Softening metal, relieving stress and restoring formability, on the section that needs it.
Annealing heats metal to a temperature at which its internal structure can rearrange, holds it there, then cools it in a controlled way. Work hardening introduced by drawing, bending, rolling or machining is relieved, the grain structure is refreshed, and the material becomes softer, more ductile and easier to form.
Induction annealing does this with the heat placed by a coil rather than by a furnace. That has one consequence that matters more than any other: you can anneal part of a component. A drawn tube can be softened at the end that must be flared while the rest keeps its strength. A wire can be annealed continuously as it passes through a coil.
The cooling matters as much as the heating. Full annealing needs slow cooling; process annealing and stress relief are less demanding. The machine has to be designed for the cooling regime the material requires, not just the heating.
Selective: anneal one region and leave the rest untouched, which no furnace can do.
Continuous: a coil in line with a drawing or forming operation anneals as the material passes, with no batch handling.
Fast: seconds rather than a furnace cycle, so there is far less time at temperature and much less oxidation and scale.
Clean: no combustion products, no furnace atmosphere to manage, and no shop-wide radiant heat.
We will confirm the configuration for your material, component geometry and production requirements.
Annealing is a soak, not a flash. The material has to be held long enough for the structure to change. A machine that reaches the right temperature and immediately drops back has not annealed anything, which is why annealing cycles are longer than hardening cycles at the same power.
Hardening wants a thin hot skin. Annealing usually wants the whole section at temperature, so a lower frequency, which penetrates further, is generally the right choice.
Send a drawing, the material, the case depth or temperature you need, and your production rate. Our engineers will help define the right machine for your process.
