Heat Treating Steel

Heat Treating Services From A to Z

Heat treatment is used in order to make a metal harder and stronger or softer and more malleable. The term “heat treatment” is something of a misnomer as both hot and cold temperature extremes can be employed in order to create the desired effects within the metal. The following heat treating services are among those provided by Specialty Steel Treating.

Annealing

When metal is softened by annealing, it gains three valuable properties: malleability, the ability to be pounded or rolled into thin sheets; ductility, the ability to be stretched into long, thin cables; and conductivity, the ability to carry an electrical current. Annealing changes the microstructure of a metal by first heating it to a particular temperature and then slowly cooling it down.

Case Hardening

Case hardening is used for components, such as gears and ball bearings, that frequently rotate within machines. Such components are subject to miniscule cracks in the surface known as rolling contact fatigue. When a component is case hardened, the core of the metal remains soft, while the outer surface is made harder and stronger, making it more difficult for cracks to form and fatigue to take place, all while preserving the material’s ductile strength and preventing it from becoming brittle

Cryogenic Hardening

Cryogenic hardening alters the metal through the use of cold, not heat. Liquid nitrogen is used to cool the metal to approximately -300 degrees Fahrenheit. By cryogenically hardening the metal, residual stresses are reduced and it becomes more resistant to corrosion

Tempering

After a metal has been hardened, tempering is often used in order to balance out the level of hardness to an acceptable level, as well as to make the metal tougher and less brittle. The higher the temperature, the softer the metal will become; therefore, the temperature at which the metal is to be tempered is determined by the level of hardness desired after tempering.

Specialty Steel Treating performs these services and more. Contact us today by calling 586-293-5355 to find out how we can best serve your needs.