Among CNC machined parts and injection mold parts: quenching, annealing, tempering and normalizing are four commonly used methods for material heat treatment. In the precision hardware processing industry, they can be regarded as the four kings of heat treatment. They have different functions.It can be adjusted according to the material properties to meet the needs of different engineering applications.
1. Quenching
Quenching is a process of rapidly cooling high-temperature metals or alloys to achieve the purpose of enhancing the hardness and strength of the product. Quenching can improve the mechanical properties of materials, increase hardness and strength, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to cause material brittleness and prone to cracking and deformation. The following products can choose to use quenching:
- Mechanical parts: such as shafts, gears and friction plates.
- Tools: such as drills and blades.
- Springs: such as torsion springs and tension springs.
- Injection mold parts.
2. Annealing
Annealing is a process of heating a material to a certain temperature and slowly cooling it down to eliminate stress inside the material and improve its additivity and plasticity. Annealing can make the material easier to form, but its disadvantage is that it will reduce the hardness and strength of the material. The following products can choose to use annealing:
- Thin-walled parts: such as automobile shells, sheet metal products, etc.
- Precision automobile parts: such as automobile engine cylinder heads, gear boxes, etc.
- Injection mold parts.
Examples of "annealing" commonly used in CNC machining: Larger parts will deform during CNC machining. If the product has high flatness requirements, the deformation is more difficult to control, so the material needs to be "annealed" before machining to eliminate the stress inside the material and reduce the degree of deformation during CNC machining. (Of course, if the precision CNC machining product has high flatness requirements, "annealing" alone may not necessarily meet the flatness requirements, and it must be achieved through "shaping" or "grinding" in the end.)
3 Tempering
Tempering is a process of quenching first, then heating to a certain temperature, and continuing heating and keeping warm, which improves the toughness and machinability of the material by eliminating the internal stress generated by the material during the quenching process. Tempering can make the material more durable, but its disadvantage is that it will reduce the hardness and strength. The following products can choose to use tempering:
- Cutting tools: such as cutting machine blades, etc.
- Springs: such as compression springs and tension springs, etc.
- Workpieces with more complex internal structures: such as automobile engine parts, etc.
4. Normalizing
Normalizing is a method of heating steel to a certain temperature and then cooling it. Normalizing can adjust the properties of steel and is usually used to control the hardness and toughness of steel to make its performance more in line with production needs. The following products can choose to use normalizing:
- Large mechanical equipment such as engineering machinery and construction machinery:
Such as automobiles, tractors, excavators, etc.
- Transmission parts such as farm tools and saw blades:
Such as sickles, saw teeth, etc.
- Mechanical equipment of industrial and mining enterprises:
Such as motors, fans, sewage treatment equipment, cranes, etc.
We are an auto parts manufacturer and CNC machining company that provides precision parts machining and CNC prototype machining for a wide variety of products.
(Keywords: auto parts maker, auto parts manufacturers, car part manufacturers, car parts maker, automotive component manufacturers, automotive parts manufacturing, auto parts factory, auto parts companies, automobile parts company, car parts companies.)
First-Angle Projection vs Third-Angle Projection in Mechanical Design
Mold Electroplating Surface Treatment Technology
What is the Slide in Injection Molds
Popular Science of Injection Molds - Introduction to Plastic Injection Molds
