What is the role of heat treatment during the processing of tungsten discharge needle

Heat treatment is a technical means to significantly improve the physical, chemical and mechanical properties by heating, keeping warm and cooling the material under specific temperature conditions to change its internal structure. In the processing of discharge tungsten needles, heat treatment plays a vital role, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects.

First, heat treatment can effectively eliminate the residual stress and tissue defects generated during the processing. During the forming process of the discharge tungsten needle, due to the plastic deformation of the material and the effect of cutting force, a certain degree of residual stress and tissue defects are often introduced. These stresses and defects will not only significantly reduce the mechanical properties of the tungsten needle, but also affect its stability and reliability during the discharge processing. By implementing heat treatment, the stress inside the tungsten needle can be effectively released, its tissue structure can be optimized, and its strength and hardness can be improved, thereby reducing the risk of deformation and cracking.

Secondly, heat treatment also plays an important role in improving the conductivity and high temperature resistance of the discharge tungsten needle. As a metal with a high melting point and high hardness, tungsten usually has good electrical conductivity. However, during the processing, due to the influence of cutting force and friction heat, impurities such as oxide layer or carbide may form on the surface of the tungsten needle, which has a negative impact on its conductivity. The heat treatment process can remove these surface impurities and restore the conductivity of the tungsten needle. In addition, heat treatment can also improve the high temperature resistance of the tungsten needle, so that it can still maintain a stable working state in a high temperature environment, ensuring its reliability under extreme conditions.

In addition to the above functions, heat treatment can also refine the grains of the discharge tungsten needle, thereby improving its overall performance. Grain refinement is an important phenomenon in the heat treatment process. It can significantly enhance the strength and toughness of the material while improving its fatigue and wear resistance. For the discharge tungsten needle, grain refinement not only improves its processing accuracy and surface finish, but also further improves the processing efficiency and finished product quality.

In the heat treatment process of the discharge tungsten needle, commonly used methods include annealing, quenching and tempering. The annealing process involves heating the tungsten needle to a certain temperature and then slowly cooling it to eliminate internal stress and repair tissue defects; quenching is to heat the tungsten needle above the critical temperature and then quickly cool it to obtain a high hardness and high strength structure; and tempering is to heat the tungsten needle to a specific temperature after quenching and keep it for a period of time, and then cool it to eliminate the stress generated during the quenching process, thereby improving its toughness and plasticity.