Metals Technology Corporation provides a full range of heat treating services including:

• Vacuum Processing – Vacuum Carburizing, Vacuum High Bar Quenching (Up To 15 Bar), High Speed, SS & Tool Steels, Bright Annealing, Normalizing, Solution Treating (Annealing), Brazing
• Atmosphere Hardening – Carburizing, Carbonitriding, Low Temperature Ferritic Nitrocarburizing, Selective (localized) Hardening, Carburizing – Without Hardening, Neutral Hardening, Gas Nitriding
• Tool & Die Processing – Vacuum Hardening, Oil Quenching, Salt to Salt, Gas Nitriding, Vacuum Tempering, Sub-Zero Freeze Treatment
• Austempering – Medium And High Carbon Steels, Alloy Steels, Stampings, Fasteners, Etc.
• Marquenching - (SALT TO SALT) – Neutral Hardening, Carbon & Alloy Steels, Selective Hardening, Selective Tempering, Tool & Die
• Annealing – Ferrous And Non-Ferrous, Batch Hydrogen Annealing, Hyperannealing, Brass And Copper, Aluminum
• Precipitation/Age Hardening – Beryllium Copper, Precipitation Hardening Steels, Nitrogen Atmosphere Available
• Induction Heat Treating – Selective (localized) Hardening, selective(localized) Tempering, Induction Scanning, Induction Brazing, Carbon & Alloy Steels, Tool Steels, Carburized Parts
• Other Services - Straightening, Stress Relieving, Clamp Tempering, Mechanical Cleaning (Glass Bead & Aluminum Oxide)

Bright Annealing / Soft Magnetic Annealing / Hyperannealing

This process was developed by MTC’s founder to enable relay and solenoid components to be made from low cost steels. This process reduces carbon and nitrogen levels in the steel resulting in parts having high permeability, low magnetic aging, large ferrite grain size and bright finish.

Hydrogen Atmosphere Annealing

Batch hydrogen atmosphere annealing is also available. Annealed parts are bright, suitable for plating.

Vacuum Annealing

We can maintain vacuum levels to provide bright annealing of stainless steels, high nickel alloys, and other exotic materials.

Metals Technology has the equipment and the expertise to meet its customers’ requirements for all the processes commonly needed for heat treating all plain carbon steels and various alloy steels. These processes include oil quenching, carburizing, carbonitiriding and low temperature ferritic nitrocarburizing. We have the capability to comply with SAE-AMS-H-6875 & AMS-2759 requirements.

Carburizing & Carbonitriding

These processes are employed to add carbon or carbon & nitrogen to the surface of steels (mainly low carbon steels) to improve their surface wear resistance. The furnaces used for endothermic gas atmosphere carburizing & carbonitirding are equipped with Carbon Sensors and PLC Controls with integral oil quench. These controls assist in producing accurate case depths for both light and deep case requirements. Our furnaces are equipped with ammonia disconnects to prevent accidental carbonitriding instead of carburizing. We offer degreasing of parts both before and after case hardening, which has proven to be specially beneficial for parts where cleanliness is critical, like those used in hydraulic applications. We also offer masking for selective case hardening when required. Parts are loaded in the best manner possible, (fixtured / racked vertical when necessary), to minimize distortion and to ensure uniformity of case and hardness. Parts can be glass beaded or sand blasted before shipping if so desired.

Neutral Hardening - No Change In The Chemistry (Carbon Level) Of The Steel

Parts made from many types of steel are heat treated in endothermic atmosphere with the carbon potential in the furnace controlled to match the carbon of the steel. The parts are quenched in heated oil. The temperature and the agitation of the quench oil are controlled and these parameters are selected based not only on the grade of steel used but also on the shape and size of the parts. Oils of different heat transfer rates are available for optimum results. After oil quench the parts are washed in water or degreased followed by tempering to achieve the hardness specified. Parts can be glass beaded or sand blasted before shipping if so desired.

Ferritic Nitrocarburizing

Ferritic Nitrocarburizing is a low temperature process which provides an extremely hard surface but shallow case depth – typically 0.001” maximum. The process is suitable for stampings and machined parts and offers the benefit of none to minimal distortion.

Austempering is a continuous process in which the parts are placed on a belt, heated to the desired austenitizing temperature, quenched in a liquid salt heated to a temperature that produces the desired hardness, followed by water rinse and dipping in rust inhibitor. Austempering offers many advantages over conventional oil quench and tempering process, some of which are:

• Uniform and consistent results for small and large quantities
• Reduced or no distortion
• Enhanced ductility and fatigue life (due to a bainitic microstructure obtained by quenching in heated liquid salt)
• Lower Cost
• Faster turn around
• Superior finish for ease of cleaning and plating

Austempering is the preferred heat treating process for small metal stampings made from medium to high carbon (C-1050 to C-1095) spring steels and alloy steels (4130, 4140 ). Small fasteners, screws, nails etc are also austempered for superior mechanical properties.

Metals Technology Corporation has over 30 years experience in Austemper heat treating and has qualified, experienced personnel to provide you assistance in process development that best suits your needs.

We have three large austempering furnaces, the newest among them being one of the largest in the Chicago metropolitan area, is computer controlled and has SPC capability. The three large furnaces, plus 24-hours-a-day operation, enable us to offer you fast and economical service.

