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What is High Speed Steel or HSS

High Speed Steel (HSS) is the term used to define material for tool steels that can be used at a high machining speed (such as cutting or drilling).

What are high speed steels

HSS or high speed steels are a class of high carbon and alloy steels, designed specifically for cutting tools and applications requiring high strength and hardness, although they are also used successfully in cold work.

This material is known for its ability to maintain its hardness even at elevated temperatures, making it ideal for high-speed machining and cutting operations.

It is mainly composed of chromium, tungsten, vanadium and carbon. These elements not only increase hardness and wear resistance but also improve their performance at high temperatures. Thus, each metal contributes the following characteristics to HSS steels:

  1. Carbon: increases hardness and wear resistance.
  2. Tungsten: improves hot hardness and resistance to softening. In addition, if the percentage of tungsten exceeds 18%, the steel is called extra-fast or super-fast.
  3. Molybdenum: increases toughness and corrosion resistance.
  4. Chromium: provides hardness and resistance to oxidation.
  5. Vanadium: improves wear resistance and hardness.

Thanks to these characteristics, products and tools made from high-speed steels provide better performance than those made from carbon steel

Characteristics of high-speed steel

The main characteristics of high-speed tool steels are their high wear resistance and ability to maintain hardness even at very high temperatures. In addition, they have excellent toughness and corrosion resistance

On the other hand, it also offers a remarkable ability to maintain its shape and sharpness even under extreme working conditions, which improves precision and efficiency in manufacturing processes.

Types of HSS steel

There are several types of high-speed steels, each of which is designed to meet certain requirements in terms of strength, hardness and industrial applications. The most common are as follows:

HSS

Include elements such as tungsten and vanadium to improve wear resistance and hot hardness. They require heat treatment to acquire their properties and characteristics.

HSSE or Super High Speed Steel

This type of high speed steel contains cobalt to increase wear resistance and toughness, ideal for cutting tools operating at high speeds.

HSS Co5, HSS Co8, HSS Co10

These three types are cobalt alloys with different percentages of cobalt, varying from 5 to 10%, giving increased strength and durability in demanding conditions. 

HSS with other alloying elements

Elements can range from manganese, molybdenum, tungsten and tungsten in concentrations above 7%, together with carbon above 0.6%. These elements improve properties such as corrosion resistance and thermal stability.

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