Application of High Temperature Heat Treatment Furnace in Metal Annealing

The application of high-temperature heat treatment furnaces in metal annealing is very extensive, and its importance cannot be ignored. The following is a detailed explanation of the application of high-temperature heat treatment furnaces in metal annealing:

1. Basic concepts and purposes of metal annealing
Annealing is a metal heat treatment process that refers to the slow heating of a metal to a certain temperature, holding it for a sufficient period of time, and then cooling it at an appropriate rate (sometimes natural cooling, sometimes controlled rate cooling). Its main purpose is to:

Reduce hardness, soften workpieces, and improve machinability.
Improve or eliminate various structural defects and residual stresses caused by steel during casting, forging, rolling, and welding processes, and reduce workpiece deformation, cracking, or cracking tendency.
Refine the grain size, improve the structure to enhance the mechanical properties of the workpiece, and eliminate structural defects.
Uniform material organization and composition can improve material properties or prepare the organization for future heat treatment (such as annealing and tempering).

2. Application of High Temperature Heat Treatment Furnace in Metal Annealing
High temperature heat treatment furnaces play a crucial role in metal annealing, as they can provide a stable high-temperature environment to ensure that metals achieve ideal microstructure and properties during the annealing process. The following are the specific applications of high-temperature heat treatment furnaces in metal annealing:

Steel production: Steel will generate internal stress and structural defects during rolling, forging, and other processes. High temperature annealing can eliminate these defects, improve the toughness and strength of steel, and make it more suitable for use in fields such as construction, bridges, and machinery.
Special steel preparation: such as stainless steel, alloy steel, etc. High temperature annealing can improve their microstructure, enhance corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, and meet the needs of specific fields.
Aluminum alloy treatment: Aluminum alloys usually require heat treatment processes such as solution annealing and aging annealing to improve their grain structure and mechanical properties. High temperature annealing can achieve ideal microstructure and properties of aluminum alloys, improve their strength, toughness, and processability, and is widely used in aerospace, automotive, construction, and other fields.
Copper alloy treatment: High temperature annealing can improve the conductivity, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties of copper alloys, making them more suitable for use in fields such as wires and cables, pipelines, valves, etc.
Chip manufacturing: During the chip manufacturing process, metal annealing technology can improve the crystallization performance of metal films, enhance the conductivity and reliability of chips. The high-temperature annealing furnace is a key equipment in this process.

3. Types of Annealing Processes for High Temperature Heat Treatment Furnaces
According to the different annealing purposes required for the workpiece, there are various annealing heat treatment processes, including complete annealing, spheroidization annealing, stress relief annealing, etc. The following are specific introductions to these annealing processes:

Complete annealing: Heat the metal workpiece above the critical temperature and hold it for a sufficient period of time to fully austenitize the structure before slowly cooling. Mainly used for hypoeutectoid steel, the purpose is to refine grain size, achieve uniform microstructure, eliminate internal stress, reduce hardness, and improve the machinability of steel.
Spheroidization annealing: Heat the metal workpiece to about 20-30 ℃ above the critical temperature, maintain insulation, slowly cool it, and then air cool it out of the furnace. The purpose is to reduce the hardness of metal workpieces, improve metal cutting machinability, and prepare for future quenching to reduce deformation and cracking after quenching. Spheroidal annealing is suitable for carbon containing steel and alloy tool steel.
Stress relief annealing: Heat the metal workpiece to a certain temperature (usually below Ac1), hold for a certain period of time, and then slowly cool (usually using furnace cooling). The purpose is to eliminate the internal stress generated during welding and cold straightening of metal workpieces, in order to prevent deformation during future processing and use. The stress relief annealing process is mainly applicable to various castings, forgings, welded parts, and cold extruded parts.

4. Advantages of High Temperature Heat Treatment Furnace in Metal Annealing
Accurate temperature control: High temperature heat treatment furnaces can precisely control the temperature to ensure that the metal obtains the ideal microstructure and properties during annealing.
Efficient and energy-saving: adopting advanced heating and insulation technology to improve energy utilization efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
High degree of automation: Modern high-temperature heat treatment furnaces are usually equipped with advanced control systems and sensors, which can achieve automated production and improve production efficiency.
Wide applicability: High temperature heat treatment furnaces are suitable for annealing various metal materials, such as steel, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, etc.

In summary, the application of high-temperature heat treatment furnaces in metal annealing is widespread and important. It can provide a stable high-temperature environment, ensuring that the metal obtains ideal structure and properties during annealing, thereby improving the overall performance and reliability of the metal material.