Services

Full service heat treating solutions

Diamond Heat Treat, Inc. provides a wide spectrum of heat treating services that include atmosphere processes such as carburizing, neutral hardening and ferritic nitrocarburizing, as well as vacuum procedures like homogenizing, bright hardening of stainless steel and tool steel processing. We offer the insight and expertise to assist you in securing high quality heat treatment solutions designed to meet the unique requirements of your project.

Take a closer look at the services we provide:

CARBURIZING

Carburizing, also known as case hardening, is a heat treatment process in which a steel component of low carbon content is heated in a carbon rich controlled endothermic atmosphere gas. The process of heating the component in a high carbon environment via means a controlled gaseous atmosphere allows for diffusion of the carbon atoms directly into the surface of the part.

improved
Wear
Resistance

Increased Toughness & Strength

High Case Hardness

Lower Core Hardness

DEEP FREEZING

Also known as cryogenics, deep freezing is a procedure that involves cooling parts to temperature ranges of -80 to -300 degrees Fahrenheit to remove retained austenite in the steel, or to relieve stresses and make a more homogenous, stable structure. Cryogenic processing saves our customers money by extending the life and performance of the parts they manufacture.

Prolonged Performance

Cost Reduction

Reduced Distortion

Improved Stability

FERRITIC NITROCABURIZING / NITEMPERING

Ferritic nitrocaburizing is a family of processes in which nitrogen and carbon are absorbed into the surface layer of a variety of carbon and steel alloys. Nitemper processing is a low-temperature, controlled atmosphere heat treatment applied to steel and cast iron. These processes result in part surfaces with dramatically improved corrosion resistance with salt-spray test results exceeding 1000 hours. In addition to the increased corrosion resistance the process also provides increased surface hardness, wear-resistance and surface lubricity. Given the minimal dimensional change in part geometry FNC/Nitempering is an ideal application for parts requiring close tolerances as well.

Increased surface hardness and wear resistance

Minimal dimensional change applicable to near finished parts

Increased surface lubricity

Enhanced corrosion resistance & salt spray testing results

NEUTRAL HARDENING

Also known as Q & T, or quench hardening, neutral hardening is a heat treatment used to achieve high hardness/strength on steel. It consists of austenitizing and cooling at a rate that converts austenite to martensite.

Increased strength

Increased toughness

NITRIDING

Nitriding is a case hardening process which consists of the introduction of nitrogen, usually as ammonia gas, to machined and heat treated ferrous alloys to harden the surface layer without requiring any further quenching treatment. Processing temperatures are commonly 975 to 1050 degrees Fahrenheit.

hard
Surface,
Ductile Core

Increased
Wear
Resistance

Reduced Risk
of Distortion

Increased Surface Lubricity

TOOL STEEL PROCESSING

Tool steel processing ensures that steel containing sufficient carbon and other alloying elements are fully hardened during the cooling process in air, oil, salt or inert gas. Commonly processed in a vacuum furnace.

Increased strength

Increased toughness

VACUUM FULL ANNEALING

Vacuum full annealing is a process in which the metal is heated to a required temperature range and held at that temperature for the specified amount of time, then cooled at a controlled rate. The microstructure is converted to ferrite and spheroidal graphite. Elements that retard annealing, such as manganese and phosphorus, and alloying elements including chromium, nickel, copper and molybdenum, are kept low to specific microstructure or change the molecular properties of the part.

Low hardness soft material

improved machinability

TEMPERING

Tempering is the process of reheating austenitized and quench-hardened steel or iron (ferrous alloys), to a pre-determined temperature that is lower than the transformational temperature to obtain different combinations of mechanical properties in the material.

CARBONITRIDING

Carbonitriding is a process that involves the absorption and diffusion of carbon into solid ferrous alloys by heating to a temperature range above the transformation temperature of the alloy in a controlled gas atmosphere to cause the absorption of carbon and nitrogen at the surface. Heating takes place in a carbon-rich environment to produce a carbon gradient that extends from the surface into the material.

Increased surface hardness of low carbon steels

Improved wear resistance of low carbon steels

NORMALIZING

Normalizing is the process of heating a ferrous alloy to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit above the transformation range and then cooling the material in still air to a temperature lower than the transformation range. The process produces a recrystallization and refinement of the grain in the material that results in uniform hardness and structure. Many high strength components are normalized prior to the hardening and tempering process in order to optimize mechanical properties.

Uniform Hardness

Uniform Core Structure

Removes Internal Stresses

Improved Dimensional Stability

STRESS RELIEVING

Stress relieving occurs when a material is heated to a temperature below the lower transformation temperature of the material and held for a pre-determined period of time. The temperature for nonferrous metals may vary from a few degrees above room temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the alloy and the amount of stress relief that is desired. After heating, the material is cooled slowly to prevent the creation of new stress. The main purpose of stress relieving is to reduce pressures caused from forming, shaping, rolling, machining, or welding.

Relieves Stresses

Retains Structure

Preserves Natural Hardness