COMP Cams uses a tried and true process on camshafts for superior durability and performance.

Nitriding is a process that infuses nitrogen ions into the surface of steel to increase its surface hardness on a molecular level. For decades, performance engine builders have sent out their steel crankshafts to have this treatment performed, and with good reason: unlike iron, steel does not develop a hardened surface through working, but must be hardened through an additional process that prevents stress cracks.

While there are other processes that can suitably harden steel, such as Tuftriding and induction hardening, these processes are uneven, and can result in internal stress due to their unevenness. Nitriding offers the end-user a uniform hardened layer without internal stresses, and that’s what makes it perfect for another application: camshafts. While cracking isn’t such a problem with cams as it is with cranks, it is the benefit of a hardened surface that is the key interest here.

You may ask, if nitriding is such a great process for camshafts, why hasn’t it been used before now? The answer lies in the product improvements developed by the very company introducing this heretofore unutilized process, COMP Cams. The fact is, there really hasn’t been a need for camshaft nitriding prior to the development of really aggressive lobe profiles in conjunction with rpm-range—extending beehive valvesprings. Never before has so much compromise-free airflow been possible with a flat-tappet cam.

Almost simultaneous to these valve-motion breakthroughs is the government-regulated phase-out of zinc compounds in motor oil. What has resulted is a perfect storm of sorts: super aggressive cam profiles with valvesprings to match, and motor oils without the necessary protection to keep them alive.

Enter COMP’s new Pro Plasma Nitriding service. COMP Cams is the only performance camshaft manufacturer to offer in-house nitriding of camshafts and lifters. While other manufacturers have opted to deal with lobe-lifter interface failures on a case-by-case basis, COMP has made the substantial investment in a technology that offers a clear solution to the increasingly common problem of valvetrain failure at the lifter interface.

If you are building an engine with a flat-tappet solid or hydraulic cam, especially one with an aggressive profile or one for competition (such as the Jegs Engine Masters Challenge), I strongly urge you to consider COMP’s Pro Plasma Nitriding service as part of your camshaft/lifter order. It’s an added measure of protection that will allow you to take full advantage of the latest aggressive lobe profiles, without premature failure. For more information, check it out at www.compcams.com, or call 800-999-0853.