Steel Quenching & Tempering Services in Plymouth, MI
Timely Quenching and Tempering to Complete the Hardening Process
To get to a stronger, more durable version of an alloy, it must go through the heat treatment process of hardening. The process begins by introducing the material to intense heat and holding it in that high heat for an extended amount of time, based on the thickness of the material. Then, the metal undergoes the processes of quenching and tempering.
Expert Metal Quenching in the Right Solution
Once we have added and maintained high temperatures in a carbon-rich environment, the hardening process gets cut off precisely when it needs to be through a process known as quenching. Metal quenching is the rapid, almost immediate cooling of heated metal by immersing it into forced air, gas, water, brine, oil, or other liquids. The cooling type creates a different property in the final product to satisfy a specific need. When quenched, an alloy material, including alloy steel, carbon steel, and some stainless steels, transforms into a hardened version of its original by changing from austenite to martensite.
Professional Tempering to Properly Finish a Heat Treatment Process
Once the heating and quenching processes are done, the material is ready for tempering. Tempering is the section of the heat treatment process that balances a material with its own brittleness. Alloys and various types of steel are not used in their condition immediately after quenching. Quenching and tempering go hand in hand to complete a fully hardened material.
Think of tempering as the fine-tuning stage. This part of the process is geared to meet specific property requirements such as softening the hardness to a specified range. Tempering is also the time to relieve stress that quenching introduced to the product. This stage involves reheating the steel at a much lower temperature than in the hardening stage. At this point, the heating leads to precipitation and spheroidization of the carbides within the microstructure. Finally, the result is a piece with a balanced combination of hardness and toughness.
The professionals at RMT Woodworth Heat Treating have been in business for over 50 years providing complete, expert metal heat treating services. We offer competitive prices and quick turnaround time frames while maintaining our trademark high-quality standards.