MEET THE CHALLENGE

SM
A Re v o l u t i o n a r y Su r f a c e Ha r de n i n g Pr o c e s s a n d Se r v i c e
swagelok.com
As a major developer and provider of fluid
system products, assemblies, and services,
Swagelok Company knows the importance
of materials research and chemistry; theyve
been important elements in the design and
manufacture of the companys high-quality
products for more than 60 years.
A commitment to materials science
research, equipment, and personnel has
helped set us apart and has led to an excit-
ing breakthrough: Swagelok

SAT12 ser-
vices. Today, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Swagelok Company, Swagelok Technology
Services Company (STSC) has been cre-
ated to bring the benefits of the Swagelok

SAT12 service to market.
The technology behind the service is a
patented method of heat treating austenitic
stainless steels. In effect, the Swagelok
SAT12 surface hardening process enables
ordinary stainless steel to adopt certain
performance characteristics of expensive
alloys, like Hastelloy

or titanium.
Benets:
Increased surface hardness, while
retaining signicant ductility
Improved wear resistance
Improved fatigue resistance
Improved corrosion resistance in
certain media, such as saltwater
No distortion or change of shape
Challenging
Convention:
SAT12
SM
Services
The Technology
So, you know you need the corrosion
resistance of stainless steel. But what if that
stainless steel could be twice as hard? And
have improved wear and fatigue resistance?
Sound Impossible?
Its not. A paradigm-shifting technology,
the Swagelok SAT12 patented surface
hardening process diffuses an unexpected
~10% carbon atoms into the austenitic, or
face-centered cubic (FCC), crystal structure
of the stainless steel. The process actually
enables unit cells to draw in carbon atoms
to increase surface hardnesswithout
forming chromium-rich carbides that would
compromise the benefits of the SAT12
process.
But, How?
First, the stainless steel is placed in an
atmosphere of carbon-assisted gaseous
HCl, which removes the passive oxide
layer. Next, the stainless steel is heated in a
mixture of gases containing carbon at a low
temperaturenever above 538C (1000F).
Carburization begins to occur at a tempera-
ture high enough to promote carbon atom
diffusion but low enough to prevent carbide
formation. At the end of the process, the
amount of carbon in the interstices of the
alloy crystals has been elevated; in fact, car-
bon levels may be as much as 80,000 times
higher than the concentration that thermo-
dynamics and kinetics suggest would be
possible.
A pat ent ed dual act i vat i on/carburi zat i on st rat egy creat es opt i mal condi t i ons t o enabl e carbon di f f usi on
t hat resul t s i n a st rong and robust case l ayer.
Low-Temperat ure Carburi zat i on
CO+H
2
+N
2
Surface Activation
HCL + N
2
temp
cooling
Arguably, the SAT12 process is one of the most
significant breakthroughs in materials science in
many decades,
as well as one with many extraordinary
technological implications.
Arthur Heuer, Ph.D., University Professor and Kyocera Professor of Materials
Science and Engineering at Case Western University.
Cust om-bui l t f urnaces, as wel l as cust om-made hardware and sof t ware, enabl e a t i ght l y-cont rol l ed process.
Surf ace Act i vat i on
HCl +N
2
Cool i ng
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
Ti me
Substrate Material
Hardened Case Layer
Part Surface (with crevices and inclusions)
In terms of hardness, the carbon behaves
like a carbide, but it is not one. The carbon
atom locates in the interstitial space of the
unit cell, expanding the crystal lattice and
increasing its hardness.
This is not a flash heat treating process.
A slow diffusion rate enables repeatable
control of the process, as well as consistent
case depths over the surface of the part
from part to part and from batch to batch.
The Service
Is SAT12 the right choice for you?
Weve treated hundreds of millions of
ferrules used in our flagship product, the
Swagelok tube fitting. Weve witnessed
the remarkable advantages this service
has provided in many other applications
as well: wear plates in pulp and paper
mills; fasteners with demanding corrosion
and wear requirements; medical devices
requiring autoclave and sterilization;
electronic equipment that is sensitive to
magnetics, yet necessitates increased
hardness; marine equipment that calls for
increased corrosion resistance; bearings
that require resistance to brinelling and
wear; automation equipment for lubricant-
free or lubricant-sensitive applications; and
better wear and scratch resistance for metal
injection molding applications. But we also
know that the treatment process is highly
application specific.
Swagelok has a long history of leadership in
the research and treatment of metals, and the
SAT12 process presents a great opportunity for
us to help customers who have concerns about
corrosion and wear.
Art Anton, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Swagelok Company
Duri ng t he SAT12 process, l arge bat ches of met al part s
numberi ng i n t he t housandsare t reat ed at one t i me.
Thats why the SAT12 service is customized
to meet your individual needs.
A six-step approach helps ensure that
SAT12 is the right choice for you:
1. Initial consultation. Your inquiry is
assessed through an initial consultation
where well be happy to answer any
questions you have about the service.
Well also ask you to fill out a questionnaire
that helps us uncover your needs and
expectations.
2. Application review. A team of
technical experts reviews the opportunity
to determine whether your product can
benefit from the SAT12 service. If your
application matches our capabilities, the
team evaluates the specific performance
requirements.
3. Development of processes specific
to base materials. The team chooses
a treatment formula and may optimize or
adjust the process parameters, as needed,
to meet your requirements.
4. Treatment of net shaped parts.
Although surface preparation is the first
step in the treatment process, components
must be clean; dry; and free of surface
polishes, contaminants, and coatings. Parts
are handled in a batch treatment process
that is tightly controlled using custom-made
equipment and controls. Components are
post cleaned to remove residual carbon.
You can also choose from optional cleaning
services, such as washing with deionized
water, chemical treatments, electrochemical
polishing, and tumbling.
5. Testing and validation of treated
parts. Components are checked for
surface hardness; case depth is evaluated
by batch. Depending on your performance
requirements, optional test capabilities
are available: corrosion testing in various
environments; fatigue testing; and scanning
electron microscope surface analysis.
6. Documentation of results. Youll
receive a letter of compliance with your
finished products. Surface hardness and
case depth results are available if needed.
The Results
Increased wear resistance. The unique
combination of hardness and ductility
enhances wear resistance.
Increased surface hardness. When the
SAT12 process is applied to austenitic
stainless steels, youll find that the surface
hardness increases by at least two times,
relative to the core. Improvements occur
at the surface of the treated stainless steel
component, not all the way through to the
core, which is why the process is referred
to as case hardening.
Increased fatigue resistance. Higher
compressive stresses means that treated
components will have longer life in harsher
environments. Youll reap the benefits in
applications that involve high frequency
vibration and cyclical impulses.
Thi s pump wear pl at e i s used i n a corrosi ve pul p
and paper appl i cat i on. I t s a sacri f i ci al part
of t he pump housi ng t hat i s normal l y changed
as a resul t of wear, as of t en as ever y t hree weeks.
Fi el d t est s i ndi cat e t hat t he wear pl at e t reat ed by
t he SAT12 process has l ast ed 25 mont hs l onger
and st i l l goi ngt han t he unt reat ed product .
ASTM G-99:
Ball-on-Disk Unidirectional Sliding
wear rate (mm
3
/N-m)
Ball Disk
Swagelok
SAT12
SM
treated
2.9 x 10
-6
9.2 x 10
-6
8.3 x 10
-6
1.6 x 10
-5
3.0 x 10
-6
1.9 x 10
-6
Non-treated
6.3 x 10
-4
6.1 x 10
-4
2.1 x 10
-4
2.5 x 10
-4
Test condition: 5 N load, 0.1 m/s sliding speed, 500 m sliding distance.
The resul t s of t hi s t est
i ndi cat e t hat t he 316
st ai nl ess st eel pl at e and
bal l t reat ed wi t h t he SAT12
process showed si gni f i cant l y
l ess mat eri al l oss t han t he
unt reat ed mat eri al i n t he
same t est condi t i ons.
unt reat ed t reat ed
0 10 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50
1,200
800
400
0
12
8
4
0
0
-1
-2
Xc
(at.%)
HV25

