Heat treatment is a highly theoretical science and a highly practical technology. It is a core national technology, playing a crucial role in my country's transformation from a major materials and manufacturing nation to a leading power. Heat treatment is a critical process determining product performance, lifespan, and reliability; the level of heat treatment technology is a core element of competitiveness in the machinery industry.
According to surveys, the heat treatment process design and management levels of large and medium-sized enterprises and some small and medium-sized enterprises in my country's manufacturing sector are basically comparable to international standards and are continuously improving. However, data shows that small and medium-sized enterprises account for over 80% of my country's manufacturing sector, and the heat treatment quality in these enterprises is less stable, mainly due to significant gaps in process design and management levels. In some enterprises, the heat treatment process design and production operation are completed independently by the same person, and in such cases, the process design is merely a mental concept without any documentation. In other enterprises, experienced heat treatment technicians verbally instruct others instead of actually performing the process; such non-standard cases are numerous. Whether it's verbal instruction or a process plan conceived only in the mind, it demonstrates excessive arbitrariness. This primitive and extensive management model is far behind the times and must be updated to adopt scientific processes to guide practice.
