Application scope of cold working die steel
Cold working die steel focuses on hardness, wear resistance and high carbon content. Alloy elements mainly increase hardenability and wear resistance. Cold working die steel has the characteristics of manufacturing dies for punching and cutting (blanking and punching dies, trimming dies, punches, scissors), cold heading dies, extrusion dies, bending dies, drawing dies, etc.
1.2379/D2/SKD11 steel is a high carbon and high chromium cold work die steel with high wear resistance (hardness up to 60-62 HRC), excellent toughness, and dimensional stability. The following are typical cases in its industrial application, based on actual production scenarios:
Thin plate precision punching die: used for efficient cutting of metal thin plates with a thickness of ≤ 2mm, such as punching dies for mobile phone metal shells, ensuring high-precision cutting and long service life.
Cutting tool manufacturing: suitable for various high-performance scissors, embedded blades, and woodworking blades, improving wear resistance and cutting efficiency.
Cold extrusion and forming molds: applied in the mass production of automotive parts, such as gear forming molds or connector terminal extrusion molds, to resist high-pressure deformation.
Thread rolling and wear-resistant slider: used for thread rollers and industrial wear-resistant sliders to maintain dimensional stability in high friction environments.
High speed punching die for silicon steel sheets: specially designed for efficient punching of silicon steel sheets, such as transformer chip production molds, to achieve high-speed continuous operation.
Deep drawing forming mold: suitable for deep drawing molds with complex geometric shapes, such as the deep drawing mold for the back cover of refrigerator compressors, to reduce the risk of deformation.
Cold heading mold: used for forming high-strength fasteners such as bolts and nuts, extending the life of the mold under high impact conditions.
Hardware precision stamping die: including stainless steel sheet punching die, wire rolling plate and stamping die, to improve surface smoothness and load-bearing capacity.
Heavy duty blanking and cold forging die: In heavy-duty stamping scenarios, such as automotive chassis blanking dies, high compressive strength (≥ 2500 MPa) is provided.
Material selection suggestion: Priority should be given to cold working conditions with high wear resistance and medium to high impact; Avoid high-temperature applications (such as hot work molds) to prevent performance degradation.
A typical industrial application case of 1.2080/D3 steel, based on its high hardness (60-64 HRC), high wear resistance, and compressive strength characteristics:
Precision stamping mold
Mobile phone metal shell punching die: used for high-precision punching of stainless steel/aluminum alloy thin plates (≤ 1.5mm), ensuring a cutting flatness of<0.02mm and a lifespan of millions of times.
Connector terminal stamping die: Suitable for precision stamping of electronic components, resistant to wear and deformation caused by high-speed continuous stamping.
High load cold heading forming
Bolt/nut cold heading die: Mass forming high-strength fasteners under pressure ≥ 2500MPa, with a mold life 30% longer than ordinary tool steel.
Cold forming mold for automotive chassis parts: used for cold forging of complex geometric shapes, such as bearing seat forming, with excellent impact fatigue resistance.
Special cutting tools
Stainless steel slitting knife: cutting stainless steel strip (thickness 0.1-3.0mm), keeping the blade sharp and extending the cycle by 50%.
Metal sheet cutting blade: Suitable for heavy-duty shearing machines, capable of continuously cutting carbon steel plates (thickness ≤ 10mm) without any chipping.
High precision molding tools
Rubbing plate: Manufacturing precision threads (such as M3-M24 standard parts), with a surface hardness of ≥ 62 HRC to ensure thread clarity.
Embossing mold: used for embossed stamping on the surface of coins and badges, with details restored to the micrometer level.
Special industrial scenarios
Ceramic/resin molding mold: resistant to abrasive wear in high-pressure molding of non-metallic materials, suitable for automated production lines.
Wear resistant guide slider: used for continuous stamping machine tool guide rails, reducing maintenance frequency by more than 50%.
Material selection prompt: Priority for cold work molds with surface working temperature ≤ 200 ℃; Ladder preheating quenching (450 ℃ → 850 ℃ → 970 ℃) is required to optimize performance.
A typical industrial application case of 1.2436/D6 steel (high carbon and high chromium cold work die steel), considering its high hardness (56-62 HRC after quenching), excellent wear resistance, and blade retention ability:
Precision punching and cutting tools
Stainless steel/silicon steel sheet stamping die: used for high-speed punching of stainless steel thin plates or transformer silicon steel sheets with a thickness of ≤ 2mm, ensuring a cutting flatness of<0.03mm and suitable for medium load conditions.
Cold cutting blades and wire rolling plates: Manufacturing high-precision scissors and threaded rollers (such as M3-M24 standard parts), with a surface hardness of ≥ 60 HRC, extending the blade life by more than 50%.
Cold extrusion and forming molds
Deep cup stretching die: such as deep drawing of the back cover of a refrigerator compressor to resist material flow stress and reduce deformation risk.
Automotive parts cold extrusion die: suitable for batch molding of gears, connector terminals, with compressive strength ≥ 2500 MPa.
