Lean Management in Heat Treatment Production

Heat treatment is an important component of the mechanical processing industry. Within the industry, there are two main types of production methods—each differing in scale and nature: one is small-batch, order-driven production for individual parts, and the other is a multi-batch, high-volume production model. In recent years, with the rapid development of the machinery industry, the heat treatment processing sector has also experienced swift growth. However, the technical standards and management practices in this sector remain unstandardized, resulting in suboptimal economic and social benefits. For enterprises seeking to grow and enhance their economic performance, it is essential to broadly analyze potential issues in heat treatment production while prioritizing quality improvement and cost reduction. Moreover, it is crucial to proactively identify and address possible problems at an early stage. By adopting lean management principles, optimizing processes and workflows, and standardizing operations and procedures, we can ensure that heat treatment quality is inherently built into the manufacturing process rather than merely inspected afterward. Only by earning greater customer trust and securing more orders can we effectively reduce heat treatment production costs.

Heat treatment is an important component of the mechanical processing industry. Within the industry, there are two main types of production methods—each differing in scale and nature: one is order-based production for single pieces in small batches, and the other is a multi-batch, high-volume production model. In recent years, with the development of the machinery industry, Heat treatment processing The industry has also experienced rapid development; however, the technical standards and management practices within it have yet to become standardized, resulting in suboptimal economic and social benefits. For enterprises seeking to grow and enhance their economic performance, it is essential—while striving to improve product quality and reduce costs—to broadly analyze potential issues in heat treatment production and proactively identify and address possible problems at an early stage. Through lean management, optimizing processes and workflows, and standardizing operations and procedures, we can ultimately achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness. Heat treatment Quality is created through manufacturing, not just by inspection. Only by earning greater customer trust and securing more orders can we effectively reduce the production costs of heat treatment.

Must be done before heat treatment. “5W”

In the current product-order production process within the manufacturing industry, large-scale purchasers all conduct supplier development, management, and evaluation. This involves on-site assessments and reviews to ensure traceability in heat treatment production. Given the unique characteristics of part quality in the heat treatment industry, part quality can only be verified and tested during actual use or through destructive metallographic examinations. Once the appropriate validity period for product qualification has passed, it becomes difficult to assess and verify the parts' quality. Therefore, the author believes that the focus of heat treatment control and management should shift both forward and backward: Before heat treatment begins, it is essential to... “5W” Any workpiece entering the heat treatment process must be thoroughly understood:

1W What material is the workpiece made of? What kind of heat treatment is required? What are the technical requirements?

2W What will the workpiece be used for? What is the working environment like? Which technical requirements are given the greatest emphasis? Where possible, actively participate in customer product development and technical collaboration projects.

3W What processing steps were performed on the workpiece before it entered the heat treatment process?

4W When is the delivery date? After all, planning is essential throughout the supply chain process.

5W What process control measures should be paid attention to during the heat treatment of workpieces?

The heat treatment process flow needs to be refined.

The heat treatment process flow needs to be analyzed in greater detail to better control its process nodes and deliver products that earn customer trust. Process refinement essentially comes down to node control—nothing more than what we often refer to as... 5 The five factors: people, machines, materials, methods, and environment.    

1. person

Due to current market and production technology factors, heat treatment equipment and operations have yet to achieve a high degree of automation. As a result, human involvement remains crucial in managing production processes. Therefore, it is essential to provide comprehensive training to all heat treatment personnel in various areas—including process knowledge, operational skills, safety awareness, quality assurance, and on-time delivery consciousness—and to establish a systematic approach to this training. KPI The assessment mechanism is designed to encourage employees to learn and engage in self-directed learning. In particular, we must place great emphasis on training employees in operational awareness—specifically, following blueprints, adhering to procedures, and complying with process flows—and reward those who demonstrate self-motivated, diligent learning efforts. We don’t expect every on-site heat treatment operator to become an engineer; at the very least, they should become skilled heat treatment technicians. We must avoid taking things for granted and engaging in unsafe practices that could damage equipment or lead to incomplete execution of process procedures. Therefore, it’s crucial to effectively manage human factors to ensure stable heat treatment quality.

In addition, it’s important to promote corporate culture—whether in a small business or within a specific department—to enhance employees’ trust in the company and help them develop clear, personal, and positive career aspirations. This will enable employees and the company to achieve a mutually beneficial, win-win partnership.

2. machine

The reliability of machine tool equipment is the material foundation for safeguarding the interests of the economy and is directly linked to enterprises’ normal production costs, output, product quality, and process continuity. The heat treatment workshop features numerous, complex pieces of equipment that also harbor many potential safety hazards. These include heating furnaces, electrical systems, cooling and stirring systems, and measurement and control instruments. For each piece of equipment, a corresponding daily inspection logbook must be established to prevent equipment from operating while malfunctioning and to ensure that any issues discovered are promptly addressed by halting operations for immediate repair.

( 1 ) Establish and maintain comprehensive inspection records for each piece of equipment to keep track of its operational status—running, maintenance, and servicing—as well as the on-duty conditions of the equipment. The shift supervisor must conduct daily inspections and provide supervision, fostering good work habits among employees, encouraging them to follow procedures rigorously, solidifying these positive habits, and thereby standardizing workshop management.

( 2 ) A thermal treatment process operation standard document shall be established for each piece of equipment and each process step. Heat treatment equipment Standard operating procedures, as well as emergency response plans for abnormal equipment conditions.

( 3 Optimize the design of tooling structures and the management of quenching fluids. Conduct daily inspections of tooling fixtures to ensure they remain in a safe condition and eliminate any potential safety hazards. Promptly replace tooling fixtures that are unreasonable or severely deformed and beyond repair, thereby reducing or preventing quality issues such as rework and deformation of workpieces. Regularly test and adjust quenching fluids to significantly ensure the high quality of heat treatment for workpieces.

