{"id":7706,"date":"2026-09-12T07:23:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T07:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/?p=7706"},"modified":"2026-09-12T07:39:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T07:39:02","slug":"casting-heat-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/casting-heat-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"Heat Treatment for Castings: T6, Annealing &#038; Stress Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- ============================================================ Heat Treatment for Castings: T6, Annealing & Stress Relief Supro MFG B2B blog article Focus keyword: casting heat treatment ============================================================ --><\/p>\n<article class=\"sc-article\" style=\"max-width: 820px; margin: 0 auto; font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #7e7e7e; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7;\"><!-- \u5f15\u8a00\uff1a\u6d45\u7070\u5706\u89d2\u659c\u4f53\u5361\u7247 --><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-intro\" style=\"background: #F5F5F5; border-radius: 20px; padding: 22px 24px; font-style: italic; color: #3a3a3a; margin: 0 0 26px; line-height: 1.6;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Most cast parts need <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">casting heat treatment<\/strong> to hit the strength and tolerance you ordered. Skip it on the wrong part and the bracket cracks after a few weeks. Skip T6 on the housing and it bends under load. Here are the four cycles B2B buyers order most, the standards to put in your RFQ, and the shop-floor details that decide whether the parts meet spec.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Standards pulled from <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.afsinc.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AFS<\/a> et <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nadca.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NADCA<\/a>. We also linked to our <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/metal-casting-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\">metal casting guide<\/a>, <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/how-to-choose-casting-alloy\/\" target=\"_blank\">casting alloy selection<\/a> page, and the <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/les-defauts-courants-de-moulage-et-comment-les-eviter\/\" target=\"_blank\">common casting defects<\/a> article.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \u914d\u56fe 1\uff1a\u5de5\u827a\/\u5bf9\u6bd4\u56fe\uff0c\u5360\u4f4d src \u4e0a\u4f20\u540e\u66ff\u6362 --><\/p>\n<figure style=\"margin: 24px 0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; display: block; border-radius: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cover_casting_heat_treatment.webp\" alt=\"Casting heat treatment furnace loading cast parts for solution heat treatment\" \/><figcaption style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #7e7e7e; text-align: center; margin-top: 8px;\">Fig.1 \u2014 Batch-loaded heat treatment furnace, the workhorse of any casting heat treatment line.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- H2 --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">What Casting Heat Treatment Actually Changes<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Each heat treatment changes three things in the metal: residual stress, grain structure, and mechanical properties. Pick the cycle based on what&#8217;s wrong \u2014 your part warps during machining, stretches too little in service, or leaks through porosity.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 0 0 18px; padding-left: 22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Residual stress relief.<\/strong> A typical green-sand iron casting can carry <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">80\u2013150 MPa<\/strong> of internal stress as-cast. Stress relief at 550\u2013650 \u00b0C drops that below 30 MPa and is the difference between a bracket that holds tolerance and one that walks off the datum after a few weeks.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Microstructure refinement.<\/strong> Solution treatment dissolves alloying elements into a single-phase matrix; subsequent aging precipitates them as fine, evenly distributed particles. In A356 aluminum this is what pushes tensile strength from <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">~170 MPa<\/strong> (as-cast F temper) to <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">~260 MPa<\/strong> (T6 temper), with elongation staying around 6\u20138%.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Hardness and wear.<\/strong> For tool-steel and high-chrome iron castings, quench-and-temper cycles push hardness into the 45\u201355 HRC band that as-cast pearlite cannot reach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Why as-cast properties are rarely enough<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">A casting pulled from the mold has uneven grains and locked-in thermal stress \u2014 it&#8217;s not in a stable state. AFS data shows a clear jump: run a simple normalizing cycle on a 0.3% carbon steel casting, and shock resistance goes up <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">30\u201360%<\/strong> over the as-cast version. For ductile iron, an austempering heat treatment (called ADI) replaces the as-cast structure with a tougher one called ausferrite, giving <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">3\u20134\u00d7<\/strong> the strength of standard 65-45-12 ductile iron without changing the part.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H2 --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">The Four Casting Heat Treatment Paths B2B Buyers Actually Order<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Most foundries offer the same four cycles under different names. The trick is matching the name to the property you actually need, not to the cheapest line item on the quote.