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What is Heat Treatment and How Is It Done?

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Some if this subject was covered above, however to briefly explain this in a little more detail; heat treatment is the process of using various manufacturing techniques to alter the chemical composition of metals and alloys to allow for hardness and toughness. Many types of materials can go through this process including glass and a famous application – metallurgical.

While working at a shop, machinists will more than likely work with tool steels. These metals are often heat-treated in machines to become hard. They then finish it by grinding the metal and using a lapping function to handle the hardness. The whole heat treating process is carried along in three steps:

• Heat the metal: This is the first step. The metal has to be heated to a specific temperature or else the metal will not melt and the chemical composition of the metal will not change.
• Hold the temperature: After the temperature has been reached, the temperature has to be kept steady up to a specific amount of time. If it is not done this way, the time involved will be a waste because the metal has not had a chance to be heated accurately and thoroughly.
• Cool the metal: After the maximum time has been reached, the metal has to be cooled in a certain manner. This has to be achieved to harden the metal, be it steel or not.

Next Page: What are the Processes Involved in Heat Treating

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