Patent ID: 8535605

Claim:
A method of producing a sinter-hardened component from a metallic powder containing chromium comprising the steps of compacting the powder to form a green compact and then sintering the green compact in a reducing sintering atmosphere at a sintering temperature in excess of 1100° C., wherein a gas containing carbon is added to the sintering atmosphere, wherein after sintering, the component is cooled at a cooling rate of at least 2° C./s, wherein a carbon concentration in the green compact is increased simultaneously during the sintering, wherein a gradient is created for the carbon content in regions starting from a component surface down to a component depth of 0.8 mm, and wherein the gradient for the carbon content is selected from a range with a lower limit of 0.3% by weight/mm layer thickness and an upper limit of 1.5% by weight/mm layer thickness of the component.