3. material

It is essential to clearly understand the condition of the workpiece prior to heat treatment and to be familiar with its material characteristics, such as its machining status, whether there are any defects or dents, whether oxidation has occurred, and the forging and material conditions. If necessary, a chemical composition report should be provided. By inspecting the workpiece’s appearance, shape, and relevant dimensions, process engineers can take effective measures, select appropriate processes, and use suitable equipment to minimize heat treatment distortion and prevent premature failure during heat treatment. All parameters of raw materials and auxiliary materials used in the production process must comply with the process standards. Workpieces awaiting heat treatment, defective parts, and qualified parts must be placed in designated areas and clearly labeled to prevent mixing or misplacement. The layout and workflow of each area should also align with the overall process flow, minimizing unnecessary handling and idle time during the process and reducing labor waste.

4. Law

Heat treatment equipment consumes relatively high amounts of energy. Reducing energy consumption, improving equipment utilization, and accelerating the flow of product processes are crucial strategies for lowering costs and enhancing economic benefits. Therefore, under conditions where equipment is fixed, we strive to adopt standardized planning and process documentation as much as possible, and establish corresponding operating procedures tailored to the specific characteristics of each heat treatment process stage, thereby minimizing unnecessary losses.

( 1 ) Establish a shift handover system. Heat treatment, in general, is characterized by continuous and collaborative production, requiring employees to demonstrate a high level of teamwork and a proactive, responsible attitude in completing their daily work tasks. Taking mold heat treatment as an example: cleaning... → Loading → Quenching → Tempering → Metallographic Examination → Cleaning → For delivery and the completion of the entire processing procedure, multiple shifts are involved, and each step of the work has a direct impact on the technical quality of the subsequent processes all the way to the final stage. Therefore, for collaborative processes like this, it is essential to establish a paper-based shift handover system, and the shift supervisors responsible for their respective shifts must mutually confirm the handover details. At the same time, there should be corresponding management measures in place to motivate employees and ensure accountability. Additionally, it is important to strengthen on-site monitoring and control, fostering in employees a habit of consciously adhering to operating procedures during work and providing relevant analytical data for later tracking and analysis.

( 2 ) Establish process operation instructions and refine equipment operating procedures to ensure the stability of heat treatment processes. For products made from similar materials with identical technical requirements, corresponding operation instructions should be prepared. The procedures should be detailed, and the content of the instructions should include furnace loading capacity, loading methods, setting of main furnace process parameters, cooling processes, tempering processes, inspection procedures, as well as unloading and packing procedures. By following standardized operations, the quality of the technology will not be affected by personnel changes.

( 3 ) A database management system should be established for each batch and each heat treatment furnace cycle, including process operation records and inspection result management, to ensure traceability of production control and facilitate easy access, management, and tracking by relevant personnel. This also enables cooperating parties to have clear, data-driven insights and verifiable evidence—particularly in industries like heat treatment, where third-party collaborators are commonly involved. Through... ISO9000/TS16949 For standards, corporate clients often require factory audits and assessments of outsourced processing suppliers; all these processes necessitate support from a relevant document database.

( 4 Regarding the scheduling of heat treatment production plans, process engineers should be involved. They should organize heat treatment production reasonably based on the deadlines and batch sizes of production tasks. This approach enables the proper adjustment of workpiece deadlines, the efficient allocation of equipment, and the effective scheduling of personnel shifts in the heat treatment workshop.

( 5 Heat-treated workpieces should be managed primarily according to the production plan targets. The workshop’s plans, objectives, and tasks should be broken down layer by layer and assigned to the relevant personnel. Through the breakdown of key indicators, the monthly task volume, technical requirements, process standards, and employee operating procedures should be clearly listed in the form of visual boards. Each production batch must be tracked and summarized, ensuring that every relevant personnel has a clear goal and is motivated in their work, with production being managed systematically.

5. ring

The heat treatment process takes place in a high-temperature working environment. Generally, factors such as plant size, cooling, noise reduction, and lighting levels must be taken into account, as these factors directly affect... Heat treatment Quality. The heat treatment facility must have a certain height and span to ensure adequate ventilation and sufficient processing time. Moreover, during heat treatment, large amounts of fumes, steam, and other byproducts may be generated. Only with a reasonably designed space and rational operational procedures can we, to some extent, guarantee safety and prevent employee errors as well as physical harm. Within the designated area... “5S” It is a guarantee of clean and civilized production, enabling employees to feel comfortable, organized, and disciplined within their work areas. This effectively prevents accidents such as material mixing and process misoperations, thereby reducing chaos at the work site. Moreover, factors like temperature, smoke, dust, and noise can directly affect operators’ sensory perceptions, impairing their ability to perform at their normal skill levels and ensuring the correct implementation of processes, which in turn impacts the smooth operation of heat treatment production.

Conclusion

In summary, lean production in heat treatment must be people-oriented to achieve energy savings and efficiency improvements. It should place emphasis on technology and customers alike, thereby enhancing the throughput rate of heat treatment processes. The key factors include people, machinery, materials, methods, and the working environment—though of course, there are other contributing factors as well. These factors are not isolated; rather, they are interconnected and mutually influential. To excel in the heat treatment industry, it is essential to implement scientifically sound and integrated management across all aspects—ensuring that appropriate equipment, quality, processes, and costs are employed to produce products that meet the right specifications. Actively participating in industry and departmental communication and exchanges will help earn cooperation, support, and trust from stakeholders, thus ensuring smooth and efficient production processes both within and outside the factory. This, in turn, will enable the company to capture a larger market share, enhance its industry recognition, and boost its market competitiveness, ultimately leading to positive economic and social outcomes for the enterprise.