Cryogenic Treatment

A cryogenic treatment is the process of treating workpieces to cryogenic temperatures exposing metal parts to temperatures around -320˚F – has tremendous benefits for industrial applications. Typically occurring between the quenching and tempering processes, deep and cryogenic freezing helps to eliminate the presence of retained austenite in steel that was not transformed during heat treatment which can contribute to part wear and fatigue. Deep and cryogenic treatment can prevent dimensional changes in parts even after they’ve been treated. In some highly specialized applications, especially for parts performing precision functions, dimensional changes can easily render a part useless, especially with components required to be tough and wear resistant. It’s critically important they be treated in a way that allows them to retain their shape over time. Many steel alloys are susceptible to retained austenite. Cryogenic treatment are used to achieve a full transformation to martensite, after treatments like vacuum heat treating.