Camshafts require BÖHLER steels with high fatigue strength, wear resistance, and hardness. Key quality features include ultra-clean materials, controlled heat treatment, surface engineering, and rigorous testing for reliable automotive and racing performance.
Camshafts used in automotive and high-performance racing applications are subject to extreme mechanical and thermal stresses due to high rotational speeds, dynamic loading, and continuous contact with valve train components. Material requirements are therefore focused on high fatigue strength, excellent wear resistance, surface hardness, and core toughness to withstand cyclic stresses and prevent failure. In racing environments, additional demands such as thermal stability, reduced friction, and weight optimization are critical for peak engine performance.
BÖHLER high-performance steels and alloys are specifically engineered to meet these stringent requirements. Advanced alloyed steels, including case-hardening, quenched and tempered, and nitriding grades, provide an optimized balance between a hard, wear-resistant surface and a tough core. Produced using advanced melting and refining technologies, BÖHLER materials ensure superior cleanliness, low inclusion content, and homogeneous microstructures, which significantly enhance fatigue life and reliability. Key quality features include strict control of chemical composition, certified traceability, and precisely controlled heat treatment processes to achieve consistent hardness profiles and surface characteristics. Additional surface treatments such as nitriding or coating further enhance wear resistance and durability. Comprehensive testing, including fatigue, hardness, and non-destructive inspection, ensures consistent performance. BÖHLER materials enable efficient, reliable, and high-performance camshaft solutions for both standard automotive and demanding racing applications.
BÖHLER K888 MATRIX – This MATRIX steel offers an excellent combination of high toughness and high compressive strength. MATRIX materials have high toughness, which is a critical factor in many applications. However, the hardness achievable with commonly used MATRIX steels often limits the potential applications. BÖHLER K888 MATRIX breaks through this barrier and offers the best of both worlds of matrix steels and high alloy tool steels. BÖHLER K888 MATRIX is a unique problem solver in situations where high compressive strength and toughness are required. Its advantageous tempering behavior with a pronounced secondary hardness maximum also enables the use of advanced coatings.
Read MoreBÖHLER S390 MICROCLEAN – “The decathlete” This grade is our PM steel with many positive usage properties. For twist drills, taps, mills, broaches, or cold-work applications, BÖHLER S390 MICROCLEAN is always a high performer.
Read MoreBÖHLER S690 MICROCLEAN – “The simple one” The tough high-speed steel for challenging machining and cold forming.
Read MoreBÖHLER W360 ISOBLOC is a material produced by the electroslag remelting process (ESR), which has been specially adapted for use at high tool hardnesses in the range of 51-57 HRC. Although the steel can be classified as a 5% chromium steel, the increased carbon and molybdenum content coupled with state-of-the-art manufacturing technology ensures that BÖHLER W360 ISOBLOC still shows a very good toughness and an exceptionally good thermal resistance, even at high hardness levels. These properties make the steel the perfect choice for smaller components in the die casting sector (e.g., mold inserts, cores, core pins, ejector pins, etc.). The material also is frequently the preferred choice for closed-die and open-die forging tools due to its high wear resistance. Because of this excellent wear resistance and the high toughness, BÖHLER W360 ISOBLOC is also frequently used for cold work applications and as a molding material for plastic injection molds. The Steel also is available as powder material for metal-3D-printing under the brand name BÖHLER W360 AMPO.
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