Baking (Hydrogen Embrittlement Relief): Ensuring the Integrity of Plated Parts

Metal Finishing Group provides specialized Baking services, also known as hydrogen embrittlement relief baking, for plated components. This critical post-plating heat treatment process is essential for preventing hydrogen embrittlement, a condition where hydrogen atoms introduced during the plating process can weaken the base metal, particularly high-strength steels, leading to premature brittle fracture.

Baking is chosen when components, especially those made from high-strength steels, have undergone an electroplating process and require their structural integrity and fatigue strength to be fully restored. It is ideal for critical aerospace, automotive, and military components where reliability under stress is paramount. This carefully controlled heat treatment drives out the interstitial hydrogen, ensuring the long-term performance and safety of your plated parts.

Our Baking Capabilities: Precise Control for Enhanced Durability

We offer precise Baking services, ensuring optimal hydrogen embrittlement relief for your critical components.

  • Controlled Heat Treatment: Components are heated to specific temperatures for a set duration, allowing hydrogen atoms to diffuse out of the metal structure.
  • Temperature Ranges: We operate within industry-standard temperature ranges for hydrogen embrittlement relief, typically between 375∘F and 450∘F. We precisely adhere to customer-requested temperatures, including the range of 3740−4280∘F if specifically required by your application’s unique needs, though it is important to note this is an exceptionally high temperature for this type of process and would only be performed if explicitly mandated by the customer’s engineering specifications.
  • Duration Optimization: Baking times are carefully determined based on the material type, tensile strength, plating thickness, and applicable specifications. Common customer-requested durations we perform include:
    • 4 Hours
    • 6 Hours Other specific durations can be accommodated per customer request.
  • Prevention of Brittle Fracture: Effectively prevents hydrogen embrittlement, which can lead to delayed brittle fracture under stress.
  • Material Compatibility: Primarily applied to electroplated high-strength steels, but also beneficial for other susceptible alloys.
  • Precision Equipment: We utilize calibrated ovens with precise temperature controls to ensure consistent and effective baking.
  • Batch Processing: We accommodate various part sizes and batch volumes for efficient processing.

Properties of Effective Baking:

Effective post-plating baking imparts several key properties that ensure the reliability and longevity of components:

  • Restored Ductility: Helps restore the original ductility of the base metal.
  • Increased Reliability: Significantly reduces the risk of brittle fracture in stress-critical applications.
  • Enhanced Fatigue Life: Mitigates the negative impact of hydrogen on fatigue strength.
  • Maintained Material Integrity: Ensures the mechanical properties of the plated part are fully preserved.
  • Compliance: Meets stringent industry and customer specifications for hydrogen embrittlement relief.

Applicable Specifications We Adhere To:

Our Baking processes consistently meet or exceed crucial industry standards, ensuring the quality and performance of your components. We regularly process to:

  • ASTM B850: Standard Guide for Post-Coating Treatments of Steel for Reducing the Risk of Hydrogen Embrittlement.
  • AMS 2750: Pyrometry (often referenced for oven calibration and temperature control).
  • Military Specifications: Various military specifications (e.g., MIL-STD-171) frequently call for post-plating baking for specific coatings and materials.
  • Customer-Specific Requirements: We accommodate precise customer requests regarding temperature, duration, and ramp rates.

Typical Baking Applications:

Baking for hydrogen embrittlement relief is vital for numerous applications across demanding industries:

  • Aerospace Industry: Critical for plated fasteners, landing gear components, structural parts, and other high-strength steel components exposed to stress.
  • Automotive Industry: Used for fasteners, suspension components, and safety-critical parts in vehicles.
  • Military and Defense: Applied to ordnance, weapon systems, and vehicle components that must perform reliably under extreme conditions.
  • High-Strength Fasteners: Essential for bolts, nuts, and screws made from high-strength alloys.
  • Springs and Clips: Ensures the continued integrity of plated springs and resilient components.
  • Tooling: Used for plated tools that require high strength and toughness.

Why Choose Metal Finishing Group for Baking (Hydrogen Embrittlement Relief)?

Metal Finishing Group is a trusted partner for essential post-plating Baking services. Our commitment to precise temperature control and adherence to stringent specifications ensures your electroplated high-strength steel components are fully relieved of hydrogen embrittlement, maximizing their reliability and lifespan. Partner with us for critical metal finishing solutions that safeguard the integrity and performance of your parts.