider-dimensioned parts. The nitriding furnace offers an effective work zone of 39 inches in diameter x 59 inches high (1,000 x 1,500 mm) and can handle a load of up to 4,400 pounds (2,000 kg).

The supplied library of Nitreg-based recipes is tailored to meet different application requirements, resulting in a hardened surface that is highly wear-resistant.