Differences between HSS and carbide drills. Steel grade hss decoding

Legend

Deciphering the chemical composition of steels classified as HSS is difficult, since their designation does not contain any detailed data. As a rule, catalogs for tools made from steels of this category contain information about the materials for which they can be used. In order to relatively accurately determine the chemical composition of HSS steels, it is necessary to use special equipment or solve this issue experimentally.

Most likely, this is a German analogue of high-speed steel HSS M2

H.S.S.

The letter R is often added to this abbreviation. These are drills that are characterized by the least durability. They undergo roller rolling and heat treatment.

HSS G

This designation is applied to drills whose cutting part is ground using Borazon (CBN). HSS G tools are the most common and are distinguished by their increased durability. In addition, a metal drill on which such a designation is applied creates the least runout when processing with it.

HSS with letter E

This designation indicates that the material used to manufacture the product contains cobalt. Tools with the HSSE designation are ideal for machining difficult materials and materials with high viscosity. As mentioned above, an analogue of the HSSE designation is the M35 marking. There are also international analogues of the HSSE designation (HSS-Co5 and HSS-Co8), which can be used to accurately determine how much cobalt is contained in the steel alloy.

Steel of this grade is extremely difficult to cut with a grinder

HSS G TiN

This designation indicates that the surface of the tool is coated with titanium nitride. Due to this, both the hardness of the surface layer of the product increases (by approximately 2300 HV) and its heat resistance (up to 600°).

HSS G TiAIN

The surface of the tool with this designation is coated with titanium nitride alloyed with aluminum. Thanks to this coating, the hardness of the surface layer of such a drill increases by approximately 3000 HV, and the thermal resistance by 900°.

HSS E VAP

Products with this designation can be used for. There is less chip sticking to their surface, so they break less often and provide high quality processing.

You can often find tools with the designation HSS 4241, which are used primarily for processing wood, plastic and aluminum products. As for the Super HSS designation, each manufacturer puts into it their own ideas about the quality of the tool.

The video shows a test of a knife made of HSS W18 steel.

Main characteristics and brands

Depending on their composition, HSS steels are divided into three categories:

• with a high content of tungsten (T);
• molybdenum (M);
• highly doped group.

Chemical composition of tungsten HSS steels

Due to the high cost and shortage of tungsten, steels with a high tungsten content are used quite rarely in our time. The most common steels in this group are the general purpose alloy T1 and the steel alloy T15 containing vanadium and cobalt. The latter is used, in particular, for the manufacture of products that must be highly resistant to wear and high temperatures.

Chemical composition of molybdenum HSS steels

More common are HSS molybdenum steels, which may also contain tungsten and cobalt. High-speed steels of the molybdenum group, which contain a significant amount of vanadium and carbon, are resistant to abrasive wear. For the manufacture of products that must maintain high hardness even at high temperatures, molybdenum steel alloys are used, starting from grade M41. In the production of tools operated in cold conditions and with high impact strength, steel alloys of the molybdenum group are also used, subjecting them to special heat treatment.

Chemical composition of high alloy HSS steels

When choosing tools from HSS steels of the molybdenum group, you should take into account the characteristics of individual grades of such steel alloys.

HSS drills for a wide range of applications are made from steel of this grade. HSS drills made from M1 alloy are more flexible and less susceptible to shock loads, but their red-hardness level is lower than that of tools made from M2 steel.

This is the most common material from which tools for various purposes are made. Products made from HSS steel of this grade, used for high-performance machine work, are distinguished by high red resistance; the parameters of their cutting edges are maintained longer than those of tools made from high-speed steels of other brands.

This alloy is used to produce powerful drills, which require not only high flexibility, but also exceptional reliability. Using HSS metal drills, made from this alloy, holes are made in hard and thick sheet materials.

This is the material used to make drills that work with portable equipment. Under these conditions, tool breakage due to significant bending is a fairly pressing problem. An HSS drill made from M50 steel alloy does not have the same red resistance as tools made from other grades of high-speed steel.

