Process for pre-treatment of a surface of a chromium containing corrosion resistant metallic substrate prior to further processing, wherein the metallic substrate is brought into contact with an in-situ generated activating agent, being the thermal decomposition product of a hydrofluoroolefin, the substrate and the activating agent are heated, and optionally the activating agent is partly or entirely removed before further processing.

Process for pre-treatment of a surface of a chromium containing corrosion resistant metallic substrate prior to further processing, wherein the metallic substrate is brought into contact with an in-situ generated activating agent, being the thermal decomposition product of a hydrofluoroolefin, the substrate and the activating agent are heated, and optionally the activating agent is partly or entirely removed before further processing.

A hybrid method of surface hardening metallic components using a combination of chemical modification achieved through additive manufacturing and/or diffusion-based processing with transformation-based processing using a high energy density heat source. The hybrid process results in increased surface hardness and/or increased average case hardness and/or increased case depth compared to either treatment individually.

The multi-chamber heat treatment device includes intermediate conveyors connected together, each treatment conveyor of the intermediate conveyors is attached with a treater that applies predetermined heat treatment to a treatment object and conveys the treatment object to the treater, and each treater is either one of a main treater that applies main treatment to the treatment object, a preheater that applies preheating treatment to the treatment object before the main treatment, and a cooler that applies cooling treatment to the treatment object after the main treatment.

The multi-chamber heat treatment device includes intermediate conveyors connected together, each treatment conveyor of the intermediate conveyors is attached with a treater that applies predetermined heat treatment to a treatment object and conveys the treatment object to the treater, and each treater is either one of a main treater that applies main treatment to the treatment object, a preheater that applies preheating treatment to the treatment object before the main treatment, and a cooler that applies cooling treatment to the treatment object after the main treatment.

Some embodiments relate to additive manufactured articles having passivated surfaces and related methods. The methods may comprise forming a three-dimensional (3D) article by additive manufacturing to obtain an additive manufactured 3D article comprising a magnesium component. The method may further comprise exposing the additive manufactured 3D article to a reactive gas phase comprising a fluorine component. The fluorine component from the reactive gas phase may react with the magnesium component of the additive manufactured 3D article to form a passivation layer at and below a surface of the additive manufacture 3D article.

A method of processing a substrate, includes: (a) modifying a surface of the substrate into a first oxide layer by supplying, to the substrate, a reactive species generated by plasma-exciting a first processing gas in which oxygen and hydrogen are contained and a ratio of hydrogen in the oxygen and hydrogen of the first processing gas is a first ratio; and (b) modifying the first oxide layer into a second oxide layer by supplying, to the substrate, a reactive species generated by plasma-exciting a second processing gas in which oxygen is contained and hydrogen is optionally contained and a ratio of hydrogen in the oxygen and hydrogen of the second processing gas is a second ratio smaller than the first ratio.

Porous, binderless ceramic surface modification materials are described, and applications of use thereof. The ceramic surface material is in the form of an interconnected network of porous ceramic material on a substrate. The ceramic material may include a metal oxide, a metal hydroxide, and/or hydrates thereof, or a metal carbonate or metal phosphate, on a substrate surface. The substrate may be in the form of a metal or polymer particulate, powder, extrudate, or flakes.

An apparatus and process are presented for continuous production of metal-based micro-porous structures of pore sizes from 0.3 nm to 5.0 μm from a green part of characteristic diffusion mass transfer dimension less than 1 mm through chemical reactions in a continuous flow of gas substantially free of oxygen. The produced micro-porous structures include i) thin porous metal sheets of thickness less than 200 μm and pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 5.0 μm, ii) porous ceramic coating of thickness less than 40 μm and ceramic particle sizes of 200 nm or less on a porous metal-based support structures of pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 5 μm.

An apparatus and process are presented for continuous production of metal-based micro-porous structures of pore sizes from 0.3 nm to 5.0 μm from a green part of characteristic diffusion mass transfer dimension less than 1 mm through chemical reactions in a continuous flow of gas substantially free of oxygen. The produced micro-porous structures include i) thin porous metal sheets of thickness less than 200 μm and pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 5.0 μm, ii) porous ceramic coating of thickness less than 40 μm and ceramic particle sizes of 200 nm or less on a porous metal-based support structures of pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 5 μm.