The more adequate the aging time, the more thoroughly the internal stresses of the granite platform are released, resulting in more stable long-term accuracy and less deformation; however, excessive aging leads to diminishing marginal returns on accuracy improvement and significantly increases costs.
I. Consequences of Insufficient Aging (Too Short Time)
Common in: Natural aging < 3 months, direct finish machiintermediate process dwell
Internal stresses are not fully relaxed, leading to slow deformation shortly after machining
Flatness and straightness rebound, originally qualified precision gradually deteriorates
Waage, local dents, and edge lifting occur during use
Precision drifts after assembly, affecting long-term equipment stability
High precision grades (Grade 00, Grade 0) acally unable to stably meet standards
Simply put: Insufficient aging means precision is “false qualified” and will degrade during use.
II. Effects of Moderate Aging (Industry Stdard Range)
- Rough Stock Natural Aging
Conventional precision platforms: 6–12 months
Ultra-high precision / large-size platforms: 12–24 mohs
Effects:
Internal stresses are basically released
Long-term dimensional stability after finish machining, with extremely small annual deformation
Flatness can be stably maintained at Grade00, Grade 0
Subsequent obvious deformation due to stress is almost eliminated - Inter-process Aging
After rough machining: 2–4 weeks
After semi-finish mchining: 1–2 weeks
Effects:
Stress from cutting is released layer by layer, avoiding cumulative deformation
Uniform finish machining allowance, making flatness easier to control after grinding
IIImpact of Excessive Aging (Far Exceeding Conventional Cycle)
First 3–12 months: Fastest stress release, most obvious precision improvement18–24 months: Tends to saturate; further extending aging
Improvement in dimensional stability is very limited
No further improvement to final flatness
Only significantly increases inventory and capital costs
Conclusion:
Aging is not better the longer it is; after the stabilization period, there is basically no gain in precision.
IV. Correspondence between Aging Time acision Grade (Practical Version)
Table
Aging Method | Recommended Duration | Achievable Precision Grade | Applicable Scenario
Short Natural Aging | < 3 monthade 1, Grade 2 | Ordinary tooling, simple references
Standard Natural Aging | 6–12 months | Grade 0, Grade 00 | Precision inspection, machinetool tables
Ultra-long Natural Aging | 18–24 months | Grade 00, Metrology Grade | CMMs, optical references, semiconductor equipment
Inter-proAging | Each 2–4 weeks | Ensures precision does not rebound | Essential for all high-precision platforms