(GPa)
Depth from surface (m)
Depth from surface (m)
Left: A wel l -equi pped met al l urgi cal l ab i s on-si t e and can provi de needed t est i ng or val i dat i on.
Maintained or improved corrosion resistance.
The corrosion resistance of your base
stainless steel is maintained throughout the
SAT12 process. And, in some media, youll
benefit from improved corrosion resistance.
For example, in a saltwater solution,
specimens treated with the SAT12 process
showed no damage after one week, whereas
untreated specimens showed damage within
hours.
These t reat ed 316L st ai nl ess st eel speci mens showed crevi ce-corrosi on
behavi or comparabl e t o hi ghl y corrosi on-resi st ant exot i c al l oys.
Al l oy 625
af t er 60 hours
Unt reat ed 316L
af t er an hour
Treat ed 316L
af t er 160 hours
To schedule your initial consultation, send an
email to SAT12service@swagelok.com.
0 10 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50
1,200
800
400
0
12
8
4
0
0
-1
-2
Xc
(at.%)
HV25

(GPa)
Depth from surface (m)
Depth from surface (m)
Thi s graph shows t hat t reat ed speci mens have compressi ve
st resses above t he yi el d st ress of 316 st ai nl ess st eel whi ch
hel ps i ncrease t he f at i gue resi st ance of t he component .
I n t hi s graph, smal l er ci rcl es show t he i ncreased hardness of
t he 316 st ai nl ess st eel , rel at i ve t o t he surf ace of t he part . The
1200 HV ( Vi ckers Scal e) i s equi val ent t o approxi mat el y Rockwel l
C hardness of 60 t o 65, si mi l ar t o t hat of t ool st eel . The l arger
ci rcl es demonst rat e t he concent rat i on of di f f used carbon
at omi c % ( at . %) rel at i ve t o t he surf ace of t he part .
All service marks and trademarks shown are owned by Swagelok Company unless otherwise noted.
Hastelloy is a registered trademark of Haynes International, Inc.
2008 Swagelok Company, Printed in U.S.A., GLI, August 2008, R0, CORP-0011

MEET THE CHALLENGE
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