Material Notes:
DuraTech M4 high speed steel is an extremely versatile high speed steel which provides a unique combination of high wear resistance with high impact toughness and transverse bend strength. A large volume of vanadium carbides provides the high wear resistance. The high impact toughness and high transverse bend strength are results of the fine grain size, small carbides, and superior cleanliness of the powder metallurgy (PM) microstructure. DuraTech M4 offers improved cutting tool life compared to conventionally-wrought M1, M2, M7, and other lower-alloyed high speed steels. DuraTech M4 also excels in cold work tooling applications, where it provides better toughness and wear resistance than high-carbon, high-chromium die steels such as D2 and D3.Information Provided by Timken Latrobe Steel.Timken sold Latrobe in December 2006. They are now Latrobe Specialty Steels Co.