Hardening in Medical Technology
In medical technology, heat treatment is a key process for meeting the highest standards of precision, durability, and safety for medical devices and instruments. Targeted heat treatment processes optimize mechanical properties such as strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. This is particularly crucial for surgical instruments, implants, and high-stress components, as these must function reliably over the long term and comply with strict regulatory requirements. Reproducible and controlled hardening plays a key role in ensuring consistent quality, dimensional accuracy, and maximum patient safety.
Dental Technology
HTR's hardened components reliably meet the exceptionally high standards required for their use in dental technology.
Implants
HTR hardens high-quality implants for the medical industry.
Surgical instruments
HTR finishes medical instruments such as bone drills and bone rasps for use in hospitals and doctors' offices.
Our CORE COMPETENCIES
As one of the leading hardening companies,we are your reliable partner for industrial heat treatment. For over 25 years we have been hardening steel and other metals using state-of-the-art processes – dimension-stable, wear-resistant, and reproducible. Whether individual parts or series production: we combine expertise, state-of-the-art equipment, and process controlto achieve the highest hardness quality and warp resistance .
48-hour service
Thanks to our unique organizational structure and customer-focused flexibility, we have been delivering top-quality hardened parts in record time for over 25 years.
Quality assurance
With a state-of-the-art control system, we keep an eye on all important parameters at all times and ensure that only flawless products are delivered.
Pick-up and delivery service
As part of our worry-free service package, our company-owned transport fleet enables daily pickups and deliveries in the central region of Upper Austria.
Knowledge transfer
In customized seminars, you will learn which combination of materials and hardening processes can reduce the costs of your project while achieving optimal component properties.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Please use our contact form or contact our sales team directly.
Silvio Stranek
Sales, Technical Consulting / Quotes (Upper Austria, Tyrol, Salzburg, Vorarlberg, Bavaria, South Tyrol)
Email. s.stranek@htr.at
Phone: +43 (0) 664 / 88 92 78 10
Thomas Stadlober
Sales, Technical Consulting / Quotes (Styria, Vienna, Lower Austria, Carinthia, Slovenia)
Email. t.stadlober@htr.at
Phone: +43 (0) 664 / 88 64 15 06
Why Hardening in Medical Technology?
Material Strength: Medical devices often have to withstand high stresses, whether from use inside the body or from repeated cleaning and sterilization processes. Hardening processes can improve the strength and durability of the materials used, thereby increasing the devices’ service life and reliability.
Wear Resistance: In many medical technology applications, devices are subjected to severe wear, whether from friction, abrasive particles, or chemical exposure. Hardening processes can make materials more resistant to wear, thereby improving their performance and safety.
Biocompatibility: Materials used in medical devices must often be biocompatible, meaning they must not have any harmful effects on the human body. Some hardening processes, such as plasma nitriding, can improve the surface properties of materials without compromising their biocompatibility.
Corrosion resistance: Hardening processes can increase the corrosion resistance of materials, which is particularly important when medical devices come into contact with bodily fluids.
Hygiene and Sterilization: Hygiene is of critical importance in medicine. Hardening processes can improve the surface properties of materials, making them easier to clean and sterilize. This helps reduce the risk of infection.
Precision and Functionality: Some medical devices require high-precision components that must possess specific mechanical properties. Hardening processes can help manufacture these components exactly to the required specifications and optimize their functionality.
Standardization and Quality Assurance: They enable the standardization of material properties and manufacturing processes, which leads to improved quality assurance in the production of medical devices.
Safety and Reliability: By improving material strength, wear resistance, and functionality, hardening processes help enhance the safety and reliability of medical devices, which in turn ensures patient safety.
Hardening
Hardening is a process used to increase the hardness and strength of metals, such as steel. Most materials consist of various crystal lattice structures, each with different properties. Hardening is a process in which these structures are altered to achieve the desired properties.
Nitriding
Nitriding is a thermochemical process in which nitrogen diffuses into the surface of a metal workpiece to improve its mechanical and physical properties. The process is typically carried out at elevated temperatures in a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.
Deep freezing
During deep-freezing, the steel is cooled to a temperature of -70°C to -150°C after hardening, which causes the retained austenite to be transformed into martensite.