Solving Critical Heat Treatment Challenges with Practical Process Modeling

Heat treaters are encountering an ever increasing need for practical process design and troubleshooting methods to effectively address quality, cost and production time requirements for thermal treatment of steel parts. Over the last two decades, substantial advances have been made in heat treatment process modeling, now permitting “user friendly” means for process engineers, designers, and other heat treatment technical professionals to readily apply advanced modeling technology to address complex, “real-life” heat treatment challenges. Modeling interfaces have now been designed for ready application to carburizing and hardening processes, following the process logic employed by heat treaters.  This paper highlights the user friendly means now available for developing practical heat treatment models that address industry challenges.  Example applications will cover low pressure carburizing followed by high pressure gas quenching, plug quenching and press quenching, and induction hardening. Also shown are the important benefits received from this technology, including minimization of the costly “trial and error” approach to troubleshooting, and evaluating the effect of process parameters on part quality.