Advanced Heat Treat Corp.

What Advanced Heat Treat Corp. does

Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) is a privately held, U.S.-based commercial heat treatment services company founded in 1981 by Gary Sharp and headquartered in Waterloo, Iowa. The firm operates four service facilities — two in Waterloo, Iowa (MidPort Blvd. headquarters and Burton Ave.), plus Cullman, Alabama and Monroe, Michigan — providing thermochemical surface engineering and conventional thermal processing for industrial customers. Service offerings center on nitriding and nitrocarburizing (including proprietary UltraOx®, UltraGlow® Ion Nitriding, UltraGlow® Gas Nitriding, FNC, S-phase stainless nitriding, and Plasma-Enhanced Nanostructures) alongside traditional heat treat processes (carburizing, carbonitriding, induction hardening, quench & temper, vacuum heat treating, precipitation hardening, cryogenic treatment). Equipment can handle parts up to 160 inches in diameter, 360 inches in length, and 60,000 lbs.

The company sells exclusively B2B through a direct sales-led motion: customers request quotes via web forms or phone, ship parts to AHT facilities, and pay service fees per processing job (pricing is quote-based, not publicly disclosed). Named enterprise customers span eight automotive OEMs (Ford, GM, Toyota, Chrysler, Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan), aerospace and defense accounts (qualified to AMS specifications), firearms manufacturers, and steel mills. Aerospace and defense is the primary vertical; additional targeted verticals include firearms, gears, hydraulic cylinder bars, long/large parts, powder metal, metal forming tools, plastic injection molds, stainless steel products, stamping dies, and titanium alloys.

AHT has held Nadcap Heat Treat accreditation since 2013 (with Merit Status for ion and gas nitriding as of 2025), maintains ITAR compliance for defense work, and holds ISO 9001. Senior Scientist Dr. Edward Rolinski (a published plasma-nitriding expert since the 1970s) anchors metallurgical credibility. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no public revenue figures; founder/CEO Gary Sharp remains actively involved alongside President Mike Woods.

Name

Advanced Heat Treat Corp.

Legal name

Advanced Heat Treat Corp.

Website

https://ahtcorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Advanced Heat Treat Corp. is a privately held U.S. commercial heat treatment services company founded in 1981, operating four facilities in Iowa, Michigan, and Alabama to deliver nitriding, nitrocarburizing, vacuum, and conventional thermal processing to aerospace, automotive, firearms, and industrial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Heat Treatment Services

NAICS

Metal Heat Treating (332811), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (3328)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

Heat Treatment & Thermal Processing Furnaces (Hardening, Annealing, Induction) (IMAHADAI)

Keywords

• Commercial heat treatment
• Nitriding services
• Surface engineering
• Vacuum heat treating
• Metallurgical services

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterloo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial Heat Treatment Services: Providing commercial heat treat services and metallurgical solutions including nitriding, nitrocarburizing, vacuum heat treating, carburizing, induction hardening, and other thermal processing services. Revenue generated through service fees based on parts processed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Advanced Heat Treat Corp. is a commercial heat treatment services provider that performs nitriding, nitrocarburizing, vacuum heat treating, carburizing, carbonitriding, induction hardening, through hardening, cryogenic treatment, age/precipitation hardening, and metallurgical services on customer-supplied metal parts at four US facilities. The company's signature offerings are its proprietary UltraOx® nitrocarburizing and UltraGlow® ion/plasma nitriding processes, with Nadcap-accredited quality for aerospace, defense, automotive, firearms, gear, tooling, and heavy industrial customers.

Product overview

Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) is a commercial heat treatment services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of surface engineering and thermal processing solutions. The core offerings center on nitriding and nitrocarburizing technologies (UltraOx®, UltraGlow® Ion Nitriding, UltraGlow® Gas Nitriding, FNC, S-Phase stainless nitriding, PENS) and traditional heat treat services (carburizing, carbonitriding, induction hardening, quench & temper, vacuum heat treating, precipitation hardening, cryogenic treatment). UltraOx® is AHT's signature trademarked ferritic nitrocarburizing and oxidation process providing three-layer corrosion/wear protection. The company also offers specialized hydraulic cylinder bars pre-treated with UltraOx® in standard and custom sizes. Services target diverse industries including aerospace, automotive, firearms, tooling, and industrial manufacturing, with four U.S. facilities capable of handling parts up to 160" diameter, 360" length, and 60,000 lbs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UltraOx®: Proprietary ferritic nitrocarburizing and oxidation process for enhanced wear, toughness and corrosion resistance. Used as an alternative to chrome plating and salt bath nitriding.
• UltraGlow®

