T6 Heat Treatment

A two-step process which is applied to Aluminium, Copper, or Silicon alloys to increase the strength of the alloy by as much as 30%. The first step is quenching – the alloy is heated to 500⁰C for 9-10 hours which a single phase alloy. The alloy is cooled rapidly with water which supersaturates the aluminium. In the second step, the alloy is heated to 180⁰C for 9-10 hours then cooled by air allowing precipitation hardening.