Ways of treating metals

Annealing

A heat treatment process that increases ductility and reduces hardness of a material.

Anodizing

An electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant anodic oxide finish.

Electroplating

The process of using electrodeposition to coat an object in a layer of metal.

Forging

A manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal through hammering, pressing, or rolling.

Galvanizing

Applying a protective zinc coating to iron or steel to prevent rusting.

Grinding

A machining process that involves the removal of material from a workpiece using a rotating abrasive wheel.

Hardening

A metallurgical process used to increase the hardness of a metal.

Minting

The process of producing coins in a manufacturing facility.

Plating

A manufacturing process in which a thin layer of metal coats a substrate.

Rolling

Passing metal stock through rolls to reduce thickness and improve surface finish.

Softening

A metallurgical process used to decrease the hardness of a metal.

Tempering

A heat treatment process to increase the toughness of certain metals, commonly iron-based alloys.

Tin plating (tinning)

An industrial process of metal plating where a surface is coated with a thin layer of tin.

Founding

The process of melting metal and then pour it into a form that has been molded according to a pattern of the desired shape. When the metal solidifies, the result is a casting—a metal object conforming to that shape. A great variety of metal objects are so molded at some point during their manufacture.