Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT), along with The Ohio State University’s Manufacturing Research Group, received a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration Small Business Innovation Research Program and Defense Technical Information Center in August 2015 to research “Plasma Enhanced Nanostructures for Improved Life of Forging Dies.” Phase I, which was completed April 30, 2016, saw plasma-enhanced nanostructured surface treatments explored to increase die life up to five times its current usage or life. AHT is confident that this new technology will provide benefits to the forging, stamping and tool-and-die industries.

A summary of the Phase I findings was issued to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for their review. Those interested in a full copy of the summary should contact Advanced Heat Treat Corp. at 319-232-5221 or submit requests online at www.ahtweb.com using a quick-contact form.

In addition to forging, plasma nitriding is widely used to generate a hard case on engineering surfaces for enhanced performance of many tribological components. This process has found wider applications in advanced surfaces in aerospace, electronics and power systems for corrosion protection. In addition, plasma-nitride surfaces are being investigated for the emerging areas of alternate power generation such as fuel cells and in-human implants.