Cut faster, smoother with free-machining steels

Theres a wide range of them, standard and proprietary the result of compositional additives and cold-finishing
By John A. Vaccari Senior Editor

ree-machining indicates superior machinability as measured by cutting speed, tool life, surface finish or power consumption relative to other steels of similar general composition. For the multitude of steels this quality is typically achieved by small quantities of additives such as sulfur, lead or many others in the base composition. There are many such steels, both carbon steels and alloy steels, the latter low-alloy to high-alloy, including stainless steels. Many are standard AISI (American Iron & Steel Institute) steels, several others are specials proprietary to one company. Bar is the principal product form but many are also available as wire, rod, plate or tube.

effect. Low-carbon steels are generally superior to high-carbon steels but the former may be too soft, necessitating cold-finishing to increase hardness. The same can be true of annealed versus heat-treated products. Similarly, cold-drawn product is usually superior to the hot-rolled from whence it came. In general, carbon steels are more machinable than alloy steels and low-alloy steels are more machinable than the high-alloy, but there are exceptions here, too.

in the case of 5XXXX), which indicate carbon content. Other additives are identified by their chemical symbol either within the designation or as a suffix.

Cold-drawing large-diameter bar to precision tolerances (Corey Steel)

Close-up of turning operation to confirm machinability prior to order shipment of free-machining bar (Niagara LaSalle)

Machinability test in six-spindle automatic screw machine. Sample can be seen being drilled in bottom station, further processed in top station, and as partially machined in middle station (Ispat Inland Bar Products)

The role of additives Although additives are the main route to free-machining, many other factors must be considered for overall machinability. Base compositions no doubt have a pronounced

Free-machining steels are included in each of the major families of carbon steels (10XX, 11XX and 12XX), alloy steels (41XX, 43XX, 51XX, 52XXX and 86XX) and stainless steels (2XX and 3XX, austenitic; 4XX, ferritic or martensitic). The most common freemachining additives are sulfur and lead, although many others are also used. Sulfur, like phosphorus, is not noted in the designations, but the addition of lead or another free-machining additive is for carbon and alloy steels. Leaded steels are identified by the letter L before the last two digits (three

Because of their adverse effects on mechanical properties, sulfur and phosphorus are usually residual elements in steel, confined to 0.05% and 0.04% maximum, respectively. However, because of their beneficial effects on machinability, resulfurized 11XX steels usually contain 0.08 to 0.13% sulfur, even as much as 0.33%, depending on carbon and manganese contents. In the resulfurized and rephosphorized 12XX, sulfur can range from 0.10 to 0.15% or from 0.26 to 0.35% and phosphorus from 0.04 to 0.09% for the higher sulfur grades to 0.07 to 0.12% for the lower sulfur grades. Sulfur combines with manganese to form manganese sulfide inclusions, which, in machining, permit faster cutting speeds, reduce tool wear and promote chip breakage. Phosphorus, which embrittles steel, also promotes chip breakage and enhances surface finish. Nitrogen, another embrittling element, does likewise. Lead, 0.15 to 0.35% if used in 10XX, 11XX and 12XX steels, is virtually insoluble in molten steel and, thus, is present as a dispersion of fine particles, which tend to envelop sulfide inclusions. Lead improves machinability by serving as a lubricant at the interface of the chip and cutting tool. In the resul-

