Technical Review: A review of heat treatment technology

Heat treatment technology for mass production of automobiles was established in the heyday of motorization in the first half of the 1960s, and developed rapidly during the second half of the decade. The first and the second oil crises forced a reappraisal among energy–consuming industries, causing them to place greater emphasis on energy conservation. Heat treatment technology has varied with the history of energy mentioned above. In particular, mass production systems, along with methods of energy conservation, have been positively investigated with fruitful results. This paper describes mainly the heat treatment technology employed in the automobile industry on the basis of the above history.