What is annealing?

Full Annealing

Full annealing is the process of slowly raising the temperature about 50 ºC (122 ºF) above the Austenitic temperature line A3 or line ACM in the case of Hypoeutectoid steels (steels with 0.77% Carbon).

It is held at this temperature for sufficient time for all the material to transform into Austenite or Austenite-Cementite as the case may be. It is then slowly cooled at the rate of about 20 ºC/hr (36 ºF/hr) in a furnace to about 50 ºC (122 ºF) into the Ferrite-Cementite range. At this point, it can be cooled in room temperature air with natural convection.

The grain structure has coarse Pearlite with ferrite or Cementite (depending on whether hypo or hyper eutectoid). The steel becomes soft and ductile.

Process Annealing

Process Annealing is used to treat work-hardened parts made out of low-Carbon steels (Stress Relief Annealing

Stress Relief Annealing is used to reduce residual stresses in large castings, welded parts and cold-formed parts. Such parts tend to have stresses due to thermal cycling or work hardening. Parts are heated to temperatures of up to 600 – 650 ºC (1112 – 1202 ºF), and held for an extended time (about 1 hour or more) and then slowly cooled in still air.

We can supply follows heat treatment services:

Normalizing, Annealing, Quenching, Tempering, Carburizing, Nitriding, High-frequency surface hardening and other processing services.