Heat treatment for the strictest component requirements and optimal machining properties
Depending on the steel application, LSV Lech-Stahl Veredelung offers the appropriate heat treatment, such as inductive quenching and tempering, normalising, AC or FP annealing and surface hardening of bar steel and bright steel. The combination of tailor-made steel solutions and selective heat treatment for specific microstructure properties ensures the best machining properties and optimal component characteristics. Properties such as tensile strength, yield strength, hardness, endurance strength, bending fatigue strength, spring characteristics or machinability can be tailored to your application. By investing in the latest systems engineering for inductive heat treatment in conjunction with our steel know-how, we have established ourselves as the market leader for the inductive heat treatment of bar steel and bright steel. Aside from inductive single bar quenching and tempering, we offer specialised solutions such as inductive annealing, inductive case hardening and combinations of these processes. Reproducibility in these processes means that every bar has the same properties.
For your specific steel requirements, please use our inquiry form!
Inductive single bar quenching and tempering for the highest quality
Highly modern inductive quenching and tempering facilities enable heat treatment with a low level of internal stress and high reproducibility. Both processes, hardening and tempering, are entirely inductive. Single bar quenching and tempering supports precise parametrisation, resulting in mechanical properties within tight tolerances in the annealing process. The potential of the chosen materials and bright steel products in relation to the chemical analysis and resulting mechanical-technological properties can be fully realised thanks to comparatively high hardening temperatures. Among other applications, Inductive annealing products from LSV Lech-Stahl Veredelung are used in steering system production, drive technology, linear technology and the screw industry, and by their suppliers.
Inductive surface hardening for hard, wear-resistant surfaces
To utilise the possibilities of inductive processes even more effectively, we have completed our production range with a new production line for inductive surface hardening. This allows you to use both quenching and tempering and induction surface hardened steel or, for especially demanding applications, to combine the tough core with the hardened surface. That opens up new technical possibilities, especially to eliminate elaborate heat treatment processes on the machined component.
The goal of this process is to produce a hard, wear-resistant surface along the entire rod length (up to 8000 mm) of the manufactured bright steel without changing the existing properties of the core material. Compared to quenching and tempering, the case hardening process is defined by a relatively short process zone that the bar steel passes through. This is because only the outer surface layer of the materials is heated by the hardening inductor. Heat conduction into the core is specifically suppressed with frequency control. Then the austenised surface layer is quickly and evenly quenched using ring and tubular sprayers, resulting in a pronounced local hardness increase. Quenching of the surface layer is generally followed by tempering at temperatures of 150-200 °C, considerably reducing the risk of cracking due to high stresses. The properties produced by case hardening are required, for example, in case of vibratory component stresses or in the linear technology field. The continuous further development of machining and tool technologies enables the use of case hardened long materials, creating an alternative production route compared to conventional soft machining with a subsequent hardening process.
Additional grinding processes will improve precision and the surface quality.
Process monitoring in inductive case hardening is based on the heat treatment standard CQI-9. Corresponding series testing is implemented in the course of production, realised in our own quality laboratories with the help of the latest inspection and testing technology.
Further information about bright steel production at LSV Lech-Stahl Veredelung is available here.
Inductive quenching and tempering of tubes
The tube or pipe has many uses: as a pipeline it is used as a transport route for liquids, gases or free-flowing solids. In mechanical engineering, the tube is used as a structural element, for example as an axle or shaft, and in the automotive sector, for example, as a tube stabilizer. Steel tubes can be seamless or welded. The application determines the properties that the steel tube must have for its intended use.
Use cases that require high strength and notched impact strength of the tube can be achieved by heat treating the tube. The inductive quenching and tempering of tubes offers the possibility of optimizing the mechanical-technological properties. This process is suitable for a precise, flexible and reproducible heat treatment of tubes. By passing through the inductive heat treatment process, the tubes obtain the required strength and a correspondingly high toughness. These properties are particularly necessary for special requirements such as high internal pressure loads. Tempered tubes are therefore used in airbag systems, for example.
We can quench and temper tubes in a range from 18mm to 60mm outer diameter and with variable wall thickness. Do you need heat-treated tubes for your application or would you like to have your tubes heat-treated? We will check your requirements in detail.
Contact us or send us your enquiry directly via our enquiry form!
Annealing in the furnace for defined material properties
Continuous furnaces with high and low-temperature zones are available in order to produce optimal conditions for the subsequent processing of our steel products, such as cold working or turning. Spheroidising, ferrite-perlite annealing, normalising and stress relief annealing can be carried out. The process ensures that your specifications are met in reference to mechanical properties and the required steel microstructure for subsequent processing.
Our program-controlled systems use defined annealing programs for a high reproducibility of the annealing process with subsequent specific cooling. Combined with experience in the heat treatment of steel gained over decades, our profound metallurgic knowledge allows us to meet the highest standards and address new challenges regarding machining properties, workability and component properties.
