Heat Treatment

Heat Treatment at a Glance

Metals, primarily steels, make up our trains, automobiles, machines… even our table cutlery. Before being used, they must be transformed through cutting, welding, or forming: a critical step in this transformation is heat treatment.

Heat treatment is a sequence of heating operations applied to metals - sheets, tubes, wires or parts - to improve their mechanical properties, by modifying their structure or composition. An inert gas, usually nitrogen, is combined with active gases like hydrogen, cracked methanol, natural gas or propane to create the heat treatment atmosphere inside the furnace.

It is most frequently applied to make metals - such as carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminium, and titanium alloys - harder, more ductile, or more resistant. Heat treatment requires the use of dedicated gas combinations.

Our Gas Solutions

At Air Liquide, our comprehensive offer is backed by a network of worldwide specialists to help execute challenging heat treatment projects. When it comes to heat treatment, we guarantee our customers a controlled atmosphere in terms of safety, efficiency, and reliability. Our offer covers a wide range of solutions, including annealing, brazing, carburizing, cryogenic treatments and more. 

Our primary offer for these heat treatment solutions is ALNAT™, a packaged offer that includes gas delivery, appropriate gas handling equipment, and further value-added services.

We provide customers with process and safety audits to optimize the usage of heat treatment furnaces and assist in trouble-shooting. Additionally, we train heat treatment personnel to ensure smooth and efficient processes.