Abstract The results of studies on the wear resistance of machine parts made of aluminum alloys with insulated layers obtained by activating surface layers (SLs) are considered. It is shown that, in relation to aluminum alloys, traditional ion nitriding technologies are ineffective due to the low rate of nitrogen diffusion and the heterogeneous structure of the nitrided layer (NL). The results of a fourfold increase in the intensity of diffusion processes of ion nitriding during activation of the surface layer of an aluminum alloy by methods of surface plastic deformation and high-energy ion implantation compared with traditional ion nitriding are presented. It is shown that when preparing the surface of an aluminum alloy by the method of high-energy ion implantation, the wear resistance of the nitrided layer is provided, exceeding by more than three times the wear resistance of the nitrided layer obtained during surface preparation by the method of surface plastic deformation. A new ion nitriding technology has been proposed, which makes it possible to increase the productivity of the nitriding process and the wear resistance of the AC by eliminating the oxide film by ion etching in vacuum. It is shown that the use of the method of high-energy ion implantation at an ion energy of about 25 keV ensures, due to the occurrence of a long-range effect, the formation of aluminum alloy parts in the surface layer at a depth commensurate with the thickness of the nitrided layer of radiation defects of the crystal structure, which significantly intensify nitrogen diffusion, as well as block grain boundaries inhibiting diffusion processes in them.