The NanoSteel Company, a specialist in nano-structured steel materials design, announced the introduction of a portfolio of ferrous powders designed to extend steel’s capabilities in near net shape wear parts for highly abrasive environments. These new alloys feature hardness in excess of 1400HV, wear-resistances well below 10mm³ volume loss (ASTM G-65) and spherical morphology that results in excellent packing factors and flowability important for producing high-density parts under tight dimensional control. This family of new powders enables the production of extreme hardness wear parts through a wide variety of consolidation processes including additive manufacturing without the need for subsequent heat treatment.
In a recent trial of a die insert application, the NanoSteel material out-performed the tool steel AISI A11 by 6x after withstanding the significant abrasive forces imparted during the consolidation of a ceramic powder all while maintaining a mirror surface finish. The significantly longer life-cycle of the die insert part increases operational efficiencies demonstrating that the company’s material is ideal for applications that require higher wear resistance than current tool steels.
“Our new portfolio expands the applicability of ferrous powders for consolidated parts into extreme wear environments”, said Harald Lemke, vice president and general manager of engineered powders.
