Various intervals in the cold rolling process require thermal treatments, often after reduction, and in some cases after slitting the final gage product.
Thermal treatments anneal the material for further cold working.
At later stages of processing, the treatments engender proper temper, strength and formability. Thermal treatments after slitting reduce residual stresses. The metal surface requires cleaning at various stages of the processing. The press utilizes a progressive stamping die that contains tungsten carbide punches and dies. Feeding the strip into the tool pierces it along both edges.