Patent ID: 7666346

Claim:
A steel-member manufacturing facility, comprising: a die-cutting apparatus die-cutting a steel plate to form a steel member; a quench-hardening apparatus heating said steel member formed by means of said die-cutting apparatus to a temperature of at least A c1 point and thereafter cooling said steel member to a temperature of at most M s point so as to quench-harden said steel member; and a tempering apparatus heating said steel member quench-hardened by means of said quench-hardening apparatus to a temperature of at most A c1 point so as to temper said steel member, wherein said quench-hardening apparatus includes: an induction heating apparatus for quenching purpose, using induction-heating for heating said steel member formed by means of said die-cutting apparatus to the temperature of at least A c1 point; a mold-constraining cooling apparatus, while using a mold for constraining said steel member heated to the temperature of at least A c1 point by means of said induction-heating apparatus for quenching purpose, using said mold as a cooling member for removing heat from said steel member, so as to cool said steel member to the temperature of at most M s point; and an automatic material-property testing apparatus automatically testing a material property of said steel member at at least one of a point in time after tempering is performed by said tempering apparatus and a point in time after quench-hardening is performed by said quench-hardening apparatus and before said tempering is performed, wherein said tempering apparatus includes a heating apparatus for tempering purpose, heating said steel member that is quench-hardened by means of said quench-hardening apparatus to the temperature of at most A c1 point, the quench-hardening apparatus does not use oil or water as a cooling medium for cooling the steel member, and said die-cutting apparatus, said quench-hardening apparatus and said tempering apparatus are placed at the same general area in said steel-member manufacturing facility.