Heat treating parts can be a critical step in ensuring those essential components last longer, but there is another process that has the potential to extend the life of a part by three times or more. That procedure is known as cryogenic processing.
Cryogenic processing reduces metal stress and fatigue, makes metals last longer, and saves money on repairs, and the experts at 300 Below have been performing this process for more than 50 years, with results backed up by independent testing, including data from military funded research.
“The process itself is an extension of the heat treat, in the simplest terms,” said James Reed, Director of Client Services at 300 Below. “Our process works to further extend the benefits of a proper quench. In some instances, we may even be able to improve on improperly quenched materials.”

Improving parts
Steel exhibits enhanced wear resistance, more uniform stress, dimensional stability, durability, and improves other surface imperfections after cryogenic treatment, according to Reed.
“Dry cryogenic treatment also supports martensitic transformation, but there are substantial enhancements beyond weaker subzero treatments, because 300 Below’s cryogenic treatment provides up to six additional material benefits,” he said. “It improves things like abrasive-wear resistance, reduced cycle fatigue; stress relief and dimensional stability are improved; machinability improves, and some corrosion resistance is added.”
In some applications, it even improves heat transmissivity, according to Reed.
“Once this process has been applied to something that’s already been heat treated, you get those extended benefits,” he said. “So, parts that may have lasted a year, may last two years or three years. If you cryogenically process some materials prior to heat treating, it causes those materials to machine easier and more evenly. Others respond very well to cryogenic treatment after heat treat and rough cut, especially when critical tolerances come into play.”

Challenging sell
It’s not hard to see the potential benefits of the cryogenic process, but there is still some apprehension in the industry, according to Reed.
“After being here for 10 years, I have had the unique opportunity of seeing how this process positively impacts businesses,” he said. “While some apprehension exists due to concerns of parts lasting too long or concerns with reducing the maintenance personnel’s work, what I’ve actually found is that the companies that have used us have been able to enhance reliability programs, improve performance, level up their cost savings, sustain current operations, and put the bottom-line improvements in areas where the funds are needed more. I can see an increasing awareness and adoption of this process. It is becoming more common.”
One big challenge, according to Reed, has been: “Adoption of the process can sometimes move slowly.”
“You can sum it up to 300 Below’s simple philosophy of: ‘Give me a $20 bill, and I’ll give you three $100 bills in return. How many times would you like to do that?’” he said.

Multiple industrial uses
By spreading that value message, cryogenic processing has grown over the decades to be used in more than 20 different industries, according to Reed.
“We work with hobbyists, mom and pop; hunters, competitive shooters and military; we work in aerospace, with fleets and manufacturers; we serve clients in agriculture and tree services; we do a lot of business with motor sports enthusiasts, and that ranges anywhere from an RC car to tractor pulling,” he said. “Cryogenic treatment is beneficial for many applications and helps to resolve issues with cycle fatigue, warping, stress, and wear.”
Over the years, 300 Below has continued to find areas in which its processes can be used, according to Reed. For example, 300 Below has been awarded the Innovation of the Year in Midwest Manufacturing Technology, received an Innovative Solutions Award for CryoRotor, and has recently earned multiple Phase II AFWERX SBIR contracts to enhance military firearms. In addition, 300 Below’s owner Pete Paulin recently has been approved for a new patent for cryogenic treatment of bullets.
A trip to Saturn
Ensuring superior performance and reliability in the toughest conditions is also a task 300 Below has proven itself up to, according to Reed. To that end, 300 Below participated along with thousands of cooperating aerospace scientists in the birth of the Cassini Huygens space probe, which launched in 1994.
“The Cassini space probe was de-orbited back in September of 2017 after an incredible mission and many awe-inspiring discoveries,” he said. “300 Below treated the optical bench, camera body, and camera housing on that.”
The process now used by the company was created by Ed Bush in the 1960s. Bush started Cryo-Tech in 1966. It would eventually become 300 Below when the company was purchased by Paulin in 1992, which would make 300 Below the oldest commercial cryogenic processing company in the industry, according to Reed.

Moving forward
Reed said the company has plans to continue to flourish in the thermal-processing industry.
“We now have started to move into some bigger applications and are focusing toward large scale processing,” he said. “We have a unit in house that we can process around 30,000 pounds. We’ve got another processor where we could do 40,000 or 50,000 pounds, so overall we can process some large orders and large parts. We are also scalable, and we can grow with customers’ needs.”
“With increasing demand for U.S. manufacturing, increasing layoffs, and high demand for cost savings, companies are looking for ways to overall improve their outputs, strengthen production,and to reduce their scrap rates,” he said. “They’re looking for lasting solutions, cost savings, and consistent results, and that’s where we come into play.”
As passionate as Reed is about 300 Below and what the company can do to vastly improve the life of components, he is realistic and realizes it’s a process that still relies on a lot of advocacy from the end user.
“In the simplest sense, I’ll say, we love what we do,” he said. “Our goal is growth through relationships, positive impact, and transformative ROI (return on investment) for as many companies as we can serve. We want to have those trajectory changing, momentous conversations with companies. It’s a good thing. It’ll work for many applications; it won’t work for some. We understand that and stand behind our services with a 100 percent, no-hassle, money-back guarantee. The goal is to grow together.”
MORE INFO www.300below.com