What steel are metal drills made of and which is better?

To choose high-quality drills that can last a long time and maintain sharpness despite repeated use, it is important to know what types of steel such a tool is made from and what their differences are. The best metal drills are made from high-speed steel HSS (a common abbreviation) with the addition of a number of impurities

The price of the instrument and the properties described above depend on their type and quantity.

High speed steel is characterized by its high hardness, ability to resist fracture and tolerance of temperature resulting from drilling speed. The material is doped with special impurities, which is indicated in the marking.

For example:

• P - reports that tungsten is present in the alloy.
• F is an indicator of the presence of vanadium.
• M - indicates the addition of molybdenum.

Sometimes manufacturers list the type of steel as a special benefit of their products. What can such a marking tell us? Let's look at popular options.

Drill bits made of HSS-E steel

5-8% cobalt is added to this high-speed steel. This technological solution allows them to drill into stainless steel with a tensile strength of up to 1200 N/mm2. Designed for particularly astringent and difficult materials when heated. Instead of the letter E, they may be designated Co.

HSS-E steel drill

Drills made of steel HSS-TiAIN

They have a three-layer coating (titanium-aluminum-nitride). This increases their heat resistance to a temperature of 900 degrees and allows them to be used on steel with a strength of 1100 N/mm2. They have an increased service life, 5 times longer than other types.

Drill made of HSS-TiAIN steel.

Drills made of HSS-TiN steel

The marking indicates that the outer layer is sprayed with titanium nitride. This adds strength and increases heat resistance up to 600 degrees. Suitable for making holes in cast iron, aluminium, carbon and alloy steel with a tensile strength of 1100 N/mm2.

Drill made of HSS-TiN steel.

Drill bits made of HSS-G steel

Suitable for cast iron and various types of steel with a tensile strength of 900 N/mm2. The cutting part in them is polished using cubic boron nitride. This gives resistance to radial runout and abrasion resistance. Drills made of this steel are the most common.

Drill made of HSS-G steel.

Steel drill bits HSS-R

This is a high-speed steel with the lowest durability. It can also be indicated simply without the letter R, which will mean conventional heat treatment (hardening) and roller rolling. Suitable for creating holes in mild steel and cast iron.

Drill made of HSS-R steel.

Carbide drills

This type of material only touches the tip of the drill. It is designed to withstand very high temperature loads and is abrasion resistant. This HHS is used for drills designed to work with titanium alloys, heat-resistant steels and stainless steel.

Carbide drills.

Types and purposes of HSS drills - markings, parameters, manufacturers

Due to the huge variety of drills available for sale, it is sometimes difficult for the average person to decide on the appropriate option. You should be especially careful when choosing a tool for drilling metal or steel surfaces: mistakes in this case can lead to serious damage. In such situations, experts recommend using HSS metal drills.

Recommendations for selection

When choosing a drill for metal, it is advisable to buy products from well-known brands, where the sharpening is at the highest level and the alloy is durable and of high quality:

Ruko. An excellent option in terms of price/quality ratio. It is recommended to pay attention to the TL 3000 models, distinguished by their versatility and titanium coating. These drills are good in cases where medium and long chips are formed during work.

Bosch. A well-known global brand of a variety of hand construction tools and their components. Bosch products are especially appreciated by professional builders.

Haisser. Very powerful drills that are used in industry and everyday life. They are able to withstand the most extreme loads thanks to titanium alloy and special sharpening.

"EKTO". The products of this domestic manufacturer are an order of magnitude cheaper than their Western counterparts, with good quality and service life. Recommended mainly for household use.

Types and purposes of HSS drills - markings, parameters, manufacturersLink to main publication

Characteristics of HSS steels

HSS steels are divided into three groups:

• Tungsten (T);
• Molybdenum (M);
• High-alloy high-speed steels.

Tungsten steels are practically not used today due to the high cost of tungsten and its shortage. The most common are T1 general purpose steel and T15 vanadium cobalt steel. T15 is used for tools operating under conditions of high temperatures and wear.

