Oerlikon Balzers Customer Magazine

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23 BEYOND SURFACES Fall 16 22
Passion Passion
BALITHERM IONIT
BALITHERM IONIT and IONIT OX processes are the
nitriding diffusion and nitrocarburizing brands for all
types of steel and non-ferrous metals.
Plasma nitriding is an industrial surface hardening
process in which molecular nitrogen and hydrogen are
ionized under vacuum and react with an iron substrate.
The addition of carbon to the nitriding process and the
subsequent oxidization lead to plasma nitrocarburizing,
which creates an especially hard, wear resistant
compound layer. Nitrocarburizing moreover significantly
reduces the tendency of iron to react with other
materials in the environment, for example lubricants.
• Very good wear resistance
• Extended service life
• Improved corrosion resistance
• Increased surface hardness
• Environmentally friendly technology,
as no harmful chemicals or gases are
used in the process
our INAURA. So we worked closely with Scot Forge
developers to also make the appropriate holders,” says
Craig Reuter, illustrating the joint work involved.
Unique precision for maximum efficiency
The Scot Forge press is unique – not just in terms of size,
but also because of the precision with which it creates
near-net shaped parts. This means that extremely
detailed parts can be formed, which, in turn, greatly
reduces the amount of hard machining work needed to
finalize a given part. The result: both Scot Forge and its
customers save valuable time during machining.
Scot Forge is targeting customers from a wide range
of sectors with the new press: aerospace, ship building,
energy, defence, oil and gas, and mining, to name just a
few. “For us, the new press does more than simply allow
us to forge new and more complex structures than we
could before. It also means that the parts we have been
forging on our existing machines can now be produced
much more efficiently,” says Laura Diedrich.
Find more information at:
Video: BALITHERM IONIT for Components
Factbox
Company: Scot Forge
Challenge: One of the largest forging presses
under construction in the northern hemisphere
will experience galling and wear of chrome
plating on huge pistons and connector rods.
Thermal surface treatments have been proven
to prevent galling, but the mammoth size of the
parts took this option from the design table.
Objectives:
• A nitriding vessel of sufficient size had to be
be used.
• Experts in the field of large component
surface treatment had to be engaged to lock
in design specifications for these unusual
components.
• Demonstration of prior success in the
handling and treatment of massive and
expensive parts was a key selection criteria.
• Timely and safe turnaround required close
logistical coordination with the supplier.
Solution: BALITHERM IONIT
Location: Spring Grove, IL, USA
Date of project: 2015/2016
FACTS & FIGURES