Thanks to the powder-metallurgy process, higher-quality products can be obtained, offering the following advantages :

- A higher hardness , due to a higher content of carbide-forming elements

- A higher toughness , because the material is free from carbide segregation. In addition, the ESH process removes about 90% of non-metallic inclusions, ensuring better reliability of powder-metallurgy HSS tools

- Isotropic properties, because the material exposes a structure with an even distribution of carbide particles in the matrix phase, in contrast to ingot cast high speed steels where carbides tend to form lines during transformation

 

The fine uniform microstructure of ASP carbide ensures superior strength:

 

Conventionally produced HSS with a brittle carbide microstructure limits material strength: