1.2344 steel is a widely used high-quality hot-work die steel at present. With excellent high-temperature performance, thermal fatigue resistance and strong toughness, it is extensively applied in critical dies such as aluminum alloy die-casting dies, hot forging dies and extrusion dies. To make full use of 1.2344 steel, three key links — the machining of 1.2344 steel dies, the heat treatment of 1.2344 steel and the daily maintenance of 1.2344 steel — must be strictly controlled, so as to give full play to the material properties of 1.2344 steel and prolong the service life of the dies.
During the machining process of 1.2344 steel dies, it is recommended to carry out cutting processing on 1.2344 steel in the annealed state. A reasonable allowance for heat treatment should be reserved in the rough machining of 1.2344 steel to avoid dimensional out-of-tolerance caused by stress deformation. The corners of the 1.2344 steel die cavity should be designed with arc transitions, sharp corners are strictly prohibited to reduce stress concentration. Stress relief annealing should be carried out after the rough machining of 1.2344 steel to reduce the machining stress. In the finish machining, grinding and electrical discharge machining of 1.2344 steel, the formation of white layers and microcracks on the surface should be avoided to ensure the stable and reliable surface quality of 1.2344 steel dies.
The heat treatment of 1.2344 steel is the core process that determines the performance of the dies. Vacuum heat treatment is suitable for 1.2344 steel to ensure small deformation and smooth surface. 1.2344 steel needs to be fully preheated before quenching, the quenching temperature of 1.2344 steel is generally controlled at 1020–1050℃, and gas quenching is the main cooling method for 1.2344 steel, water quenching is strictly prohibited. Tempering of 1.2344 steel must be carried out more than twice to ensure stable structure. The commonly used tempering hardness of 1.2344 steel is between HRC46–50, which can meet the requirements of most hot-work dies. Standardized heat treatment of 1.2344 steel can significantly improve the cracking resistance, deformation resistance and wear resistance of 1.2344 steel dies.
The daily maintenance of 1.2344 steel also affects the service life of the dies. 1.2344 steel dies must be preheated before startup, cold dies are forbidden to be directly put into production to avoid thermal shock damage to 1.2344 steel dies. During the production process, 1.2344 steel dies should avoid rapid cooling and rapid heating, and the cooling system should be kept unobstructed. After shutdown, 1.2344 steel dies should be cleaned and rust-proofed. Regular inspection and stress relief tempering of 1.2344 steel dies can effectively delay the generation of cracks and extend the overall service life of 1.2344 steel dies.
The quality and service life of 1.2344 steel dies depend on the whole-process control of 1.2344 steel machining, heat treatment and daily maintenance. Our company has long been focusing on the manufacturing and process optimization of 1.2344 steel dies, providing customers with more stable and durable 1.2344 steel die solutions.