04 / 08Technical Information
Stainless Steels
Steels containing at least 10.5% chromium that resist corrosion thanks to a thin chromium oxide layer on the surface; how they respond to heat treatment depends on their structure.
Properties
Stainless steels are grouped by their structure, and each group is heat treated differently:
- Austenitic (such as 304, 316): do not harden by quenching; stress relieving or solution annealing is applied when needed.
- Martensitic (such as 420, 440C, 1.4021, 1.4034, 1.4112): can be hardened; used for blades, valves, pump and mould parts.
- Ferritic (such as 430): cannot be hardened, they are annealed.
- Precipitation hardening (such as 17-4PH): gain hardness by ageing.
Heat treatment notes
Hardening martensitic stainless steels in a vacuum prevents surface oxidation and decarburisation; the part comes out with a clean, bright surface. Tempering after hardening balances hardness and toughness. To keep corrosion resistance, temperatures are chosen according to the steel grade.
Which processes for this steel?
State the steel grade, target hardness and depth in the quote form; we will determine the suitable induction or heat treatment process together.
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- Job detailsTell us the service, the material and the quantity.
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