CanForge supplies high quality forgings that have undergone value added processes such as heat treatment. Heat treatment refers to a group of services that alter the strength and hardness of the metal forging, whether it is a stainless steel forging, carbon steel forging, aluminum forging, titanium forging, etc.
Heat Treatment Services for Forgings
The heat treatment of forgings plays an important role in developing the desired properties such as the relieving of internal stresses, the refinement of grain structure, and the attainment of improved mechanical and physical properties. For machinability, CanForge supplies forgings in the annealed, normalized, normalized and tempered, process annealed, spheroidized or full annealed condition. The forgings may then be quenched and tempered to achieve the final desired properties. Read on to learn about the value added heat treatment processes for products available at CanForge.
Annealing Steel and Metal Forgings
Forgings are annealed to recover the ductility and yield strength that were lost during a hot forging process such as closed die forging or open die forging. Metal forgings that are annealed are first softened, which relives internal stresses, than recrystallized to grow new, more refined grains.
CanForge supplies forged products that have undergone the following types of annealing:
FULL ANNEALING
Forgings restores the softness of the metal. The forging is heated to a specific temperature then cooled in a furnace according to specific time intervals for uniform softness through the entire forging.
NORMALIZING
Involves heating the forging to a specific temperature and then allowing the forging to cool in still air. The result is the restoration of ductility. Normalized forgings are less expensive than full annealed forgings because full annealing relies on furnace-controlled cooling.
NORMALIZING AND TEMPERING
First normalizes the metal forging then heats it again to a temperature between 400 and 600°C. Tempering establishes the correct balance of strength and ductility within the forging.
PROCESS ANNEALING
Used for low carbon steel forgings. The forging is heated to a temperature lower than those used in full annealing or normalizing and then is allowed to cool in still air. This alters the grain size and flow of the forging.
SPHEROIDIZING
Used for high-carbon steel forgings as well as tool steel and alloy steel forgings. The process forms spheroids throughout the structure of the forging which results in improved machinability.
Quenching and Tempering for Metal Forging
Forgings that are quenched and tempered have a good balance of strength and ductility. The steel and metal forgings are rapidly cooled in water, oil, or saltwater bath, which increases the hardness of the forging. The forging is then tempered to restore softness within the metal forging to prevent snapping or shattering.