Related Sponsors

What types of Metals are Heat Treatable?

Home » Manufacturing » Heat Treating » What types of Metals are Heat Treatable?

The one concern for all machinists in a shop when working with different metals is what metal can they work with that is actually able to change state so they can harden it for future purposes. This is most urgent, especially if they have a big order to fill for certain types of parts, and the parts in question have to be designed and produced in a certain way. If it isn’t the part will be no good to the customer. So the machinist has to know what material he can use at any given time. The three basic types of unalloyed carbon steels that machinists can work with that will harden are:

• Low carbon steel: This type of steel is made of mainly iron but also has .1 to 3% carbon. This steel cannot be heat-treated, only welded. If you look in a machine shop you will see machinist with welding machines torching steel to form other types of material.
• Medium carbon steel: This type of steel is composed of iron but with .3 to 6% carbon. Unlike low carbon steel, this steel can be heat-treated and will toughen and harden.
• High carbon steel: This is made of iron and .6 to 1.7% carbon. The steel contains .6 to 1% carbon. In this case it is the unalloyed part of the material that is heat treated. Any steel that has more than 1% carbon cannot be used or cannot be heat treated.

Now here is a list of alloyed steels that machinist use in their work that can be heat treated:

• Tool steels: This is a type of steel that is used to make tools. It contains up to 1.3% carbon.
• Alloy steels: This is a type of metal that contains a little bit of two different elements which allow the steel to be heat treated.

After the machinist finishes working on the metal and completes the process, he removes it from the machine where it was being cooled, and gives it a thorough going over. Now, depending on the metal, there are different ways machinist uses to test the hardness of the metal. Aluminum that has become hard is about the same texture as soft steel. There are hardness testers on the market that machinist use to perform these hardness tests. The tests may make a sent in the sample to prove its hardness, or it may bounce an object off the metal and watch how high the object bounces.

Next Page: Metal Extrusions, Forming, and Stamping Overview

Related Heat Treating Articles