Solutions for metals

In the dynamic landscape of the manufacturing industry, the relentless pursuit of innovative materials and ever-higher mechanical performance drives companies towards constant technological growth. A crucial aspect of this progress is heat treatment, a cycle of heating followed by cooling that gives metals and alloys specific mechanical and technological characteristics. Nippon Gases is at the forefront of this sector, developing controlled atmospheres that effectively replace traditional systems and maximise process efficiency and quality.

Synthetic atmospheres are controlled environments created during heat treatments to influence the characteristics of metallic materials. They can be designed to have specific carbon potentials, as in the case of controlled carbon potential atmospheres, which are used to control the hardness and corrosion resistance of materials. Similarly, synthetic atmospheres can be neutral or reducing, depending on the requirements of the heat treatment process.

Neutral atmospheres prevent metal oxidation during heating, while reducing atmospheres also help to protect the treated metal from oxidation but do not necessarily add carbon to the alloy. This ability to manipulate the surrounding environment during heat treatment allows for precise and optimised results for specific material applications.

For treatments with neutral or reducing characteristics on the treated material, Nippon Gases has developed Direct Injection™ technology based on a high-efficiency catalyst that allows the production of controlled atmospheres with reduced environmental impact.

Nippon Gases has developed Endogreen™, the first eco-friendly endogas generator designed to optimise metal heat treatments. Endogreen™ guarantees maximum production flexibility, a drastic reduction in energy consumption and a catalyst efficiency that is significantly higher than traditional technologies. Thanks to its endogas mixture, Endogreen™ is the ideal solution for a wide range of heat treatments.