While a few companies provide at-home finishing, many do not. Instead, when they require heat treating services, they outsource them. This practice reduces the need to make unnecessary employee and equipment investments. Manufacturing companies can then focus on production and leave the final touches to qualified specialists. Heat treatment under the hands of qualified and certified thermal technicians can produce results capable of withstanding the environmental forces of their applications.
Common Heat Treating Services
Companies involved in this service industry offer a variety of specific metal services. Depending upon the material, the amount, thickness, application and other factors, they may request the performance of any of the following common heat treating services:
1. Annealing
2. Austempering
3. Blasting
4. Carburizing – including low pressure carburizing
5. Carbonitriding
6. Hardening
7. Homogenization
8. Martempering
9. Nitriding – including both precision gas and pulsed plasma nitriding
10. Nitrocarburizing
11. Normalizing
12. Quenching
13. Straightening
14. Stress Relieving
While some companies may request a single process, it is not uncommon for workpieces to undergo several different types of heat treatments before returning to the original manufacturer.
Industrial Applications
Heat treatment services are in high demand by a variety of industries. Among the most common industrial concerns that request this process to ensure increased protection of components and products are:
- Aerospace
- Agriculture
- Energy sectors including oil and gas
- Mining
- Transportation, i.e., heavy trucks and railroad
- Tool and die industries – for their tools and other equipment pieces
Heat Treating Services
The purpose of finishing through one or more of several types of heat treatments is to ensure specific results. Companies request heat treatments to provide durability, improve hardness and to address specific requirements of the intended application. With ongoing improvements in technology and increasingly demanding environments, companies will continue to seek out suppliers of heat treating services to ensure product quality, durability, and longevity.
