HEAT TREATMENT: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS

Heat treatment: What is it and how does it work?

What is heat treatment?

Although most people don't know what heat treatment is, it is actually an essential part of the manufacturing process.This is because heat treatment can improve metal parts so that the material can better withstand wear and tear.Heat treatment involves heating a metal or alloy to a specific temperature and then cooling to harden the material.

When the metal is heat-treated during the manufacturing process also determines what properties are changed, and some metals may even be treated multiple times.

Knowing what temperatures to heat and cool metals at, as well as how long each step of the process should take for a specific metal or alloy is extremely complicated. Because of that, material scientists known as metallurgists, study the effects of heat on metal and alloys and provide precise information on how to perform these processes correctly. Manufacturers rely on this information to ensure their metal pieces will have the correct properties at the end of the process.

Some common forms of heat treatments include:

• Hardening: When a metal is hardened, it’s heated to a point where the elements in the material transform into a solution. Defects in the structure are then transformed by creating a reliable solution and strengthening the metal. This increases the hardness of the metal or alloy, making it less malleable.   
• Annealing: This process is used on metals like copper, aluminum, silver, steel, and brass. These materials are heated to a certain temperature, are held at that temperature until transformation occurs, and then are slowly air-dried.  This process softens the metal, making it more workable and less likely to fracture or crack. 
• Tempering: Some materials like iron-based alloys are very hard, making them brittle. Tempering can reduce brittleness and strengthen the metal. In the tempering process, the metal is heated to a temperature lower than the critical point to reduce brittleness and maintain hardness. 
• Case Hardening: The outside of the material is hardened while the inside remains soft. Since hardening can cause materials to become brittle, case hardening is used for materials that require flexibility while maintaining a durable wear layer. 
• Normalization: Similar to annealing, this process makes the steel more tough and ductile by heating the material to critical temperatures and keeping it at this temperature until transformation occurs. 

Why is Heat Treatment Important?

Without heat treating metal, especially steel, metal parts for everything from airplanes to computers wouldn’t function properly, or might not even exist in the first place. Non-ferrous metal parts in particular would be much weaker. Aluminum and titanium alloys, as well as bronze and brass, are all strengthened through heat treatment. Many of these metals are used in the production of cars, airplanes, and other products that rely on strong metals not only for performance but for safety as well.

Since heat-treated metals are usually stronger than non-heat-treated metals, pre-treatment of metal parts can prevent corrosion, which will not lead to later or frequent replacement of expensive metal parts.This makes the machine cheaper and more efficient to run, and prevents problems.

In short, heat treatment is an indispensable part of the manufacturing process, which can significantly improve the wear resistance and performance of metals.As a leading enterprise in the metal equipment production industry, Anshan Metal Co., Ltd. is committed to providing customers with professional heat treatment services and other metal processing needs.With advanced equipment and an experienced team, we provide customized manufacturing and expert advice according to customer specifications.If you need high-quality heat treatment services or other metal processing solutions, please feel free to contact us.Anshan Metal Co., Ltd. is committed to becoming your reliable partner to ensure that your products achieve the best level of performance and durability.