What Happens to Metal in a Heatwave? More Than You’d Think.
Central Pennsylvania is experiencing one of the hottest weeks of summer in recent memory. While extreme temperatures are hard on everyone, they pose unique challenges for those of us in the manufacturing world — not just for the people on the floor, but for the materials we work with and the precision our customers expect.
Material Behavior in Extreme Heat 🔧
When the temperature rises, so does the complexity of working with certain materials. Even a few degrees can affect part tolerances, structural integrity, and machining performance:
Aluminum Alloys: These materials expand when heated — even in small amounts. In machining, this thermal expansion can throw off tolerances and complicate post-machining inspection.
Tool Steel and Structural Steel: Heat increases the risk of warping and can affect heat-treated properties, especially during welding or forming.
Composites and Plastics: These materials can soften or become less dimensionally stable under elevated temperatures, especially in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas.
Cutting Tools & Coolants: Excess heat reduces tool life, dulls cutting edges faster, and evaporates coolant more quickly, leading to increased downtime or part defects.
In short, higher temperatures can directly impact dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and overall part quality.
Quality Demands Stability 🧪
When it comes to quality control, consistency is everything — and heat is the enemy of consistency.
Inspection equipment like CMMs, micrometers, and Faro Arms are designed to operate in controlled conditions. A few degrees of temperature difference can cause parts or tooling to expand just enough to fall out of spec. That’s why our climate-controlled quality lab is so important. It provides a stable environment where we can verify precision work regardless of what’s happening on the shop floor.
Likewise, our machine shop benefits from temperature stability when holding tight tolerances on critical components. The fewer environmental variables we introduce, the more confident we can be in every dimension we measure and every part we deliver.
Our People: The Most Important Variable 👷♂️
The physical demands of metalworking are tough on a good day — and even tougher in a heatwave. That’s why our team’s safety and comfort come first.
We’re actively combatting the heat with:
More frequent breaks and hydration stations
A temperature-controlled machine shop and quality lab to limit exposure
Flexible workflows to minimize peak-heat tasks
An emphasis on looking out for each other and keeping spirits high
Just as important, we’re staying mindful. Being aware of how heat impacts material behavior, equipment accuracy, and team performance is the first step to maintaining quality under pressure. Summer heat can slow some things down — but not our standards, and not our team’s commitment to the mission.
If you're in the industry and facing similar challenges, we’d love to hear how your team is adapting. And if you're looking for a supplier who doesn’t compromise on quality — no matter the weather — let’s talk.
