Karl-Michael WINTER

Karl-Michael Winter, serving as Nitrex's Vice President of Global R&D and Engineering, oversees the company's global research and development initiatives. Since assuming the role in 2019, he has played a pivotal role in advancing Nitrex's existing product portfolio, processes, and technologies, while concurrently driving innovation in new product development.

Leading the charge in integrating Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions into Nitrex's smart product platform, Michael aims to enhance remote monitoring, operational analysis, and machine-to-machine interaction. This strategic initiative aims to optimize operational efficiency, increase uptime, improve performance, and achieve cost-effectiveness.

With an extensive background spanning over three decades, including his tenure as Vice President R&D at United Process Controls, and leadership roles at Process-Electronic, AEG, and Siemens, Michael brings a wealth of experience to the heat treatment field. His active participation in the AWT establishes him as a respected authority in furnace process controls and automation.

New Generation of Post-Oxidized Brake Rotors

Brake emissions are a substantial source of particles in urban areas, increasing the total number of particles in the air and contributing to PM 2.5 pollution. In 2025, the EU Commission plans to present the new Euro 7 exhaust emissions standard, which will introduce strict regulations on particulate emissions for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. With engine particulate emissions steadily decreasing over the last few decades, the current major source for particulate matter (PM) and particulate number (PN) is tires and braking systems.

Brake corrosion has increased due to the introduction of energy recovery systems, as well as the use of engine braking by intelligent automatic transmissions. This will only continue to increase due to new requirements for electromobility, which reduces mechanical braking to a minimum. Common brake discs are made of cast iron, which rusts. When brakes are not in use, the rust coating is no longer abraded by brake pads and corrosion extends deeper, resulting in significantly higher brake disc wear, especially on rear brakes. This adds to PM and PN pollution.

Applying the ferritic nitrocarburizing process (FNC) to grey cast-iron (GCI) brake rotors has been proven to provide a suitable technical and economical solution when paired with a stress relieving process (SR) prior to final machining. This is especially important as the projected worldwide automotive disc brake market is set to reach a volume of USD$18 billion by 2025.

Nitrex, a solution provider for heat-treating equipment and services and an expert in nitriding processes, has invested in research into wear-resistant nitrocarburized, nitrocarburized, and postoxidized surfaces on cast and steel parts. A new generation of post-oxidized layers is a conversion coated in-situ controlled post-oxidation that we name Smart-ONC because of its “self-healing” properties. We are adding an additional protection barrier whereby we add another metal that provides high corrosion resistance and protects the surface from any damage or failures.

Nitrex is providing a solution that enables the high-volume production of ferritic nitrocarburized (FNC) brake rotors able to meet the requirements of automotive and other transport companies.