Nicolas Renaudot, Marc Mantel. Overview of the metallurgical factors governing
the machinability of stainless steels and the different ways to improve it

UGITECH, Schmolz + Bickenbach group

   Machinability, i.e. the ability to be machined, is very difficult to define because of the numerous existing criteria. For a given set of cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut, lubricant, …), tool wear, chip breakability or the power consumed by the lathe are some of these criteria.
   It is a very empirically mature subject. For standard materials and conditions (thermo-mechanical history), the recommended cutting parameters can be found in readily available published tables, except for new stainless steel grades such as duplex and for "improved machinability" stainless steels such as UGIMA ® .
   Rather than simply producing data, this paper is focused on the metallurgical factors governing the machinability of standard stainless steels and the different ways to improve it in order to show the possibilities and limits of these grades.

Complete version in Russian (pdf)