Solar Atmospheres’ New Heat Treat Process for Age Hardening PH Stainless Steels

Solar Atmospheres, provider of commercial vacuum heat treating solutions, has created a new process for annealing and bright age hardening of PH stainless steels using a new and enhanced gas cooling technology. This a two-step heat treat process performed in a vacuum furnace.

Before carrying out the age hardening process, PH stainless steel grades 15-5 and 17-4 need to be cooled from the annealing temperature to less than 80°F. PH stainless steels 15-7 Mo Condition TH 1050 and 13-8 Mo and 17-7 have to be cooled to below 60°F. If the PH stainless steel is exposed to air after the annealing step, it is hard to prevent oxidization and maintain brightness of the material during the age hardening phase.

However, with the use of the gas cooling technology from Solar Atmospheres, PH stainless steels can be annealed and age hardened in a single heat treat process without using breaking vacuum. The process output is bright, clean with non-discolored parts that meet the material and processing needs of the annealing customers.