Company / Portfolio / Service / Heat Treatment Services / Vacuum Carburizing

Vacuum Carburizing

 

Vacuum carburizing (or LPC-Low Pressure Carburizing) is a process where the parts are heated up and then carburizing gases are added under an absolute pressure of a few mbar. Carburizing gas is acetylene (hydro-carbon), where the steel will absorb the carbon and create a layer of hard metal called the case.

Parts that are carburized will have a hard surface, a hardened case or layer at the desired depth and a soft core. Vacuum Carburizing can provide a part that will have more resistance to a fracture (because of the soft core that can absorb stresses without cracking) but also provides adequate wear resistance on the surface.

Parts are quenched or cooled using Gas (instead of the conventional oil quench), the flow and pressure of the gas can be controlled and adjusted to achieve the desired results, main benefit of gas quench is the minimization and control of the geometrical deformation (distortion) that the parts will have after heat treatment.

Benefits of this process are:

  • Superior quality of the metallurgy with homogeneity of the hardened case
  • Reduction of heat treatment distortion and/or variation of distortion
  • Quenching intensity adjustable by control of gas pressure and gas velocity
  • Green process, no emissions or need to dispose chemicals
  • Clean, non-toxic working conditions
  • Reproducible quenching result, metallurgical and geometrical measurements are consistent
  • Clean and dry parts
  • State of the art, up to date technology
  • In accomplishment with CQI 9.

Components that are typically Carburized with this technology are: gears for transmissions, shafts for different applications, body injectors for engines, bearings, bushings and many more.