Machine Shop Guide Web Archive - April 1999

furized steels it adds to the beneficial effects of sulfur. Selenium and tellurium are less commonly used in carbon steels because of their high cost. If used, they are usually combined with sulfur and lead and promote machinability by shape control of sulfide inclusions. Small quantities, 0.04 to 0.05%, can increase machinability markedly. Tellurium is sometimes added to boost the machinability of leaded 12XX steels. Either element can be used in resulfurized alloy steels, selenium mainly in stainless. Bismuth, like lead, serves as a lubricant. Being lighter in weight than lead, Face milling Clean-Cut 20 plate. however, it can be Note consistently small chip formation for the sulfurized, calcium-treated carbon more readily distribsteel (Bethlehem Lukens Plate) uted in the steel and may be virtually as efficient in boosting machinability. In 12XX steels, it can be used either as a supplement to or as a replacement for lead. As a supplement, it alloys with lead, increasing lubricity. As a replacement, it eliminates environmental concerns over the toxicity of lead. Calcium improves machinability of aluminum-deoxidized steels by promoting larger and softer calcium-aluminum-silicate inclusions than the aluminum silicate inclusions of steel deoxidized with aluminum and silicon. Calcium-treated steels include both carbon and alloy steels and, in some cases, have reduced sulfur content. Traditional free-machining stainless steels in the three principal families of these steels are 203 and 303 (austenitic), 430F (ferritic) and 416 and 420F (martensitic). 203 is a lowcarbon, copper-bearing variant in the limited quantity of highmanganese, low-nickel 2XX austenitics. 303 is the freemachining version of 302, the general-purpose austenitic. 430F is likewise relative to 430, the general-purpose ferritic. 416 is the free-machining version of 410, the general-purpose martensitic, and 420F is likewise a modification of 410. All rely on sulfur and phosphorus for improved machinability and, in some cases, other additives, too. Whereas the bulk of steels in these families limit sulfur to 0.030% and phosphorus to 0.045%, most of the more machinable grades increase sulfur to at least 0.15%, and phosphorus to 0.06% (0.20% in 303) maximum. In 203, phosphorus is 0.040% maximum and sulfur 0.18 to 0.35%. This stainless, however, also contains 1.75 to 2.25% copper, which also assists in machining. One 303 variant combines high sulfur with a ternary oxide for superior machinability. Other free-machining stainless steels, such as 303Se, 416FSe and 430FSe, rely on an at least 0.15% selenium as well as sulfur and phosphorus. These grades cut back on sulfur and phosphorus, each 0.06% maximum, except for 303Se, which has 0.20% maximum phosphorus. Lead is not commonly used as a free-machining additive in stainless steels. If used, it is noted as a suffix by its chemical symbol, Pb, and not by the letter L, which in stainless-steel designations refers to low-carbon content.

The difference two zeros can make

Meaning Project 7000 versus Project 70 stainless steels from the same producer. American Micro Products (Cincinnati) is enjoying as much as a 40% gain in throughput, 50% reduction in cycle time and ten times tool life, plus better finishes and the ability to machine more complex parts. And it all stems simply from changing to Carpenter Technologies (Reading, Pa) Project 7000 brand for parts previously made of the Project 70. Both brands offer better cutting speeds, tool life and surface finish than their standard counterparts. But in terms of cutting speed, for example, its a 50% boost for the Project 7000, 15% for the earlier brand. AMP, a precision-machining job shop, runs large volumes of Multispindle Swiss automatic used to small diameter bar, annually pro- precision machine large part quantities ducing up to half a million each from more machinable stainless steels of several key parts. One of (Carpenter Technology) these, a 0.75-in. long by less than 0.25-in.-diameter 303 stainless- Singlespindle steel cylinder for miniature Swiss pneumatic valves, is drilled and automatic, turned on a multispindle Swiss with closeup view automatic. This involves drilling turning OD an 0.086-in.-diameter hole 0.625 of jiggle in. deep down the cylinder cen- pins used in dieselter. Since switching to Project engine 7000, drill rpm could be thermostats increased to boost throughput (Carpenter Technology) from 9 to 11 parts/min while maintaining feed rate for tool rigidity. Moreover, drill life tripled to 15,000 parts. Diesel-engine buttons, also half a million annual 303 products made on this type of machine, measure 0.4375 in. OD by 0.3125 in. long. A 0.132-in.-diameter hole drilled in the center is held to +0.000/-0.002 in. In this case, drill life increased from 20 hr to 6080 hr by changing to the Project 7000. Regarding 304 stainless, another Project 70 and 7000 grade, theres the case of jiggle pins used in diesel-engine thermostats. Theyre made in annual quantities of about a quarter million on single-spindle Swiss automatics. The typical pin is 0.188 in. diameter and 0.500 to 0.750 in. long, with a spherical ball on one end. Switching to the latest brand stainless cut cycle time 50%: from 56 to 28 sec per part. Depending on the particular pin they vary slightly in size and complexity the company estimates 25 to 40% greater throughput. Besides, drill life increased 710 times and a surface finish of 24 in. Ra sometimes smoother than 16 in. Ra is achieved just by turning, eliminating a subsequent grinding operation. Project 7000 stainlesses are also used on a lot of shorter runs 5000 to 10,000 parts says Gary Heineman, AMP sales manager. The typical gain in throughput is 30%, he says. In general, the more complex the part and the more machining required, the greater the benefits.

