I'm not sure what blue tempered stainless steel is but tempering implies a heat-treatable stainless which is only possible with martensitic grades (403, 410, 414, 416, etc.). 303 is austenitic and is hardenable only by cold-working; not hardenable by heat treatment. The third stainless steel type is ferritic which is not hardenable by heat treatment or cold work.
303 is indeed an austenitic stainless and it can be surface hardened through a low temperature heat treatment known as Kolsterising. It is not a through hardness but can be very effective if your looking to reduce wear or galling related issues. There is no dimensional change to the treated component. The process can create a hardness of 68-70 HRc. Worth a look.
Low temperature carburization process. creates a high carbon case on the surface of the part.
Relatively rare in application so far as I know. Thanks for sharing. this.
Milo
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Types of Stainless Steel
Re: Types of Stainless Steel