Molybdenum group steels have molybdenum as their main alloying element, although some contain equal or greater amounts of tungsten and cobalt. Steels with a high content of vanadium and carbon are resistant to abrasive wear. A series of steels starting from M41 is characterized by high hardness when operating at high temperatures (red resistance). Molybdenum steels are also used in the manufacture of tools operating in “cold” conditions - rolling dies, cutting dies. In such cases, HSS steels are hardened to lower temperatures to improve toughness.

Table of common chemical compositions of HSS steels. Domestic analogues.

Not all analogues may be indicated in the table, since at present there may be a large number of borrowed, non-governed brands.

A cutting tool made with tungsten content (W) will have a very useful quality for the tool - red resistance. It allows tools to maintain a sharp cutting edge and hardness at red-hot temperatures (up to 530°C). Cobalt further increases the red hardness and wear resistance of HSS steels.

M1. Used for the production of drills for a wide range of applications. M1 steels have lower red resistance than M2 steels, but are less susceptible to impact and are more flexible, making them suitable for general work.

M2. Standard material for making tools from HSS steels. M2 has good red hardness and retains its cutting edge longer than other HSS steels with lower tungsten content. Typically used for the manufacture of tools for high-performance machine work.

M7. Used for heavy-duty drills for drilling hard sheet metal. Typically used where flexibility and extended service life are equally important.

M50. Used to make drill bits that are used for drilling on portable equipment where breakage due to bending is a problem. Does not have the same red resistance as other HSS tungsten steels.

M35. M35 steels have increased red resistance compared to M2. At the same time, cobalt slightly reduces impact resistance.

M42. M42 “Super Cobalt” steels have excellent abrasion resistance and good red-hardness. Used for work on viscous and complex materials.

What is characteristic of HSS steel

The designation "HSS" refers to the high-speed steel used to make cutting tools. We are primarily talking about drills, cutters, dies and taps. According to its characteristics, this high-carbon material is slightly reminiscent of hard alloys, differing from them in greater strength and low cost. The hardness level here can reach 62-64 units (HRC scale).

There are three main types of this steel:

• Tungsten. The high cost of this component explains the fact that tungsten steels are almost completely unavailable.
• Molybdenum. A more common option that contains vanadium and carbon: this gives it high abrasive resistance.
• Highly alloyed.

If the alloy contains tungsten, this gives it “red-hardness”: thanks to it, the tool continues to remain sharp after reaching the temperature at which the material becomes red-hot (approximately + 530 degrees). Cobalt makes alloys even more red-hard and wear-resistant.

Main advantages

To ensure the efficiency of the work process remains high, it is best to use special drilling modes where short gears are used. Although the geometry of the drill is designed in such a way that chips do not accumulate in large quantities on the surface, it is still worth cleaning the product from time to time. This approach will ensure higher processing accuracy.

The design of the drill has a large margin of safety, which is largely determined by the quality of the high-speed steel used. Among the main advantages it is worth noting the following points:

• During the production process of the drill, the grinding method was used, which ensures a low level of friction and heating of the element;
• the element fully complies with European standards;
• In most cases, preliminary heeling is not required;
• Due to their high level of strength, HSS-G DIN 338 drills are ideal for intermittent drilling.

An important advantage is the perfectly polished surface, which ensures minimal friction, which has a positive effect on the service life, as well as the heating of the metal during long-term work. The drill can be used not only for processing materials made of steel, but also structures made of cast iron, non-ferrous metals and even hard plastics.

Due to the fact that the element has a conical shape, as well as a transverse cut, the level of strength and reliability increases significantly. The likelihood of breakage during operation is quite low, which makes it possible to use Ruko drills for professional-level work.

As is commonly referred to in the West

A drill made from a similar material in the West is marked as “HSS”. The presence of additional letter indicators helps to form an idea of ​​the alloying method.

