How to Keep Corrosion Resistance When Hardening Stainless Steel

Is it possible to keep corrosion resistance when hardening stainless steel? The short answer: YES!

Since plasma is very effective in removing the passive layer of a chromium oxide formed naturally on the surface of stainless steel, UltraGlow® Ion Nitriding is widely used to harden (especially selective harden) stainless steel parts. But what about keeping the corrosion resistance?

Advanced Heat Treat Corp. has been providing solutions for customers that need to retain the corrosion resistance in their stainless steels by using UltraGlow® technology for numerous years. This is now a very well-developed process that can be carried out by either carburizing or nitriding; such processes produce a so-called “S-phase.” Shown here is Photo micrograph of 2205 duplex SS showing the S-phase formed during combined carburizing/nitriding cycle.

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