4. Industrial criteria for choosing heat treatments

The functional requirements of the parts define or guide the choice of reinforcement treatments, which may not be unique. The choice can and often will also be guided by industrial considerations.

In the remainder of this document, we will discuss six criteria that must be taken into account in the industrial context of large-scale production:

• just-in-time ;

• cost and productivity ;

• flexibility ;

• reproducibility ;

• environment ;

• dimensional control.