As Barron's study has confirmed, adding a cryogenic step to the treatment process does just that. In Table 1, data drawn from another study of treated metals by Barron indicates which samples exhibited improved abrasive wear after cryogenic treatment. Knowing how deep cryogenic tempering works, we can predict which materials will benefit most from treatment. Generally, if an allow contains austenite, and this austenite responds in some degree to heat treatment, further improvements will be seen after deep cryogenic tempering. Because these materials contain no austenite, sub-zero temperatures can cause no further metallurgical changes in them.
Liquid nitrogen is the largest processing cost in cryogenically cooling gears.
The newest systems are designed to more efficiently transfer cold from the liquid nitrogen to the metal parts being treated without losing the cold to the outside. They have reduced processing costs by half, making it economical to process all types of steel items, not just gears and tooling. Gears now costs pennies instead of dollars to treat with this method. Potentially every gear which is heat treated is a candidate for the additional service of cryogenic tempering. There are more than a handful of large tooling manufacturers quietly utilizing the process today for manufacturing a premium line of cutting tools.