SURFACE HARDENING
Improve Wear Resistance and Extend the Life of Your Components
Surface hardening is a heat treatment process that increases the hardness of a metal’s outer surface while maintaining a tougher, more ductile core. This combination provides improved wear resistance, fatigue strength, and durability without making the entire component brittle.
At ABS, we provide surface hardening services for manufacturers who need components that can withstand demanding operating conditions. Whether you’re processing gears, shafts, fasteners, or other critical parts, our experienced team delivers consistent results that meet your performance requirements.
Why Choose Surface Hardening?
Surface hardening is ideal for parts that experience constant friction, heavy loads, or repeated impact. By hardening only the surface, components maintain the strength and toughness needed to resist cracking while improving resistance to wear.
Benefits include:
- Increased surface hardness
- Improved wear resistance
- Enhanced fatigue strength
- Tough, durable core for impact resistance
- Extended component life
- Improved performance in demanding applications
Materials We Commonly Process
ABS provides surface hardening for a variety of ferrous materials, including:
- Carbon steels
- Alloy steels
- Tool steels
- Low alloy steels
- Heat-treatable steel components
Not sure if surface hardening is the right process for your material? Our team can review your specifications and recommend the best solution for your application.
Applications
Surface hardening is commonly used for components that require a hard, wear-resistant exterior while maintaining core strength and toughness.
Typical applications include:
Gears
Shafts
Pins
Bushings
Fasteners
Camshafts
Industrial machinery components
Precision machined parts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is surface hardening?
Surface hardening is a heat treatment process that hardens the outer layer of a metal component while maintaining a tougher core. This improves wear resistance and extends the service life of parts that experience friction or repeated loading.
What are the benefits of surface hardening?
Surface hardening increases resistance to wear, improves fatigue strength, extends component life, and helps maintain the toughness of the core. This combination makes it an excellent choice for parts that need both durability and impact resistance.
What materials can be surface hardened?
ABS commonly performs surface hardening on carbon steels, alloy steels, tool steels, and other heat-treatable ferrous alloys. Our team can review your material and specifications to determine the most appropriate process.
What types of parts benefit from surface hardening?
Surface hardening is commonly used for gears, shafts, pins, bushings, fasteners, camshafts, tooling, and other components that operate under high friction, repeated stress, or heavy loads.
What is your typical turnaround time?
Most surface hardening projects are completed within 5 to 7 business days, depending on the material, quantity, and processing requirements. Rush processing is available for projects with critical deadlines.