2090 – 09 – The Different Processes of Annealing

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Manufacturers use different types of annealing to achieve greater hardness and decrease ductility. Annealing is an umbrella term for a few different processes a metal can be put through, but all annealing processes have some basic similarities. The four most common types of annealing are;
• The full annealing process raises a metal’s temperature past the austenite phase, and then cools it slowly. It’s used to achieve greater ductility in low-carbon and medium-carbon steels.
• The process annealing procedure is used to get rid of strain hardening in low-carbon steels before cold working.
• The Recovery annealing process gives metals all the effects of strain hardening, but after cold working. It also increases steel’s toughness.
• Then stress-relieving process keeps metal at a heat level just below the austenite phase. This heat treatment cuts back on internal stress and ensures that metal won’t distort.