Metal Heat Treatment Services — Specialty Steel Treating

Heat treatment services are controlled thermal processes applied to metals and alloys to alter their physical and mechanical properties without changing the component's shape. Common objectives include increasing hardness, improving ductility, relieving internal stresses, and refining microstructure. Processes such as annealing, quenching, tempering, and case hardening are used across aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries to optimize component performance and longevity.

The four primary types of heat treatment are: (1) Annealing — heating and slow cooling to soften metal and improve ductility; (2) Hardening — heating and rapid quenching to increase surface hardness; (3) Tempering — reheating hardened metal at lower temperatures to reduce brittleness; and (4) Normalizing — heating above critical temperature followed by air cooling to refine grain structure and relieve stress. VaporKote offers all of these and more.

VaporKote provides metal heat treatment and diffusion coating services to a broad range of industries including oil production and petrochemical refining, aerospace, mining, pulp and paper, heat exchanger manufacturing, and general industrial manufacturing. Our processes are specifically engineered to address the extreme wear, corrosion, and thermal demands found in these high-performance environments.

Conventional heat treatment modifies metal properties through temperature cycles, while boronizing is a thermochemical diffusion process that infuses boron atoms into the metal surface, creating an ultra-hard compound layer. VaporKote's boronizing achieves RC75+ equivalency (1500 Knoop hardness) — harder than tungsten carbide cutting tools — making it ideal for components subjected to extreme erosion, abrasion, and friction.

IonPlasma Nitriding (DHIN) uses plasma energy to dissociate nitrogen gas and drive nitrogen atoms directly into the metal surface at precise depths and concentrations, resulting in superior uniformity and control compared to gas or salt-bath nitriding. This process enhances surface hardness, wear resistance, and fatigue strength while producing minimal distortion — ideal for precision gears, shafts, and critical industrial components.

VaporKote adheres to ASTM, ASME, SAE, API, and other recognized engineering codes and practices across all heat treatment and coating processes. Every treatment cycle is monitored with advanced temperature control systems and automated process monitoring. Metallurgical analysis and certification of diffusion coatings are also available, ensuring traceability and compliance with your most stringent project specifications.

Turnaround time at VaporKote varies based on the type of process, component size, and volume. Standard heat treatment processes such as annealing and stress relieving are typically completed within a few business days. Diffusion coating services like boronizing and aluminizing may require additional processing time. VaporKote prioritizes minimizing downtime and works closely with clients to meet project schedules and deadlines.

Yes. VaporKote has state-of-the-art furnace capabilities specifically designed to process large industrial components up to 68 inches in diameter — a capacity that most heat treatment facilities cannot match. This makes VaporKote a trusted partner for heavy industries such as oil and gas, mining, and heat exchanger manufacturing, where oversized or complex components require reliable, high-quality thermal processing.