Preliminary Studies of the Durability of Tools Used to Form Ceramic Tiles Made of Hardox 600 and NC11LV Steel

The study performs a comparative analysis of the wear of tools made of two wear-resistant materials: steel Hardox 600 and NC11LV, used in the process of forming a band for roofing tiles. The analyses were to allow the assessment of the possibility of replacing the standard material for tools in this process with a much less expensive tool steel for cold work after heat treatment (with a large number of carbides), as an alternative material dedicated to tools resistant to intense abrasive wear. The performed investigations included a macroscopic and geometrical analysis with the use of 3D scanning, microstructural analyses conducted by means of a light microscope, as well as an analysis of the topography of the working areas of the tools with the use of SEM, and microhardness tests. The obtained results demonstrate that the tools made of both materials were characterized with a similar level of wear, which, in the most critical area, reached over 4 mm, while the tools made of steel NC11LV worked over a much longer period of time without regeneration, equaling 912 h, and an insert made of steel Hardox 600 operated for 384 h. A higher tool life in the case of NC11LV steel may be the result of higher hardness and the presence of hard carbides.