Can high vacuum heat treatment electric furnaces be used for quenching?

09-26-2025       Author: KJ technology

High vacuum heat treatment electric furnaces can be used for quenching processes and exhibit significant advantages during the quenching process. The specific analysis is as follows:

1. The core advantages of vacuum quenching

No oxidation, no decarburization: The vacuum environment eliminates reactive gases such as oxygen, avoiding surface oxidation and decarburization of the workpiece. After quenching, the workpiece surface is bright and does not require subsequent polishing treatment.

Small deformation: After vacuum quenching, the size and shape of the workpiece change little, which generally eliminates the need for mechanical processing to repair deformation and improves production efficiency.

Uniform hardness: Products that have been vacuum quenched have uniform hardness, good process stability and repeatability, and are suitable for large-scale production.

Defatting and degassing: A vacuum environment helps to remove grease and gas impurities from the surface of the workpiece, improving material performance.

2. Cooling method of vacuum quenching

High vacuum heat treatment electric furnaces can achieve various cooling methods in quenching processes, including:

Gas quenching:

Principle: Fill the cooling chamber with high-purity inert gases (such as nitrogen and argon) and achieve rapid cooling through gas convection.

Application: Suitable for materials with low critical cooling rate of martensite such as high-speed steel and high carbon high chromium steel.

Advantages: Adjustable cooling speed, minimal workpiece deformation, high surface brightness.

Oil quenching:

Principle: After heating the workpiece in the heating chamber, it is moved to the cooling chamber and filled with high-purity nitrogen gas, which is immediately sent to the quenching oil tank for rapid cooling.

Application: Suitable for workpieces that require higher cooling rates.

Advantages: Fast cooling speed, high hardness of workpieces after quenching.

Other cooling methods:

Water quenching: Under specific conditions, water quenching can also be achieved, but attention should be paid to controlling the cooling rate to prevent cracking of the workpiece.

Nitrate isothermal quenching: By controlling the temperature of the nitrate solution, isothermal quenching of the workpiece is achieved, which is suitable for specific materials and process requirements.

3. Characteristics of vacuum quenching oil

During the vacuum oil quenching process, specialized vacuum quenching oil is required, which has the following characteristics:

Saturated vapor pressure: evaporates less at low pressure and does not affect the vacuum effect.

Non polluting vacuum system: Good chemical stability and long service life.

Strong cooling capacity: It still has a certain cooling rate under vacuum, ensuring that the workpiece is quenched thoroughly.

Good brightness and thermal stability: After quenching, the surface of the workpiece has high brightness and no corrosion.

4. Application examples of vacuum quenching

Mold quenching:

Application: Vacuum quenching is widely used for quenching treatment of tools and molds, such as high-speed steel cutting tools, molds, etc.

Effect: After quenching, the surface of the workpiece is bright, the hardness is uniform, and the service life is increased several times or even higher.

Aerospace parts quenching:

Application: Used for quenching treatment of high-temperature alloy parts such as aircraft engine blades and turbine disks.

Effect: Eliminate internal stress, improve material high-temperature strength and fatigue life.

Automotive parts quenching:

Application: Used for quenching treatment of automotive gears and shaft parts.

Effect: Improve the wear resistance and fatigue resistance of parts, and extend their service life.