It is not hard to see the importance of heat treating and hardening metal for industrial uses, but this process can also be beneficial for some of the objects and appliances in your home as well. If you have no connection to manufacturing, heat treatment in Gastonia, NC is likely something that you haven’t given much thought to, but once you understand just what heat treating does to reinforce so many common items in your home, you will view the process in a new light:
- Hardened pins and locks: Since the hardening process serves to strengthen steel, it is logical that this type of steel is frequently used for the lock sets that protect your home. If the lock pins within the lock are hardened as well, it will make them that much harder for an unwanted intruder to damage in an attempt to break in. In addition, steel that has been hardened also has a higher wear resistance, which is beneficial for exterior locks that will see heavy usage daily. You can also target this type of reinforced steel when buying padlocks to secure tool cases or storage bins in your garage or basement.
- Knives: While heat treated steel leads to a hardened material with increased strength, the brittleness of the metal is increased during this process as well. This means that your kitchen knives will be strong and able to cut through just about anything, but will also fall apart much too quickly due to this fragility. To combat this, the steel used for these tools undergoes additional processes such as tempering or quenching after it is heat treated to reduce the brittleness while sustaining the strength. The final product will be a strong, sharp knife that has balanced properties throughout, and will be able to withstand heavy usage on difficult objects both in and out of the kitchen.
- Boilers and furnaces: If you have a boiler or steel furnace in your home, it is important that the steel used to make it is durable enough to keep your HVAC system running smoothly all year. Since these systems frequently hold piping hot water, undergoing the hardening process to promote corrosion resistance will be critical, as hot water tends to corrode metal quicker than cold water. It is also important that the material is uniformly strong, and all areas of vulnerability are eliminated. Without the stress relieving process to accomplish this, steel could be trapped and eventually burst under intense strain over time, causing devastating leaks and costly repairs. Because of this, some steel boilers are subjected to a post-weld heat treatment to reinforce the material and evenly disperse the chemical properties to provide a balanced strength that will extend the life of this household appliance.
Seeing how the heat treating process provides your family with safety and peace of mind in the home is something that everyone can appreciate, and the money you save because of the added durability doesn’t hurt either. J. F. Heat Treating Inc. has been the trusted leader in heat treatment in Gastonia, NC for three decades, utilizing the best equipment to create the most reliable parts. Give us a call to learn more about out services today.