High wear-resistant forming tool
Embossing mold: Embossed on the surface of coins and badges, achieving micrometer level texture restoration and better wear resistance than conventional tool steel.
Wire drawing die and wear-resistant liner: used for metal wire drawing and forming, maintaining dimensional stability in high friction environments.
Special industrial components
Bearing shaft and retaining ring: replace ordinary alloy steel to improve the service life of wear-resistant components in heavy machinery.
Ceramic/resin high-pressure molding mold: resistant to non-metallic material abrasive wear and suitable for automated production lines.
Key limitations and process requirements
Applicable scenarios: Priority for medium impact, high wear resistance cold working conditions; Avoid high impact loads to prevent cracking.
Heat treatment specifications: Oil quenching at 960-980 ℃, low-temperature tempering at 180 ℃ (≥ 60 HRC) or high-temperature tempering at 500-600 ℃ (≥ 55 HRC) are required to optimize toughness.
A typical industrial application case of 1.2510/O1 steel (low alloy cold work die steel), based on its high hardness (62-64 HRC after quenching), good hardenability, strong wear resistance, and small quenching deformation.
Precision cold work mold
Complex cold stamping die: Manufacturing high-precision cold stamping dies with small cross-sections and complex shapes, such as thin sheet stamping dies (suitable for stainless steel sheets), to ensure that the flatness of the cut is ≤ 0.03mm.
Gauge and measuring tools: used for precision measuring tools such as calipers and plug gauges, with wear resistance ensuring long-term stability.
Surface forming tool
Jewelry embossing mold: capable of imprinting micro scale relief textures such as badges and coins, resistant to repeated friction and wear.
Thin film forming mold: suitable for punching transformer silicon steel sheets or electronic components, suitable for light load high-speed production.
Cutting and wear-resistant cutting tools
Long cutting tools: Manufacturing tools with small deformation and complex shapes, such as zippers, long wire cones, long reamers, and specialized milling cutters, with a cutting edge hardness of ≥ 62 HRC.
Metal cutting edge: used for precision scissors or slitting tools, extending the wear life by more than 50%.
Plastic and composite material molds
Whole hardened plastic mold: suitable for high-precision injection molding production, ensuring surface smoothness and dimensional stability.
Thermosetting plastic molding mold: to meet the demand for high wear resistance and high strength, such as mass production of electrical casings or automotive components.
Key limitations and process requirements
Applicable scenarios: Priority for light to medium load cold working conditions (stamping, embossing); Avoid high impact loads to prevent brittle cracking.
Heat treatment specification: Recommended oil quenching at 830-850 ℃ and low-temperature tempering at 170-190 ℃, with a hardness of 60-62 HRC; Or spheroidization annealing (770-790 ℃) before quenching to eliminate carbide networks.
A typical industrial application case of DC53 steel (high toughness cold work die steel), considering its high hardness (62-63 HRC), excellent crack resistance (toughness up to twice that of SKD11), and wire cutting stability:
Precision stamping and cutting
Stainless steel/alloy sheet stamping die
Used for high-speed punching of mobile phone metal frames (thickness 0.3-1.0mm) and connector terminals, with a cutting flatness of ≤± 0.03mm, and a lifespan more than twice that of SKD11.
Precision punch and cutting edge
Manufacturing M1.2-M12 micro screw punch heads and electronic component slitting knives, with a hardness of ≥ 62 HRC and significant anti chipping properties.
Cold forming of automotive parts
High strength fastener cold extrusion
Batch molded engine bolts and gear shaft sleeves, with compressive strength ≥ 2500 MPa, capable of withstanding repeated impact loads.
New energy battery cover stretching die
Suitable for deep stretching of aluminum alloy/copper foil, solving the problem of cracking in sharp corners, with a mold life of over 1 million times.
Complex cold work molds
Wire cutting precision mold
Large LCD panel frame die (≥ 500mm), with wire cutting deformation less than 0.05mm/m after high-temperature tempering.
Cold forging die for irregular parts
Difficult to deform materials (such as titanium alloy) are formed by rolling wire plates and shaped rivets to reduce the risk of cracking.
Special tools and wear-resistant parts
Precision cutting tools
Replace high-speed steel in manufacturing micro drills and PCB milling cutters, with surface hardness greater than 1250 HV after nitriding.
Core components of injection molds
The optical lens core polished to Ra0.02 μ m has better corrosion resistance than conventional mold steel.
Key processes and limitations
Heat treatment core: Recommended quenching at 1020-1050 ℃+secondary tempering at 620-530 ℃ (62-63 HRC), and tempering in the brittle zone at 400 ℃ must be avoided.
Applicable boundary: Preferred cold working scenario (-50~400 ℃), high temperature working conditions require surface coating strengthening; Avoid heavy hot forging.
These steels have good hardness and wear resistance, making them suitable for making various cold work molds. The choice of material depends on specific application requirements and performance requirements.