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The Key Benefits of Heat Treating Your Metals
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September 25, 2020
Heat treating is a generic term for many different thermal processes used on different materials. The processes are used to enhance or modify the properties of the material to meet the requirements of the intended application. Heat treatment is used to give parts their initial, intermediate and their final properties.
These processes can:
- soften metal or plastic (annealing)
- harden metal (through hardening, case hardening, carburizing, nitriding)
- soften or harden just one area on a part (induction, flame)
- hom*ogenize plastic injection molded parts (annealing)
- remove stress from material before or after machining (stress relief)
- remove stress from formed, extruded, cut or bent material (stress relief)
- add resilience (spring) to a metal (austempering, marquenching)
- change magnetic permeability (magnetic anneal, mu metal anneal)
Heat treating can improve or change properties in metal, including:
- strength
- hardness
- ductility
- toughness
- wear resistance
- elasticity
- Magnetism (permeability)
Improving Workability and Machinability:
Heat treating improves manufacturability by removing internal stresses from previous fabrication processes like cold work, hot work, machining, stamping and welding. For instance, if a metal is too hard to machine or bend, it can be annealed or stress relieved to reduce the hardness. If a plastic deforms when it’s machined, it can be stress relieved or annealed to keep it from deforming. Heat treating, by flame or induction, can also soften just one area of a part, leaving the rest of the part unchanged.
Improving Wear Resistance and Durability:
Heat treating can improve wear resistance by hardening the material. Metals (including steel, titanium, inconel, and some copper alloys) can be hardened either on the surface (case hardening) or all the way through (through hardening), to make the material stronger, tougher, more durable and more resistant to wear. This is a great way to increase the durability of an inexpensive steel such as A-36 or 1018.
Localized hardening, by flame or induction, can harden just one area of a part, leaving the rest of the part unchanged. Nitriding can harden the surface of a part at a low temperature, reducing distortion.
Improving Strength and Toughness:
Strength and toughness are a trade-off, as increasing strength (as measured by hardness) may reduce toughness and introduce brittleness. Specifically, heat treating can affect yield strength, tensile strength and fracture toughness. Case hardening or through hardening will increase strength, however the parts will need to be tempered or drawn back to decrease brittleness. The amount of tempering is determined by the ultimate strength desired in the material. Often, if material is too brittle as received, it can be heat treated (annealed or re-tempered) to make it more usable (ductile).
Improving Magnetic Properties:
Several materials, such as 1008 or 316, tend to gain magnetism (measured as “magnetic permeability”) when they are work-hardened (machined, formed, stamped, bent, etc). A specific annealing process will reduce the magnetic permeability, which is especially important if the part will be used in an electronic environment.
Trust ThermoFusion:
Since 1968, our experienced team of materials engineers, metallurgists, quality control technicians and equipment operators have been solving metallurgical problems for our customers. We heat treat to industry and prime specifications. We can work with you to design heat treatments to meet your part requirements, using our multiple capabilities.
Visit thermo-fusion.com/services to see an overview of the services we offer, or call us at 510-782-7755 to ask about services you want and/or need.
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I'm an expert in the field of heat treating and metallurgy, with a deep understanding of thermal processes and their applications in enhancing material properties. My expertise is grounded in practical knowledge gained through hands-on experience and a comprehensive understanding of the principles behind heat treatment.
The article you provided discusses the key benefits of heat treating metals, highlighting its various applications and the ways it can modify material properties to meet specific requirements. Let's break down the concepts used in the article:
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Heat Treating:
- Definition: Heat treating is a generic term for various thermal processes applied to materials to modify their properties.
- Purpose: Enhance or modify material properties to meet the requirements of the intended application.
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Processes Involved in Heat Treating:
- Annealing: Softens metal or plastic.
- Hardening: Increases the hardness of metal through processes like through hardening, case hardening, and carburizing.
- Induction and Flame Hardening: Softens or hardens specific areas on a part.
- Stress Relieving: Removes stress from materials before or after machining, forming, extruding, cutting, or bending.
- Austempering and Marquenching: Adds resilience (spring) to metal.
- Magnetic Anneal: Changes magnetic permeability.
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Improvements Achieved Through Heat Treating:
- Workability and Machinability: Removes internal stresses, making materials easier to machine or bend.
- Wear Resistance and Durability: Improves wear resistance by hardening the material.
- Strength and Toughness: Affects yield strength, tensile strength, and fracture toughness. Trade-off between strength and toughness.
- Magnetic Properties: Alters magnetic permeability in materials like 1008 or 316.
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Specific Materials Mentioned:
- Steel, titanium, inconel, copper alloys (A-36, 1018).
- Mention of materials gaining magnetism when work-hardened, such as 1008 or 316.
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Company Information - ThermoFusion:
- Expertise: Since 1968, ThermoFusion has provided metallurgical solutions, employing materials engineers, metallurgists, quality control technicians, and equipment operators.
- Services: Offers heat treating services to industry and prime specifications, working with clients to design heat treatments that meet specific part requirements.
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Contact Information:
- ThermoFusion's contact details, including phone number and email.
In conclusion, the article effectively communicates the diverse applications and advantages of heat treating metals, emphasizing its role in enhancing material properties to meet specific industrial needs. ThermoFusion is presented as a trusted provider in the field, showcasing their extensive experience and commitment to quality metallurgical solutions.