Commercial Gas Nitride Heat Treatment in Flint & Pontiac, MI
When it comes to high-capacity, computer-controlled gas nitride treatments, Woodworth Heat Treating is the commercial industrial leader in North America. Operating a fleet of 33 identical, atmosphere-monitored furnaces across our twin facilities in Flint and Pontiac, Michigan, we offer unmatched production volume combined with absolute metallurgical repeatability.
Whether your goal is to dramatically extend the working life of massive automotive stamping dies or ensure uniform case depth across high-volume production runs of industrial fasteners, our specialized facilities deliver an efficient 3 to 4 day turnaround time tailored to protect your production schedule.
Technical Capabilities Snapshot
Process Type: Controlled Gas Nitriding (Gaseous Atmospheric Diffusion)
Fleet Capacity: 33 Identical Computer-Controlled Furnaces (Interchangeable Recipes)
Surface Hardness Achieved: Up to 60+ HRC (subject to base alloy composition)
Standard Turnaround: 3–4 Business Days (dependent on final polishing specifications)
Quality Certification: Destructive Test Coupon Analysis & Microhardness Mapping Per Batch
What Is Gas Nitriding?
Gas nitriding is a thermochemical case-hardening process that enriches the surface layer of ferrous parts with nitrogen, producing a hard, wear-resistant case while the core remains tough and ductile. The process takes place entirely below the steel’s transformation temperature, so no quench is required, and dimensional distortion is minimal.
During treatment, ammonia (NH3) is introduced into the sealed furnace. At a temperature, ammonia dissociates into nascent nitrogen and hydrogen. Nitrogen atoms diffuse into the steel surface, reacting with alloying elements — primarily aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium — to form extremely hard iron-nitride and alloy-nitride compounds within two distinct zones:
- Compound Zone (White Layer): A thin surface layer (typically 0.0002″–0.001″) of iron nitride phases that improves corrosion resistance and surface hardness.
- Diffusion Zone: The deeper, primary hardened layer (0.003″–0.030″ depending on material and cycle time) where nitrogen in solid solution and fine nitride precipitates deliver superior wear resistance and bending fatigue strength.
Because gas nitriding involves no phase transformation and no quench, it is the preferred process when dimensional precision on finished parts is non-negotiable.
Gas Nitriding — Key Process Parameters
| Parameter | Woodworth Specification |
| Process Temperature | 950°F – 1,050°F (510°C – 565°C) |
| Atmosphere | Controlled ammonia (NH3) — gas nitriding, not plasma |
| Typical Case Depth | 0.003″ – 0.030″ total case depth (material dependent) |
| Surface Hardness | Up to ~60 HRC average; alloy steels 60–70 HRC |
| Dimensional Change | 0.0001″ – 0.0003″ per surface (minimal growth) |
| Cycle Time | 15–55 hours, depending on the required case depth |
| Quench Required? | No — eliminates distortion from rapid cooling |
| Post-Treatment Grinding? | Not required for most applications |
| Quality Verification | Hardness map + test coupon certification on every batch |
| Capacity | 33 identical furnaces across Flint and Pontiac, MI |
| Turnaround | 3–4 days (polishing requirements may vary) |
The Benefits of Nitride
Woodworth’s nitride treatment provides a variety of benefits for manufacturers across industries in Flint, MI.
Contact us to see how this treatment can benefit your parts. Our team can walk you through the process and answer any questions.
Increased Surface Hardness
Our nitride treatments can increase your part’s surface hardness to an average of around 60 HRC.
Corrosion Resistance
Nitride can increase your part’s corrosion resistance, helping it withstand harsh industrial environments.
Suitable for Most Materials
Most types of steel can be treated with nitride, allowing you a wider choice of materials for your parts.
Our Quality Assurance Process: Data-Driven Certifications
At Woodworth Heat Treating, we remove the guesswork from thermal processing. Every batch processed within our 33 identical furnaces undergoes rigorous metallurgical quality verification before it is cleared for shipment:
Test Coupon Verification: Every furnace load is accompanied by specific metal test coupons matching your exact material heat. These coupons are destructively evaluated to certify the case depth, diffusion zones, and compound-layer metrics.
Comprehensive Hardness Mapping: We provide comprehensive microhardness maps for critical part geometries. This data maps specific hardness values from the immediate surface down through the diffusion zone, ensuring compliance with your exact engineering prints.
Mid-Western Industrial Industries We Serve
From our primary 80,000-square-foot facility footprint in Michigan, we proudly serve as an approved tier-supplier for major supply chains across North America:
Automotive: High-volume powertrain components, heavy-duty stamping dies, and assemblies.
Aerospace & Defense: Military-spec components requiring strict compliance, traceability, and repeatable data.
Energy, Oil & Gas: Precision valving, drilling head sub-assemblies, and heavy industrial fasteners.
Flint’s FAQs About Nitride
Regardless of industry, you may have questions about our nitride treatments. Woodworth Heat Treating’s experts are here to answer your questions about this treatment and how it can be applied to stamping dies of all kinds.
If you don’t see your question below, contact us. We’d be happy to help you find the answers.
At Woodworth, we intentionally utilize gas nitriding throughout all 33 of our identical furnaces. Unlike plasma nitriding—which relies on a directional electrical glow discharge—gas nitriding utilizes an enveloping, ammonia-based atmosphere. This eliminates the risk of “hollow cathode” defects, arc damage, or localized overheating on complex part geometries or deep slots, ensuring complete, 360-degree surface coverage.
For more information about our nitriding process, contact our team today.
Higher-alloy steels containing chromium, aluminum, molybdenum, or vanadium respond best because these elements react with diffused nitrogen to form very hard, stable alloy nitrides.
Common grades include H13, D2, A2, 4140, 4340, and 17-4 PH stainless. Plain carbon steels can be nitrided, but achieve lower case hardness and shallower case depths.
Yes. At Woodworth Heat Treating, hardness maps are produced for each part we treat. This is done to check hardness measurements for all critical surfaces before and after treatment. We can provide this information to you upon request.
Nitride treatments involve placing the parts to be treated into a furnace at a set temperature for a certain amount of time. All parts are placed on a flat surface to ensure dimensional stability and effective treatment. The entire process is precisely controlled to ensure the desired results have been achieved. To learn more about Woodworth’s nitriding process, contact our team today.
Explore Your Advanced Nitride Treatment Options Today
Like other manufacturing components, stamping dies face some of the harshest environments. To help these parts last longer and reduce your operation’s downtime, nitride treatment can be beneficial. Woodworth Heat Treating offers this treatment and others at our facilities in Flint and Pontiac, MI.
Our entire nitriding process is computer-controlled, ensuring uniformity of case depth and hardness, regardless of your part’s size and geometry. We even certify our results with test coupons, which represent the material of the treated parts.
Get a Technical Consultation & Pricing Estimate
Ready to protect your stamping dies, fasteners, or custom tooling components? Contact our engineering and quality collaboration teams today to review your metallurgy prints and schedule your first batch run.
Direct Phone: 810-820-6780
Flint Facility: 4201 Pier North Blvd, Flint, MI 48504
Online Coordination: Request an Engineering Estimate Online