Heat Treating Metals

Enjoy the precision steel products you need to stay at the forefront of your industry. At Specialty Steel Treating, we’ve been heat treating metals for over 60 years.

Explore our services, compare the benefits of heat treatment and find out how we can assist you in high-quality manufacturing at reduced costs. Heat-treated metal products power many industries and keep heavy equipment operating at peak efficiency.

Heat Treatment Services Explained

The primary goal of heat treating metals is to change an alloy’s structure. Microstructure alterations change a number of key features. Here are some common features that we alter with our premier services:

• Temperature resistance
• Surface hardness
• Ductility
• Strength

Each process requires fine-tuned equipment and careful monitoring. If you’ve worked with in-house heat treatment options then you know how costly and unforgiving this process can be. Find out how you can outsource these services to Specialty Steel Treating.

If you don’t have the precise temperature, timing or other features, your heat treatment could have adverse effects. Improper treatment services can cause cooling fractures, warping, uneven finishes and brittleness. If you choose the incorrect alloy for your treatment service, you may experience other adverse effects. We discuss not only your chosen material and treatment option but also your final requirements to ensure the best performance from our services.

Types of Treatment Services

Compare our heat treatment services today to find the ideal solution for your products. Here are the primary services we offer for your industry:

• Case hardening: Case hardening forms a case around steel using diffused carbon. This process increases exterior hardness without resulting in a completely hard, brittle workpiece.
• Vacuum treatment: This process creates austenitized steel through a series of vacuum treatments. The result is improved resistance to corrosion and oxidation. The final product depends on timing and amount of vacuum created.
• Oil quenching: When heated steel is immersed in oil, it creates a completely hardened product. It’s an excellent option for hardened steel and is commonly combined with tempering and stress relief.
• Secondary treatment options: Multiple heat treatments create a balance of features for your precise needs. Depending on your manufacturing needs you may need a workpiece that balances hardness and ductility. We provide multiple treatment methods to offer a unique service fitted to your industry or manufacturing process.

If you need specific features out of your steel or other alloys, don’t hesitate to discuss your needs with our team. We offer specialized services for aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, tool and die and other industries, so we’re confident we can reach a treatment solution that matches your engineering requirements.

Benefits of Heat Treating Metals

Heat treating metals creates consistency, durability and improved lifespan. We work with you to achieve the optimal features. Compare the benefits of our services to your existing alloys to find out how your raw materials or finished products can benefit from our services.

The most common benefit of heat treatment services is durability. Hardness and durability allow your workpieces to survive a lifetime of intense use. From automotive components to tool and die components, your workpieces need to withstand extreme impacts, pressure and torque.

Improved wear-resistance, flexibility, weldability and other specialized features are also common after heat treating. These unique features are specific to particular heat treatment services, so discuss the benefits you’re seeking with our team to see how we can achieve the final result your industry needs.

Secondary Treatment Options

Heat treating metals often involves multiple processes to achieve the desired result. Oil quenching, vacuum treating and case hardening are often followed by one of our secondary services to create the alloy you need for your specialized industrial application. Here are some common secondary treatment options available through Specialty Steel Treating:

• Stress relieving
• Annealing
• Deep freezing
• Tempering

Additional Advantages

Whether you need a workable piece for custom manufacturing or resilient tool steel, choose one of the best heat treating companies MI. Since 1956, our team has assisted aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment and tool and die companies in creating cutting-edge steel products.

We take pride in our quality, integrity and company improvement. Choose Specialty Steel Treating to improve these features of your steel products:

• Durability
• Strength
• Lifetime
• Wear resistance
• Malleability
• Weldability

Choose a heat treating process or discuss the features you wish to see in your steel and our team will assist you in selecting and implementing your ideal steel treatment plan. These advantages can improve the natural features of your chosen alloy or balance out any weaknesses naturally found in it.

How We Avoid Common Heat Treatment Problems

If you’ve attempted your own heat treatment solutions or worked with another treatment provider, you may be aware of some of the common issues with heat treating metals. We work to avoid common issues that result in improper heat treatment services, such as brittleness, overheating and fracturing.

Brittleness occurs when steel is overheated or heated for too long. Heat increases the hardness of most steel alloys, but too much heat creates a brittle product that doesn’t provide the operating features you need.

An overheated piece of steel can also develop uneven surface spots. Also known as the orange peel effect, this creates undesirable performance features blended together. As a leader among heat treating Michigan service providers, we avoid using temperatures higher than 1,200 degrees Celsius.

Fracturing is typically caused by improper cooling techniques. Metal that is unevenly or rapidly cooled can fracture as it is cooled. A fracture can also occur while quenching. Residual austenite and cold tools can cause an incomplete transformation, which fractures metal before the tempering process.

Heat Treatment Services

Request a quote today at Specialty Steel Treating to discover how you can benefit from heat treating metals. Work with our team to stay at the forefront of the latest steel technology. Provide components or finished products to your customers that keep up with their demanding applications.