Die Heat Treatment

Fully automatic fluidized bed die heat treatment and nitriding system with inart gas ensures totally oxide free hot working of die steel and with zero deformation and accuracy of extrusion tooling.

Metallurgy of Heat Treatment of Aluminium Alloys
Aluminium and its Alloys are used in a variety of cast a wrought forms and conditions of heat treatment. Forging, extrusions, sections, etc., are examples of wrought products, while sand, gravity and pressure die castings are generally adopted casting methods.

It has been the practice of Designers to specify heat treatment to enhance mechanical properties, hardness and machinabilty. Only certain Aluminium Alloys containing alloying elements like CU, Si, Mg and Zn in certain specific percentages can be heat treated to have desired mechanical properties. Other non heat treatable alloys can at the most be annealed to facilitate forming operations.

Heat Treatment

• While during extrusion it is essential to create oxygen free atmosphere at least for initial 300mm of Extrusion as well as to prevent the die bearing from overheating. GALCO’s all state of art extrusion dies are compatible for Nitrogen surrounding resulting much better quality of extrusions supplied. In the extrusion process, two properties of nitrogen are used,
• Nitrogen is inert to aluminium and
• Liquid nitrogen at -320°F, has excellent cooling properties. First, the hot section of the profile is surrounded by protective nitrogen gas. Also, the die and the extruded product are cooled by the nitrogen.

Commonly used Heat Treatment Process:

• Solutionising : Keep in furnace at 525 Deg Celsius for 8 Hrs.
• Quenching : Sudden Quenching in Water at 30 Deg Celsius.
• Natural Ageing : Upto 5 Hrs
• Precipitation : Keep in furnace at 165 Deg Celsius for 8 Hrs.
• Hardness to be achieved between 80-100 BHN

At GALCO, we have the capability to undertake these heat treatment processes through our associate vendors. We ensure that the processes are carried out as per the highest standards of quality and as per the specifications of our customers.