Carburizing

Professional Carburizing

ThermoFusion provides professional carburizing services for aerospace, engineering, and industrial applications throughout the Bay Area. Carburizing is a heat treatment process that introduces carbon into the surface of low-carbon steel, creating a hardened exterior while maintaining a tougher, more ductile core. The process improves surface hardness, wear resistance, and fatigue strength, making it ideal for components subjected to repeated stress, friction, and demanding operating environments. Carburizing is most commonly used on steels with carbon contents ranging from approximately 0.05% to 0.30%.

How Carburizing Works

During carburizing, components are exposed to a carbon-rich atmosphere at elevated temperatures. Carbon atoms diffuse into the surface of the material, creating a hardened case layer while preserving the toughness of the core material. The depth of carbon penetration depends on material composition, furnace atmosphere, processing temperature, and exposure time. Once the desired case depth is achieved, the component is rapidly cooled through a controlled quench process, locking the carbon into the surface and producing the required hardness characteristics.

ThermoFusion Carburizing Capabilities

ThermoFusion offers carburizing and nitro-carburizing services for a variety of materials, including 12L14, 1018, and 8620 steels. Our facility utilizes endothermic atmosphere furnaces operating between 1200°F and 1750°F and supports both air temper and oil quench processing.

• Controlled atmosphere carburizing
• Nitro-carburizing capabilities
• Endothermic furnace processing
• Air temper operations
• Oil quench operations
• Production and prototype quantities
• Quality documentation available

Benefits of Carburizing

• Increased wear resistance
• Improved surface hardness
• Enhanced fatigue strength
• Improved abrasion and scratch resistance
• Extended component service life
• Hard outer surface with a tougher, more durable core
• Excellent choice for gears, shafts, tooling, and wear-critical components

Industries Served

Our carburizing services support aerospace, defense, industrial manufacturing, tooling, heavy equipment, and precision engineering applications requiring repeatable metallurgical performance and reliable process control.

Certified Quality

With decades of thermal processing experience, ThermoFusion is committed to delivering consistent results that meet stringent customer and industry requirements. Our facility maintains ISO 9001:2015, AS9100D, and Nadcap certifications, ensuring quality, traceability, and process control throughout every project.