Page 7 - Die_and_Molds_User_Guide_7861458_2017
P. 7
• Soft annealed to hardness up to HB 250
• Pre-hardened to two ranges:
- HRC 30-37
- HRC 38-44
• Hardened to two ranges:
- HRC 45-49
- HRC 50-55
- HRC 56-63 and more
Table 1 shows some features of the most typical tool steels that are common in the
die and mold industry.
Table 1 Typical Tool Steels for Die and Mold Making
Designation Delivery
Category Hardening Application examples
AISI/SAE DIN W.-Nr. Annealed to Prehardened
Cold blanking, extrusion,
A2 1.2363 HB 220 HRC 56-60
coining dies, molds
Cold stamping and extrusion dies
D2 1.2379 HB 210 HRC 56-62 and punches,
Cold-work forging dies, master hobs
tool steels
D3 1.2080 HB 240 HRC 56-62 Cold stamping dies and punches
Forming dies and parts, Die and Mold Materials
O1 1.2510 HB 200 HRC 58-62
cold stamping dies
H11 1.2343 HB 180 HRC 46-52 Hot extrusion dies, plastic molds
Hot-work
tool steels Die-casting dies, punches,
H13 1.2344 HB 190 HRC 44-54
plastic molds
Plastic mold P20 1.2330 HB 280 HRC 32-36 HRC 48-52 Plastic molds
steels
Shock-resistant S7 HB 200 HRC 50-58 Hot forging dies, punches, master
steels hobs, cold extrusion dies
Special- Drop forging dies, die-casting dies,
purpose steels L6 1.2713 HB 230 HRC 36-44 HRC 50-60 plastic molds
Not relating directly to tool steels, so called maraging steels (the term includes the words
martensitic and aging) became be more and more usable in die and mold making, particularly, in
manufacturing plastic molds. They have relatively high Ni and Co percentage, can be supplied in
pre-hardened state (HRC 30-36, Maraging 250 and Maraging 300, for instance) and are hardened
to HRC 58. Nevertheless, despite their dimensional stability and good polishability, they are still
considerably expensive comparing with mold steels, and therefore their application in the die and
mold industry is limited.
7
Die and Mold