What is the process of heating a metal and cooling it slowly to make it more ductile known as?

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The process of heating a metal and then cooling it slowly to enhance its ductility is known as annealing. During annealing, the metal is typically heated to a specific temperature where its internal structure can change; this facilitates the rearrangement of atoms in a way that reduces internal stresses. The gradual cooling process that follows allows for the development of a more uniform microstructure, which ultimately imparts greater ductility to the metal. This improved ductility is crucial for subsequent metalworking processes such as bending or shaping, as it helps to prevent cracking or breaking.

Alloying, on the other hand, involves the mixing of different metals to form new materials with specific desired properties, rather than the modification of a single metal's structure through heating and cooling. Cold finishing refers to processes that improve a metal's surface finish and properties without heating it above room temperature, which does not align with the concept of heat treatment. Hardening typically involves heating the metal and then cooling it rapidly (quenching), which increases hardness but often reduces ductility, contrary to the goal of annealing.

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