Plural of ausform; steel products that have been specially heat-treated to achieve specific mechanical properties while maintaining their shape.
German 'aus-' (out) + 'form' (shape), from the process name developed in Germany for austempering steel. The term emerged in metallurgy in the early 20th century.
Ausforms represent a clever engineering hack—by cooling steel in a specific way between two temperatures, manufacturers can skip the hardening step that usually makes steel brittle, creating material strong enough for car parts but flexible enough not to break.
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