There are several different options and components that need to be considered when heat treating stainless steel. Companies that offer this service typically have significant experience in working with different stainless steels and in perfecting the process to provide the specific changes required for the metal.
By true definition, there are several different types of heat treatments possible for different types of metals and alloys. Perhaps the most common and the best known are annealing, but there are also other options including tempering and quenching.
In general, the result of heat treating stainless steel is completed to change the properties of the internal components of the steel. This allows it to become easier to work with. Stainless steel, when worked, can become hardened. Annealing can be used to allow the steel to return to its original workability.
The Benefits Of Heat
It is important to realize that the heat treating process that the stainless steel undergoes has to be very precise. It is critical to increase the internal temperature in the metal very quickly to the specific temperature to allow for recrystallization. Each alloy will have a different recrystallization temperature and a time it has to remain at the temperature.
There will also be a specific cooling cycle that also has to be carefully controlled to allow the grains, also known as crystals, to reform in the correct configuration. This process of heating and cooling allows the grains to realign and relieve the internal stress. The result is a more workable stainless steel.
It is important to realize that welding and other processes can create areas of heat on a stainless steel component that can change the internal structure of the metal. This is not the same as heat treating and will often need to be corrected by heat treating. By heat treating the entire piece the original strength and physical properties of the area can be restored, adding strength and corrosion resistance that is uniform throughout the part or piece.
The Specifics
Incorrect handling of stainless steel at any point in the process, or choosing the incorrect process for heat treating stainless steel, can result in significant issues for the final product.
It is common for stainless to have a much lower corrosion resistance level when heat treatments are not completed following very specific controlled processes. Sometimes these deviations in the stainless are impossible to detect until the part or component fails.