Metals Technology Corporation is always striving to meet the customer's needs and we felt it was necessary to expand our induction department to serve them better.

Over the past couple of years, we have purchased 4 new induction units. We have power supplies ranging from 15kw to 150kw and the capability of running frequencies from 10khz to 450khz. Our most recent purchase is a scanner unit which can scan parts up to 24" in length. This unit is computer controlled storing all set-up recipes allowing for consistent processing each and every order.

We have the capability of carburizing and induction hardening parts in-house which has provided faster turnaround times to most of our customers. We can do selective tempering after conventional heat treating processes and induction brazing.

Metals Technology Corporation offers an ideal method of heat treating parts that have a tight straightness/flatness requirement. This method is a batch process where the entire heat treating is performed in liquid salt baths. Parts are racked in fixtures, heated in a neutral molten salt bath, quenched in neutral molten salt bath followed by tempering in a liquid salt bath. This method of heat treating is suitable for a wide range of steels such as O-1, 52100, 4140, 8650, 1050, 1075 etc.

• Meets the requirements of SAE-AMS-H-6875 & AMS 2759
• Is rectified on a regular basis to ensure its neutrality
• Semi-automatic, enables fast turn around of work
• Economical as it may eliminate secondary straightening operation
• Preferred method of heat treating for parts with sharp corners, or of intricate shape, as it lowers the probability of quench cracks

Since the processing is done in liquid salts, it makes selective hardening and/or tempering feasible.

Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steels

Using thermal processing equipment that meets aerospace and military requirements, stainless steels (such as 17-7, 17-4, 13-8, 15-7, etc.) are solution annealed, austenite conditioned, transformation cooled, and precipitation hardened to satisfy the requirements of SAE-AMS-H-6875. MTC has extensive experience working with close tolerances required for those materials.

Bright Hardening Of Beryllium Copper

Stamping and machine parts made of BeCu alloys are cleaned prior to loading into mil-spec compliant nitrogen retorts for precipitation hardening to your hardness requirements. Hand stacking, single layer and basket loading methods are available to minimize distortion during the thermal process. Finished parts are bright and clean, ready for plating.

Straightening

Using hydraulic presses, MTC offers straightening of shafts, plates, stampings, and other parts as required. Straightening of tool and die work as well as production parts is performed. Clamp tempering as well as clamp stress relieving services are also available.

Mechanical Cleaning

Many of are customers parts are vapor degreased or washed prior to heat treating resulting in a clean scale free finish. Blasting is available with glass bead or aluminum oxide.

“Tool and Die” Vacuum Heat Treating

MTC offers overnight heat treatment of most tool steels, such as A2, D2, S7, M2, M4, M42, CPM 10V, and stainless steels to meet your demanding needs. Other materials such as H11, H13, and H21 can be processed for delivery in 2 days. MTC has High Pressure Quench capabilities (up to 15 bar) meeting NADCA requirements for H13 and heat treating other tool and die materials for their optimum properties.

Oil Hardening Tool & Die Heat Treating

MTC offers overnight heat treating of oil-hardening tool steels such as O1, 4140, P20, etc. Over night service is also available for 1/32 case hardening of low carbon tool steels.

Marquenching (Salt-To-Salt) Heat Treating

Marquenching of oil hardening tool steels such as 4140, O1, etc. is also available when required. Salt to salt processing typically produces less distortion than oil quenching making this process more desirable for distortion prone parts.

Gas Nitriding

Gas nitriding produces a very hard surface for wear resistance with little or no distortion. In addition to our standard single-stage gaseous nitride process, MTC offers the faster two-stage nitride process to provide decreased processing time and reduced white layer.

Metals Technology Corporation in continuation of their expansion plan and commitment to provide heat treating service using the state of the art equipment, became the first in Chicago Metropolitan area to offer vacuum carburizing, isothermal cooling and 15bar high pressure gas quench heat treating service with the addition of Seco/Warwick 15Bar Universal HPQ furnace to their vacuum department. Accelerated, uniform quenching with convection heating now makes it possible to heat treat carbon and alloy steels (8620, 4120, 4140, 4340, 6150, 52100, O1…) in vacuum. Heat treating alloy steels in vacuum instead of endothermic gas atmosphere precludes the harmful effects of inter-granular oxidation, carburizing and decarburizing. Meeting NADCA requirements for H-13 and heat treating other tool and die materials for their optimum properties is now easily accomplished.

Metals Technology performs the hardening of all the tool steels (A2, D2, S7, H-13, A6, A10 …), high speed steels (M2, M42, CPM9V, CPM10V, T15 …), 400 series martensitic steels in vacuum furnaces. The solution annealing of 300 series austenitic steels and the “PH” steels is also done in vacuum. Processing these steels in vacuum furnaces is the most desirable way as this minimizes their exposure to air, thereby nearly eliminating the possibility of any change in the surface chemistry of the parts. Heat treating in vacuum provides parts that are bright, clean and free of scale.

All our furnaces are equipped with programmable controllers and have charting capability. We have furnaces that meet the SAE-AMS-H-6875 & AMS-2759 requirements.