CRYOGENICS MAINTENANCE 13155 Lundy's Lane Niagara Falls, ON. L2E 6S4 Phone: (905) 682-5344 Fax: (905) 682-9509 renie.wick@bellnet.ca

How it works Results & Benefits Questions Industrial Automotive Medical Other Applications

THE CRYOGENIC PROCESS The cryogenic process itself is quite simple, and consists of two distinct phases. The first phase is a computer controlled reduction of the objects temperature to -300 degrees F. The object is "soaked" at this temperature for a period of time, then slowly taken back to room temperature. The second phase consists of heating the entire object to relieve any internal stresses. HOW IT WORKS Cryogenics is the study, production and utilization of low temperatures, or plainly, doing something at a temperature far below zero. Cryogenics deals with subjecting metals and other substances to an extremely cold temperature. The purpose of subjecting an object to an extremely low temperature is to refine the molecular structue, creating a stronger, more durable product. In a nutshell, cryogenic treatment actually changes the molecular structure of the entire object. Because it is not a surface treatment, it lasts throughout the life of the object. Even after numerous sharpenings, the material will still maintain its strength. The hardness is not affected, but the material will be stronger, more durable, and more resistant to wear. RESULTS & BENEFITS After an object is subjected to the cryogenic process, it's entire molecular structure is dimentionally stabilized. This means that the material actually changes at a molecular level to become more resistant to wear. The process increases the life of tools and equipment by increasing its tensile strength, helping to prevent the formation of microfractures. It also increases toughness, bending strength, reduces friction, and increases the carbide counts in most metals. These benefits apply to steel, alloys, tungsten, and graphitic cast iron. Cryogenics also works to take the brittleness out of titanium, cobalt, carbide, steels and alloy steels. Cryogenics treats a wide variety of materials such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals, metallic alloys, carbides, plastics including nylon and teflon, and ceramics. Below are some test results of a recent study by Dr. Randall F. Barron at the Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. These figures show the percentage in wear resistance increase in the materials shown. AISI # D-2 52100 A-10 T-1 P-20 430 8620 AQS S-7 0-1 M-1 CPM-10V 440 303 C-1020 T-2 Description High carbon/chromium die steel Standard steel Graphite tool steel Tungsten high-speed tool steel Mold Steel Ferritic stainless Nickel-chromium-moly alloy Graphitic cast iron Silicon tool steel Oil hardening cold work die steel Molybdenum high-speed steel Alloy steel Martensitic stainless Austenitic stainless Carbon steel Tunggsten high-speed steel % Increase 817 % 420 % 264 % 176 % 130 % 119 % 104 % 97 % 503 % 418 % 225 % 131 % 121 % 110 % 98 % 92 % In most cases, treatment of tools and components will increase the durability and wear life between 50 and 600%. The tool will still wear, however the degree of that wear will be less severe and more uniform. Less material will have to be removed to resharpen or redress the tool resulting in lower repair costs. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Q. Do I have to re-treat my blades every time I resharpen them? A. No. Cryogenic treatment is a permanent one-time process that lasts the life of the object. Since the treatment affects the whole object, and not just the surface, you can resharpen as often as needed. However, because the object was treated, you won't have to resharpen or redress your blades as often. The blade will actually maintain its edge for longer periods between resharpenings. Plus, when wear does occur, a cryogenically treated object will wea r more evenly than one that has not been treated. This means you will have to remove less material to bring back your edge, thus increasing the usable life of the blade. Q. How does Cryogenic treatment affect the hardness of my steel cutters? A. Cryogenic treatment does not affect the hardness of an object. Instead, it affects the entire object to make is stronger throughout. The process actually realigns the atomic substructure of the material to make it more uniform. It increases the objects density to improve wear resistance, bending strength, and to reduce friction and the heat generated by it. Q. How long does the treatment process usually take? A. Typically, our process takes 3-4 days. If we have the items to be treated by late afternoon on Thursday, we can usually treat them and have them ready for a Monday afternoon pickup. At present, we run our freezers once a week - usually over the weekend.