Laser hardening

[Fireman]

[media] [/media]

Is this the future of cheap heat treatment? Laser and quench?

[zhyla]

Well… heat treatment isn’t necessarily expensive at volume. You can put hundreds of blades in a batch in an oven or… laser them one at a time?

[Fireman]

Maybe it can be a way for micro brands to do heat treat on demand

[Ngati Pom]

That is interesting, it looks as if it’s surface hardening rather than full thickness?
It may have a place for lock faces and high wear areas on handles etc.

[Steveng]

That is interesting, it looks as if it’s surface hardening rather than full thickness?
It may have a place for lock faces and high wear areas on handles etc.

Or engine cylinders, where you want maximum hardness on the internal wear area, but retain malleability in the structure

[zhyla]

Maybe it can be a way for micro brands to do heat treat on demand

It's just not much of a problem to heat treat steel. You buy a heat treat oven and do the right temperature cycle. Quenching can be interesting so maybe if you figure out laser quenching that will help.

[Bolster]

Or engine cylinders, where you want maximum hardness on the internal wear area, but retain malleability in the structure

Wasn't this the idea regarding samurai swords? What if we could get knife blades that were differentially hardened...harder at the edge and softer (tougher) at the spine?

[RustyIron]

That is interesting, it looks as if it’s surface hardening rather than full thickness?

Yes! There are many applications where this is an excellent solution.