Plasma (Ion) Nitriding
Plasma Nitriding, also known as Ion Nitriding, is a modern surface hardening process used to improve the wear resistance, fatigue strength, and corrosion resistance of steel components. The process is carried out in a vacuum chamber where nitrogen ions are generated through plasma discharge and diffused into the surface of the material.
Unlike conventional nitriding processes, plasma nitriding offers excellent process control, uniform case depth, and minimal distortion, making it highly suitable for precision components and tooling applications.
At NK Vacuum Heat Treatments, plasma nitriding is performed using advanced equipment and precisely controlled process parameters to achieve consistent hardness and case depth according to customer requirements.
Why Gas Nitriding?
The formed hard layer imparts good wear resistance, fatigue strength, corrosive resistance & little or no dimensional change. Apart from this, the process contains specific advantages as listed below:
- Precise control of nitrogen by controlling the gas flow rate which gives all-round nitriding effect
- High dimensional stability & hardness, corrosion resistance & reduced coefficient friction
- Parts can be masked to prevent hardening in some areas.
- Large batch sizes are possible
Plasma nitriding is suitable for all nitridable steels such as alloy steels, tool steels, die steels, stainless steels, and cast irons. It is commonly used for dies, moulds, gears, shafts, automotive components, and precision machine parts.
Plasma nitriding can achieve surface hardness of approximately 900 – 1200 HV (around 65–72 HRC equivalent) depending on the material composition.
Treatment time typically ranges from 10 to 30 hours, depending on the required case depth and material grade.
The processing cost depends on material type, component size, weight, and the maximum number of parts that can be processed in a single batch. As each job has different requirements, pricing is determined accordingly. Please contact us for detailed pricing and technical discussion.
