Some Popular Heat Treatment Processes

 The procedure used for modifying the physical and mechanical properties of metals without changing its formation is popularly known as heat treatment. This process mainly increases the strength the of the material. It is also used for modifying the objectives of few material aspect manufacturability such as restoring the ductility after the cooling process, improving machine process and its formability. Its also used for manufacturing materials such as glass. The material's performance is somewhat improved by the heat treat process.

It is basically the metallurgical methods where heat treat is applied. In order to attain the desired results like hardening and softening of the materials, this method is used which includes heating and cooling of such products from the moderate to high temperature. The heat treat process involves aging, carbonitriding, annealing, carburising, hardening, homogenising, induction hardening, induction annealing, normalizing, shot blasting, case hardening, tempering, stress relieving, precipitation strengthening, tempering and quenching.

Now let us discuss in brief about some of the most popular heat treatment processes that are offered by any reputed heat treatment company.

Annealing is the heat treat method whereby the metal is heated to a certain colour/temperature and then cooled gradually, This makes the metal softer which means the metal can be easily cut and shaped. Mild steel is heated to red colour and then cooled gradually. However, metals like aluminum can melt if heated for long span of time. Annealed materials are comparatively softer and can be shaped and cut more easily. They blend very easily with pressure being applied.

Hardening is the heat treat process used for increasing the hardness of the material. This generally implies heating up to a temperature that is slightly above critical range and maintaining at that certain temperature until and unless the diffusion gets completed.

The process of tempering and quenching involves heating up any crystalline material to its austenitizing temperature for a specific period until and unless the desired change takes place. Quenching involves use of several materials like water, oil or air. Following the quenching process, the material is again reheated until and unless it reaches a specific temperature under critical range.

Precipitation, selective and case hardening are all heat treat methods which actually depend on the materials that is treated https://axiomht.com/. Precipitation hardening is used with metals which are categorized as metals fitting in the precipitation class. Selective hardening uses this process on an object, which is popularly called differential hardening. Moreover, case hardening refers to the diffusion of the surface on the monolithic metals.

Now, if you are in need of a heat treat company, you can find a number of options in the Internet. The Internet is in fact the best place to find a heat treat service provider because you can find a number of these companies and choose the best company from a number of options available. While choosing the company, you must always look for the ones that are reputed and reliable and have been in the heat treat industry for long.

Material Sciences is one of the major constituent of modern day physics and even chemistry or physical sciences as a whole. In the same way metallurgy is an important and makes a major part of material sciences. Metallurgy is the study of physical and chemical properties of metals, and in the total realm of metallurgy, intermetallic compounds and intermetallic mixtures, also known as alloys, are also studied to unearth their physical and chemical properties. It is also described as the technology for metals and its various derivatives. By technology we mean to say how theoretical sciences are put to use in the practical and physical world. Being the technology of metals, metallurgy is the base of all metalworking crafts.

Going by the definition in the dictionary, the word metallurgy comes from a Greek word called metallurgia. The word comes by conjoining two words metallon, which means metal and a case sensitive -ergos, which means working. Hence, it can be deduced that metallurgy means metal working. Whenever we try to visualize metal working, it is almost archetypal that most of us would think about hot red lava like molten metal boiling or being poured down in a blast furnace. And almost simultaneously we also imagine the immense heat generated in such places. We all know that a lot of heat is needed to melt down metal. The required minimum temperature for melting any metal will go into thousands of degrees in centigrade. But the role of heat is not just confined within the limits of just melting the metal. It goes beyond that. Heat is also an important part in later stages also when the liquid metal is cooled down to take various shapes. Actually there is a separate process in metallurgy and a very common process called 'heat treatment'.

Heat treatment is a process to make alterations in the physical aspect of any material, sometimes it is also used sometimes to change the chemical properties also. But the most common use of heat treatment is in metal works or metallurgy. Very interestingly, in non metallic materials, heat treatment is used in the manufacturing of glass products. Heating or chilling are the main activities involved in this treatment. These processes need to be performed in extreme temperatures. This is done so that the material involved can be modified as desired, like making the material harder or softer. A heat treatment company have a series of techniques These processes can be listed as

Annealing

Case Hardening

Precipitation Strengthening

Tempering

Quenching

We can see that heat treatment as a process would need heating and cooling of metals, for very specific requirements to change their physical and sometimes chemical properties. But, as a matter of fact heating and cooling take place in other parts of metallurgy too, but those heating and cooling procedures are not included in the heat treatment sector of metal works. Examples of such other activities practiced by the heat treatment company are processes like welding or hot forming. Alloys are often used for their mechanical properties; by using complex heat treatment procedures metal workers increase this property of alloys. A superalloy, which is used in the aerospace industry, sometimes has to undergo five or even more different heat treatments to get the desired results.