Sustainable surface hardening increasing lifespan of your stainless steel parts for food and beverage industry

Stainless steels are known for their good corrosion resistance, but have insufficient wear resistance in many applications. Inadequate wear resistance in many applications. Conventional technologies in the field of surface hardening can only provide a limited remedy here, as an increase in wear resistance is often accompanied by a significant reduction in corrosion resistance.

In the food industry, it is primarily abrasive media that can lead to wear and, in the worst case, seizure on pump screws, for example. However, the cleaning agents typically used in the food industry can also lead to corrosion. Expanite's patented technology maximises wear resistance and provides excellent corrosion resistance to avoid the above scenarios. High-alloy austenitic stainless steels are mainly used in the food industry. In addition to the extreme increase in wear resistance, Expanite technology offers the great advantage of reduced influence of cleaning agents.

The presentation will provide a comprehensive insight into surface hardening technology, especially for the high-alloy austenitic stainless steels frequently used in the food industry. Austenitic stainless steels frequently used in the food industry and their influence on the wear resistance of components in food-related mechanical engineering.

At the beginning of the lecture, the basics of surface hardening of materials that are subject to frictional wear, including the chemical processes and physical changes that occur on the surface of the stainless steel, will be explained. Physical changes that occur on the surface of stainless steel. Particular attention is paid to the structure of the diffusion layers as this has a decisive influence on the mechanical properties of the treated component.

In the subsequent part of the presentation, the advantages of these special processes in the context of the food industry will be explained. Current test results and examples will be presented that show how such processes can significantly increase the service life of components subject to wear.

The improved wear resistance can reduce maintenance costs and increase the running performance of the respective systems.