1. ASKO HXT Rotary Knives to side trim and slit UHSS/AHSS
ASKO Academy
seminar
ASKO HXT Rotary Knives to side trim and slit UHSS/AHSS
(Ultra High Strength Steel / Advanced High Strength Steel)

2. Why ASKO for AHSS
80 years expertise in the world as leading specialist for shear-knives for
continuous Flat Steel Mill processing lines.
ASKO’s success: outperforming in product quality, R&D, customer support and know-how.
To strengthen (but even maintain) our position we must stay ahead of competition with shear knife technology.

3. Some references All major Plant builders: SMS Siemag SMS INNSE
Primetals
Andritz
Butech
Danieli (Wean United)
Tenova
China First Heavy Ind.
ArcelorMittal, Tata(Corus), ThyssenKrupp, Posco, US Steel, Jindal, Essar, Nucor. World-Wide

4. AHSS for a large and growing market
To reduce weight and compete with aluminum-alloys and plastics.
Mainly for Automotive but also off-shore, oil & gas piping and others.
Mechanical properties increase every year.
Next to Rolling and Levelling, Mechanical Shearing has become a bottle neck in processing UHSS/AHSS in flat steel mills.

5. AHSS introduction Common names: Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS)
Ultra High Strength Steels (UHSS)
Ultra High Strength Low Alloy (UHSLA) Steels
GigaPascal Steels: Tensile Strengths > 1000 MPa
Today typically:
DP 600, 800 and 1000
Martensitic steels up to 1200 MPa
API (X70 to X100) for oil and gas pipe
Electrical steels (> 3% Silicon)
Occasionally and in test runs in Europe: 1200, 1400 and even 1600 MPa tensile strength steels.

6. AHSS developing fast 1700 MPa = 50 HRC soft knife
1850 MPa, 2 and 3 mm Feb Flying shear
Todays commercial UHSS / AHSS

7. AHSS: why Mechanical Shearing
plasma cutting is great for
complex shapes:
Versus Plasma, Water &
Gas cutting, Mechanical Shearing is
Much faster
Much more cost efficient
No heat-treated edges
Versus Laser cutting mechanical shearing is:
Laser cutting is only possible/effective for thinner gauges
Laser cutting requires clearly more expensive equipment with high energy consumption

8. Mechanical Shearing process
Position Position Position 3
Ultimate strength = Zugfestigkeit
Yield strength = Streckgrenze
Pos. 1 Knife penetration
Pos. 2 UTS reached
Pos. 3 shearing completed

9. AHSS: common ASKO grades
For cold shearing conventional UHSS / AHSS:
ASKO-7 & ASKO-360: plate 5 to 25 mm
Squarkeen-2: 1,5 to 12 mm
Squarkeen-914: 1,0 to 8 mm
Askodyne series for 0,3 – 8 mm
Supermet series for 0,05 – 3,5 mm
Askomet (WC) series for 0,05 – 1,5 mm

10. AHSS: non conventional increasing shear knife properties
Todays hardest commercial materials (like DP800 & DP1000) require that especially rotary knife properties are increased beyond conventional metallurgical and heat-treatment possibilities. Therefore ASKO introduced
HXT technology is patent pending since 2014.

11. Patent pending since 2014
An entirely new rotary shear knife technology allowing shearing of (eXtreme) High Tensile steel grades with multiple longer rotary knife campaigns than possible with conventional knives.
Developed in cooperation with customers in Europe and North America to side trim and slit new generations automotive and other (very) hard and/or brittle materials in Pickling lines and down stream (HDG, Conti Annealing, etc.).

12. Today’s typical AHSS’s cause chipping of the knife edge due to:
Patent pending since 2014
Today’s typical AHSS’s cause chipping of the knife edge due to:
High impact forces
Plastic deformation (Mushrooming)
Almond shape chip
Low-cycle fatigue micro cracks!!
Plastic deformation due to compressive stress

13. 3. High load on the surface = alternating stresses = fatigue
Patent pending since 2014
3. High load on the surface = alternating stresses = fatigue
4. Low cycle fatigue micro cracks,
accelerated by high load and
initial surface defects.
Invisible micro crack

14. 1. Refinement of the tool steel chemistry
Patent pending since 2014
ASKO-HXT adds-up known advantages of metallurgical, heat-treatment and surface refinements with ASKO edge expertise:
1. Refinement of the tool steel chemistry
2. Refinement of the tool steel metallurgical structure
3. Advanced heat-treatment technology, to retard fatigue and improve toughness
Continued on next slide

15. 4. Mechanical treatments substantially retard fatigue
Patent pending since 2014
4. Mechanical treatments substantially retard fatigue
5. Edge technology reduces stresses in the knife edge & increases edge strength
Combining these enhance each other's effect!!

16. Patent pending since 2014

17. Patent pending since 2014

18. Able to side trim extreme high tensile materials.
Patent pending since 2014
HXT knives reach end of their campaigns basically due to wear (large edge radius) and delayed fatigue cracking.
Able to side trim extreme high tensile materials.
Can be excellent for IF and regular carbon steels as well.
Multiple longer knife campaigns. If most processed coils are very hard more than 10X life is possible.
Predictable knife campaigns.
Less down-time due to knife issues.
Less coils with damaged edge or even scrap.

19. Alternative high-alloy refined tool steels are available depending on:
Patent pending since 2014
Alternative high-alloy refined tool steels are available depending on:
Your application: mix of grades and thicknesses
Shearing conditions: mainly type and condition of the shear as well as knife settings
Specific requirements for knife campaign length

20. ASKO 360-HXT max impact resistance
Patent pending since 2014
Alternatives:
ASKO 360-HXT max impact resistance
ASKO 300-HXT regular but extra impact resistance
Squarkeen 2-HXT regular HXT
Askodyne 160-HXT regular but extra wear-resistance
Askodyne C-HXT max wear-resistance

21. Wear Resistance Impact Resistance CPL & PPPL HXT Knife Grades
Patent pending since 2014
Impact Resistance
Value/Price
Standard
High
Premium
Wear Resistance
CPL & PPPL
HXT Knife Grades
ASKO 360-HXT
ASKO 300-HXT
Askodyne C-HXT
Squarkeen 2-HXT
Supermet-HXT
Askodyne 160-HXT

22. Reconditioning means: Part of the mechanical treatments needs repeated
Patent pending since 2014
Reconditioning means:
Part of the mechanical treatments needs repeated
A high stock removal of 2 to 3.5 mm per side
To be done at an ASKO reconditioning center:
Amsterdam/NL
Rock Hill SC/US
South-Holland IL/US
Homestead PA/US
(NB: Knives can also be ground regular surface-cylindrical by ASKO or customer but lose HXT properties for subsequent insertions)

23. Reconditioning at an ASKO reconditioning center means:
Patent pending since 2014
Reconditioning at an ASKO reconditioning center means:
Fully restored HXT properties
Inspection by experts prior to regrind
Same (dedicated equipment) as used
for new knives
4. Deburring & demagnetizing
Performance as new knives

24. But HXT is also excellent for the soft(er) steel grades.
Patent pending since 2014
Summary:
HXT allows side trimming today’s and the even harder upcoming extreme high tensile materials
But HXT is also excellent for the soft(er) steel grades.
Multiple longer knife campaigns increase productivity substantial and reduce various costs:
Less down time
Less damaged coil edges
Less knife changes
Less knife consumption
Less reconditioning

25. Thank you for your attention
Patent pending since 2014
ASKO: shear knives and shear knife technology
Thank you for your attention