Mold steel
Description
Mold steels belong to the group of special tool steels designed for the production of molds for plastic injection molding, die casting of metals, and rubber molds. These steels must meet very strict requirements for cleanliness, dimensional stability, hardness, and surface polishability.
Properties and Applications
🧩 Characteristics
- High dimensional stability after heat treatment
- Good polishability and surface finish
- High wear and corrosion resistance (especially for plastic molds)
- Good machinability in the soft-annealed condition
- Suitable for nitriding, polishing, and surface treatments (PVD, nitriding, chrome plating)
⚙️ Applications
- Plastic injection molds (PET, PP, ABS, PC, PS, PMMA)
- Die-casting molds for aluminum, zinc, and magnesium
- Molds for rubber and thermosets
- Mold cores and inserts, shaped components, guide rails
Heat Treatment
🔥 Heat Treatment (approximate values)
| Process | Temperature | Cooling | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annealing | 750–850 °C | Slow cooling | Hardness reduction (max. 230 HB) |
| Hardening | 980–1050 °C | Oil or air | Max. hardness 52–56 HRC |
| Tempering | 200–600 °C | Air cooling | Double tempering for stability |
Interesting Fact
🧠 Interesting Fact
The surface of molds made from 1.2083 (AISI 420) steel can be polished to a mirror finish, allowing plastic molded parts to achieve a perfectly smooth surface – for example transparent headlight components or optical lenses.
Description
Properties and Applications
Heat Treatment
Interesting Fact
