Patent ID: 7267732

Claim:
A method for manufacturing steel parts for an automotive automatic transmission, comprising copper-brazing and subsequently quench hardening each steel part wherein the steel part is copper-brazed without removal of carbon and chromium and quench hardened by residual heat generated during the copper brazing step, said steel parts are conveyed continuously into a graphite muffle for brazing in a neutral gas atmosphere, where said steel parts are heated and a desired portion thereof is copper-brazed at a high temperature; successively, said steel parts are conveyed continuously into a muffle for cooling which connects with said muffle for brazing and is in the same atmosphere as said neutral gas atmosphere, where said steel parts are cooled to a temperature as high as possible but at least below the Ar1 point of an alloy steel forming said steel parts; and further successively, said steel parts are conveyed continuously into a muffle for quench heating which connects with said muffle for cooling and is in the same atmosphere as said neutral gas atmosphere, where said steel parts are reheated continuously for quenching to a desired high temperature that is below said copper brazing temperature and above the Ar1 point, by which said steel parts are copper-brazed and quench hardened continuously.