Nitriding

Nitriding is a process that uses dissociated ammonia to diffuse nitrogen atoms into the surface of various types of steel. The main objective of nitriding is to increase the hardness of the component’s surface by enriching it with nitrogen. Vacu Braze works with equipment and technology from Nitrex, the industry leader in gas nitriding technology.

Regardless of the method, nitriding is a process of diffusing nitrogen into the metal and such diffusion, once individual atoms of nitrogen have penetrated the surface, continues as long as the temperature is high enough, and there is a fresh supply of nascent nitrogen on the surface. In other words, the diffusion is basically the same in all nitriding, while the difference lies in the supply of nitrogen. The latter has a fundamental influence on the resultant properties of the surface.