Traditionally, case hardening is based on carburizing in atmospheres and oil quenching; this is carried out in sealed quench furnaces and in continuous lines (pusher, roller or rotary furnaces). They are technologies and devices developed more than 50 years ago and, over the course of time, they have exhausted their development potential. At present, they hardly meet the incoming requirements of the modern industry regarding quality and replicability, integration and organization of production, and environment protection. A solution for weak points of traditional case hardening is the use of vacuum technologies and equipment. Vacuum carburizing increases the resulting precision and replicability, and the variety of vacuum equipment for heat treatment allows the adaptation to modern industry requirements. Two applications are described in the article. The first one – evolutionary – is based on the triple- chamber vacuum furnace for semi-continuous production as a wide alternative for traditional devices. The second system – innovative – is based on the true single-piece flow method. Both solutions have specific and characteristic properties that predispose them for different applications depending on quality requirements and organization of production.

This paper presents an overview of the state of knowledge on temperature measurement in the cutting area during magnesium alloy milling. Additionally, results of own research on chip temperature measurement during dry milling of magnesium alloys are included. Tested magnesium alloys are frequently used for manufacturing elements applied in the aerospace industry. The impact of technological parameters on the maximum chip temperature during milling is also analysed. This study is relevant due to the risk of chip ignition during the machining process.

The purpose of modern surface hardening technology is obtaining reproducible, precisely planned parameters of the carburized layer, minimizing the negative phenomena that result in dimensional changes after hardening and making it possible to determine the nature and magnitude of these changes....