Thermal quench hardening treatments confer hardness and high strength on materials, while improving shock and fatigue resistance by adequate tempering.
As its name indicates, quench hardening is an operation that consists of cooling a ferrous product faster than in calm air.
Water Hardening
Treatment reserved for light alloyed steels -1045, 4130, W1 – which need this medium to attain the characteristics sought. Since the cooling rate in water is very high, this treatment involves major risks of distortion, or even cracking.
Oil Hardening
Used for low alloyed steels – 1018, 1045, C12L14, 4140, 4340, 8620, 9310, 52100 – or tool steels, such as O1. Thermetco uses controlled atmosphere furnaces to guarantee quality work without oxidation and without decarburization of the parts.
Forced Air Hardening
This treatment is mainly used on steels with dimensions greater than the capacity of vacuum or oil furnaces. Examples: stainless steels 410, 420, 431 and tool steels D2, H13. At Thermetco, we have the possibility of treating parts with maximum dimensions of 10’ x 20’ x 76’’ H.
Vacuum Hardening
This type of treatment is essentially intended for tool steels – A2, D2, H13, H21, M2, S7, T1 – and martensitic stainless steels – 410, 420, 431, 440.
Thermetco uses vacuum furnaces with variable speed cooling (1 to 12 bars) and nitrogen or argon as a cooling gas.
To supplement vacuum cooling, we are capable of performing cryogenic treatments and nitriding treatments.
