Tool Steel

D2 tool steel is a versatile high-carbon, high-chromium, air-hardening tool steel that is characterized by a relatively high attainable hardness and numerous, large, chromium rich alloy carbides in the microstructure. These carbides provide good resistance to wear from sliding contact with other metals and abrasive materials. Although other steels with improved toughness or improved wear resistance are available, D2 provides an effective combination of wear resistance and toughness, tool performance, price, and a wide variety of product forms. D2 is also available as an Electro-Slag-Remelted (ESR) product. The remelting process provides improved chemical homogeneity, refinement of carbide size, and the associated improvements in mechanical and fatigue properties. Typical applications for TLS D2 tool steel include rolls, punches, dies for blanking, forming, trimming, and thread rolling, shear knives, food-processing knives and gages.

H13 tool steel is a versatile chromium-molybdenum hot work steel that is widely used in hot work and cold work tooling applications. The hot hardness (hot strength) of H13 resists thermal fatigue cracking which occurs as a result of cyclic heating and cooling cycles in hot work tooling applications. Because of its excellent combination of high toughness and resistance to thermal fatigue cracking (also known as heat checking) H13 is used for more hot work tooling applications than any other tool steel. Because of its high toughness and very good stability in heat treatment, H13 is also used in a variety of cold work tooling applications. In these applications, H13 provides better hardenability (through hardening in large section thicknesses) and better wear resistance than common alloy steels such as 4140. Typical applications include inserts, cores, and cavities for die casting dies, die casting shot sleeves, hot forging dies, extrusion dies, and plastic mold cavities and components that require high toughness and excellent polishability.

M42 super high speed steel is a premium cobalt high speed steel with a chemical composition designed for high hardness and superior hot hardness. These properties make the steel an excellent choice for machining high-strength and pre-hardened steels, high-hardness alloys and the difficult-to-machine, nonferrous super-alloys used in the aerospace, oil, and power generation industries. M42 super high speed steel exhibits excellent wear resistance by virtue of high heat-treated hardness (68 to 70 HRC), and the high cobalt content imparts the hot hardness. As such, the cutting edges on tools made from M42 super high speed steel stay sharp and hard in heavy-duty and high-production cutting applications. Typical applications for M42 super high speed steel include twist drills, taps, milling cutters, reamers, broaches, saws, knives and thread rolling dies.

AISI M50 is a through hardening grade with high hardness and high compressive strength at elevates temperatures. It is produced exclusively as a double vacuum melted product using vacuum induction melting plus VAC-ARC remelting. This VIM-VAR process provides for optimum control and reproducibility of chemistry, micro cleanliness and superior fatigue resistance.

The grade is widely used for critical aircraft engine bearings operating at elevated temperatures. With its combination of good hot hardness and excellent rolling contact fatigue strength, M50 VIM-VAR steel is ideally suited for highly stressed parts such as bearings and gears designed for service up to about 427°C.

O1 tool steel is the original oil-hardening, “non-shrinking” tool steel that can be hardened to the Rockwell C 65 range from a low austenitizing temperature. O1 is a general-purpose tool steel that is typically used in applications where alloy steels cannot provide sufficient hardness, strength, and wear resistance.

Where greater dimensional stability in heat treatment or improved wear resistance is required, tool steels with higher alloy contents, such as A2 or D2, should be considered.