In our daily life, High Speed Steel (HSS) occupies a pivotal position in cutting tools, molds, and other fields with its excellent wear resistance, red hardness, and cutting performance. Among them, M2 and M3 are two common high-speed steel grades, each with unique properties and uses. In this article, we will provide an in-depth analysis of the difference between M2 and M3 high-speed steel to provide reference for professionals in related fields.
What is the difference between M2 and M3 HSS?
1. Chemical composition and alloying elements
M2 and M3 high-speed steels differ in chemical composition, which directly affects their performance. M2 high-speed steel is a tungsten-molybdenum series general-purpose high-speed steel that contains tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, vanadium, cobalt and other alloying elements. The total amount of these elements usually reaches about 10 to 25%. Among them, tungsten and molybdenum are the main alloying elements, which can significantly increase the hardness and red hardness of steel. M3 high-speed steel is similar to M2 in chemical composition, but has a slightly different ratio of alloy elements, which leads to differences in performance between the two.
2. Hardness and wear resistance
Hardness is one of the important indicators to measure the performance of high-speed steel. After proper heat treatment, the hardness of M2 high-speed steel can reach 60-65HRC or even higher. This high hardness makes M2 high-speed steel perform well in high-speed cutting and heavy-load cutting, and can withstand large cutting forces and cutting heat. The hardness of M3 high-speed steel is slightly lower than M2, but it also has excellent wear resistance. In practical applications, M3 high-speed steel is more used to manufacture cutting tools and molds that require high wear resistance.
3. Red hardness
Red hardness refers to the ability of steel to maintain its hardness at high temperatures. For high-speed steel, red hardness is one of its most significant features. M2 high-speed steel is famous for its excellent red hardness and can maintain high hardness even at high temperatures, which makes it have excellent performance in high-speed cutting and heavy-load cutting. Although M3 high-speed steel is slightly inferior to M2 in terms of red hardness, it still has high red hardness and can meet most cutting and mold manufacturing needs.
4. Toughness and impact resistance
In addition to hardness and red hardness, toughness and impact resistance are also important indicators of high-speed steel performance. M2 high-speed steel performs better in terms of toughness and can maintain good stability when bearing impact loads. M3 high-speed steel is relatively weak in toughness, but its impact resistance is still high. M2 high-speed steel may be more advantageous in cutting and mold manufacturing where shock loads are required.
5. Application areas
Due to the differences in performance between M2 and M3 high-speed steel, their application fields are also different. M2 high-speed steel is widely used in the manufacture of various cutting tools, drill bits, gear cutters, etc., especially in situations where high-speed cutting and heavy-duty cutting are required. M3 high-speed steel is more used to manufacture cutting tools and dies that require high wear resistance, such as cold extrusion dies, hot extrusion dies, etc.
Conclusion
To sum up, there are differences between M2 and M3 high-speed steel in terms of chemical composition, hardness, red hardness, toughness, and application fields. When choosing which high-speed steel to use, comprehensive considerations should be made based on specific application requirements and working conditions. I hope this article can provide reference and reference for professionals in related fields.
Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you to have a better understanding of the difference between M2 and M3 HSS. If you are looking for M2 and M3 High-speed steel suppliers and manufacturers online now, we would advise you to visit Sino Special Metal for more information.
As a leading supplier of high-speed steel from Shanghai China, Sino Special Metal offers customers high-quality high-speed steel products at a very competitive price.
