Annealing
Glossary · Materials & Heat Treatment
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Annealing is heating metal and cooling it slowly to soften it, relieve internal stress and make it easier to machine.
In practice
It puts the material into its softest, most stable condition. Steel is often supplied annealed so it can be machined, then hardened afterwards to reach its service properties.
Why it matters
The sequence matters. Machining hardened material is slow and hard on tooling, but heat treating after machining moves the part. Which comes first is a real decision on any close-tolerance job.
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