Heat treatment is a process involving heating a metal/alloy at a specific rate, holding it at a specific temperature for a specific period of time and then cooling it at a specific rate. It is performed to obtain a desired microstructure and achieve certain physical or mechanical properties.
Heat Treatment can also be used to remove any internal stresses it may have developed as a result of the forging process.
Generally the process involves heating metal without letting it reach its molten, or melting stage, and then cooling the metal in a controlled way to select desired mechanical properties. This process is used to either make metal stronger or more malleable, more resistant to abrasion or more ductile. It aims to change the mechanical properties of forgings to achieve a better working performance. We refer to this as ‘post forge’ heat treatment as this is more often than not done directly after our forging operation.
Our heat treatment processes include Hardening & Quenching, Tempering, Normalising and both Full and Sub-Critical Annealing. The type of heat treatment performed is determined by the end-use application of the item. Brockhouse is proud to have an in-house heat treatment facility which includes:
- 2 Gas Fired Furnaces which are both 800kg max capacity. These are both calibrated to AMS2750E and API6A surveyed for the following ranges:
- Furnace 1 –Up to 860 Deg C – used for Hardening, Normalising and Annealing
- Furnace 2 – Up to 720 Deg C – Used for Tempering, Stress Relieving / Sub Critical Annealing
Each furnace above has 9 calibrated thermocouples. All controllers and recorders for the furnaces are calibrated and traceable to UKAS standards. This allows us to produce accurate furnace time/temperature charts through ‘review’ software.
Our capabilities also include 2 agitated quench tanks, Oil and Water, to be used in quenching and solution annealing operations. After heat treatment we can shotblast and perform MPI testing in line with customer requirements.
Our skilled workforce has been producing quality forgings for over a century, establishing a strong reputation for Brockhouse as a market leader, working with a network of customers globally. From our West Bromwich based facility, we offer a complete service including design, die & tool manufacture, forging, machining, and heat treatment for items up to 400 kgs in weight. Contact us today to make an enquiry.