Decoding of the designations accepted in the West:

• HSS(R). The least resistant drills made by roller rolling in high heat mode.
• HSS G. The cutting edge here is ground with Borazon. These are the most popular tools due to their high durability. During drilling, the vibration effect is minimal.
• HSS E. The letter “E” makes it clear that the composition contains cobalt. Drills of this type can make holes in complex materials of high viscosity (M35 alloys are labeled this way on the domestic market). In some cases, the manufacturer may be more precise in specifying the percentage of cobalt (for example, HSS-Co 5 or HSS-Co8).
• HSS G TiN. Titanium nitride is used as sputtering in this case. This allows you to make the surface layer of the tool an order of magnitude harder, while increasing the resistance to heat up to + 600 degrees.
• HSS G TiAIN. An indication of the spraying of drills with titanium nitride, which is additionally alloyed with aluminum. In this way, an increase in the strength of the protective layer by almost 3000 HV is achieved. Heat resistance increases by almost 900 degrees.
• HSS E VAP. Designed for drilling stainless steel substrates: chips practically do not stick here. Failures of products in this series occur extremely rarely, and the holes are of very high quality.
• HSS 4241. Devices marked in this way are used to process wood, plastic and aluminum products.

Tips for choosing

To choose the right drill, you need to pay attention to important points

• Study the characteristics of the material and the capabilities of the drill so that the tool meets the requirements of the work being performed.
• Look at the color of the product. It can talk about how the metal was processed.
  steel color indicates that no heat treatment was performed;
• yellow – the metal has been processed, internal stress in the material has been eliminated;
• a bright golden hue indicates the presence of titanium nitride, which increases wear resistance;
• black – the metal is processed with hot steam.
• Study the markings to find out the type of steel, diameter, hardness.
• Find out about the manufacturer, consult with specialists.
• Study the issue of tool sharpening.

Often drills are sold in sets, for example, with different diameters. The question of purchasing such a tool requires an understanding of what purposes the drill is required for and how many options can be used.

To learn how to make a device for sharpening a drill on a grinder, see the video below.

Marking

Each manufacturer marks the shank of a metal drill HSS with its diameter and the symbol HSS of the steel from which the tool is made. It can be just an abbreviation of these letters or with the addition of English, several letters, numbers or letters with numbers. They indicate the manufacturing technology, chemical composition and carry information about the materials with which they can work. Foreign manufacturers indicate these properties in catalogs. However, the marking does not reveal the chemical composition of the instrument. They are produced in accordance with the requirements of international standards DIN 338, 340, 1879.

What are they?

Drills come in different shapes. Each of them is used in a specific area. All high-speed drills are needed for cutting metal.

Spiral is suitable for creating holes in parts made of special alloys, wear-resistant steels, steels for structures with a strength of up to 1400 N/mm2, both ordinary and hardened, gray or ductile cast iron. It is used both in hand-held electric and pneumatic tools, and in metal-cutting machines.

A step drill is used to create holes of different diameters in different types of materials. The appearance of such a drill resembles a cone with a stepped surface.

A core drill is a hollow cylinder used to create holes in steel alloys and non-ferrous metals. Removes metal from the edge of the hole, leaving the core intact.

Types of cutting tools

HSS (the first letters of the English expression High Speed ​​Steel) is high-speed steel, i.e. high-alloy carbon. In addition to iron and carbon, components such as tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, titanium and others are added to the composition of the metal in certain quantities. In addition, special substances are sprayed onto the surface of the product to increase the strength and heat resistance of the product. Drills made on the basis of HSS steels are divided into 3 groups:

• tungsten;
• molybdenum;
• highly alloyed.

Tungsten cutting tools are available in seven types: T1, T2, T4, T5, T6, T8 and T15. They differ in the content of carbon (from 0.75 to 1.5%), vanadium (from 1 to 5%), tungsten (from 12 to 18%), cobalt (from 5 to 12%), chromium (from 4 to 4. 5 %). Drills made from tungsten steels are used to work with carbon, alloy, corrosion-resistant, and heat-resistant steels.

