Each application, product and manufacturer has their own specific steps for heat treating, but we’ll discuss the process in general for explanation purposes. Typically the product (in this case brake rotors) are heated in a strictly controlled environment, increasing the temperature very slowly, and at predetermined intervals until they are at the maximum defined temperature. At that point the rotors will remain heated at the precise maximum temperature for a period of around 8 hours. When that heating interval ends, the rotors are very slowly cooled again using strict controls gradually reducing their temperature until they reach ambient temperature. Often times, this process can take over 24 hours. By strictly controlling the temperature and humidity, this process helps strengthen the bonds between molecules within the rotor.

Commonly known as “profiling,” DBA uses our own variation of the process that we refer to as Thermal Stability Profiling, or TSP. This TSP treatment re-aligns the microstructure of the iron resulting in added resistance to deformation, and increased heat resistance.