MACHINING
Porcerax may be machined by cutting, grinding, milling and EDM but it is important to avoid crushing and blocking the pore structure. Grinding will close the pores as will milling to a lesser extent. The best permeability is achieved using EDM which will also open crushed pores as will correctly applied stoning.

HEAT TREATMENT
Porcerax II is pre-hardened and further heat treatment is not recommended due to its propensity to in-process distortion. However, it is possible to achieve a hardness of 50-52 HRc in a vacuum furnace. In the event that this is required, it is essential that the heat treater obtains guidelines from Carrs Toolsteel Technologies. Rockwell and Brinell hardness testers will crush the porous material giving false readings. For this reason, use of a Vickers micro hardness tester with a 30 or 50g load is recommended.

TEXTURING
In order to prevent the destruction of the pore structure, it is vital the the chosen texturing company is aware that it is working with Porcerax. The pores of the material must be thoroughly cleaned and then sealed prior to texturing. The perfect venting achieved by Porcerax will result in greater resolution of any texture (or polish) in the moulding and therefore Porcerax should not be used as in insert in areas requiring a consistent appearance.

WATER COOLING
Although not recommended, water cooling can be achieved by treating water lines with an appropriate sealant.

CLEANING
Adequate cleaning before and during use is essential and cleaning methods should be designed into the tooling concept from the outset