Products and services

• UltraOx® Trademarked ferritic nitrocarburizing and oxidation process that creates three protective layers (oxide, compound zone, and diffusion zone) for superior corrosion and wear resistance with a uniform black finish; used as an environmentally friendly alternative to chrome plating, QPQ and salt bath nitriding for steel and stainless components.
• UltraGlow® Ion (Plasma) Nitriding Ion (plasma) nitriding performed in vacuum vessels where parts are cathodically polarized, allowing selective nitriding through mechanical masking and producing bright, scale-free parts with no measurable surface oxidation.
• UltraGlow® Gas Nitriding Gas nitriding using cracked ammonia as the nitrogen source in a positive-pressure environment, ideal for large-quantity batch processing with excellent temperature uniformity and suitable for parts with deep holes or channels.
• Ion and Gas Ferritic Nitrocarburizing (FNC) Thermochemical process combining nitriding with carbon addition to deliver enhanced wear resistance and surface lubricity compared to pure nitriding.
• "S" Phase Low Temperature Stainless Steel Nitriding Low-temperature nitriding process producing expanded austenite (S-phase) in stainless steels, maintaining corrosion resistance while improving surface hardness.
• Plasma-Enhanced Nanostructures (PENS) Plasma nitriding technique for creating enhanced nanostructured surface layers with improved tribological and wear properties.
• Carburizing High-temperature (900-950°C) thermochemical process that adds and diffuses carbon into steel surfaces, producing deep wear-resistant case with a softer core; ideal for parts requiring extra surface hardening.
• Carbonitriding Process that adds both carbon and nitrogen at around 850°C, creating harder surfaces with less distortion than carburizing and well suited to low-carbon steels.
• Induction Hardening Selective heating process using magnetic coils designed to match part geometry, hardening critical features while retaining core ductility, reducing processing time and decarburization risk.
• Through Hardening / Quench & Temper Heat-treat process heating steel above critical temperature followed by rapid quenching and tempering to achieve a balance of hardness and ductility, producing consistent hardness throughout the part.
• Vacuum Heat Treating High-temperature thermal processing performed in sealed vacuum furnaces to eliminate oxidation, decarburization and surface contamination, producing clean, scale-free parts with excellent dimensional stability and tight hardness control; now available at AHT's MidPort Blvd. Iowa facility.
• Age / Precipitation Hardening Heat treatment for alloys that harden over time at sub-critical temperatures, providing high tensile strength with minimal distortion; used for martensitic stainless steels and maraging steels.
• Cryogenic Treatment Deep cooling treatment that transforms retained austenite into martensite, improving wear resistance and dimensional stability of hardened parts.
• Cleaning Processes Pre- and post-heat-treat cleaning processes that remove contaminants and residues to ensure consistent heat treatment results and clean finished parts.
• Magnetic Particle Inspection Non-destructive test using magnetic particles to detect surface and near-surface discontinuities in ferromagnetic components for quality assurance of heat-treated parts.
• Metallurgical Services Metallurgical consulting and laboratory testing services supporting customer process selection, failure analysis, and quality verification of heat-treated components.
• Hydraulic Cylinder Bar (UltraOx®) Pre-nitided hydraulic cylinder bars treated with UltraOx® for use as a superior alternative to chrome plating; available in standard outer diameters from 1/2 inch to 2.75 inch and 12-foot to 26-foot lengths in 10V45 and 1045 carbon steel with 60+ HRC surface hardness.

Quantifiable outcome

• UltraOx passes 300+ hour salt spray test with zero rust
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bodycote: Bodycote is the world's largest commercial heat treatment services provider, offering a broad portfolio including nitriding, carburizing, vacuum heat treating, and surface treatments across a global network of 165+ facilities. Directly comparable service offerings to AHT (nitriding, vacuum HT, induction) but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• HEF Group: HEF Group is a France-based global specialist in surface engineering and tribology, offering nitriding, DLC coatings, and related thermal/chemical surface treatments to automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers. Comparable in proprietary process technology and broad industrial surface treatment capabilities.

Direct peers

• Paulo Products: Paulo Products is a US-based commercial heat treater founded in 1943 with multiple facilities offering brazing, carburizing, nitriding, induction hardening, and other thermal processing services. Direct competitor to AHT in commercial heat treating, especially for industrial and aerospace customers in the Midwest.
• Nitrex Metal: Nitrex Metal specializes in nitriding and nitrocarburizing services and equipment, with operations across North America and Europe. Most direct process-overlap peer to AHT's UltraOx/UltraGlow offerings, competing for similar aerospace, automotive, and industrial nitriding work.
• Solar Atmospheres: Solar Atmospheres is a leading US commercial vacuum heat treating specialist operating multiple facilities serving aerospace, defense, medical, and power generation customers. Direct overlap with AHT's newly launched vacuum heat treating service line and Nadcap-accredited aerospace focus.
• B&W Heat Treating: B&W Heat Treating is a US commercial heat treater offering vacuum heat treating, nitriding, brazing, and other thermal processing services from multiple facilities. Direct competitor for general commercial heat treat work, particularly in aerospace and industrial markets.
• ThermTech (ThermalTech): ThermTech is a US Midwest commercial heat treater offering vacuum heat treating, nitriding, carburizing, and brazing services with Nadcap accreditation. Direct Midwest-based competitor to AHT serving aerospace, medical, and industrial customers.
• Specialty Steel Treating: Specialty Steel Treating is a US commercial heat treater specializing in vacuum heat treating, nitriding, and other thermal processes for tool steels, aerospace alloys, and stainless steels. Comparable service offering and customer overlap with AHT, particularly for tool steel and aerospace markets.

Regional players

• Wallwork Heat Treatment: Wallwork Heat Treatment is a major UK-based commercial heat treater offering nitriding, vacuum, and conventional heat treat services to aerospace and motorsport customers. Comparable service mix to AHT but operating primarily in the UK, with US expansion creating competitive overlap.

Emerging players

• Scruffy Dog Metal Finishing: Metal SurTec / smaller regional commercial heat treaters offer nitriding, black oxide, and surface finishing services. Represents smaller, niche commercial heat treat providers that compete with AHT for regional and small-batch industrial work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advanced-heat-treat-corp-
• Instagraminstagram.com/advheattreat

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advanced Heat Treat Corp.