Machine Shop Guide Web Archive - April 1999

A machinability index sometimes used to rank the machining performance of steels assigns an index of 100% to cold-drawn 1212 as a base reference, meaning a cutting speed of 163 sfpm using high-speed-steel tools. Most steels carbon, alloy and stainless have a lower index, meaning less favorable machinability. A few, such as 1213, 1214 and 1215 rank higher, considerably so for leaded 1214s and some proprietary grades. Cold finishing helps Besides the use of additives, machinability can be improved by cold finishing. Colddrawn bar, for example, is usually preferred to the hot-rolled in automatic screw-machine operations because its free of scale, straighter, smoother and held to tighter tolerances. Cold drawing also increases hardness, which, for very soft steels, also benefits machinability. This is why low-carbon steels probably benefit most from cold drawing. It also increases strength, of course, which can eliminate the need for heat treatment if strength and other performance criteria suffice as cold-drawn. These benefits can often offset the cost of cold drawing and other cold-finishing processes. Process classifications by the Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute (Washington, DC) are: CD (cold-drawn); CD,SR (colddrawn and stress-relieved); T&P (turned and polished); G&P (ground and polished); turned, ground and polished (TG&P); CD,T&P (cold-drawn, turned and polished); CD,G&P (cold-drawn, ground and polished); CD,TG&P (cold-drawn, turned, ground and polished) and CD,SR,TG&P (cold-drawn, stress-relieved, turned, ground and polished). Although the CFSBI covers carbon and alloy steels, stainless steels are excluded. However, many of the processes are also used to cold-finish stainless steels. Two examples cited by the CFSBI demonstrate the cost savings possible using coldfinished bar. To produce a multi-diameter 1045 steel shaft starting with a 2.500-in.-diameter cold-drawn bar rather than quenched and tempered bar proved 14.8% less costly. The other case involved producing 300 multidiameter 1117 steel spindles having a 1.984 in. maximum diameter. Choosing a 1.984-in.diameter cold-finished bar was 12.5% less costly than starting with a 2.00-in.-diameter hot-rolled bar. The Industry Technical Committee of the CFSBI is currently engaged in a three-year project to develop new product codes and

quality standards for cold-finished steel bar. The codes will document value-added processing and features, specifically cold-finishing method, bar end conditions and length, heat treatment, inspection, testing, marking, packaging, loading and certification. Two codes, for example, are C1 (standard tolerance cold-drawn and shear cut) and N15 (special tolerance cold-drawn, doublestraightened, rough-turned, ground and polished). Thus a more clearly defined ordering discipline will be established for users to identify specific needs and for producers to provide them. This is in line with the requirements of ISO/QS9000, enabling companies to comply with Section 4.3 (contract review) and Section 4.4 (design control). The quality standards will focus on dimensional parameters (diameter, shape, length, end condition and straightness); surface finish and defects; and performance properties, including machinability. The project, already well under way, is planned for completion this year, according to Patrick Wannell, committee chairman. What follows are carbon, alloy and stainless steel products based on literature recently received from the companies listed first carbon and alloy steels, then stainless steels, both alphabetically by company. It is not a complete list of producers or suppliers, so other information sources should be consulted prior to steel selection. Carbon and alloy steels Bethlehem Lukens Plate (Coatesville, Pa) markets free-machining carbon and alloy plate steels. Carbon steels include Fast-Cut 20 and 45, Clean-Cut 20 and 45, and modified 1119 and 1144. Clean-Cut refers to calcium deoxidation, which the company also applies to 4140, 4142, 4150 and 8620 alloy steels as well as to its MTD 1, 2 and 4 prehardened chromium-molybdenum steels. The latter are used mainly for molds, tools and dies. Plate thickness ranges up to 15 in. Chemically, Fast-Cut 20 and 45 differ only in carbon content: 0.14 to 0.22% and 0.42 to 0.50%, respectively. Sulfur, 0.24 to 0.33%, is the free-machining additive. Other ingredients are 1.00 to 1.30% manganese, 0.10 to 0.40% silicon and 0.04% maximum phosphorus. Clean-Cut 20 and 45 are also identical in composition except for carbon: again 0.14 to 0.22% and 0.42 to 0.50%, respectively. But they have 1.20 to 1.50% manganese, only 0.06 to 0.12% sulfur, 0.10 to 0.40% silicon and 0.04% maximum phosphorus. Clean-Cut alloys con-