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Stress relief<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">A sub-critical soak, typically <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">550\u2013650 \u00b0C<\/strong> for 1\u20132 hours followed by slow furnace cooling. Used for gray iron, ductile iron, and large steel castings that will be machined or assembled. No phase change, no hardness change \u2014 just stress reduction.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Annealing (full, partial, normalizing)<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Full anneal softens the casting for maximum machinability (good for C355 and A201 aluminum that would otherwise load up a cutter). Normalizing refines grain in steel castings by air-cooling from above the upper critical temperature \u2014 cheaper than quench-and-temper and a common ask for carbon-steel valve bodies per ASTM A216.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Solution + age (T6 and T7)<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">The classic aluminum casting heat treatment: heat to <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">~530 \u00b0C<\/strong>, hold long enough to dissolve Mg and Si into solid solution, quench in water (or polymer for thick sections to limit distortion), then age at 155\u2013175 \u00b0C for 6\u201312 hours. T6 is the peak-strength condition; T7 is over-aged to a slightly lower strength (~85% of T6) but with better dimensional stability and corrosion resistance.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Quench and temper<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">For low-alloy steel castings (e.g., 8630, 4340) and high-chrome white iron. Austenitize, oil or polymer quench, then temper at 200\u2013600 \u00b0C depending on the target hardness. The trade-off is well documented: every 50 \u00b0C of tempering temperature costs roughly 1\u20132 HRC.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \u5bf9\u6bd4\u8868\u683c --><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 18px 0 24px; font-size: 15px; color: #333333;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background: #273171; color: #ffffff; padding: 12px 14px; text-align: left; font-weight: 600; border: 1px solid #273171;\">Traitement thermique<\/th>\n<th style=\"background: #273171; color: #ffffff; padding: 12px 14px; text-align: left; font-weight: 600; border: 1px solid #273171;\">Typical Temp<\/th>\n<th style=\"background: #273171; color: #ffffff; padding: 12px 14px; text-align: left; font-weight: 600; border: 1px solid #273171;\">Main Effect<\/th>\n<th style=\"background: #273171; color: #ffffff; padding: 12px 14px; text-align: left; font-weight: 600; border: 1px solid #273171;\">Common Alloys<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Stress relief<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">550\u2013650 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Reduce residual stress<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Gray iron, ductile iron, large steel castings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background: #F5F5F5;\">\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Normalisation<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">850\u2013925 \u00b0C, air cool<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Refine grain, raise impact<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Carbon \/ low-alloy steel castings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">T6 (solution + age)<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">~530 \u00b0C + 155\u2013175 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Peak strength (UTS + yield)<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">A356, A357, 356, C355 (Al-Si-Mg)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background: #F5F5F5;\">\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Quench + temper<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">850 \u00b0C + temper 200\u2013600 \u00b0C<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">High hardness + toughness<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Low-alloy steel castings, high-Cr iron<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!-- H2 --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">Heat Treatment Behavior by Casting Process<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Not every casting process responds to every heat treatment. Pick the process first, then the cycle. For a side-by-side process comparison, see our <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/sand-casting-vs-investment-casting\/\" target=\"_blank\">sand vs investment casting<\/a> et <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/die-casting-vs-sand-casting\/\" target=\"_blank\">die vs sand casting<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Sand castings<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Cooler cooling rates give coarse pearlite in iron and coarse dendrites in aluminum \u2014 both respond well to normalizing (iron\/steel) or T6 (aluminum). Sand castings get the most heat treatment \u2014 they need it to hit spec.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Investment castings<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Faster cooling than sand means finer starting microstructure, so the response to T6 is more uniform. Investment cast aluminum A356-T6 typically lands within 5\u201310 MPa of the wrought equivalent. Stainless steel investment castings are normally supplied in the solution-annealed condition per ASTM A351.