Technical Guide

Corrosion is much more than just superficial rust. When incompatible metals are joined, their direct contact can cause profound damage due to galvanic corrosion. The process behind galvanic corrosion is based on electrochemical processes and preferentially occurs in wet, salty, or aggressive environments. Under these conditions, it leads to the inevitable degradation of the less noble metal. In this article, we show how contact corrosion works, which materials are particularly affected and which preventive measures are effective.

Steel is a versatile material in industry and is particularly popular for its robustness. However, this robustness is not a fundamental property of steel, but rather the result of purposeful hardening processes. In this article, we introduce the processes of steel hardening, provide an overview of hardening methods, and list common errors and problems.

Sheet metal parts are used in our everyday life and in industry in a wide range of applications. In order for these manufactured sheet metal parts to be used interoperably, they must comply with certain accuracy standards and machining limits. These refer to specific parameters and tolerances with respect to width, length, thickness and geometric tolerances. The specifications must be taken into account when manufacturing sheet metal parts. The following examines various standards and limits in detail.

A wide variety of raw materials and ancillary materials are used in industrial applications. Comprehensive knowledge of their material properties is an absolute prerequisite for using these raw materials for a defined application in technical environments. Hardness tests are a way to determine basic material properties such as hardness/ductility and strength of a material, such as steel. Hardness plays a critical role in the characterization and quality control of materials. The hardness of a steel provides information about its mechanical properties, wear resistance and suitability for specific applications. In this context, various hardness testing methods and scales have been developed to accurately determine and classify the hardness of steel. This article provides an overview of common hardness test methods, an overview of some of the heat treatment options for steel materials, the resulting Vickers hardness levels and their possible applications.

Stainless steel is a material that is difficult to machine. Machining entails a risk of cold tempering. In addition, machining errors can create attack surfaces for corrosion. The following article answers the frequently asked question "Can stainless steel rust?", provides an overview of problems during machining, various machining methods and selection criteria for the correct tool for machining stainless steel.

Reflective surfaces can cause malfunctions in certain applications and even influence the results, e.g. in quality control or dimensional inspections. This should be taken into account when selecting a surface. But how can reflections be minimized? This article presents various options for surface treatment and surface coating. Low Temperature Black Chrome Plating, LTBC or also black chrome process, is explained in particular.