Let’s consider the aerospace steels 32CDV13 or 40CD12. The gas nitriding process lasts for 100-150 hours to reach a nitriding depth of 0,7-1mm. Normally, case hardening is the tried and tested approach for these depths. To keep distortion to a minimum and improve the fatigue strength, nitriding presents the more suitable heat treatment process. The rather low treatment temperatures of 500-550°C and the comparably slow cooling process ensure meeting these demands.
The challenge is to nitride components as deeply as possible. This is not achieved by simply lengthening the process. The process must be split into steps and each one must be individually justified. RUBIG possesses the equipment to accomplish the task. Through appropriate adjustments of the parameters, depths of up to 1,5mm are possible. The specially equipped furnaces operate with state-of-the art nitriding code control, exhaust gas sensors and are available in different sizes. R&D brings in the skills in process development to ensure results of the highest accuracy and reproducibility. Meanwhile, numerous test series have successfully been completed for turbine parts.
