Heat Treating
Wrought products meeting the most stringent industry standards.
Thermal Heat Treating
Thermal heat treating is performed at American Handforge on all products with the precision and controls necessary to produce wrought products meeting the most stringent industry standards. Initially, the metal forge stock is heated to the prescribed forging temperature range in calibrated and surveyed furnaces. During forging, temperature requirements are carefully controlled — not only of the stock, but of the die temperatures as well.
By this close monitoring, adherence to metallurgical operating practices is assured. This means consistent quality products are being made, and variability is minimized. Individual records of these forging temperatures are maintained and routinely reviewed by quality assurance.
State-of-the-Art Facilities
Solution heat treating, or any thermal process required to achieve the ordered temper or condition, is performed in well-designed, modern, qualified furnaces. Quench facilities for aluminum are located on tracked, wheeled, large tanks, and are capable of adjusting to the requirements for cold, warm, or hot water medium. Large circulating water pumps assure thorough agitation of the bath at the designated quench temperature, assuring uniformity during quench.
Furnace temperature and load tracking to established practices is performed using multiple thermocouples, and results are operator-verified, logged, and filed. Aluminum heat treating, in general, is performed to the requirements of AMS 2772 for raw material.
NADCAP Certification
American Handforge conforms to and carries certification to Nadcap thermal process requirements. This certification requires regular furnace uniformity surveys, system accuracy testing, and adherence to written procedures that maintain compliance with quality assurance standards and Nadcap policy. Records of all heat treating and thermal processes are logged and maintained for review when necessary.
Artificial Aging
When the ordered temper requirement calls for a "T" temper — for example, T6 or T74 — artificial aging is similarly performed, in lower-temperature aging furnaces. Complete records of all aging or thermal processing are logged, reviewed, and maintained. Heat treat operators are well trained and skilled in performing their craft. Photographic records are made of each furnace load, with regard to racking, for both solution heat treat and artificial aging. Reviews of those records are made by quality assurance on a regular surveillance basis.
Material not meeting initial acceptance standards is quarantined and submitted to metallurgy for review.
Inspection & Testing
Inspection by the heat treat operators, where applicable, is performed on the surface for hardness. Surface conductivity is checked for products generally classed as -T7XXX type final tempers. For other tempers, hardness is generally checked to assure that proper heat treating has been accomplished.
Following completed thermal processing, which develops the ordered temper or condition, test samples are cut from the parent material and submitted to the Test Laboratory for acceptance and lot releasing. Tensile testing is performed at specified locations, either from the drawing or the ordered material specification. Sub-surface conductivity is determined for the -T7 type tempers.
Duplicate hardness tests for most materials, performed under laboratory conditions.
For -T7 type tempers, specimens are selected on a surveillance basis for testing with alternate immersion stress corrosion specimens (ASTM-G47), with records maintained.
Heat Treating Provides Consistent Quality Material
As illustrated and described, precision heat treating at American Handforge yields consistent quality material. This is verified by laboratory testing of the final product against your ordered material specification and drawing requirements. Submit your special or custom requirements, either as a drawing, sketch, or description, to our engineers.