Pm60 for blades

[Jay Ramirez]

Ive recently found on mcmasters website that they have a "pm alloy" which is described as Pm60 has anyone ever worked with this alloy, a data sheet says its able to reach 68 hrc thanks

[Jerrod Miller]

I don't have any experience with this product, but thought I'd share the rest of the info from the McMaster website. There is also a chart that didn't want to copy and paste, but it just lists a temper temp of 1000F that will typically achieve 57-64 HRC. Based on all that, I wouldn't want to work with that material.

 

PM

 

Hardening: Vacuum, salt, or protective atmosphere methods are generally used to prevent decarburization. Preheat to 1500° to 1550° F until temperature is equalized. Additional preheating to 1200° to 1250° F and 1700° to 1750° F is suggested when using programmed control during vacuum processing. Soak at austenitizing temperature from 1850° to 2050° F, with the specific temperature and soak time determined by the hardness required. Higher hardening temperatures will provide maximum wear resistance and hardness while temperatures lower in the range will increase toughness.

 

Quench in a salt bath or oil. The rate of cooling from the hardening temperature down to 1300° F is critical to the development of optimum structure and properties. Temperature can then be equalized at 1000° to 1100° F. Continue cooling to below 150°F, or when material is warm to the touch. Temper immediately according to the chart below.

 

Heat uniformly to the tempering temperature and soak for 2 hours. Double tempering is necessary, and triple tempering is recommended when hardening at 1950° F and higher.

 

Annealing: Heat uniformly in a protective or vacuum atmosphere to 1600° F and soak for 2 hours. Slow cool 30° F per hour until 1000° F. Parts can then be cooled in air or furnace as desired. Hardness should be 225-248 Brinell (Rockwell B97-B100).

[Brian C Madigan]

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/pm60.shtml

 

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/Bohler-Uddeholm/vanadis_60.shtml

 

Note the extremely high alloy percentages. This is the Hitachi HAP72 proprietary equivalent

C : 2.10%

Cr: 4.0

MO: 8.2

W: 9.5

V: 5.0

Co: 9.5

 

So it's a Chromium-Molybdenum-Tungsten-Vanadium-Cobalt steel. I don't think I'd want to grind that.

At 68-69HRC, it's not recommended to use an edge less than 30 degrees included angle. There's at least one company making a knife out of it at 69hrc.

 

It's a powder metallurgy high speed steel for cold working plastic (deformation) dies.