Molybdenum tools are available in twelve types: M1, M2, M3, M4, M6, M7, M10, M30, M33, M34, M35 and M36. The carbon content in them is from 0.8 to 1.3%. The amount of molybdenum ranges from 4.5 to 9%. HSS drills differ in the content of chromium, vanadium and tungsten. The M35 type drill also contains cobalt and nickel. These additives allow steel to be processed at high speed when the cutting edge is heated.

High-alloy products are available in ten types: M41, M42, M43, M44, M46, M47, M48, M50, M52 and M62. They have a more complex chemical composition. They are subjected to heat treatment, which allows them to be used at low temperatures. They have good impact strength.

Features of heat treatment

The result of high-temperature processing of high-speed steels is a change in the structure of the material to obtain certain physical and mechanical properties required when working with this tool.

Annealing

HSS steel after the rolling and forging process acquires increased hardness and internal stress. In this regard, the workpieces are preliminarily annealed. Annealing relieves the internal stress of the material, improves machinability and prepares it for hardening.

The annealing process occurs at a temperature of about 850-900°C. However, one should be wary of excessively increasing the temperature and duration of exposure, because this may cause the steel to become more hard. Due to the reduced thermal conductivity of the alloy, heating is carried out slowly and evenly.

The products are loaded into the oven at a temperature of 200-300oC, while subsequent heating is increased at a rate of 150-200o/hour. The process ends with slow cooling: first in an oven to 650 ° C, and then to room temperature in the open air.

Machine-building plants subject a small number of workpieces to isothermal annealing. They are heated to 880-900oC for a short time, and then transferred to an oven with a temperature not higher than 720-730oC for 2-3 hours. To protect against the appearance of excessive internal stresses, the workpieces are cooled in an oven to 400-450°C and then left in the open air.

Conventional annealing takes longer than the isothermal process. Subsequently, the workpieces undergo mechanical processing, and then the tool undergoes the final heat treatment process - hardening and tempering.

Hardening

Tools made of high-speed steel are hardened at temperatures above 1300°C. After the hardening process, repeated tempering occurs at 550-560°C. This temperature is necessary to dissolve a large number of carbides in the austenite to obtain highly alloyed austenite.

With further cooling, highly alloyed martensite is obtained, which contains large amounts of tungsten, vanadium and chromium. Martensite does not disintegrate when heated to 600°C, which gives high-speed steel red-hardness.

To obtain high red-hardness values, the temperature during hardening must be very high. However, there is a limit, when exceeded, rapid grain growth begins in high-speed steel and melting occurs.

Vacation

Hardened high-speed steel must undergo a tempering process. At a temperature of 550-560°C, a multiple process is carried out at intervals of 1 hour. The purpose of tempering is to transform austenite into martensite. High speed steel goes through two internal processes:

1. When heated and subsequently tempered, ground carbide is released from the retained austenite. As a result, the alloying of austenite is reduced, which facilitates easy transformation into martensite.
2. During cooling at 100-200°C, martensite is obtained. This also relieves the internal stress that arose during hardening.

Nowadays, factories most often use the process of accelerated tempering of steel, which takes place at elevated temperatures.

HSS steel - features, grades, designations, explanation

The abbreviation HSS, made up of the initial letters of the English words High Speed ​​Steel, denotes a whole group of steels classified as high-speed. Milling cutters, taps, and dies for thread cutting are made from steels of this type. Much less often, such material is used for the production of hacksaw blades and knives.

Alloys of the HSS category refer to high-carbon steels, some grades of which may contain significant amounts of tungsten. The hardness of a tool made from this type of steel can be in the range of 62–64 units on the HRC scale.

End mill made of HSS-Co8 steel is capable of processing material with a tensile strength of up to 1100N/mm2

Tools made from HSS steels, when compared with carbide steels, are more affordable and have higher strength, which allows them to be successfully used for interrupted cutting. Meanwhile, processing with their help is allowed at lower cutting speeds when compared with carbide drills.

