Vacuum Metal Stress Relieving

Minimized Distortion, Bright Results

Welding, machining, milling, and cold working all induce stresses within materials. These stresses will cause unstable dimensional control downstream if not relieved thermally. Vacuum metal stress relieving is normally performed after rough machining, prior to final machining. Solar’s vacuum metal stress relieving produces bright, clean surface finishes, therefore often the part is stress relieved in a near net shape. Common requests for stress relieving include weldments, fabrications, machined components, and additive manufactured and printed parts.

Reasons for Stress Relieving of Metal Components

Vacuum stress relieving produces bright, clean finished parts in a near net shape.
In some cases, stress relieving can correct (straighten or flatten) a warped part post machining or grinding.
MIL, AMS, and BAC specifications often require stress relieving.
Stress relieving removes machining stresses, cold working, and in the case of additive manufactured parts, the unbalanced heat affected areas that can contribute to distortion.
The Machinist’s Handbook recommends stress relieving as a best practice.

Unique Capabilities

State of the art vacuum furnaces from lab-sized to 48 feet long and 150,000 pound load capacity
Inert gas backfilling to keep parts bright
Operating temperatures up to 3600°F to within ±10°F
Load sensor capabilities up to 48 thermocouples
Advanced microprocessor controls for repeatability
Patented load car design for both heavy loads and part stability