Bill Jones, Solar Group of Companies, Nitriding Comments

Bill Jones, CEO of Solar Manufacturing and Solar Atmospheres offers these comments on nitriding in response to a news item we had yesterday about nitriding; With respect to the Nitrex Company Memoriam on the distinguish career of Dr. Tymowski, I would like to offer a minor correction. Nitriding of steel actually was introduced in Germany in the 1920’s and accepted in Europe, but only later in North America, per Google history.  Rather than as stated by Nitrex  “an undeveloped heat treating process in the 1980’s”, not to take away from the work of Dr. Tymowski,  which I believe he would agree if available, as he was an honorable gentleman. There have been any number of nitride grade alloys developed with the hope of displacement of the classic carburizing surface harden grades of low alloy, medium carbon steels, and plain carbon steel. But the higher cost of the nitride alloy has retarded their acceptance, except for many special applications. We labor on as the metallurgy and process is further developed. William R. Jones, FASM”