Cold processing in practical use

Cold processing is the alter ego of heat processing, a change in temperature downwards instead of upwards, which has almost as many application in engineering as the latter. This article explores just five of them and the equipment needed to make it possible. They are: the use of deep cold to improve productivity in tool heat treatment; the use of rapid temperature cycling to find defects in electronic assemblies; the use of cold treatment to stabilise the structure of precision components; the use of cold as a joining technique and finally its use in eliminating soft surfaces in carburised parts.