Interview with Carlos Pujana, Manager of Izar Cutting Tools and new President of HSS Forum

The HSS is not anything other than the high speed steel, the classical material used for the manufacture of cutting tools. This generic designation include the M2 and the M35 (5% cobalt) used in the manufacture of drills and males of threading, the M42 (8% cobalt) used mainly in strawberries and new grades of steel alloying HSS-PM.

Rapid steels offer a curve of strength greater than any other material of court, which allows a better resistance to breakage on the cutting edge of cutting, a greater depth of cut and an increase in the advance for a tooth.

The advantages of the HSS to allow cutting edges more alive are manifested mainly in alloys difficult mechanization, where they offer better surface quality of finishes, longer life of the tool and as a result, more economy.

Also worthy of highlight is that thanks to its unique resistance, HSS tools better resist vibration and mechanical shocks in the operations of drilling or carving of gears, as well as providing better resistance to thermal shocks.

Izar is a historical manufacturer of cutting tools and today is one of the largest European consumers of these materials in the manufacture of our cutting tools.

Recent advances in the industry of the HSS have come hand in hand with the powder metallurgy. HSS-PM offers a higher content of elements of alloys, as well as a more homogeneous material microstructure, allowing to extend the life of the tool and makes it ideal substrate of coatings such as the Tiain or the TiCN, for high performance applications, such as milling in roughing, brochado...

HSS-PM

The produced by powder metallurgy HSS offers a higher content of alloy elements and a unique combination of properties: greater tenacity; greater resistance to wear; increased resistance in general; and greater resistance to heat. Also, the use of HSS-PM extends the life of the tool, makes the life of the tool is more predictable, improves performance (progress and speed) and offers a solution to the problem of the phyla mellado. The HSS-WP is an excellent substrate for achieving the best possible use of coatings. It also provides advantages in high performance as milling, drilling and escariado applications in cutting, carving of gears and brochado, and also in cases of difficult threading operations. The HSS-WP is used also in band saws, knives, tools for working in cold, roller mills, etc.

Steelmakers are continually developing new types of PM to manage an ever-increasing performance. But always get a higher performance, it is recommended that be combined efficiency of coatings with the advantages of the HSS-WP. The HSS and the WP HSS are excellent substrates for all coatings such as the TiN, Tiain, TiCN, solid coating and multilayer coatings. Coatings significantly improve the life of the tool and increase the performance of HSS tools in high productivity, cutting at high speeds and advances or in machining in dry, and machining of difficult machining materials. Coatings offer: increase the surface hardness, for a greater resistance to wear (sticky and abrasive wear, wear on flanks or craterizaciones); reduction of the coefficients of friction for better chip evacuation, to reduce shear forces, to prevent recrecidos edges, to reduce the generation of heat, etc.; reduction of the heating of the tool; resistance to corrosion and oxidation due to the chemical barrier; the cratering resistance; and improves the surface quality of the finished parts.

All the components of the International Forum of research of the HSS, starting with the manufacturers of materials like Böhler, Erasteel, Hitachi, or Forecreu, as well as coatings as Balzers or Cemecon, and manufacturers of tools, which obviously include Izar. We are very active in working together to improve the performance of our tools.

The HSS global industry suffered a brutal impact of activity and sales downturn exacerbated by the effect of the decrease in inventories throughout the supply chain during 2009. However, 2010 has been a year of clear recovery at the international level, although of very unevenly depending on each country. Spain is an example where still activity remains at very low levels and there are still signs of recovery from the industry, but global recovery is clear with activity in the steelworks pre-crisis levels.

The main task of the Forum, which includes companies involved in the industry of the HSS in Europe, America and Japan, is the promotion of the use of the HSS as an efficient alternative in modern machining processes through the development of new materialscoatings and geometries, to improve the performance of HSS tools.

Major topics covered in the last meeting were the review of the activities undertaken to date, the renewal of the members of the Executive Council and the planning of the activities planned for 2011, among which we highlight the creation of a new web site much more modern and focused on learning web or 'e-learning'as well as promoting collaboration between the members of the Forum organizing an annual meeting at the headquarters of each manufacturer, started by Izar.

Eugen Valerius has been President of the Forum since its foundation over the past nine years. Mr Valerius, with his exceptional knowledge of the industry and the invaluable collaboration of Adeline Riou, general Secretary of the Forum, has the merit of having led this project since its inception and have consolidated over the past difficult years. He deserves all credit.

The challenges that I am raising these next years are the modernization of the external image of the Forum and the dissemination of its major activities, as well as its expansion with the entry of new members that add value to its founding purpose. As regards activities, possibly the most important is the Organization of the next Conference International of the HSS Forum that we will hold in Aachen (Germany), in January 2013, where with the participation of various experts we will give to know the latest technological advances in our industry.