hot-working

Hot working in metallurgy involves deforming metal at temperatures above its recrystallization point. This process, which includes rolling, extrusion, drawing, and forging, allows for significant plastic strain without the risk of cracking. A key benefit of hot working is its ability to refine the metal's structure, eliminating porosity and improving ductility and toughness compared to cast shapes.123

In contrast, cold working is performed below the recrystallization temperature. While it hardens the metal and increases its strength, there's a limit to the strain it can withstand before fracturing. Work hardening, a related concept, describes the increase in a metal's hardness due to physical processes like hammering or rolling, as repeated deformations create obstacles to crystal slippage.124