Key technologies

The process offers ideal conditions for highly sensitive components from tool and mould making, plant engineering, medical technology, food technology and aerospace. Components are hardened under controlled vacuum at up to 1,300 °C. Heating takes place under vacuum and subsequent quenching with up to 20 bar nitrogen overpressure. The aim is to produce surfaces free from decarburization and oxidation, eliminating the need for further mechanical processing.

Sustainability factor:
the process is particularly sustainable and environmentally friendly, as it does not generate any direct emissions and can be run on renewable energies.

Gas nitriding is a thermochemical surface hardening process without microstructure transformation at low temperatures of approx. 500 to 570 °C. Nitriding ensures hard surfaces and provides high resistance to wear, scratches and abrasion. In gas nitrocarburisation, the process is carried out in an additional carbon-producing atmosphere, whereby two layers ensure high wear resistance and corrosion protection. Our VT-N-OX® process provides additional corrosion protection through subsequent oxidation.

Sustainability factor:
Compared to other hardening processes, the process operates at significantly lower temperatures, with noticeably reduced energy requirements. The absence of quenching in oil also makes nitriding a more environmentally friendly process.

In this process, the application is hardened under vacuum in combination with a fully integrated oil quenching system. The process is suitable for all classic case hardening steels (e.g. 16MnCr5 or 18CrNiMo7-6). The furnaces can achieve carburizing temperatures of up to 1,050 °C. Thanks to oil quenching, this technology can also harden all hardened and tempered steels, ball bearing steels and tool steels without oxidation.

Sustainability factor:
The process meets the most stringent requirements in terms of occupational and environmental protection. The process has no direct emissions and can be operated on renewable energies.

Case hardening under protective gas takes place at VTN in multi-purpose chamber furnaces. In this process, the components are first carburized in a controlled protective gas atmosphere with the oxygen being displaced. These components are subsequently quenched in an integrated oil bath. Different quenching oils are used depending on the application. Carbonitriding is a variant of case hardening in which both carbon and nitrogen are deposited onto the surface of the workpiece.

Sustainability factor:
Thanks to state-of-the-art heating and burner technology, we ensure good energy efficiency throughout the entire process.

This process refers to hardening with quenching and subsequent tempering. In the first step, the workpieces are heated to the required hardening temperature. Quenching is then carried out in an oil or salt bath, where the maximum hardness of the selected material is reached. The final tempering process at lower temperatures sets the desired hardness or other mechanical properties of the workpiece.

Sustainability factor:
Thanks to state-of-the-art heating and burner technology, we ensure good energy efficiency throughout the entire process.

Induction hardening is one of the methods used for surface hardening: the component is heated locally up to austenitization temperature by means of electromagnetic induction and then quenched until the required hardness structure is formed. Even complex-shaped workpieces can be partially hardened without changing the rest of the component. In addition, we offer the expertise for the respective inductor and develop and build this tool for inductive heating in-house.

Sustainability factor:
In induction hardening, the required energy is used partially, i.e. it is only used at the points where the component is hardened. This saves energy. The process is also fully electric, which allows renewable energies to be utilised.