CAS DataLoggers supplied the industrial data logging solution to Northeast Coating Technologies (NCT) in Kennebunk, Maine. NCT is a surface treatment company specializing in Salt Bath Nitriding Melonite® Quench-Polish-Quench (QPQ), among other processes, to produce high-durability metal components including piston rods, axles and more. Engineer Conrad Woodman is using our dataTaker DT80 Intelligent Data Logger to continually monitor NCT’s production Melonite line, specifically the salt bath area. The dataTaker is recording tank temperature from multiple thermocouples and using these readings to trend the run data to prove best practices to customers.
The Melonite QPQ process forms a nitrocarburized layer around components comprised of an outer compound layer (iron, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen compounds) and a diffusion layer underneath. Initially the process preheats components to raise their surface temperature before they’re placed in a tank containing liquid Melonite salt (MEL 1/TF 1 bath) to start the nitrocarburizing process. Alkali cyanate is the active constituent in the salt bath, and this step requires the temperature in the range of 896 – 1166 °F with a target temperature of 1076 °F. The components react with the salt and start to diffuse nitrogen and carbon into the substrate.