Low pressure carburizing (LPC) is a proven, robust case hardening process whose potential is only limited by the style and size of vacuum furnace. Today, LPC is typically used in horizontal vacuum furnaces where the opportunity to carburize large parts is limited. In this paper we present a new adaptation of the technology in large pit type vacuum furnaces, capable of opening to air at elevated temperature. This underscores the potential of LPC to carburize larger, more massive parts in a clean, effective and efficient process. The result is quality casehardened parts without the undesirable side effects of atmosphere gas carburizing such as the use of a flammable atmosphere, reduced CO and NOx emissions, no intergranular oxidation, and limited retort life. Another significant advantage is decreased process time. The case study presented here shows that eliminating furnace conditioning and increasing process temperature can significantly reduce cycle durations by nearly three times and cut utility costs in half. Under these conditions, a return on investment (ROI) is in the neighborhood of 1 – 2 years is possible, making LPC in a pit style furnace a cost-effective solution than traditional atmosphere gas carburizing technologies.

This paper describes the inner workings of a gas quenching chamber and assesses its potential for high-volume production of precision gears. The cooling manifold in the chamber surrounds the part, which sits on a rotating table. This ensures uniform flow of cooling gas across the top, bottom, and sides of the part and achieves uniform and repeatable quenching results. In addition, because the cooling nozzles can be adjusted to fit the geometry and size of the part, distortion can be effectively controlled.

Case hardening by carburizing is the most common heat treatment in mass production, which relies on atmosphere, or vacuum carburizing followed by oil or gas quenching and finally by tempering. Parts being heat-treated undergo the process in a configuration of a batch consists of hundreds or even thousands pieces. Under these circumstances, individual parts can’t help but be exposed to different process parameters in terms of temperature, atmosphere and quenching depends on their position within the batch. Parts near the outer portion of the load see a more rapid rise in temperature, are first exposed to the carburizing atmosphere and are more effectively quenched than parts located in the center of the batch. This can lead to significant variation from part to part and load to load; the resultant effective case depth deviation can be as high as 50%. Similarly, during quenching from hardening temperature distortion becomes highly unpredictable and unrepeatable. Modern industry demands greater precision and repeatability of results beyond those achievable by so-called traditional batch or continuous technologies and their associated equipment. Elimination of batches and focus on individual parts is the only true way to advance the industry. The article will introduce the first operational system for truly single-piece flow method for case hardening by low-pressure carburizing and hardening by high-pressure gas quench. The system treats each part individually and as such provides virtually identical process parameters, which results in extremely accurate and repeatable results. Quenching one part at a time in a specially design chamber, achieves more precise control and significantly reduces distortion so as to all make it possible to avoid post heat treatment hard machining operations. This single-piece flow heat treatment method is easily adapted into manufacturing and can be directly integrated into in-line manufacturing operations, working directly with machining centers. Materials handling and logistical issues are eliminated thus saving time and reducing unit cost. The results achieved on series of automotive gears will be reported and demonstrate incredible accuracy and repeatability, while significantly reducing distortion. Productivity and process costs prove the system to be highly competitive with other technologies. These proven advantages and savings.

Hardening and case hardening are among the most common types of heat treatment processes, which can be performed in either atmosphere or vacuum furnaces. These processes, followed by oil quenching, are carried out in batch sealed quench and continuous furnaces such as pusher, roller, or rotary hearth types. Atmosphere heat treatment technology and equipment was developed more than 60 years ago with little new product innovation or change since. However, in this time period the needs of manufacturing have changed dramatically, driven by global competitiveness and the drive for lower unit cost. As such the heat treatment solutions must be capable of achieving higher productivity (through shorter cycle times), increased flexibility (with respect to material and process/cycles) and meet higher product quality standards. In addition, today’s manufacturing requires absolute process reproducibility and integration with other manufacturing processes, all done using energy efficient and environmentally friendly equipment. The solution to this situation is modern vacuum furnace technology and vacuum equipment that easily adapts to stringent specifications and changing industry standards. In this discussion, two case studies of this technology are presented. The first includes a two-chamber sealed oil quench vacuum furnace to case harden a SAE 5120 component to a surface hardness of 61 HRC using a Low - Pressure Carburizing (LPC) process. The result was a 30% savings over traditional atmosphere carburizing integral quench furnace owned by a commercial heat treater. The second study involves the use of a three-chamber sealed oil quench vacuum furnace to case harden SAE 5115 steel automotive steering components to an effective case depth of 0.9 mm minimum and a minimum surface hardness of 60 HRC. Using LPC these parameters were easily achievable. By, using a three-chamber sealed oil quench furnace, the potential for up to 600 kg/hr throughput was demonstrated, while maintaining costs comparable to a traditional atmosphere style integral quench furnace. Together, both studies show that sealed oil quench vacuum furnaces can improve process time and quality over a traditional atmosphere integral quench furnace while maintaining the process costs needed to remain competitive.

The article describes the achievements and application of a new generation of HPGQ vacuum furnaces. Implementation of 25 bar quenching enables reaching hardening properties compared to the ones obtained with oil, while vacuum carburizing and nitriding additionally create a great potential for running different heat treatment and thermo-chemical processes as well as multiple processes combined in a single furnace cycle. Technical and technological aspects of the furnace exploitation are presented and operational costs reduction and energy saving are considered.