“You caught me on a boat,” admitted Frederick J. Diekman, President of Controlled Thermal Processing, Inc., upon realizing that my questions on cryogenic processing would take more than a few minutes to answer. “The boys wanted me to go fishing — can I call you back?”
In their 2001 Heat Treating Progress article, “Cryogenics: The Racer’s Edge,” Diekman and Controlled Thermal’s Racing Specialist, Roger Schiradelly, wrote, “Cryogenic processing is destined to become part of the standard production process, as opposed to being an add- on process as it now exists.” Today, however, the process still appears to exist as an add-on, and only in few cases is it known to be standard for parts post-production. Many in the metallurgical field are reluctant to accept the science behind cryogenic processing, while those in some industries are against the use of a treatment that will decrease overall sales, as the treatments make parts more durable and therefore less likely to need frequent replacement.
Diekman stated, “The process has not been well received in the general metallurgical community. Part of the reason for this is that it is not taught in many colleges to metallurgy students.”
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