ultimate stainless steel treatment

Aalberts surface technologies has developed a highly advanced process to harden the surface of (austenitic) stainless steel while maintaining corrosion resistance, which is being used by a growing number of customers in various industries to improve their operations and reduce costs. The process, called Stainihard®, is in operation internationally in industries ranging from automotive, to food and pharmaceuticals.

tough as steel
“Stainless steel has typical characteristics,” says Jeroen Jansen, sales development manager at Aalberts surface technologies Eindhoven. “While its corrosion resistance is excellent, it's quite a soft metal so it wears down quickly. This is obviously a real challenge in industries where you need both strength and anti-corrosive properties. Currently, there are only a few treatments on the market that deal with these issues, and Stainihard® is one of them. First, it creates excellent surface hardness, reducing wear and extending the product’s lifetime. This means that customers don’t have to carry out as much maintenance on their machines, resulting in fewer production stops annually, saving costs. Second, it retains the metal’s corrosion resistance, so that stainless steel treated with Stainihard® can be used in the food and beverage industry, or during the preparation of medicines for pharmaceutical companies.”

many applications
Stainihard® also has a number of other benefits that are much in demand in sectors which value materials that can survive harsh environments, such as automotive, Jeroen explains. “Many of our automotive customers want products that are anti-corrosive, hardened, non-magnetic and don’t lead to cold welding, which is something that can happen between two metals that are in contact. Our Stainihard® treatment solves all of these issues, and we’re very much looking forward to expanding its use across other industries internationally.”