Plasma-nitrided welding tables — why it's worth it, and when 15 vs 25 mm

What is plasma nitriding of the top

Plasma nitriding is a process in which the steel surface is saturated with nitrogen in an ionised gas (plasma) atmosphere at around 500 °C. The treatment reshapes the surface layer: a hard, several-hundred-micron iron-nitride compound layer forms, with a deeper diffusion zone underneath. This is not a coating applied on top — it is a change to the steel itself in the working layer.

What it changes in day-to-day work

• Much higher surface hardness — the top resists scratches from fixtures and impacts from parts far better.
• Weld spatter does not stick to the surface — it comes off with a putty knife alone, no anti-spatter paste and no scraping that in time enlarges the mounting holes.
• Corrosion protection — the nitrided layer is much less prone to pitting and staining, which matters in humid halls and when welding damp parts.
• Dimensional stability — the process runs at a lower temperature than classical hardening, so the top does not "move" after treatment. That's how we hold flatness at 0.2 mm/m.
• Longer life of Ø16/Ø28 holes — the harder surface wears the fixture-bolt seat edges far more slowly.

Who it makes sense for

A plasma-nitrided table is not the pick for a home garage with occasional work. It's the pick that pays back in shops where the table runs daily, carries heavy frames, takes plenty of sparks and scratches, and where the finished part's dimensions decide whether it passes inspection — steel structures for machines, frames for lasers and press brakes, sub-assemblies for CNC components, serial production.

ARMOR — why 15 mm

The ARMOR version pairs a 15 mm top with full plasma nitriding of the entire working surface. A sensible pick when:

• You weld parts up to roughly 12–15 mm thick — the top comfortably takes the load and heat.
• You want a hard, non-stick surface and 0.2 mm/m flatness, but do not need maximum top mass.
• The table lives mobile in the shop (e.g. on wheels) — 15 mm is noticeably lighter than 25 mm, which makes a real difference when repositioning.
• You want to step into the premium segment without the price jump to the flagship TITAN.

TITAN — when 25 mm is worth it

TITAN is the flagship 25 mm top, fully plasma-nitrided, with CNC-machined holes. Pick it when:

• You weld heavy steel structures, load-bearing frames, machine parts, profiles with wall thicknesses above 15 mm.
• The table has to work in serial or multi-shift production — 25 mm gives you rigidity and thermal reserves that 15 mm no longer delivers.
• You need a station you can lean on with weight, step onto safely and move large parts across — with no risk of affecting flatness.
• You want maximum hole life and minimum downtime for top maintenance.

15 or 25 — how to decide

We stick to a simple rule: material thickness must not exceed top thickness, and part weight has to fit within the series' load capacity. If 90% of your work is parts up to ~15 mm and medium frames — ARMOR is plenty. If you regularly lay down structures from 15+ mm wall profiles, heavy machine frames, or run continuous production — the upgrade to TITAN pays back in years of top life without flatness loss.

Our recommendation

If you're torn between ARMOR and TITAN, describe briefly to our advisors what you weld — type of structures, thicknesses, weights, number of stations and work mode (single shift vs. continuous). We'll point to a specific version, size and grid configuration (100×100 or HEX) that will hold up in your workshop for years.