In the past, to produce stainless steel which is easily to process, elements such as Sulphur or Selenium had to be added. These elements improved machinability but reduced corrosion resistance. With the introduction of the MECAMAX-AV® technology the situation has changed.
During the normal production process of stainless steel, silicone and aluminium are used as desoxidising agents. This can encourage non-metallic inclusions of aluminium, silicates or silicon-aluminates which remain in the steel. These inclusions cause abrasions and greatly reduce tool life. Therefore, their existence should be kept to a minimum to facilitate the steel-processing.
By using calcium as the desoxidising agent, Olarra has solved this problem. Calcium causes inclusions of "calcium oxide" which have a favourable effect on machinability. Optimising the inclusions has a lubricating effect which renders the addition of Sulphur or Selenium unnecessary, whereas the steel retains its conventional corrosion resistance. This improvement affects only the inclusions, and not the composition of the steel, which therefore maintains the specific chemical analysis of the corresponding steel. The characteristics of weldability, corrosion resistance, cold and hot formability as well as the mechanic attributes of the basic steel remain unchanged.
