Streamlining Atmosphere Heat Treatment: Best Practices for Minimizing Distortion & Reducing Manufacturing Costs

Two common, and often essential, processes performed in atmosphere heat-treating systems are carburizing and quenching. These processes have similar goals: to carburize parts uniformly and to produce a uniform quench – all with minimal part distortion. Distortion is a term for all types of irreversible dimensional changes that occur in a workpiece. Two common types of distortion occur during the heat treatment process: size distortion and shape distortion. Total size distortion is the sum of distortion arising during the heat treatment cycle. Shape distortion is created by non-uniformity of temperature during phase transformation. This paper will discuss the five main reasons why distortion and cracking occur during atmosphere heat treatment and oil quenching in integral quench batch furnaces. It will also explore best practices for addressing these issues and refining the carburizing and quenching processes. As a result, you will be able to minimize part distortion during the atmosphere heat treatment process, all with the ultimate goal of reducing or eliminating the associated post-treatment steps and manufacturing costs associated with correcting distortion.