The special properties of Hardox® abrasion-resistant round bar offer great advantages to fabricators and manufacturers in a diverse range of wear-resistant tools and attachments. Different segments and customers can take advantage of different aspects of Hardox® round bars.
Hardox® round bars speed up production of sieve or skeleton buckets
The superiority of Hardox round bars in applications such as sieve or skeleton buckets has been proven by German manufacturers such as HS Schoch GmbH. HS Schoch GmbH utilized steel round bars to replace parts that were previously cut and shaped from steel plate, a much more time-consuming and costly process. The round bars are simply cut-to-length and welded in place. The round shape results in a longer and more reliable service life. There are no edges and the handled material slides more easily. The superior weldability of Hardox® also contributes to simpler production. No high-temperature welding is needed. Using Hardox®400 round bar brings many advantages: increased service life, less maintenance, and lower maintenance and welding costs.
100% increase in harvesting area
Hardox® round bars are also widely used in agricultural machinery like harvesting machines. Turkish manufacturer Öz-Eliş used Hardox® round bars to change the design of its potato harvester. The result? They increased their harvesting area 100% compared to the machine’s previous design.
Hardox® round bars for guaranteed strength and fatigue resistance
Hardox® steel round bars are becoming popular in the axles of different machines, such as scrap shredders. This type of machinery requires guaranteed strength and fatigue resistance, something that Hardox® easily delivers. Unlike many conventional high-strength steel rods, Hardox® simplifies welding and machining – a key factor in reducing costs. This gives the possibility to achieve very demanding tolerance levels on the bars, a combination of parameters that is practically impossible to achieve with other heat-treated round bars on the market.
Another ideal application for Hardox® round bars is construction machinery screws. The high hardness of Hardox® gives a longer lifespan, while the tensile strength guarantees low risk of premature failure. The low-carbon, homogeneous microstructure of Hardox® makes machining surprisingly simple, given the hardness of the metal material.
Looking good after a hard day’s work
Hardox® round bars are also widely used in mining and material handling applications. Here, customers witness a significant increase in the service life of their mining buckets compared with previously used steel grades like 4140. Australian manufacturer Goldmont experienced easier welding and a significantly longer service life using Hardox® 400 instead of 4140. They also reported that 4140 steel rods wore down rapidly after being used in the mine, while Hardox® 400 bars looked practically unchanged after days in the mine.