Floor word for plunging a hot part into the quench. Hand-dunked parts go in fast and are moved to break the vapor blanket, with long parts lowered vertically and stroked up and down so they cool evenly on all sides. Dunk time is also used for how long a part stays in the quench before it comes out.
Grab it with the tongs and dunk it straight down, don't wave it sideways in the oil.
Long shafts go in vertical and move up and down; swirl them sideways and they come out shaped like a banana.
Also heard as
- dunk time
Related terms
Quench
To cool hot metal rapidly in a liquid or gas so that it hardens, or the act of doing so.
Vapor blanket
The film of vapor that wraps red-hot steel at the start of a liquid quench and slows its cooling.
Distortion
Unwanted change in shape or size of a part during heat treatment, such as bowing, warping or ovality.
Pull
To take a load or part out of the furnace, usually on its way to the quench or at the end of a cycle.