Low-Temp Blackening Process Protects Gears for Storage, Shipment, Startup
Birchwood Technologies says that its Tru Temp black oxide process meets demand by gear component manufacturers for an in-house metal finishing process that provides break-in lubricity, robust corrosion protection and galling resistance on critical components.
Birchwood Technologies says that its Tru Temp black oxide process meets demand by gear component manufacturers for an in-house metal finishing process that provides break-in lubricity, robust corrosion protection and galling resistance on critical components. This low-temperature process is designed to create a non-dimensional finish, maintaining material hardness and load-bearing properties. Operating at 200°F, the blackening line forms a satin black magnetite finish that protects critical surfaces in storage, shipment and startup. The process takes 30 minutes, according to the company. Process lines are available at various scales, including 100- and 40-gallon system, in order to fit part size and production volume.
The finish is Mil Spec- and RoHS-compliant, and can withstand as much as 120 hours of neutral salt spray or several hundred hours of humidity, the company says. It has a 0.5-micron-thick crystalline structure, which enables it to effectively hold a rust inhibitor, and serves as a sacrificial barrier to provide break-in lubricity and galling resistance.
Birchwood says that the process can be installed in any plant setting without endangering personnel or surrounding equipment. The operating solutions contain no EPA-regulated chemicals, and process rinse waters are normally sent to the sewer as non-hazardous discharge, requiring no waste treatment equipment.