tain still less sulfur (0.02 to 0.04%). Thus the improved machinability of these steels stems from their sulfur content or sulfur content and calcium treatment. Fast-Cut carbon steels are more machinable than the Clean-Cut but the latter provide better surface finish. Despite their low sulfur, CleanCut alloy steels are considerably more machinable than their standard counterparts, especially in milling and drilling. For example, for equivalent tool life, Clean-Cut 8620 can be face-milled at cutting speeds of 1250 to 1800 sfpm, 20 to 25% faster than standard 8620.

Drilling stainless steel under a flood of coolant. (Sandvik Steel)

Corey Steel (Cicero, Ill) produces colddrawn free-machining carbon and alloy steels as rounds 0.187 to 4 in. diameter, hexagons 0.3125 to 3 in. and squares 0.375 to 2 in. Standard length is 12 ft but lengths up to 24 ft are available. Carbon steels include 10XX, 11XX, 11LXX, 12LXX, 12L14+Te, 15XX as well as Ispat Inlands Ledloy A and AX and Incut 100 and 200. Alloy steels include 86XX, 86LXX, 41XX, 41LXX and 43XX. Besides cold drawing the company can perform other cold-finishing operations, such as turning, centerless grinding and burnishing for greater dimensional precision and smoother finishes. Standard diameter tolerances for ground and polished bar are 0.0010 to 0.0020 in. for 0.100 to 3.000 in. diameter, depending on diameter, and tighter still if greater accuracy is required. Typical surface finishes are 3275 in. Ra for the turned and polished, 1532 in. Ra for the ground and polished, and smoother still if required. Ispat Inland Bar Products (East Chicago, Ind) experience with free-machining carbon steels dates to the 1930s with the development of Ledloy A, or 12L14, the first leaded resulfurized and rephosphorized steel. Ledloy AX (12L14+Te) followed, the

Machine Shop Guide Web Archive - April 1999

tellurium further enhancing machinability. In the 1970s, with lead surfacing as an environmental issue, the company introduced leadfree INcut. With bismuth as well as sulfur as free-machining additives, this steel provided the same cutting rates as the lead and tellurium product. In addition, its greater ductility in the hot-rolled condition facilitated cold drawing, and its carburizing characteristics equalled that of the best leaded steel. All of these products contain 0.09% maximum carbon, 0.85 to 1.15% manganese, 0.04 to 0.09% phosphorus and 0.26 to 0.35% sulfur. Besides sulfur, free-machining additives are 0.15 to 0.35% lead in Ledloy A and AX, 0.035% tellurium in the AX, and nominally 0.10% bismuth in INcut 100 and 0.20% in INcut 200. The steels are available, as hot-rolled rounds 0.375 to 6.500 in. diameter and hexagons 0.8125 to 3.3125 in.

Typical precision parts made from free-machining stainless (Slater Steels)

To assess machinability, the company has adopted the ASTM (American Society for Testing & Materials) E618-18 test to produce a standard sample on an automatic screw machine. The workpiece is a 1-in.-diameter round bar, cold-drawn from a 1.0625-in. diameter hot-rolled round. The rough- and finishform tools are made of M2 high speed steel hardened to Rc 6265. Relative machinability is established by determining the maximum cutting speed that will yield a rough-form tool life of 8 hr as measured by 0.005-in. part growth at the selected feed rate. Using a rough-form feed of 0.0029 ipr, cutting speeds for this life are 280 to 364 sfpm for INcut 200 and Ledloy AX, and 254 to 312 sfpm for INcut 100 and Ledloy A. At 280 sfpm, resulting finish-form surface roughness is similar for all. The company has also established a productivity index (PI) to rank machinability in screw-machine operations. As for the E61818 test, this numeric ranking per drill travel (inches of tool travel in 10 sec) pertains to 1in.-diameter cold-drawn rounds. The cutters are a 1-in.-wide M2 hss form tool and a 0.500-

