Ways of treating metals

Annealing is a heat treatment process that changes the physical and sometimes also the chemical properties of a material to increase ductility and reduce the hardness to make it more workable. The annealing process requires the material above its recrystallization temperature for a set amount of time before cooling.

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish. Aluminum is ideally suited to anodizing, although other nonferrous metals, such as magnesium and titanium, also can be anodized.

Electroplating is the process of using electrodeposition to coat an object in a layer of metal(s). Engineers use controlled electrolysis to transfer the desired metal coating from an anode (a part containing the metal that will be used as the plating) to a cathode (the part to be plated).

Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of a metal through hammering, pressing, or rolling by heating it in a fire or furnace. Forging is often categorized according to the temperature at which it is performed—cold, warm, or hot forging.

Galvanizing is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to iron or steel, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot dip galvanizing, in which steel sections are submerged in a bath of molten zinc.

Grinding, a machining process, involves the removal of material from a workpiece by means of a rotating abrasive wheel. This wheel, consisting of abrasive particles, acts as a myriad of sharp cutting tools that shave off layers of material to achieve the desired form and finish.

Hardening is a metallurgical metalworking process used to increase the hardness of a metal. The hardness of a metal is directly proportional to the uniaxial yield stress at the location of the imposed strain. A harder metal will have a higher resistance to plastic deformation than a less hard metal.

Minting is the process of producing coins. A mint refers to a manufacturing facility that produces coins that are used as a nation's currency. National currencies are generally minted by a country's central bank or through an independent mint with authorization from the central bank.

Plating is a manufacturing process in which a thin layer of metal coats a substrate. This can be achieved through electroplating, which requires an electric current, or through electroless plating, which is in autocatalytic chemical process.

Rolling is passing metal stock through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce thickness, improve surface finish, or create specific shapes. It can be done hot or cold. In other words, when molten steel is rolled between rollers to reduce its thickness and make it uniform, the steel is said to have been rolled.

Softening is a metallurgical metalworking process used to increase the hardness of a metal.

Tempering is a type of heat treatment used to increase the toughness of certain metals, most commonly iron-based alloys like steel. The metal being treated, using this process, is heated under its critical point temperature and then air-cooled.

Tin plating, also known as tinning, is an industrial process of metal plating during which the surface of metal objects is coated with a thin layer of tin. This process can be applied to a range of metals such as iron, copper, or steel.