FEATURE ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | NOVEMBER 2026 25 To improve process efficiency, Ipsen developed the GreenFlow atmosphere control system. Here, O2, dew point, and CO₂ concentration is constantly measured using a sophisticated gas analyzer, providing direct information about the accumulation of reaction products and the actual state of the carburizing atmosphere. Based on these measurements, the control system dynamically adjusts endogas flow to the minimum level required to maintain stable atmosphere conditions and the target carbon potential. The approach was validated by comparing identical carburizing processes performed with conventional atmosphere control and with GreenFlow as shown in Fig. 4. During the main carburizing phase, endogas flow was reduced by about 85% (top) while maintaining the desired carbon potential (bottom). Metallurgical validation through case-depth measurements at multiple batch locations confirmed that the reduced gas flow had no significant effect on carburizing results or part quality. Overall, GreenFlow achieved a 77.9% reduction in endogas consumption and a 73.3% reduction in energy demand associated with atmosphere generation and heating. The results demonstrate that advanced atmosphere monitoring and control can substantially improve process efficiency while simultaneously reducing natural gas consumption, operating costs, and CO₂ emissions without compromising heat treatment quality. CONCLUSIONS The presented approaches demonstrate how hybrid heating systems, digital energy and CO₂ forecasting, and advanced atmosphere control can contribute to more sustainable heat treatment operations. Validation results show significant reductions in energy consumption, process gas usage, and carbon emissions without compromising process quality, highlighting the potential of intelligent process and energy management to support the transition toward climate-neutral manufacturing. ~HTPro For more information: Bora Özkan, chief technology officer, Ipsen International GmbH, +49.28.21.8.04-375, bora.oezkan@ipsen.de, ipsenglobal.com.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTYyMzk3NQ==