The application of deep-well ion nitriding furnaces

I. Core Application Fields and Typical Workpieces

1. Machinery Manufacturing and Transmission Industry

• Typical Workpieces: Long shafts (e.g., reducer output shafts, rolling mill drive shafts), elongated lead screws (e.g., ball screws for large machine tools), worm gears, etc.
• Reasons for Application: These workpieces require surface wear resistance (to prevent wear during transmission) and a tough core (for impact resistance). Their lengths typically range from 1 to 5 meters (or even longer), making them incompatible with horizontal furnaces. Deep-well furnaces, however, can suspend workpieces vertically to avoid bending deformation, while ensuring uniform nitrided layer thickness across the shaft (with an error margin controlled within 0.02mm) to guarantee transmission accuracy.

2. Automotive and Construction Machinery Industry

• Typical Workpieces: Automotive steering shafts, heavy-duty truck drive shafts, hydraulic cylinder piston rods (up to 3-6 meters in length), excavator boom pins, etc.
• Reasons for Application: These workpieces are subject to long-term alternating loads, friction, or hydraulic impact, requiring a surface-hardened layer (hardness 50-100HRC) to enhance wear resistance and fatigue strength. Deep-well furnaces can meet the "full-length nitriding" requirement for elongated parts like piston rods. In particular, the surface of piston rods needs a uniform ε-phase nitrided layer (corrosion and wear resistance) to prevent cylinder leakage due to local wear.

3. Machine Tool and Precision Equipment Industry

• Typical Workpieces: Long guide rails of large machine tools (e.g., gantry milling machine rails), boring machine spindles (2-4 meters in length), grinder wheel shafts, etc.
• Reasons for Application: Machine tool rails, spindles, and similar components demand extremely high surface precision (maintaining micron-level straightness after nitriding). The vertical heating method of deep-well furnaces reduces bending stress caused by the workpiece's own weight. Combined with precise glow discharge control, it can form a 0.1-0.5mm uniform hardened layer on the elongated surface, ensuring wear resistance without compromising dimensional accuracy.

4. Petroleum, Chemical, and Drilling Industry

• Typical Workpieces: Oil drill pipes (8-12 meters in length), oil pipelines (elongated tubular parts), deep well pump shafts, etc.
• Reasons for Application: These workpieces operate in downhole or high-pressure environments, requiring resistance to wear (from sand and mud erosion) and corrosion from hydrogen sulfide/carbon dioxide. The hardened layer formed by ion nitriding (containing nitride phases) enhances both wear and corrosion resistance. The vertical structure of deep-well furnaces accommodates the overall treatment of ultra-long drill pipes/pipelines, avoiding performance differences at joints caused by segmented nitriding.

5. Aerospace and High-End Equipment Field

• Typical Workpieces: Aircraft landing gear elongated connecting rods, engine turbine shafts (1-3 meters in length), spacecraft attitude adjustment shafts, etc.
• Reasons for Application: These components have stringent material performance requirements (surface hardness >60HRC, fatigue strength increased by over 30%) and must not undergo heat-induced deformation (with precision requirements up to 0.01mm/m). Low-temperature nitriding (350-550°C) in deep-well furnaces minimizes thermal deformation of workpieces. Combined with vertical positioning, it precisely controls the nitrogen ion penetration depth (0.1-0.8mm), balancing surface hardness and core toughness to meet extreme working conditions.

6. Mold and Tool Industry (Special Elongated Parts)

• Typical Workpieces: Long core molds (e.g., plastic extruder screws), elongated punches, deep hole drilling tools, etc.
• Reasons for Application: These parts require surface wear resistance to extend service life. For example, extruder screws can reach 4-6 meters in length, and deep-well furnaces ensure uniform nitrided layers, preventing mold failure due to local wear.

II. Application Advantages: Why Choose the Deep-Well Structure?

1. Shape Adaptability: The vertical furnace body allows direct suspension or vertical placement of elongated workpieces, avoiding bending deformation caused by self-weight (especially critical for workpieces with an aspect ratio >10).
2. Uniformity: The glow discharge area is evenly distributed along the vertical direction of the furnace, ensuring that the thickness and hardness difference of the nitrided layer at the upper and lower ends of elongated workpieces is <5%.
3. Efficiency Adaptability: Multiple elongated workpieces of the same specification (e.g., multiple drill pipes suspended in parallel) can be processed at once, suitable for mass production.
4. Precision Control: Low-temperature nitriding (350-550°C) reduces thermal deformation of workpieces, and combined with vertical positioning, meets the dimensional accuracy requirements of precision parts.

Summary