Cold Work Tool Steels

BÖHLER K110 is a 12% ledeburitic chromium steel and corresponds to material number 1.2379 (X153CrMoV12, D2). This tool steel combines the advantages of conventional 12% ledeburitic chromium steels with those of advanced tool steels. In the group of 12% ledeburitic chromium steels, BÖHLER K110 offers the best combination of wear resistance, compressive strength and toughness, for which reason it is used in virtually all cold work applications. Its advantageous tempering behavior with a pronounced secondary hardness maximum also enables the use of advanced coatings. This also makes BÖHLER K110 suitable for complex tools requiring a high degree of dimensional stability and shape stability.

BÖHLER K245 corresponds to the material 1.2101 (62SiMnCr4). This cold work tool steel is essentially a spring steel optimized for cold work, with very good toughness and spring properties. BÖHLER K245 offers the advantage of simple heat treatment with very low hardening temperatures and single tempering. However, this characteristic tempering behaviour limits the use of advanced coatings. BÖHLER K245 is especially suitable for thin-walled tools such as screwdrivers, hole punches, center punches, ejector pins, punches and cutting tools.

BÖHLER K340 ECOSTAR belongs to the group of conventionally produced 8% chromium steels. Compared to conventional 12% chromium steels, this conventionally smelted tool steel has better toughness, hardening response and higher adhesive wear resistance. This combination of high adhesive wear resistance and toughness also offers advantages for industrial knives subject to high stress. This grade is also used for stamping and cutting tools.

BÖHLER K340 ISODUR belongs to the group of 8% chromium steels. This tool steel is produced using the electro-slag remelting (ESR) process developed by BÖHLER. This re-melting technology ensures the lowest micro and macro segregation as well as excellent purity and uniformity of the material. Compared to conventional 12% chromium steels, BÖHLER K340 ISODUR offers significantly better toughness, hardening response and higher resistance to adhesive wear. This material is therefore used in virtually all cold work applications in situations where tool steels like 1.2379 are insufficient in terms of adhesive wear resistance and toughness. K340 ISODUR also features better machinability and reduces the risk of stress cracking during electrical discharge machining.

BÖHLER K455 corresponds approximately to the material 1.2550 (~60WCrV7, ~S1) in terms of the alloy concept. This classic matrix steel is characterized by high toughness, good machinability and polishability. BÖHLER K455 offers the advantage of simple heat treatment with low hardening temperatures and single tempering. BÖHLER K455 is widely used in the field of punching and cutting tools as well as in the field of embossing tools.

BÖHLER K600 corresponds to the material 1.2767 (45NiCrMo16). With its high nickel content, this material offers a very good combination of through hardenability and toughness. This results in a high resistance to impact and shock loads. BÖHLER K600 is used for a wide range of tools where high toughness is required. The material is used for forming and bending tools, cold shear blades for thick materials and for reinforcement rings. Due to its good polishability, BÖHLER K600 is also used for embossing tools, plastic molds and mold inserts for injection molding.

BÖHLER K700 corresponds to the material 1.3401 (X120Mn12) and belongs to the group of austenitic hard manganese steels. Unlike most tool steels, BÖHLER K700 is not used in the hardened and tempered condition. Due to the forces occurring in service, the resulting work hardening of the surface results in a high resistance to abrasive wear. BÖHLER K700 is weldable. However, the heat input must be kept as low as possible to avoid embrittlement of the material. The material is used in abrasive blasting and mining applications such as crusher jaws, beater bars, grate bars, linings, excavator teeth and chain rollers.

Uddeholm Arne is a general purpose oil hardening tool steel for short to medium production runs. The steel is suitable for the manufacture of tooling with good tool life and production economy. Uddeholm Arne can be supplied in various finishes including hot-rolled, pre-machined, fine-machined and precision ground. It is also available in the form of hollow bar. Benefits good machinability good dimensional stability in hardening a good combination of high surface hardness and toughness after hardening and tempering In East and South East Asian countries served by Assab, Uddeholm Arne is sold as DF-2. Standard specification W.nr 1.2510 / AISI O1 / AFNOR 90 MCW 5

Uddeholm Calmax is a medium alloyed tool steel suitable for short and medium run tooling in applications where a very high chipping resistance is required. The property profile makes Uddeholm Calmax a robust cold work tool steel for heavy duty blanking and forming. Benefits Uddeholm Calmax is very useful for severe cold work applications where there are very high demands on chipping resistance Reduced maintenance and downtime costs combined with increased productivity due to the reduced likelihood of premature failures. Reduced maintenance and downtime costs combined with increased productivity due to simplified maintenance procedures Good weldability and the availability of welding electrodes with the same chemical composition as Uddeholm Calmax Good flame-, induction- and laser hardenability Standard specification W.nr 1.2379 / AISI D2 / AFNOR 60CMDV 18

Uddeholm Rigor is a medium alloyed tool steel with a good resistance to both the abrasive and adhesive types of wear as well as good resistance to cracking. This combination makes Uddeholm Rigor an all purpose tool steel for medium run cold work applications. Short tool making lead times Safe and consistent production Good tooling economy for short and medium run tooling Benefits Uddeholm Rigor is a tool steel offering good tooling economy for short and medium run tooling when the cost of making the tool is a significant portion of the total cost for producing the required number of parts Uddeholm Rigor is a medium alloyed cold work tool steel with a very good balance between tool performance properties and tool making properties Uddeholm Rigor has a good hardenability and can therefore be used for larger short and medium run tools In East/South East Asia countries served by Assab, Uddeholm Rigor is sold as XW-10. Standard specification W.nr 1.2363 / AISI A2 / AFNOR Z100 CDV5

Uddeholm Sleipner is a general purpose steel for cold work tooling. It has a mixed-abrasive wear profile and a good resistance to chipping. Furthermore a high hardness (>60 HRC) can be obtained after high temperature tempering. This means that surface treatments such as nitriding or PVD can be made on a high strength substrate. Also, it means that complicated shapes with hardness levels >60 HRC can be wire EDM’d from blocks with relatively thick cross-sections with a much reduced risk of cracking. Uddeholm Sleipner is recommended for medium run tooling applications where a resistance to mixed or abrasive wear and a good resistance to chipping are required. Benefits Very broad property profile Very good steel for all types of surface treatments Extremely versatile conventional tool steel for medium run cold work tooling Suitable upgrade where added chipping or wear resistance is needed over traditional AISI A2 or AISI D2 In East/South East Asian countries served by ASSAB, Uddeholm Sleipner is sold as ASSAB 88.

Uddeholm Vanadis 4 Extra SuperClean is the most versatile pm tool steel on the market today, combining high wear resistance with very good ductility and resistance to chipping of edges. Excellent machinability in both soft and hard condition ensures advantages in both tool making and tool maintenance. Uddeholm Vanadis 4 Extra SuperClean is also available as powder for processing by electron beam melting technology (EBM). This powder has the same chemical composition as the PM material. Benefits Reliable production with low risk of edge chipping Best combination of high hardness, wear resistance and chipping resistance High compressive strength Best stock standard program of all PM grades Standard specification AISI D2 / AFNOR de type Z136 CDV 5.4

Uddeholm Vanadis 8 SuperClean sets a new standard for Powder Metallurgical Tool Steel. The technological advancements makes this cold work tool steel superior to its predecessors. The unprecedented combination of extremely high wear and chipping resistance paired with improved machining properties raises production rates and reduces costs. Benefits Lower price per produced part Longer tool life Predictable Production Standard specification AISI D2 / AFNOR de type Z230VCD8.5.4