Heat Treatment Scale Contamination

Annealing-scale builds up as a thick oxide layer during slow heating in controlled atmospheres, ramping up deeper than surface rust and clinging tight to shift conductivity far beyond lighter contaminants. On steel, it grips firm and alters properties sharply, stainless steel holds it even tighter, and titanium shows looser attachment overall, posing significant challenges since mild acids drag slowly without etching underneath while blasting scatters debris widely. Turns out, laser cleaning lines up best, vaporizing the buildup precisely to achieve a clean finish and keep the base material intact.