The Physical-Technical Institute offers consumers a complex of equipment for ion-plasma nitriding to increase the durability of external and internal surfaces of parts made of steel, cast iron, and titanium alloys under a manufacturing agreement and is looking for partners to conclude a distribution services agreement.

Ion plasma nitriding (or plasma nitriding) is a modern surface treatment technology for metals used to improve wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and hardness. Several leading manufacturers of ion plasma nitriding equipment are present on the global market. Here is a list of the main companies:

Major global manufacturers of ion plasma nitriding equipment.
1. Ionitech (Bulgaria)
- Features: The company specializes in the production of equipment for ion plasma nitriding and other thermochemical processes. Their equipment is characterized by high energy efficiency and reliability.

2. Rübig GmbH & Co KG (Austria)
- Features: Rübig offers plasma nitriding equipment used in the automotive, energy, and mechanical engineering industries. Their technology ensures precise control of process parameters.

3. Nitrex Metal Inc. (Canada)
- Features: Nitrex manufactures equipment for thermochemical processing, including plasma nitriding. The company offers solutions for various industries, including aviation and medicine.

4. ELTROPULS GmbH (Germany)
- Features: ELTROPULS is a leader in plasma nitriding technology. Their equipment is characterized by high productivity and durability.

5. IHI Machinery and Furnace Co., Ltd. (Japan)
- Features: The company offers a wide range of heat treatment equipment, including plasma nitriding systems. Their technologies are used in the automotive and aerospace industries.

The world's largest manufacturers of ion plasma nitriding equipment are Ionitech, Rübig, Nitrex Metal, ELTROPULS, and IHI Machinery and Furnace. These companies offer innovative and reliable solutions that meet the requirements of various industries.

The ion-plasma nitriding equipment complex at the Physicotechnical Institute consists of two vacuum chambers and a degreasing line for parts prior to hardening. Ion-plasma nitriding enhances the durability of the external and internal surfaces of steel, cast iron, and titanium alloy parts. Parts up to 2250 mm in diameter and 2600 mm in height can be hardened, producing a wear-resistant layer of the required hardness (for example, up to HV 1200 for 38Kh2MYuA steel) up to 0.8 mm deep. After nitriding, steels achieve a surface microhardness of HV0.05 of 660–1300 and a layer depth of 100–800 µm. Treatment of titanium alloys achieves a surface microhardness of HV0.05 of 750–1100 and a layer depth of 100–150 µm.

The information is published in the Catalogue "100 Best Developments of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for the Country's Economy for 2022–2023" pp. 58–59.

Application (sector) - mechanical engineering, machine tool manufacturing, agricultural machinery production.
Technical advantages (relative to the best domestic and foreign analogues): There are no competitors in Eastern European countries in the development of technologies and equipment for ion-thermal processing. When processing
metals in a glow discharge, the rate of their saturation with nitrogen and carbon is 5-15 times higher than with gas-thermal processing.

The main advantage of the equipment at the Physicotechnical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus lies in its optimized thermal protection system and precise control of gas environments.

High energy efficiency. The use of advanced thermal protection systems significantly reduces specific energy consumption. Compared to Bulgarian and Russian equipment, energy consumption is 30-90% lower, and compared to German systems with "hot" walls, it is 15-20% lower.

Efficient gas consumption. Independent regulation of the flow rate of each component of the working mixture and the chamber pressure ensures economical gas consumption. Per unit area of ​​the treated charge, reagent consumption is almost half that of, for example, the PlaTeG PP200 system.

Technological flexibility and productivity. These systems provide high surface saturation rates (including for titanium alloys) and enable the production of nitrided layers with a specified structure and thickness. The processing time is reduced by 3-5 times compared to traditional methods, and by 5-10 times for titanium alloys.

The equipment complex was put into operation on July 14, 2023, at the Soligorsk Institute for Resource Saving Problems with Pilot Production.

Developer: State Scientific Institution "Physical-Technical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus".

The Physical-Technical The Institute is a leading scientific institution in the Republic of Belarus in the field of resource-saving and automated production, the development of new materials technologies, robotics, intelligent control systems, and highly effective security systems.

The institute actively develops technologies and equipment used in production.

Coatings, application technologies, and equipment:
- protective coatings designed to protect parts from corrosion in various aggressive environments, including at high temperatures;
- protective and decorative coatings used for decorative finishing of parts while simultaneously protecting against corrosion;
- special coatings used to impart specific surface properties (wear resistance, hardness, electrical insulation, magnetic properties, etc.), as well as to restore worn parts.

Foundrying technologies.
Foundrying is a branch of mechanical engineering that manufactures shaped parts and blanks by pouring molten metal into a mold whose cavity has the shape of the desired part. During the casting process, the metal in the mold solidifies as it cools, producing a casting—a finished part or blank. This casting can be further machined, if necessary (to improve dimensional accuracy and reduce roughness). Therefore, foundries are faced with the task of producing castings whose dimensions and shape are as close as possible to the dimensions and shape of the finished part.

Industrial surface engineering technologies:
- ion-beam thermal processing;
- laser processing of materials;
- carburization;
- induction heating;
- magnetic pulse processing, etc.

New materials. New materials include composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics, fiberglass reinforced plastics, basalt fiber reinforced plastics, aramid plastics, and metal composites; high-tech ceramics such as aluminum, zirconium, oxide, nitride, and carbide ceramics, among others; new building materials such as new foam glass insulation materials, road surface modifiers based on rubber powder or polymer fibers, and new types of concrete.

Metal forming.
These technologies involve changing the shape and size of workpieces by applying external forces, with the resulting change being maintained. After the pressure is removed, the shape and size of the product remain unchanged. To increase ductility, the metal is heated to a specific temperature before forming. This temperature is determined individually for each type of material, depending on its specific physical and chemical properties.

The Institute has partners in various countries around the world.

Official website of the Physical-Technical Institute

Customers interested in purchasing an ion-plasma nitriding equipment complex to improve the durability of external and internal surfaces of steel, cast iron, and titanium alloy parts under a manufacturing agreement.

Partners interested in purchasing an ion-plasma nitriding equipment complex to improve the durability of external and internal surfaces of steel, cast iron, and titanium alloy parts under a distribution services agreement.