Hardox 500 sawing improved due to Damatech’s R&D efforts

Company Damatech constantly strives to improve and upgrade existing expertise about processing of prehardened steels and by that offering the most economically solutions to our clients.

Hardox 500 is highly wear resistant steel which is, beside its other unique features, due to its high hardness of the steel (500HB). On one hand, high hardness is a very desired feature for wear resistant steel because it prolongs lifetime of applications. However, on the other hand, high hardness of a steel represents a challenge when we are looking for cost-efficient processing that would not alter steel's features. In the past, we were cutting Hardox 500 with either plasma cut or water jet cut. Plasma cutting is a very cost-effective solution, but it is a heat treatment technology which means that in the influence zone steel's properties are going to be altered. Alternatively, we could cut Hardox 500 with water cut which does not alter steel's properties as it is a manner of cold processing, but it is associated with higher costs. Confronted with this dilemma, the company Damatech decided to start a R&D project with the goal of developing a technology which would enable cutting steel with hardness of 500 HB with band saw machines. Band sawing represents a very cost effective manner of cold cutting. In the past, however, due to high hardness of Hardox 500 we could not cut it with band saws.

After investing in R&D efforts, we were able to develop a technology that is now allowing us to cut Hardox 500 with band saw machines. Thereby, we can offer our customers cost-effective solution that does not alter steel's properties.