Heat treatment of plain-carbon steels and the properties of ABS, PC and PA6

What this note covers

1. Hot and cold working are defined relative to recrystallisation
2. Annealing and normalising use controlled thermal histories
3. Hardening and tempering are related but different operations
4. ABS offers a useful balance for housings and formed components
5. Polycarbonate and PA6 suit different property priorities
6. Select material and process as a coordinated pair
7. Worked process diagnosis: hardness rises but cracking appears after quench
8. Worked polymer selection: transparent guard versus impact housing

8 sections · 10 key terms & formulas · 6 common mistakes