Carbon Steel – While most blade manufacturers use AISI 1095, we normally us 1.25 Carbon Steel. 1095 steel has 0.95% Carbon while our 1.25% Carbon. This increased Carbon allows our blades to be heat treated to a higher hardness and offers better wear resistance. This steel is a good, economical choice when fair wear resistance is required and corrosion is not a problem.
Stainless - We offer several grades of Stainless Steel:
- L55-SA is a standard grade, near an AISI 420. While its Chromium is high (13%) the lower carbon (.5%) makes it a less wear resistant choice. However, it is excellent steel that will offer an economical mixture of corrosion and wear resistance.
- 13C26- is the next grade up, with a Carbon content of 0.68%. It is more wear resistant, at a slightly higher cost.
- 19C27 or GIM4- is our super grade Stainless Steel. It’s 0.95% Carbon offers the most wear resistance of any stainless steel, with good resistance to corrosion.
- 300 SERIES- is an Austenitic Stainless Steel that is very resistant to corrosion. However, due to the low Carbon content, the steel will not offer good wear resistance. It should only be chosen when corrosion is paramount and wear resistance is not of primary interest.
Tool Steels- These steels include A-2, D-2, M-2, and powdered metals such as A-11. Blades made of these materials cannot be made in strip and must be ground with CNC machines, raising the production costs. However, the high wear resistance can still make them a good choice for many applications.
Coatings- There is a variety of coatings on the market; we have decades of experience with coatings
·
- TITANIUM NITRIDE (TIN)- This familiar gold coating is economical as it adds some lubricity and wear resistance.
- CERAMIC/EXTREME COATING- This coating offers good wear resistance at a fair price. Its advantages are that it can be applied to any material and it will not cause blades to warp.
- TITANIUM CARBIDE (TIC)- We have had our most success with this coating, as it makes our blades extremely wear resistant. TIC cannot be applied to very thin blades or Carbon Steel.
SOLID TUNGSTEN CARBIDE- Our unique grades, ultra-fine & sub-micron grade Tungsten Carbide, offer the best blend of wear resistance and toughness. We can polish all our edges and surfaces to a 2 RMS finish, which is unequaled in the blade industry. Each cutting edge is microscopically inspected at 50X, to assure our customers a perfect blade. Carbide blades can last hundreds of times longer, so it can be an excellent choice in high production applications or where a superior cut is needed. These blades can be resharpened, further increasing their cost effectiveness.
ZIRCONIA CERAMICS- We use a special grade of Zirconia that offers great wear resistance. While these blades are not the choice for high-stock applications, they can usually outperform any other blade. Zirconia Ceramic blades can also be resharpened. With wear life similar to carbide, ceramic can have more resistance to heat; thus, making this material potentially a great choice for high heat and adhesive applications.
SAPPHIRE- NEW!! We are now using classified grades of this precious stone for razor blade applications. Sapphire has superior sharpness and durability characteristics than that of ever carbide or ceramic. Sapphire’s true benefit is that it can withstand much higher heat applications than solid carbide or ceramic materials. This translates into even faster production speeds for our users, increased productivity, decreased down time, decreased scrap, and higher profits.
DIAMOND- Now Available!
This list is not a complete list, but it does include our most popular blade materials. Choosing a material is a complex decision and we encourage you to use our experienced sales engineers to help you with your decision. Call today! |
