Aluminum Profile Heat Treatment is a crucial process in the production of aluminum materials. It involves heating the aluminum profile to a specific temperature within a controlled medium, maintaining it at that temperature for a certain period, and then cooling it at varying rates. This process enables the modification of the internal microstructure of the material without altering its shape or overall chemical composition. Instead, it enhances the mechanical properties and performance of the workpiece by improving its internal quality, which is not visible to the naked eye. The "Four Fires" in aluminum heat treatment include annealing, normalizing, quenching (solution treatment), and tempering (aging). Annealing involves heating the workpiece to an appropriate temperature, holding it for a specific duration based on the material and size, and then slowly cooling it. The primary purpose of annealing is to reduce hardness, increase plasticity, and improve machinability. It also helps relieve residual stresses and homogenize the structure. There are different types of annealing, such as recrystallization annealing, stress-relief annealing, spheroidizing annealing, and full annealing. Normalizing is similar to annealing but involves cooling the workpiece in air instead of furnace cooling. This results in a finer microstructure and improved cutting performance. It is often used for parts that do not require high-quality final treatment. Quenching refers to rapidly heating the workpiece and then cooling it quickly in water, oil, or other specialized media. After quenching, the material becomes very hard and brittle. To reduce this brittleness, tempering is performed—this involves reheating the material to a temperature above room temperature and then cooling it gradually. Tempering improves toughness while maintaining hardness. In all four heat treatment processes, the key factors are heating rate, holding time, and cooling rate. These parameters significantly influence the final properties of the aluminum profile. Quenching and tempering are closely related and often used together. However, in some cases, especially when cost and efficiency are priorities, tempering can be replaced with natural aging, and quenching may be done through in-line cooling. For example, in the extrusion of low-alloyed aluminum profiles like 6060 and 6063, these alloys have low quenching sensitivity. They can achieve a supersaturated solid solution through air cooling after extrusion, eliminating the need for traditional quenching and tempering. This approach saves time and resources while still meeting the required performance standards.
Pillow Block, Pillow Block Bearing, Pillow Block Unit
NINGBO BORINE MACHINERY CO.,LTD , https://www.borine-agroparts.com