High-speed steel is a tool alloy steel. The end product is the material highly resistant to abrasion, shape change and high temperatures (up to 600°C). These parameters are obtained due to the separation of secondary carbides, which are the natural cause of obtaining secondary hardness. In order to obtain a satisfactory quality of high-speed steel, an alloy is treated which in its composition has m.in. carbon, tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, chromium and cobalt. After making the appropriate alloy, it is subjected to annealing, hardening and double tempering processes. Prepared in this way steel it acquires specific chemical properties, and thus – technical ones, thanks to which it acquires the ability to cut. The main advantages of high-speed steel are the hardness of workmanship and the ductility of the core.
Where is high-speed steel used?
Due to its technical parameters, high-speed steel is classified as a highly resistant material, which allows it to be widely used, m.in, in the production of tools. Therefore, the main application of high-speed steel is the manufacture of tools for high-performance machining, at which the speed of steel works reaches up to 50m/min. The most popular elements of this type include blades, knives, cutters or drills. Later, they are used in industrial saws, drills, taps, cutters, reamers, drills, dredgers and turning knives.
Therefore, the use of high-speed steel is extremely wide. The tools for the manufacture of which this alloy is used have their daily use in many industries, such as carpentry, mechanics, automotive, shipbuilding or construction, but it should be remembered that they are also used for personal use or simply non-industrial. Many of us have tools in our garages or workshops, the basis of which is a blade made of high-speed steel, although we may not even realize it.
