Spyderco Forums

It might be a few years until we see red/gray handled PM2 exclusives in the new MITnacut, but it's interesting to read about.


https://scitechdaily.com/mit-scientists ... er-metals/

Well, hope this goes all the way and brings improvements in everything, including durability !

Let's see if this at all translates into desirable knife traits before we go tossing around works like "obsolete". Besides, depending on your desired traits there are already "better" steels than MagnaCut, it was never touted as being the best steel available.

As I read the article it appears to me that the breakthrough they are talking about is in the way they are able to examine more closely the effects of what has already been happening for decades, if not a century. The laser is effectively doing the same thing a hammer does. The difference is that they can control and accurately measure the mass and speed of the laser propelled particle and the "strike force" it produces. Then with the highest levels of microscopy they can view and analyze the results. It seems probable that this will lead to some added understanding and may lead to better methods for manipulating the nano-structures of metals in the future. But, this would apply to all metals as it could potentially lead to creating pathways for improving the structure of any metal. Most likely the advancements would come in the form of post production processing advancements.

When I was reading the article I couldn't help but think of Larrin. Interestingly, one of the things that makes Magnacut so special is that Larrin has manipulated the size of the grain structure through his knowledge of metallurgy. As a result Magnacut already has one of the finest grain structures and some of the best carbide distribution of any knife steel currently available. I wonder whether this advancement will have a greater affect on steels like Magnacut that are already fine and well distributed, or will it offer a greater benefit for steels that do not already contain a fine structure?

Either way it sounds more like a "rising tide that lifts all boats" to me.

Great article. Their math modelling reminds me of Larrin too.

"Because the new findings provide guidance about the degree of deformation needed, how fast that deformation takes place, and the temperatures to use for maximum effect for any given specific metals or processing methods, they can be directly applied right away to real-world metals production, Tiamiyu says. The graphs they produced from the experimental work should be generally applicable. “They’re not just hypothetical lines,” Tiamiyu says. For any given metals or alloys, “if you’re trying to determine if nanograins will form, if you have the parameters, just slot it in there” into the formulas they developed, and the results should show what kind of grain structure can be expected from given rates of impact and given temperatures."

Interesting new technology. I am only mildly interested in how it effects my daily use of steel because I suspect it is a method that will increase production cost and I just have no need for an even higher performance steel than what is already available. I tend to like steels that have been around for decades more than newer stuff anyway. However, my general interest in the advancement of metallurgy is quipped by this for sure. If nothing else, it's pretty cool.

MagnaCut must be obsolete already. I have not one Spydie folder in it, and can only conclude I missed the boat.

Oh, wait! Has the boat even sailed?

Xplorer wrote: ↑

Tue May 24, 2022 5:15 pm

As a result Magnacut already has one of the finest grain structures and some of the best carbide distribution of any knife steel currently available. I wonder whether this advancement will have a greater affect on steels like Magnacut that are already fine and well distributed

I would think that there would be the potential for improvement of our current line-up of high-zoot materials. Consider our metallurgy of a couple decades ago. We heat it up, beat on it, rolled it, hammered it, and we had some good stuff. Technology marched on, and we figured out how to improve our existing recipes through powder metallurgy. It stands to reason that the knowledge we gain by manipulating the metallic structure through the use of lasers will eventually advance the quality of the products that we use every day.

RustyIron wrote: ↑

Sat May 28, 2022 3:19 pm

Xplorer wrote: ↑

Tue May 24, 2022 5:15 pm

As a result Magnacut already has one of the finest grain structures and some of the best carbide distribution of any knife steel currently available. I wonder whether this advancement will have a greater affect on steels like Magnacut that are already fine and well distributed

I would think that there would be the potential for improvement of our current line-up of high-zoot materials. Consider our metallurgy of a couple decades ago. We heat it up, beat on it, rolled it, hammered it, and we had some good stuff. Technology marched on, and we figured out how to improve our existing recipes through powder metallurgy. It stands to reason that the knowledge we gain by manipulating the metallic structure through the use of lasers will eventually advance the quality of the products that we use every day.

I agree. The knowledge gained by seeing the effects of various impact speeds and temps in greater detail could lead to improvements in all steels. This research uses lasers to control the velocity of the particle used for the impact but I'm not sure that this will lead to using laser on steel in production. I suppose it could, but the information gained in this new research can be applied to other types of steel processing equipment to help optimize things like impact force used and the heat of the steel during processing (just 2 small examples). I'm simply curious to see which boats get lifted the most, so to speak. I wonder if a fine grain PM steel like Magnacut has the same potential for improvement through this type of manipulation as a "lesser" steel with large grain structure might have. Then if all steels get improved, do they still rank in the same order? What properties changed and to what degree? Also, I wonder if this will lead to changes at the steel production facility thereby actually changing the steel as we know it from the source, or will it just lead to improvements in processing or forging the steel for end users after it leaves the factory? My curiosity is just academic and probably irrelevant, but I'll be interested to watch what happens as time passes. Regardless this looks like more good news for knife steel junkies. The future looks bright.