Abstract: A process for manipulating workpieces, which are to be carburized, wherein the workpieces or workpiece magazines that are to be deposited on pallets are loaded in several rows, corresponding to a predefined number of rows of workpieces, into a rotating hearth furnace and, after carburization, are removed from the rotating hearth furnace and fed to a hardening press, exhibiting a predetermined number of press stations, and wherein on each pallet are deposited a number of workpieces or workpiece magazines, said number corresponding to the number of press stations. For better utilization of the capacity of the rotating hearth furnace and the hardening press, the pallets in the rotating hearth furnace are arranged in such a number of rows that the number of press stations is a divisor of the number of workpiece rows.

Abstract: A shaft straightening and hardening machine, including a holder for a shaft-shaped workpiece, which can be pivoted around an axis which is essentially parallel to the axis of the workpiece. The machine includes a controllable rotary drive for the holder and a coolant bath through which the holder passes as a part of its path of rotation. The holder includes at least one straightening mechanism, which is mounted at a specified point over the length of the workpiece and which acts radially upon the workpiece and can be swung sideways from said workpiece for the purpose of loading and unloading the workpiece. The holder includes several parallel straightening shafts between which the workpiece can be inserted and from which it can be removed. The end face of each straightening shaft is held in a bearing bracket, and one of the straightening shafts can be swung radially sideways. The straightening shafts have radially protruding profiling that act as the straightening elements or mechanisms.