Cutting element, electric shaver provided with a cutting element
The invention relates to a cutting element ( 10 ), such as used in an electric shaver. The cutting element is made from stainless steel with a hardened surface layer ( 14 ) over at least part of its surface, and is characterized, in that the cutting end face ( 11 ) of the element comprises a, surface layer of hardened steel at least over its cutting edge ( 12 ), the rest of the end face comprising the stainless steel. The cutting element has self-sharpening and wear adjustable characteristics. The invention also relates to a method for producing the cutting element, and to an electric shaver comprising at least one cutting element according to the invention.
1. An internal rotating cutting member for use in an electric shaver comprising:
a plurality of cutting legs, wherein each cutting leg comprises a single cutting end face having a peripheral edge surrounding the cutting end face,
wherein an outer front edge of the peripheral edge at a front side of a cutting leg with respect to a rotation direction of the cutting leg is a cutting edge,
wherein said cutting member is made from stainless steel,
wherein the cutting end face comprises a hardened surface layer of hardened steel at least over the cutting edge, and
wherein an end facial surface area of the hardened surface layer ranges from 5 to 50% of a total end facial surface area of the cutting end face.
2. The internal rotating cutting member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hardened surface layer of the end face extends over the peripheral edge of the end face.
3. The internal rotating cutting member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the hardened surface layer is adjusted such that a member lifetime of the cutting member and/or shaver cap lamina, with which the cutting member engages, is maximized.
4. The internal rotating cutting member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the end facial surface area of the hardened surface layer ranges from 10 to 35% of the total end facial surface area.
5. The internal rotating cutting member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a hardness of the stainless steel ranges from 100 to 600 HV1.
6. The internal rotating cutting member as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the hardness of the stainless steel ranges from 150 to 350 HV1.
7. The internal rotating cutting member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a hardness of the hardened surface layer is at least 1000 HV1.
8. The internal rotating cutting member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cutting member is made from injection moldable stainless steel by a powder metallurgical method.
9. A shaver of the dry shaver type comprising the cutting member as claimed in claim 1 .
10. A shaver of the additive shaver type comprising the cutting member as claimed in claim 1 .
11. An electric shaver comprising at least one cutting member as claimed in claim 1 .