Evan

Tool steel is a specialized steel designed for machining, forming, and cutting metals and plastics under demanding conditions. Among these, D2 tool steel stands out as the “workhorse” in cold working applications, offering high hardness, excellent wear resistance, and outstanding dimensional stability after heat treatment. This article will delve into the composition and core characteristics […]

A2 Tool Steel is a prominent air-hardening, medium-alloy cold-work tool steel, recognized for its balanced properties and significant attainable hardness. This steel, part of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) classification system, typically contains carbon, chromium,  molybdenum, and vanadium. These alloying elements contribute to its excellent wear resistance and high hardenability, allowing for air

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of D2 steel‘s properties, examining its chemical composition and revealing the metallurgical principles that determine its performance. For decades, it has served as a benchmark for performance, a workhorse material prized for its remarkable ability to resist wear and hold a sharp edge through demanding tasks. D2 tool steel

H13 tool steel is the most widely used steel among hot-work die steels, serving as a benchmark in this category. Therefore, the failure of H13 steel is a topic worthy of thorough discussion. Drawing upon our company’s over 20 years of industry experience and the latest international research findings, this article summarizes common factors contributing

H13 steel heat treatment’s purpose is to transform the steel’s microstructure to achieve desired properties such as high hardness, toughness, and superior hot hardness. The heat treatment process for H13, like other tool steels, generally involves four key stages: preheating, austenitizing, quenching, and tempering. What is H13 steel? H13 tool steel is a steel grade

O1 tool steel is a primary material in cold working applications, widely used in the manufacture of various molds and tools. Its designation “O” indicates that it is an oil-hardening steel. The exceptional potential of O1 steel can only be fully realized through heat treatment. The ultimate performance and service life of a tool entirely

The heat treatment of M2 steel plays a significant role in its excellent performance as a cutting tool. The heat treatment of M2 involves transforming the fully annealed microstructure (primarily composed of ferrite and alloy carbides) into a quenched and tempered martensitic microstructure containing carbides, thereby achieving the desired cutting tool properties. This process typically

H13 steel’s hardness is a key property in its applications. H13 steel is a widely used 5% chromium (Cr) hot-work tool steel, also known as 4Cr5MoSiV1, 1.2344, SKD61, with a carbon content of approximately 0.4%. It belongs to the H group of tool steels, which exhibit resistance to softening at high temperatures. Its characteristics include:

P20 steel is an AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute) type, medium-alloy mold steel. It is commonly supplied in a prehardened condition, with hardness ranging from approximately 28 to 40 HRC, or around 300 HB, and is also known by DIN 1.2311. The primary uses are Plastic molds, Zinc die-casting dies, and Holder blocks. This article

D2 tool steel is classified under the “D” group, representing high-carbon, high-chromium cold-work tool steels. It is widely applied for long-run dies due to its superior wear resistance, good dimensional stability, and moderate toughness. D2 is considered a popular and often the most important reference for all cold-work tool steels. Common applications for D2 tool