Induction Hardening Service

Our induction hardening service is a localized heating process to selectively harden metal parts or components. A solid-state electric power supply sends an electrical current through an inductor coil wrapped around the surfaces of the part to be heated. The induction coil generates an electromagnetic field that selectively heats only the surface of the metal part within the coil. Induction heating generates accurate and focused heat at the surface of the workpiece, without affecting the entire part.

Bluewater specializes in selective hardening of gears, sprockets and powder metal components, and their induction equipment is fully automated to handle high volume production orders. After induction hardening treatment, components can be evaluated in their metallurgical laboratory using magnetic particle inspection equipment. Rust preventive may also be applied after tempering. Bluewater's induction capabilities are available at their Ridgway, Pennsylvania site, and they can service specific types of components.

Bluewater's technicians consider a variety of characteristics during process design prior to performing the induction hardening service such as:

The geometry of the part and surface requiring localized heating
The type and shape of inductor coil needed
The amount of electrical current required
The frequency of the alternating magnetic field required
The density of the material
The permeability of the material
The time the material is exposed to heat
The work piece material chemistry
The final case depth and hardness levels desired

Bluewater's facility in Ridgway, PA specializes in induction hardening of powdered metal components. If you’re searching for heat treatment Pennsylvania solutions, Bluewater provides localized induction hardening services designed to improve surface hardness without compromising core material integrity.

Properties of Induction Hardening Components

Very quick and efficient process with rapid heating
Allows for localized hardening
Depth of surface layer hardened can be varied to meet customer requirements
The core of the material remains cold during processing and its original properties are unaffected after induction hardening is complete
Very little distortion and size change as only a portion of the part is exposed to heating for a short time
Typically performed on carbon and alloy steels with a carbon content between 0.30% and 1.00% C
Process is uniform, repeatable and controllable
High control over quality
Different methods of induction hardening can be employed such as single shot hardening and traverse/scan hardening
Multiple parts can be treated in a single cycle with some induction machines
Can be performed on single pieces to large production volume runs
Material costs are reduced as process is compatible with lower hardenability, lower cost alloys
Increases durability and resistance to wear