Controlling distortion is of key importance during the case hardening process in the production of gear components. By effective control of distortion and the variation of distortion, significant costs in post-heat treatment machining processes can be avoided. This paper focuses on new vacuum furnace designs that allow the treatment of small batches in a single layer of parts (2D treatment), which allows for easy automated loading and unloading of the fixture-trays. When performing case hardening, the components are Low Pressure Carburized (LPC) at high temperatures, followed by gas quenching. The treatment in single layers offers an optimum quality with temperature homogeneity; quench homogeneity; and distortion control.

ISBN: 978-1-64353-026-0
Pages: 16
Authors: Volker Heuer and David Bolton