Industries

• Automotive
• Tooling
• Chemical
• Construction

Related Processes

Carbonitriding

Induction

Carburizing

Common Alloys

• Alloy Steels e.g. 4140, 4340, 8620
• Nitriding Steels e.g. N-135
• Tool Steels e.g. A-2, H-13
• Cast Iron

Equipment/Variations
The gas mixture of Hydrogen and Nitrogen can be controlled to produce a white layer or minimal amount.  The white layer is a very hard, but brittle surface layer.  Methane can be added as a third process gas to perform Ferritic Nitrocarburizing. Typical case depths are in the .001"-.020" range.

Applications

• ​Plasma nitriding is used in applications when high surface hardness is required.  In general, case depths are lower than carbonitriding and carburizing due to the lower processing temperature.
• Plasma nitriding takes place at sub-critical temperatures, meaning there is no phase transformation during the process.  This results in extremely low distortion compared to processes such as carburizing, carbonitriding, and through hardening.
• Plasma nitriding can improve the corrosion resistance of a part.

What To Consider When Specifying

• Material
• Hardness
• Case Depth
• White Layer Composition (if required)
• Spec (if required)

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Have more technical questions?  Contact a TMT engineer here.