Nitrex, a global provider of fully integrated surface-treatment solutions, announced the completion of its Poland plant expansion. The expansion will allow the company to double its current European production capacity for both its Nitrex Turnkey Solutions business unit, including gas nitriding furnaces, and its UPC Marathon software and controls products line. The expansion will also allow Nitrex to manufacture its advanced vacuum heat-treating systems, which were formerly marketed under the G-M Enterprises name. This expansion comes in addition to the company’s existing vacuum-furnace assembly capacity in the United States.

Nitrex Metal received an order from Elvial S.A., an aluminum extrusion company in Greece for a retort furnace. The furnace, which was installed and started up in July 2021, will help Elvial increase production of building materials. The NX-815 E operates with NX Connect software and uses NITREG-C (nitrocarburizing) and NITREG (gas nitriding) technologies for die extrusion. The machine is equipped with air conditioning, an exhaust gas neutralizer and 1,653 pounds (750 kg) of racking made from Inconel 600. The order also included a lifting device. All processes for this furnace are compliant to AMS 2759/10.

Thermal-Vac Technology recently partnered with Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems to add precision gas nitriding and FNC capabilities at its facility in Orange, Calif. Gasbarre will supply an electrically heated furnace that is capable of processing workloads 48 inches wide x 72 inches long x 40 inches high and weigh up to 7,000 pounds. It utilizes Super Systems Inc. controls for automatic K_N and K_C control to AMS 2759/10 and 2759/12 specifications. The furnace is designed to meet AMS 2750F as a Class 2 furnace, which allows it to perform nitrogen tempering and stress-relieving processes.

SECO/VACUUM (SVT), a SECO/WARWICK Group company, received an order for a pit gas-nitriding furnace from a North American manufacturer. According to SECO/WARWICK, this will be one of the largest pit furnaces it has ever built. The North American company chose SVT because of its experience in gas nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing process development.

To support an increasing demand for high-value gas nitriding, Solar Atmospheres in Souderton Pa., installed a vacuum gas-nitriding furnace. Built by sister company Solar Manufacturing, the front-loading furnace incorporates the latest nitriding and recipe system from the furnace manufacturer. The automated controls meet AMS 2759/10, Automated Gaseous Nitriding Controlled by Nitrogen Potential, in addition to the standard AMS 2759/6, Gaseous Nitriding of Low-Alloy Steel Parts. The automated control system is useful for single-stage and two-stage (Floe) processing. All hot-zone components are made completely of graphitic materials inert to the anhydrous ammonia used during the nitriding process.

The nitriding process begins at the surface of the part with the formation of a compound (aka white) layer, which depends to a large extent on the composition of the steel (in particular, the carbon content).

Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) added gas nitriding to its Nadcap accreditation. The Waterloo, Iowa-based heat-treat service provider has held Nadcap accreditation for ion nitriding since 2013.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems recently commissioned a precision gas nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC) furnace for a commercial heat-treating company located in the Midwest. The furnace is capable of processing workloads that are 48 inches wide x 72 inches long x 40 inches high and weigh up to 7,000 pounds. It utilizes Super Systems Inc. controls for automatic KN and KC control to AMS 2759/10 and 2759/12 specifications. The furnace is designed to meet AMS 2750E as a Class 2 furnace, which allows it to be used to perform nitrogen tempering and stress relieving.

Here is the conclusion of this series on surface cracking of the compound layer of a gas-nitrided component.

The early and original process can still be used as the measurement of the thermal decomposition of the ammonia process gas. This method employs the simple measurement of dissociation of the ammonia process gas.