IGE offers radial wheels optimized for carburizing with a complete size range and reversible & traditional non-reversible designs. Paired with IGE’s innovative shaft sealing methods, high-quality fabrication, and 3-step precision-balancing process, our fan units can more than double the usable service life compared to common competitor equipment and significantly reduce operating costs and maintenance work.
Carburizing is a heat-treating process that aims to harden the surface of steel by increasing carbon content. Carburized parts are more resistant to surface wear while maintaining ductility and impact resistance away from the surface – ideal characteristics for gears, tools, fasteners, and more.
There are many carburizing processes including: atmospheric carburizing, low pressure carburizing (vacuum), plasma-assisted carburizing, molten salt bath carburizing, and pack carburizing.
Given the extreme temperatures, typically 1615-1850°F (880-1000°C), and potential for corrosive atmosphere conditions (e.g., endothermic), high quality, well-engineered atmosphere-moving equipment is critical. Without effective atmosphere movement, non-uniform carbon potential over the parts can lead to ineffective carbon diffusion and quality waste.
Since setting the industry standard for atmospheric carburizing fans with the PW-35™ in the 1950s, IGE has continually refined its designs: integrating new alloys with improved carburization resistance (see ALCarb™) and developing innovative shaft sealing methods that ensure process stability and energy efficiency. IGE offers air-cooled designs that can eliminate atmospheric corrosion of shafts (e.g., hour glassing) and updated water-cooled designs where a desire to maintain the existing cooling system exists.
Carburizing is similar to nitriding as they are both surface hardening heat treating processes, but differ in that carburizing typically achieves deep case depths and operates at higher temperatures, often resulting in the need to quench the parts after treatment. There are also hybrid processes, carbonitriding and nitrocarburizing, that can yield unique material characteristics.
