The heat treatment processes of medium frequency induction heating equipment used in metal

Since heat treatment is a complex process, its concept is not easy to describe. There are many metal processing processes used to process metal shapes or make metal surfaces smooth - such as rolling, forming, machining and electroplating - but only heat treatment using medium frequency induction heating equipment can change the final properties of metal materials to the greatest extent. 

Grinding can make the blade sharper, but heat treatment can keep the hardness and strength of the blade high.

Forging and machining can machine a crankshaft, but heat treatment can strengthen the crankshaft and make the journal more wear-resistant.

Stamping can produce coil springs, and only heat treatment can make it highly elastic. Stamping can produce coil springs, and only heat treatment can make it highly elastic.

So, the question is, what is heat treatment?

Generally speaking, heat treatment is a process that produces desired crystal structure changes within the metal by controlling the heating and cooling time and temperature of the metal. In addition to metals, other materials, such as plastics, glass and ceramics, can also be heat treated using medium frequency induction heating equipment.

If the word "internal" is ignored, the meaning of heat treatment can be taken literally to include welding, flame cutting, and even smelting. However, in traditional metallurgical theory, heat treatment is related to the atomic structure and the improvement after the atomic structure is changed. Heat treatment using medium-frequency induction heating equipment involves almost no changes in external physical properties. It is only suitable for solid metals and never for liquid metals.

However, not all metals and their alloys that can be softened by heat treatment using medium frequency induction heating equipment can be hardened by heat treatment. Heat treatment is often mistaken as just a quench hardening process, and is often mistaken for being only applicable to heat-hardened metals. Metals can be hardened by heat treatment after being alloyed, but not only alloys can be hardened by heat treatment.

Although, there are many types of heat treatments, the annealing process is primarily used to soften metals. Annealing is often performed after cold working that changes the physical properties of metal materials, such as forging, cutting, and bending. Cold working mechanically changes the crystal structure of a material, causing the material to harden. As a simple example, repeated bending of paper clips or staples can cause them to harden and become brittle until they break.

Appropriate heat treatment (such as annealing) can recrystallize the work-hardened metal, making the metal softer, tougher, and more suitable for subsequent cutting.

Steel is not only the most commonly used metal, but also the most widely used metal material among metals that is most suitable for various heat treatments.