Free cutting steel is a type of steel with excellent mechanical processing performance, with low cutting force and easy cutting, turning, milling, drilling, etc. during cutting. The main components of free cutting steel are carbon, silicon, manganese, etc., which generally contain less than 0.25% carbon. The silicon mass fraction ranges from 0.10% to 0.40%, and the manganese content ranges from 0.30% to 0.90%. In addition, it also contains a large amount of elements such as phosphorus and sulfur, which can improve its cutting performance.
Free cutting steel is suitable for making low strength and high strength parts, such as screws, bearings, gears, automotive accessories, and so on. In mechanical machining processes such as turning, milling, and drilling, free cutting steel can reduce machining difficulty, improve production efficiency, and ensure machining quality. Free cutting steel can also be used for heat treatment. After appropriate process treatment, it can achieve good performance and ductility, and is often used to manufacture parts with high toughness requirements.
In summary, as a type of mechanical processing material, free cutting steel plays an important role in industrial production due to its excellent cutting performance, and is widely used in various fields.
1. Types of easy cutting steel
Free cutting steel is a large category of steel that can be classified based on different element contents and processing purposes. There are mainly the following types:
Carbon content below 0.15%, also known as free cutting steel, suitable for machining processes such as drilling, turning, and milling.
Containing a small amount of aluminum and sodium elements, it has better cutting performance and is suitable for various machining processes.
Containing a small amount of lead, it has better machinability and is suitable for processing various small parts and making rivets.
Mainly used for manufacturing high-speed cutting tools, such as blades, drills, cutting knives, etc.
2. Manufacturing process of free cutting steel
The manufacturing process of free cutting steel is crucial and generally includes the following steps:
The raw materials for manufacturing easy cutting steel are pig iron and scrap cast iron, which are obtained through steelmaking processes.
The molten steel after steelmaking is continuously cast through a continuous casting machine to obtain continuous casting billets.
Forging continuous casting billets to obtain formed steel.
Cooling process is used to heat treat steel.
Inspect the finished steel to ensure product quality.
3. Application Fields of Free Cutting Steel
Free cutting steel is widely used in the following fields:
Aircraft, motors, instruments, textile machinery, etc.
Roads, bridges, high-rise buildings, etc.
Seamless steel pipes, steel plates, etc.
Pipelines, etc.
4. Advantages and disadvantages of free cutting steel
Free cutting steel has the following advantages and disadvantages:
Cutting is easy, efficient, and can be made into highly processed parts, which is popular in the field of mechanical processing.
The strength and toughness are average, while the mechanical properties and temperature resistance of free cutting steel as a structural material are relatively poor, and its application range is narrow.