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Die castings<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Conventional die castings contain trapped gas porosity that <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">blisters<\/strong> when heated above ~415 \u00b0C. Full T6 is rarely used; when heat treatment is needed, foundries lean on lower-temperature aging (T5) or vacuum die casting \u2014 see our <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/aluminum-die-casting-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\">aluminum die casting guide<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \u914d\u56fe 2 --><\/p>\n<figure style=\"margin: 24px 0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; display: block; border-radius: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/body_casting_heat_treatment.webp\" alt=\"Cast aluminum T6 heat treatment microstructure comparison\" \/><figcaption style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #7e7e7e; text-align: center; margin-top: 8px;\">Fig.2 \u2014 Sectioned castings after heat treatment, ready for machining and inspection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- H2 --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">Common Heat Treatment Defects and How to Avoid Them<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Bad heat treatment looks like a casting defect at first glance. Many of the issues we cover in <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/les-defauts-courants-de-moulage-et-comment-les-eviter\/\" target=\"_blank\">common casting defects<\/a> actually originate in the furnace, not the mold.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Quench cracking<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Caused by thermal gradients during rapid cooling. Switch from water to polymer (PAG) quench for sections above <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">25 mm<\/strong>, and consider interrupted quench (timed in the martensite-start region) for heavy sections.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Distortion during machining<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Rough-machine before heat treatment (semi-finish leaving 1\u20132 mm stock), then finish after. This sequence is standard for the cast + machined components discussed in our <a style=\"color: #086ad4; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/cnc-machining-vs-casting\/\" target=\"_blank\">CNC vs casting<\/a> page, and it controls the distortion that wastes machine time.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H3 --><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 26px 0 8px; text-transform: capitalize;\">Incomplete aging or under-solutionizing<\/h3>\n<hr style=\"width: 100px; height: 4px; background: #EF890D; border: none; border-radius: 2px; margin: 0 0 14px; line-height: 0; opacity: 1;\" \/>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Foundries short on furnace time sometimes under-hold. Ask for a time-temperature recording chart attached to the certification packet \u2014 it&#8217;s the cheapest way to confirm your casting heat treatment actually ran the cycle you paid for.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H2 --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">How to Specify Casting Heat Treatment in Your RFQ<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">The clearest RFQs name three things: the standard, the property target, and the test method. Vague asks like &#8220;heat treated&#8221; or &#8220;hardened&#8221; force the foundry to pick \u2014 and they will pick the cheapest cycle that meets the spec.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 0 0 18px; padding-left: 22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Reference the standard.<\/strong> Common ones: ASTM B26 \/ B969 for aluminum, ASTM A216 \/ A217 for steel castings, ASTM A536 for ductile iron temper, AMS 2774 for heat treatment of aluminum alloys.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Name the temper.<\/strong> &#8220;T6&#8221; is precise; &#8220;heat treated to peak strength&#8221; is not. Pair with a UTS \/ yield \/ elongation number from the foundry&#8217;s certified test bar.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Decide test location.<\/strong> Test bar attached to the casting? Test bar from a separately poured keel? Or test specimen machined from a representative section of the part itself \u2014 the latter costs more but is the only way to verify heat treatment penetration on thick sections.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Require documentation.<\/strong> Time-temperature charts, Brinell or Rockwell readings, and a material certification with the actual values, not just &#8220;conforms.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- H2 --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">Cost &amp; Lead Time: What Drives the Line Item<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Heat treatment adds roughly <strong style=\"color: #273171;\">8\u201325%<\/strong> to the casting price depending on cycle and alloy. Three knobs move the number the most:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 0 0 18px; padding-left: 22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Batch size.<\/strong> Furnaces charge per cycle, not per kilo. A 50-piece batch pays the same furnace time as a 500-piece batch, so the per-piece cost falls sharply with volume.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Quench medium.<\/strong> Water is cheapest. Polymer quench (typical 10\u201320% PAG) costs more in chemistry but reduces scrap on heavy sections \u2014 usually a wash.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin: 0 0 8px;\"><strong style=\"color: #273171;\">Outside processing.<\/strong> If the foundry doesn&#8217;t own a heat treatment furnace, you&#8217;ll pay a third-party processor and a logistics hop. Ask whether heat treatment is in-house; if not, the lead time is roughly +5 to +10 working days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Alloy choice is upstream of all of this; revisit the casting alloy selection matrix before you finalize a heat treatment cycle you may not need.<\/p>\n<p><!