The Best Material in Manufacturing Superior Knives
Changing material is by far the easiest way to increase the useful lives of your knives. Extending the life of a cutting edge by three-five times by changing the material is not uncommon. In one case, 0-1 knives lasted six hours slitting rubber for golf ball thread, whereas M-3 high speed knives ran over a month before regrinding was necessary. While the M-3 knives were three times as expensive as the 0-1, the regrinding costs were only slightly higher and the total benefits more than justified the extra cost.
Material specifications are as important in establishing the durability of the tool as dimensions are. Our experts at Florida Knife will help you select which of the 100 grades of tool steel recognized as standard by the AISI would be best for your needs.
- Table A below gives a list of some of the more common steels used in the manufacture of machine knives and a brief description of their uses.
- Tables B and C evaluate wear resistance of the common steels.
- Tables D compares the edge strength of various steels.
- Table E measures the effectiveness of these steels to resist corrosion.
It should be understood that not all of the steels are available in small quantities or in all forms. Also, it may not be economically feasible to make large knives of solid carbide or high speed steel, although in some instances high speed or high alloy steels can be inlaid as a knife edge material, or carbide can be brazed to a backing of less expensive steel.
Learn about other important processes needed to create a good machine knife:
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