Heat Treatment Standards for Machined Steel Parts
The treatment routes we coordinate for steel and nickel-based parts: what each process does, typical grades, and the hardness outcomes you can specify.
Treatment Routes and What They Achieve
| Process | What it does | Typical grades | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normalizing | Refines grain after hot working; stabilizes machining behavior | 1018, 1045 | Uniform structure, better machinability |
| Annealing | Softens for heavy machining; relieves internal stress | Tool steels before roughing | HB 200-250 on D2-class steel |
| Quench and temper | Strength and toughness balance | 4140, 4340, H13 | HRC 28-50 depending on temper |
| Solution treatment | Dissolves precipitates; prepares for aging | Inconel 718, some stainless | Uniform base for aging |
| Aging (precipitation) | Precipitation hardening for strength | Inconel 718 (720 C / 620 C double age) | HRC 40-44 on 718 |
| Induction hardening | Surface hardness with tough core | 1045, 4140 shafts | Surface HRC 55-60, 1-3 mm case |
| Carburizing | Hard case on low carbon steel | 1018, 8620-class | Case HRC 58-62 |
| Nitriding | Low distortion surface hardening | 4140, H13, die steels | Compound layer, HRC 60+ surface |
| Stress relief | Releases machining stress before finishing | All families | Dimensional stability for finishing |
Cross page: heat treatment service page shows how these routes sequence with roughing, grinding and final inspection. Steel corrosion finishes: black oxide and electroplating.
Heat Treatment FAQ
Do you do heat treatment in house?
Final machining, grinding and inspection are in house; heat treatment runs at audited partner plants nearby with certificates per batch. We plan the route: rough cut, treat, finish, so distortion lands where we can correct it.
Can you hold dimensions through heat treatment?
We quote expected distortion honestly. Ground datum faces and wire EDM features recover their geometry after treatment; free-form milled faces get a machining allowance plan agreed before cutting.
Do heat treatment certificates ship with parts?
Yes, batch certificates with hardness results and, where called out, tensile or metallographic data from the partner lab.
Need a Machining Plus Heat Treatment Route?
We quote the full sequence with distortion allowances and certificates, within 24 hours.
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