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Heat Treatment for ELMAX steel

ELMAX Superclean is a powder "super steel" by Uddeholm known for excellent edge retention qualities and high toughness. The steel has 1.7% carbon and often tempered to 60+ HRC in use for knife blades:

Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean is a high chromium-vanadium-molybdenum-alloyed steel with the following characteristics: 

• High wear resistance

• High compressive strength

• Corrosion resistant 

• Very good dimensional stability

High wear resistance is normally connected to low corrosion resistance and vice versa. In Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean it has however been able to achieve this unique combination of properties by a powder-metallurgy-based production

Heat treatment:

  1. Pre-heating temp 600-850 C (1110-1560 F)
  2. Quench temp: 1080 C - hold time 15 min before quenching minimum
  3. Quench: Air cool with forced air (or oil quench or plate quench as all are quick enough)
  4. Temper immediately when steel is down to 50-70 C (120-160 F)
  5. Temper at 250 C for 59-60 HRC, 2 hours x 2

If needing to anneal:

  • protect the steel (foil wrap or anti-scale compound)
  • heat to 980 C (1800 F) 
  • hold time 2 hours
  • slowly cool by 20 C / hour (40 F) to 850 C
  • hold time 10 hours
  • Cool slowly to 750 C (1380  F)
  • Cool freely in air from there

If needing stress-relieve after machining:

  • heat to 650 C (1200 F)
  • hold time 2 hours
  • Cool slowly to 500 C (930 F)
  • Cool freely in air from there
9th Dec 2020 Bjorn J

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