Tool steel, as one of the indispensable materials in modern manufacturing industry, is widely used in cutting tools, mold manufacturing, machinery manufacturing and other fields due to its excellent wear resistance, hardness and toughness. This article will introduce in detail several common tool steel types – A2, D2, M2, S7, O1, W1, A6, M42 and H13, to help readers gain an in-depth understanding of the characteristics and application scenarios of these materials.
Common Tool Steel Types
1. A2 tool steel
A2 tool steel is a high carbon, high chromium, molybdenum cold work die steel with excellent wear resistance and toughness. This type of steel has small heat treatment deformation, good hardenability, better wear resistance than D2 steel, and better toughness than M2 steel. It is one of the most widely used cold work die steels at present. A2 tool steel is suitable for making molds that require small impact loads, high cutting speeds, and high wear resistance.
D2 tool steel is a high carbon, high chromium, molybdenum cold work die steel with high wear resistance and compressive strength. This steel type has excellent hardenability and thermal stability, and can maintain high hardness and wear resistance at high temperatures. D2 tool steel is suitable for making molds that bear large impact loads, low cutting speeds, and high wear resistance requirements.
3. M2 tool steel
M2 tool steel is a high-carbon, high-tungsten high-speed tool steel with extremely high hot hardness and wear resistance. This steel type is suitable for manufacturing cutting tools with high cutting speed and heavy cutting load, such as turning tools, milling cutters, twist drills, etc. M2 tool steel can maintain high hardness and wear resistance at high temperatures, so it is widely used in high-speed cutting.
4. S7 tool steel
S7 tool steel is an air-hardened cold work die steel with good toughness and wear resistance. This type of steel can achieve high hardness through air cooling and has small heat treatment deformation. It is suitable for making molds with complex shapes and high precision requirements. S7 tool steel is widely used in mold manufacturing in the automotive, electronics, home appliances and other industries.
5. O1 tool steel
O1 tool steel is a high carbon, low alloy cold work die steel with excellent cutting performance and wear resistance. This steel type is suitable for making molds that require high precision and high surface quality, such as plastic molds, rubber molds, etc. O1 tool steel has good cutting performance, can reduce tool wear during processing and improve production efficiency.
6. W1 tool steel
W1 tool steel is a high-carbon, high-tungsten high-speed tool steel with high hardness and wear resistance. This steel grade is suitable for manufacturing cutting tools that need to withstand high cutting speeds and cutting loads, such as taps, reamers, etc. W1 tool steel can maintain good hardness and wear resistance at high temperatures and is suitable for high-speed cutting.
7. A6 tool steel
A6 tool steel is a high-carbon, high-chromium cold work die steel with good toughness and wear resistance. This steel type is suitable for making molds that can withstand large impact loads and require high toughness, such as cold heading dies, cold stamping dies, etc. A6 tool steel has better toughness than D2 steel and can better resist impact loads and extend the service life of the mold.
8. M42 tool steel
M42 tool steel is a high-carbon, high-cobalt high-speed tool steel with extremely high hot hardness and wear resistance. This steel type can maintain extremely high hardness and wear resistance at high temperatures, and is suitable for manufacturing cutting tools that need to withstand extremely high cutting speeds and cutting loads, such as broaches, milling cutters, etc. The high cobalt content of M42 tool steel gives it better red hardness and is suitable for high-speed cutting.
9. H13 tool steel
H13 tool steel is a hot work die steel with excellent thermal crack resistance and thermal stability. This steel type is suitable for manufacturing molds that need to work at high temperatures, such as die-casting molds, hot forging molds, etc. H13 tool steel can maintain high hardness and toughness at high temperatures and has good thermal fatigue resistance. It is the first choice material for hot work molds.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading our article and we hope it can help you to have a better understanding of the common tool steel types. If you are looking for tool steel suppliers and manufacturers online now, we would advise you to visit Huaxia Steel.
As a leading supplier of tool steel from Shanghai China, Huaxia Steel offers customers high-quality tool steel products at a very competitive price.
