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Custom Cryogenic Processing

Why Use Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Treatment Services?

Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions offers many custom cryogenic processes. Several of these custom processing solutions are an extension of our cryogenic treatment capabilities. These custom cryogenic solutions include thermal cycling, helium processing, and uphill quenching. We also provide other advanced cryogenic processes such as shrink fitting and material separation & reclamation.

Thermal Cycling is utilized to maximize stress relief in parts that have been fabricated. We have completed thermal cycles for MIL & DOD contractors, US Government agencies, and private industry. In order to maximize cryogenic stress relief, we recommend heating and cooling the items being cycled several times. We are able to meet nearly all specs and ramps. Typical applications include aluminum aerospace components and special aluminum bench-optics mirrors.

Nitrofreeze has developed the unique capability to process your components at -450F utilizing liquid helium. Liquid nitrogen is only capable of processing as cold as -321F. Liquid helium processing offers the most advanced and demanding cryogenic treatment cycle available. Liquid helium processing is used to precondition materials such as aluminum and titanium for extreme environments, failure testing and analysis, and R&D support.

In our portfolio of advanced cryogenic solutions, we also provide uphill quenching. Uphill quenching involves cycling a part from freezing cold temperatures to rapidly heating it to maximize stress relief. It was originally created by Alcoa for aluminum parts. This process is utilized on aluminum parts. Uphill quenching improves mechanical properties, reduces distortion, and reduces manufacturing costs through less scrapped parts.Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions also provides shrink fitting (aka compression fitting) to insert a pin or bushing into a housing or assembly that requires a tight tolerance fit not capable of being achieved with press fitting. The process involves heating the housing and cooling the insert in a cryogen such as liquid nitrogen or dry ice. Since the insert has contracted in size and the housing has expanded, the insert slides easily in. Shrink fitting exploits the varying coefficients of thermal expansion and contraction for different materials. This is what allows the insert and assembly to be mated.Our material separation and reclamation service exploits the coefficient of thermal expansions of products that are composed of different materials. We have developed many different profiles to reclaim materials such as precious metals, steel, copper, and bonded materials.

To learn more about our various custom cryogenic services and processes, please click on a link below.

Thermal Cycling

Helium Processing

Uphill Quenching

Shrink Fitting

Material Separation