The composition of high-speed steels, which foreign manufacturers call HSS alloys, has been constantly improved. So, from the end of the 19th century, a significant amount of tungsten began to be added to such steels (up to 18%), and from 1912 cobalt began to appear in these alloys. It was only in 1930 that molybdenum was included in HSS steels.

HSS-R, HSS-G, HSS-Co, HSS-E — trunk_2007

Regarding the Queen of the Fields Р18GradeCCrMoWVCoР18T1

In the 70s of the 20th century, due to a shortage of tungsten, high-speed steel grade R18 was almost universally replaced by steel grade R6M5, which in turn was replaced by tungsten-free steel R0M5F1 and R0M2F3.

The designation HSS stands for “High Speed ​​Steel” and generally applies to the entire class of high speed steels. However, in most cases this is the designation for the most widespread steel of this class - P6M5 (M-2; 1.3343; Z85WDCV; HS 6-5-2; F-5613)

GradeCCrMoWVCoР6М5M2

Approximate translation of European names of steels to our GOSTs: HSS - High Speed ​​Steel - high-speed tool steel, analogue of P6M5 (1.3343 - S6-5-2 DIN). HSS-R - rolled tool.

HSS-G - tool steel, analogue of P6M5. G (Grinding) - polished tool.

HSSE, HSS-E, HSS-Co version of HSS-G alloyed with cobalt is usually M35 - tool high-speed steel, analogue of R6M5K5. CHSS-Co8 - tool high-speed steel, analogue of R6M5K8 - M42.

“M42 is a molybdenum series high speed steel alloy wit,h an additional 8% cobalt. It is widely used in metal manufacturing because of its superior red-hardness as compared to more conventional high speed steels, allowing for shorter cycle times in production environments due to higher cutting speeds or from the increase in time between tool changes. M42 is also less prone to chipping when used for interrupted cuts and cost less when compared to the same tool made of carbide. Tools made from cobalt-bearing high speed steels can often be identified by the letters HSS-Co. "

CV - chrome vanadium tool steel.

"Noname" can drill a hole, but it requires good equipment for holes of the exact diameter. In addition, they are often made of poor steel, so it is almost impossible to re-sharpen them - after the factory sharpening has been completed, all that remains is to throw away the drill. https://www.master-forum.ru/rigging-tests?Id=611

About HSS-R, Google gives an adequate link exactly 1 - to the section on high-speed steels in the German Wiki. Holy shit.

trunk-2007.livejournal.com

HSS steels - features, grades, designations, explanation.

HSS (High Speed ​​Steel) is a general definition of a group of high-speed steels. HSS steel is used to manufacture a large number of different cutting tools. Usually these are drills, taps, cutters.... HSS steels are high carbon and some contain a large proportion of tungsten. Typically, HSS steel tools have a hardness of 62-64 HRC. The main advantage over carbide tools is the durability and lower cost of the tools. Therefore, HSS performs well in interrupted cutting. A limitation of the use of HSS is the low cutting speeds compared to carbide.

Abroad, as well as here, at the end of the 19th century, HSS steels with a high tungsten content (18%) were the first to be used. The first record of the use of cobalt in steels appeared in Germany in 1912. Later, in 1930, molybdenum was introduced into the United States.

Features of working with HSS drills

When performing a drilling operation with such a drill, it is necessary to observe the cutting modes and technology for performing the work. The basic requirements are as follows:

• select the correct type and diameter in accordance with the metal being processed;
• correctly select drilling modes (spindle speed, cutting speed);
• install at an angle of 90° to the metal surface;
• do not hit the surface of the metal when it enters;
• use coolants and media only those recommended by the manufacturer;
• use equipment and tools that have an appropriate device for installing the drill.

The video describes how to work with some types of tools:

We ask those who have worked with HSS drills to share their experience in the comments to the text, and also tell us about the tool used, the equipment used to carry out the drilling operation, and the features of drilling.

Source: wikimetall.ru