in-diameter M7 hss solid twist drill. Relative to 1018 steel, the base reference (PI 100%) for this test, 12L14+Te, INcut 200 and Ledloy AX have a PI of 488% with the form tool and 422% with the drill. For 12L14, INcut 100 and Ledloy A, its 390% and 334%, respectively. New Dimension Metals (Dayton, Ohio) produces cold-drawn bar in most carbon and alloy steels. Products include rounds 0.3125 to 4 in. diameter, hexagons 0.3125 to 2.75 in., squares 0.4375 to 2 in., flats 0.5 x 1 to 1 x 4 in., and special shapes. Bar length ranges to 52 ft and shear cut or saw cut lengths are available 1 in. to 30 ft. A-lab, a sister company and independent metals-testing laboratory within the facility, serves the bar-mills quality-assurance program. Niagara LaSalles (Hammond, Ind) most machinable carbon steel is LA-LED X, followed by 83-420, LA-LED and Super 1200. Based on the maximum feed rate versus Taylor V20 tool life short-term machinability test, LA-LED X has a cutting speed of about 550 sfpm at 0.006 ipr compared with about 450 sfpm at 0.005 ipr for LA-LED. The 83-420 almost matches the performance of LA LED X, and Super 1200 essentially matches the performance of LA-LED. Except for the addition of tellurium in LALED X, this steel and LA-LED are chemically identical: 0.09% carbon, 0.85 to 1.15% manganese, 0.26 to 0.35% sulfur, 0.15 to 0.35% lead and 0.04 to 0.09% phosphorus. The 83-420 achieves its machining performance by the use of about 0.2% bismuth in place of lead and tellurium. (It owes its designation to the atomic number of bismuth and cutting speed.) Super 1200 typically contains 0.07% carbon, 0.95% manganese, 0.32% sulfur, 0.05% phosphorus and less than 0.01% silicon. Its chemistry is within the ranges of 1215 and 12L14, and its machining speed is equivalent to that of 12L14. Other bar products, all less machinable, are Stressproof, Fatigue-Proof and ETD 150. Compositionally, Stressproof and FatigueProof are 1144 steel except for the addition of nitrogen. Stressproof is made by drawing with a heavy draft and stress-relieving; its machinability is 83% that of 1212. FatigueProof is stronger and made by various mechanical working and thermal treatments, which may include the companys elevated temperature draw (ETD). Its machinability is 80% that of 1212. ETD 150, stronger still, is based on 4142 alloy steel, is nitrogen treated and contains tellurium, selenium, sulfur or other elements to enhance machinability.

Most of these products are available as rounds and hexagons, some as rounds only. Finishes include as-drawn, ground and polished, turned and polished, and turned, ground and polished. Sandvik Steel (Scranton, Pa) makes 20AP, which contains 1% lead and is the leaded version of 52100 bearing steel, 52L100. It is available as drawn wire 0.015 to 0.500 in. diameter in coils and cut lengths 6.56 to 9.84 ft, and in bar 0.25 to 1.5 in. diameter in 9.84 to 13.12 ft. Stainless steels AL Tech Specialty Steel (Dunkirk, NY) produces 203EZ, 303EZ, 416F and 430F. Among the austenitics, 203EZ has the highest standard machinability rating (85%, or a cuttingspeed range of 132 to 160 sfpm) versus 70%, or 105 to 130 sfpm, for 303EZ. Besides 416F, the base reference (100%) for these ratings, the company offers 416EZ (90%, 139 to 170 sfpm) and 416EZR (95%, 143 to 175 sfpm). Though slightly less machinable, the EZ provides greater hardenability and hot and cold workability, 416F the least, and EZR is medium. All are available as bar rounds, hexagons, squares and flats hollow bar, seamless pipe and tube, and extruded shapes. Round bar ranges from 0.093 to 4 in. diameter, hexagons 0.187 to 1.875 in., squares 0.187 to 3 in. and flats 0.250 in. minimum thickness to 6 in. maximum widths. Hollows are 1 to 5.5 in. OD with 0.083 in. minimum wall. Standard bar lengths are 12 ft for diameters up to 0.75 in., 11 to 13 ft for larger. Pipe, tube and extruded shapes also come 11 to 13 ft long but are usually custom-ordered in lengths up to 28 ft. Carpenter Technology (Reading, Pa), which developed the first free-machining stainless steel in the 1930s, offers such grades in each of the principal families of these steels. Over the years, however, it has improved the machinability of many of these steels, first introducing Project 70 versions, then, in 1995, the Project 7000. Project 70 grades currently include 182-FM, 303, 303DQ (drilling quality) and 416 as well as several not traditionally classified as free-machining: 304, 304L, 316, 316L, 321 and 347. The machinability of 182-FM, a specialty ferritic, compares to 303. It differs chemically from 303 in that it is nickel-free, contains 1.50 to 2.50% molybdenum and has less carbon (0.08% maximum). Machinability of Project 7000 stainlesses is

