2090 – 01 – Defining Heat Treatment

When metals undergo heat treatment, they are carefully heated and cooled in order to change their crystal structure, and therefore, their mechanical characteristics.
Manufacturers don’t have the ability to control whether a change in crystal structures will occur; all heated metal will undergo a change in some way. Instead, manufacturers regulate the temperature, choosing only the right time to heat the metal.
When done correctly, these heat treatments will enhance a metal’s properties. Standard treatments performed in workshops are softening or hardening, improving toughness or ductility, and relieving stress developing in the metal.