Heat treatment is a set of industrial, thermal, and metal processing processes used to alter the physical and sometimes chemical properties of materials. The most common application is metallurgy. Heat treatment is also used to manufacture many other materials, such as glass. Heat treatment involves the use of heating or cooling, typically reaching extreme temperatures to achieve the desired results, such as hardening or softening of the material. Heat treatment techniques include annealing, surface hardening, precipitation strengthening, tempering, carburizing, normalizing, and quenching. Although the term heat treatment only applies to the process of heating and cooling for specific purposes that intentionally alter performance, heating and cooling typically occur accidentally during other manufacturing processes such as hot forming or welding.