Machine Shop Guide Web Archive - April 1999

better still, increasing cutting speeds, for example, by up to 50%. Current free-machining grades are 203 and 303, with 416 soon to be added. Untraditionally classified free-machining grades include 304, 304L, 316, and 316L. Both 203 and 303 are available as hot-rolled bar, cold-drawn bar, ground bar, wire and wire rod. Cold-drawn rounds and hexagons range from 0.125 to 1.50 in. diameter. Sandvik Steel (Scranton, Pa) produces 4C27A (420F) and 1802. The latter is a ferritic grade containing 18% chromium, 2.1% molybdenum, 0.7% titanium, 0.5% silicon, less than or 0.5% manganese, 0.3% sulfur and less than or 0.040% carbon and nitrogen. The 4C27A is available as drawn wire 0.015 to 0.500 in. diameter in coils or as cut lengths 6.56 to 9.84 ft. The 1802 is available as cold-finished rounds 0.25 to 3 in. diameter and lengths of 9.84 to 13.12 ft. Slater Steels (Fort Wayne, Ind) produces 303, 416, 420F and 430F. Bar products are hot- or cold-finished annealed rounds 1 to 6 in. diameter (going to 8 in. for 303 and 416), cold-drawn hexagons 0.625 to 3 in., and cold-drawn squares 0.625 to 2 in. All are available with standard diameter tolerances half the standard by turning or centerless grinding and lengths up to 25 ft. Ugine Stainless and Alloy (Colmar, Pa) of the French Usinor Group offers virtually all traditional free-machining stainless steels as well as many of these with improved machinability. The latter embody

the UGIMA process of combining sulfides and the ternary oxide CaOAl2O3-SiO2. This combination is especially beneficial at high cutting speeds. For example, for 0.006-in. flank wear in 15 min at 0.100-in. depth of cut and 0.010-ipr feed using carbide inserts, UGIMA 303 and 303UX have cutting speeds exceeding 2000 and 2300 sfpm, respectively, in contrast to about 1200 sfpm for the companys conventional 303. The process is also applied to several non-free-machining stainlesses (304, 304CU, 304L, 316, 316L and 420) but the gains in cutting speeds are much less dramatic: from 740 to 900 sfpm for 304 in the same test. Another company highlight is SMQ (screw-machine quality) colddrawn bar, which is available for UGIMA 303 and 416, and non-freemachining UGIMA 304, 304L, 316, 316L, 416 and 430F. SMQ bar features a cold-drawn surface finish of 25 in. rms maximum; tighter tolerances on diameter, out-of-roundness and straightness; and special end configurations. It is available in rounds 0.197 to 1.000 in. diameter and standard 12-ft lengths. Bar 0.21875, 0.375 and 0.500 in. diameter is held to 0.00060, 0.00070 and 0.00085 in., respectively. One or both ends can be chamfered 45 to serve as a guide for feed fingers and collets, or one end can be chamfered 30 to mate with hydrostatic bar feeders.

Machine Shop Guide Web Archive - April 1999