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Most steels can be hardened through controlled cooling after they have been raised above their transformation temperature of 1350° F. Sinter furnace hardening uses the same principle, but takes advantage of the sintering step in the P/M process. Sintering raises the part temperature well above the 1350° F threshold and then, by adding certain alloys (such as nickel and molybdenum) to the raw material and modifying the cooling zone of the sintering furnace, P/M parts can be hardened effectively as they cool. This eliminates a separate heat treatment operation. And, the slower, controlled cooling cycle minimizes distortions and cracking.

This process offers other advantages:

• No contamination from dirty quench oils
• A cleaner appearance out of the furnace
• Produces a greater consistency than a batch process
• Avoids oil smoke during tempering
• Provides better gear teeth quality for quieter operation

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• Joining
• Coating
• Copper Infiltration