Process for producing surface remelted chilled layer camshaft

A process for producing a surface remelted chilled layer camshaft, comprising the steps of:

• controlling a rotation of a camshaft such that a cam thereof rotates about the center axis of said camshaft;
• relatively oscillating one of a torch and said cam in the direction of said center axis;
• irradiating a sliding surface of said cam with high density energy from said torch so as to melt a portion of said sliding surface at a melting position;
• controlling a position of said torch in two transfer directions, said transfer directions comprising a horizontal Y-axis direction perpendicular to a center axis direction of said camshaft and a vertical Z-axis direction perpendicular to said center axis direction, such that a portion of a tangent to said sliding surface at said melting position, said portion of said tangent extending upstream from said melting position as measured in said rotation direction and extending below a horizontal line passing through said melting position, forms an angle of between 0.degree. and 30.degree. with the horizontal line, said angle being non-zero when said melting position is at a nose portion of said cam;
• and
• permitting a melted portion of said sliding surface to cool, whereby a chill layer is formed.