D2 steel is a type of vacuum heat treated steel that is raised to a high temperature and then rapidly cooled by vacuum process. An air-hardened steel composed of a large amount of carbon and chromium, with a high chromium content that gives D2 its mild corrosion resistance properties.
Typical applications include forming dies and rolls, punches, knives, shear blades, scrap choppers, and tire shredders.
D2, Inconel, and other exotic materials are considered very hard steels and require the use of a saw blade designed exclusively for these materials. Bi-metal blades work best.
The 601 Series Haltbar M42 bandsaw blade is widely purchased as a result.
The 601 is ideal for contour and general-purpose cutting of tool, die, and mold steels, stainless steels, and nickel-based and non-ferrous alloys. The M42 is a generic blade that assures accurate cut and top performance along with a longer blade life.
Although many customers purchase this type of blade, it isn’t often that they consider the types of materials to be cut using a particular saw blade. Stripped teeth and a poor quality cut are the result.
Simonds SiClone® bi-metal saw blades are another type of bi-metal blade. Both have specific advantages and features and are designed to cut specific types of materials.
SiClone® saw blades are designed to cut D2, Inconel, and other exotic alloys usually prone to work hardening. Its unique features add up to a tooth edge that keeps on cutting, even where other bi-metal blades fail.
The finest tooth per inch is 4-6 TPI, resembling a cat’s curved claw. A variable tooth pitch will dig down into highly resistant steels — like D2 — making chip removal more likely.
The combination of a unique tooth geometry and 8% cobalt content make a SiClone® capable of outlasting a regular M42 bi-metal saw blade. Its oversized width also improves beam strength for longer blade life. It is also best for production cutting of stock bars and solid rounds. Variable height and set of the SiClone® saw blade will allow for an aggressive surge cut action.
SawBlade.com offers the 701 Series Haltbar M42 high-speed bi-metal saw blade, which is comparable to the SiClone® blade. The SiClone® blade, however, comes highly recommended. There is also the 701 Series Haltbar M42 HP — for cutting D2 and like materials.
The recommendations are meant to assure prolonged blade life and increased productivity when cutting these types of materials. When deciding on a particular saw blade, it is important to know the various blade aspects and whether it will work best with the types of materials being cut.
