Annealing

The annealing process is one in which the material under consideration is first heated above its recrystallization temperature for a specified period of time before cooling. The rate of cooling/cooling parameters usually depends on the type of metal which is being annealed. With the annealing process, the hardness of a material can be reduced while increasing the ductility and eliminating internal stresses also.

Annealing improves the formability of hard materials eliminating the risk of fracture. It also improves the machinability and removes residual stresses.