Annealing is beneficial during the welding process to keep metals from becoming too hard. Today, let’s learn what gas is best for annealing.

How Does Annealing Work?

Annealing is a type of heat treatment. It is a metalworking process that alters the microstructure of metal to increase its strength. Annealing is used to prevent metals from becoming too hard or cracking.

Annealing also helps to relieve internal stresses from the metal so it can be shaped and worked on easily. Typically, annealing involves three main steps to help keep the metals hot but not overly hot.

The process has been around for a very long time and can be traced back to ancient China, 5000 years ago.

There are two main types of annealing: slow or fast. Depending on the metals, some will require the process to move slowly, while others can be quite fast.

What Are the Benefits of Annealing?

There are many benefits to annealing. One major benefit is that it strengthens the metal and prevents cracking or breaking.

Another benefit is it improves the quality of the final product. This is done by removing any stresses and making sure there are no holes or other defects in the metal.

Annealing is used in so many welding projects. Let’s learn the best gases to use throughout this process.

What Gases are Used in Annealing?

The most common gases used in annealing are argon, helium, and nitrogen. Oxygen is reactive and can create material oxidation, so it is not suitable for annealing.

While there are many benefits to all, nitrogen is one of the best gases to use during the annealing process.

Nitrogen for Annealing

Nitrogen is a good gas when annealing because it is an inert gas, meaning it is not reactive.

Typically you will see nitrogen blended with other gases to further strengthen it and make the atmosphere better for each metal.

One of the main reasons why nitrogen is great for annealing is because it prevents oxidation. Other gases, as mentioned above, will actually create oxidation, but nitrogen will not.

Nitrogen is great for annealing because it can be used on a variety of metals such as:

• Steel
• Copper
• Aluminum
• Brass
• And many more

Nitrogen is also suitable for annealing because you can also use it for a variety of other processes when you weld. These can include:

• Brazing
• Tempering
• Neutral hardening
• Carbonitriding
• Nitriding
• And many more

Nitrogen is also cheaper than most other gases, making it another great choice for annealing. If you need to stick to a strict budget, nitrogen will be great for your project!

Nitrogen is a great gas for annealing, but of course, it all depends on your situation.

You can use our KnowHow to find answers to any questions you may have. We are here to help you Forge Forward on your next project! Contact us today to learn how we can help you.