Description

Alloy 1.4542 is a structurally hardened martensitic stainless steel which combines a hardness of about 48 HRC with good corrosion resistance.
This grade has a hardening peak at 480°C which allows easy ageing after machining on an initially solution treated condition. The grade is remelted to improve the cleanliness and homogeneity of the material.

Stainless has a number of sources in stock, as well as different formats or states of the product to suit your processing needs.

This product can also be custom made or cut into slugs by our service centres.

Main applications

Due to its good resistance to corrosion, its good hardness in the treated state (48HRC) and its resilience, the grade is used in particular in the manufacture of instruments for the medical sector (drills, etc.), in general mechanics, in the food industry and in the automotive sector.

Metallurgy

The manufacturing processes associated with the transformation processes make it possible to obtain a homogeneous microstructure. In the treated state, the microstructure consists of martensite and nanometric intermetallic precipitates (Ni3Cu) which germinate during ageing.