Background

Customers with Plasma Nitriding requirements can confidently entrust their components to Bodycote Aldridge.
What is Plasma Nitriding?

Plasma Nitriding is a low temperature treatment and has the great benefit that finished machined components can be processed without risk of distortion or contamination, thus providing reduced finishing costs and uninterrupted production flow, compared with other surface heat treatments, whilst at all times achieving high hardness, wear resistance and enhanced fatigue properties.
Plasma Nitriding by Bodycote Heat Treatment

Bodycote Plasma Nitriding provides a cost effective, comprehensive treatment service for tool making, transmissions and precision engineering companies.

The Plasma Nitriding furnaces employ advanced microprocessor controls, providing many combinations of process temperatures and times, allowing a wide range of materials and products to be treated.
Control of the Plasma Nitriding Process

The Plasma Nitriding process provides full control of the composition and depth of the surface compound layer, thus preventing the spalling problems sometimes encountered with conventional nitriding and eliminating the need to lap critical surfaces after nitriding.
Plasma Nitrocarburising

Controlled Plasma Nitrocarburising is also available, with the option of both pre and post oxidation, for tribological and anti-corrosion applications, utilising low cost steels.
Tailored Surface Engineering Solutions

Tailored surface engineering solutions are available for extreme applications, including duplex treatments which provide an ultra-hard wear-resistant surface, supported by a high load bearing substrate, ideal for such applications as aluminium injection moulding dies.
Benefits of Plasma Nitriding

· Enhanced hardness, wear resistance, strength, case uniformity and fatigue properties. Without expensive high temperature treatments involving rapid quenching.

· Minimises component finishing operations. Plasma nitrided parts are clean and distortion is less than with all other heat treatments (saving time and money).

· Advanced process control. Coupled with vacuum conditions, provides precise hardening response, satisfying the most demanding specifications, including masking facilities for localised hardening.

· Extending the range of materials which can be treated. Low alloy steels and cast irons, stainless steels, tool steels and titanium alloys are all routinely treated.

· Improved load efficiencies and reduced turnaround times

· Duplex Treatments, designed for specific applications

· Availability of pre- and post-oxidation treatments
Plasma Nitriding Services at Bodycote Heat Treatment’s Aldridge Plant

Aldridge’s Plasma Nitriding services have been extended by the addition of a new Plateg tandem furnace.

With working dimensions of 1000mm dia × 1600mm deep, this versatile twin base furnace is designed for environmentally friendly controlled plasma nitriding and nitrocarburising. The option of pre and post oxidation treatments further enhances product corrosion resistance, tribological properties and aesthetics.

AZoM - Metals, ceramics, polymers and composites - Plasma nitriding furnace at Bodycote Heat Treatment

Operational efficiency, resulting from the tandem design of the dual chamber furnace, offsets the lengthy process times inherent in nitriding, resulting in improved turnaround of customers’ products.

Other benefits to the customer include enhanced case uniformity and product performance.