Ion implantation studies

The deterioration of precision manufacturing components such as dies for wire-drawing can cause severe penalties in down-time and lost production. The special advantage that ion implantation offers in maintaining original surface tolerances makes the process particularly suitable for improving the surface properties of hard materials such as tool steels, stellite and tungsten carbide for which machining after surface treatment is normally required. Industrial items exposed to ion implantation are presently under evaluation to assess their performance under normal production conditions. Examples are given of the relative merits of implantation compared with more conventional methods of surface treatment and an economic justification for using the technology in selected cases is given. (author)