Page 51 - MetalForming March 2012

Tooling by Design
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and wear resistance of the treated steel. Cryogenictreatmentsoccurattemperaturesbelow-238F.
Since cold and cryogenic treatments both occur at sub-zero temperatures, it would not be appropriate to distinguish one or the other as a “sub-zero” process, because both are sub-zero treatments.
With hardened tool steels, exposure to cryogenic tem- peratures eliminates most of the retained austenite in favor of the more wear-resistant martensite. More importantly, it also initiates the precipitation of wear-resistant carbides from the martensite phase, enhancing the steel’s overall durability and toughness.
For machine shops and metalformers, cryogenic treat- ments also can increase the life of drills, taps, mills, cutters, saw blades and broaches by 200 to 400 percent, according to one recent study. And in another study, an automaker report- ed resistance-welding electrodes running six times longer after cryogenic treatment.
After cryogenic treatments, tool steels will require at least two tempering cycles in a tempering oven. These steps can be quite time consuming—as long as 20 hr.—but they are a necessity, not an option. The entire process can take 3 to 4 days, so plan accordingly. MF
Celebrating
Yearsof 1942-2012 Excellence
PMA Celebrates 70Years of
Excellence
The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) plays a vital role in the metalforming industry. To honor PMA’s 70 years of serving the metalforming industry, MetalForming magazine, the official publication of PMA, will produce a special section in its July 2012 issue.
To join in the celebration, look for more information in upcoming issues, or contact Andrew Flando, aflando@pma.org.
www.pma.org www.metalformingmagazine.com
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www.metalformingmagazine.com
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