noun
Technical term in metallurgy and materials science: heating metal or glass and then cooling it slowly to remove internal stresses and increase ductility.
鋼の焼きなましによって、加工がしやすくなる。
Annealing the steel makes it easier to work with.
ガラスの焼きなましを怠ると、割れやすくなる。
If you neglect to anneal the glass, it becomes prone to cracking.
Compound of 焼き (yaki, 'baking, heating') + なまし (namashi, 'softening, annealing'), from 焼く (yaku, 'to burn, heat') and 鈍す (namasu, 'to soften metal by heating'). The kanji 鈍 is rare and often replaced by kana.