ANNEALING
What are the applications and benefits?
Annealing is usually applied to ferrous alloys to reduce hardness, increase ductility and help eliminate internal stresses . It is used to prepare material for bending, spinning, cutting, machining or other manipulative mechanical operations. Annealing reduces the force required for these operations but more importantly, the risk of fracture or tearing. Annealing is commonly used after casting, forging or
rolling. Many steels in strip form are also annealed, as are most tool steels and stainless steels.
How does the process work?
The precise temperature for annealing is governed by the chemistry of the steel and is around the transformation temperature. Once in the austenite phase the material is control cooled very slowly within the furnace . The primary reason for this is to soften the material back and homogenization of the composition. The final product is dull grey in appearance with a flaky scale removable by Shot Blasting. There are several process variations that qualify as annealing treatments.
All of Con Mech’s furnaces are fitted with programmable controllers to ensure that the most specific cooling profiles can be precisely followed. Exit temperature from the furnace varies according to requirements but all cooling external to the furnace is performed in strictly controlled still air conditions.
Which materials can be treated?
Typical steels treated include: AISI 4130, AISI 8630, F70, F22, F65, F52, AISI 4140, Cast Irons
How can Con Mech Engineers help?
At Con Mech we can follow any anneal profile i.e. Standard Anneal, Semi Anneal, Spherodised Anneal and Sub Critical Anneal. We can work to your specification or we can work with you to assess your application, what mechanical properties you require and how annealing might achieve the results required