-- H2 --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">When Casting Heat Treatment Is Not Required<\/h2>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 18px 0 24px; font-size: 15px; color: #333333;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"background: #273171; color: #ffffff; padding: 12px 14px; text-align: left; font-weight: 600; border: 1px solid #273171;\">Situation<\/th>\n<th style=\"background: #273171; color: #ffffff; padding: 12px 14px; text-align: left; font-weight: 600; border: 1px solid #273171;\">Why Skip It<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Purely decorative \/ non-structural part<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">No mechanical load; as-cast surface and tolerance are fine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background: #F5F5F5;\">\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Conventional die casting with trapped gas<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">T6 will blister; switch to vacuum die cast or T5 aging instead<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Ferritic \/ austenitic stainless steel investment cast<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Already solution-annealed at the foundry; no extra cycle needed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background: #F5F5F5;\">\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Short prototype run &lt; 20 pieces<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #E5E5E5; padding: 10px 14px;\">Furnace minimum-charge cost outweighs property gain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!-- FAQ --><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 25px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.3; margin: 34px 0 14px; padding: 4px 0 4px 30px; background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff512f 0px, #dd2476 5px, transparent 5px);\">FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 22px 0 8px;\">What is the most common casting heat treatment for aluminum?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">T6 \u2014 solution treat at roughly 530 \u00b0C, water quench, then age at 155\u2013175 \u00b0C for 6\u201312 hours. You&#8217;ll see T6 most often on A356, A357, and 356 aluminum sand and investment castings used in aerospace and automotive structural parts.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 22px 0 8px;\">Can die castings be T6 heat treated?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Conventional high-pressure die castings cannot \u2014 internal gas porosity blisters above ~415 \u00b0C. Vacuum die castings or low-pressure castings can. For conventional die castings, T5 (age-only at lower temperature) is the available casting heat treatment option.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 22px 0 8px;\">How long does casting heat treatment take?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">A typical T6 cycle on aluminum runs 14\u201318 hours total (heat-up, hold, quench, age). Stress relief on iron runs 8\u201310 hours. Quench-and-temper on steel is similar. Lead time at the foundry usually adds 3\u20137 working days for in-house furnaces, 7\u201314 days if outsourced.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: 'Poppins',sans-serif; color: #273171; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.4; margin: 22px 0 8px;\">Does heat treatment change casting tolerances?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin: 0 0 18px;\">Yes \u2014 every thermal cycle introduces some distortion, typically 0.1\u20130.3% of the part dimension. For tighter tolerances, rough-machine before heat treatment and finish afterward, leaving 1\u20132 mm of stock for the final pass.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \u7ed3\u5c3e --><br \/>\n\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"3550\" class=\"elementor elementor-3550\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-19b1acf1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"19b1acf1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-56e26ed6\" data-id=\"56e26ed6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52c3d00c elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"52c3d00c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-\"><h3 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title\">\u00c0 la recherche d'une fonderie de m\u00e9taux fiable en Chine ?<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24c75aa0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"24c75aa0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>Nous pouvons vous aider \u00e0 optimiser la conception de vos produits et \u00e0 r\u00e9duire vos co\u00fbts.<\/li><li>Nous pouvons vous aider avec des pi\u00e8ces moul\u00e9es de haute qualit\u00e9 et en grande quantit\u00e9.<\/li><li>Nous pouvons livrer \u00e0 temps et obtenir de nouvelles opportunit\u00e9s de march\u00e9.<\/li><li>Vous b\u00e9n\u00e9ficierez du service de moulage de m\u00e9taux propos\u00e9 par Supro MFG.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51a20937 elementor-align-left elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-1143 elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"51a20937\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm elementor-animation-grow\" href=\"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/contact\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Demander un devis direct usine <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-note\" style=\"font-size: 13px; color: #9a9a9a; margin: 28px 0 0;\">*Data referenced from AFS \/ NADCA industry publications, ASTM B26 \/ A216 \/ A536 standards, and Supro MFG shop-floor records.<\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most cast parts need casting heat treatment to hit the strength and tolerance you ordered. Skip it on the wrong [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[48,46,47,49,42],"class_list":["post-7706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","tag-casting-comparison","tag-casting-materials","tag-casting-process","tag-manufacturing-process","tag-metal-casting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7706"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7718,"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7706\/revisions\/7718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}