Replacement for M4

[tomwalz]

I needs steel strip 0.025” and 0.032” thick by 0.50” wide for use in knives. Currently M4 is used. The knives will be six inches long.

We are going to weld or braze a piece of higher wear material on these to make thread cutting knives. The knives will be straight to start then they will be pushed forward and takes a slight bow so that the side of the knife slides along another surface. Then the knives will be withdrawn to straight again.

What material can we use besides M4 that is weldable and can be flexed tens or hundreds of thousands of times without taking a set.

Thank you,

Tom Walz


Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.

 

[TVP]

That is really thin strip, which means that standard products will be quite limited. Spring steel grades that are frequently referred to as Flapper Valve steels are produced in large quantities in the thickness range that you need. They have very high fatigue life, due to quench and temper processing, often followed by a surface polishing treatment. The only downside is that the properties will be reduced if exposed to heat from welding or brazing. If M4 tool steel works in your current application, then I would look at Sandvik or Hitachi spring grades. Admiral Steel has a nice summary on their website:

http://www.admiralsteel.com/products/blades.html

 

[tomwalz]

Thank you, Sir.

Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.