Recommendation? Profiling heat-treated flat bars...

B

blzwow

Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Messages
53
HI,guys.I got some CPM CRU-WEAR flat bars heat-treated by Peters, and I want to use them to make a few knives.
My only choice for profiling and drilling them is wire cutting:(:( ....I have never used wire cutting,I'm worried about whether wire cutting will ruin the HT or stress accumulation to make the steel unstable or even have small cracks?( profiling and drilling )
Anyone can tell me some experience? Thanks!
 
Well, it's too late now, but you should have done the EDM cutting and holes before HT.
 
EDM will not affect your heat treating at all. I use to run a wire edm and we allways heat treated befor cutting. An edm does not care if the steel is soft or hard. It just has to conduct electricity. We also cut diamond sheets made by US synthetic.
 
JT, I was told that there is a HAZ up to 50 thousandths around the EDM cut. Not terribly a problem, but something to consider if cutting close profiles.

What I was saying earlier is it is simpler to cut the blanks, do any profiling clean up, and then HT the blanks. This will allow grinding bevels directly after HT.
 
I have never seen a HAZ on a wire edm that big. Maybe with a sinker edm. A wire edm does have a HAZ or white layer but it’s only a few thousands of an inch thick. It’s made up of recast molten steel from the arc.
 
Thanks - I have read that the cut is much better on re-cast and HAZ than it used to be. Probably better electronics today.
 
Yeah it’s come along way. The old machines where not so great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top