Plastic Mould Steels

RoyAlloy is a high-performance stainless mould base tool steel designed to deliver exceptional durability and efficiency in demanding tooling environments. It is developed to meet the requirements of mould bases and moulds where demands on surface finish, service life, and corrosion resistance are more moderate. The material offers an attractive balance between performance, machinability, and cost, making it a competitive option for standard applications in the plastics industry. Benefits Unlike conventional stainless steels, RoyAlloy is supplied in a pre-hardened condition of approximately 30 HRC, eliminating the need for additional heat treatment. This significantly reduces lead times and production costs while ensuring dimensional stability throughout machining and finishing processes. RoyAlloy’s superior corrosion resistance sets it apart in applications where moisture or humid environments can compromise tool life. By minimizing rust and surface degradation, it ensures longer service intervals and reduced maintenance costs. The material’s homogeneous structure and stable mechanical properties provide good dimensional stability and sufficient strength for applications involving short to medium production runs or less demanding plastics. The steel’s weldability and repairability further enhance its value, allowing easy maintenance and extending tool lifespan.

Uddeholm Corrax is a precipitation hardening steel with a unique set of properties that makes it perfect for many demanding applications. The superior resistance against corrosion combined with a hardness up to 50 HRC and a simple heat treatment makes Uddeholm Corrax the obvious choice for long run series of aggressive plastics such as PVC. The chemical composition makes Uddeholm Corrax easy to process by Additive Manufacturing. Hence, it is also available as powder for Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). Benefits Very good corrosion resistance Flexible hardness of 34-50 HRC achieved by ageing No hard “white layer” after EDM

Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is a prehardened remelted stainless tool steel, supplied at 40 HRC. Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is produced using the electroslag remelting (ESR) process – an additional step in the steelmaking process that ensures very clean steel. Consequently, Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is capable of being polished to a very high surface finish. In addition, the combination of high hardness with high toughness results in a mould with good resistance to indentations and minimize the risk of unexpected failures, leading to a safer mould and a prolonged tool life. Benefits Lower production costs Fast tool making Excellent surface finish possible Less maintenance work Safe production

Uddeholm Tyrax ESR combines best in class toughness, corrosion and wear resistance. This grade was developed for molding of high performance plastics often filled with glass fiber reinforcements and additives like flame retardants. This matrix- based microstructure is designed to achieve a high-gloss surface by only a few polishing steps, dramatically reducing the tool lead time and enabling production of top quality plastic parts. Uddeholm Tyrax ESR can achieve a high hardness (up to 58 HRC) and is a suitable upgrade from AISI 420 ESR, AISI S7 and AISI 440C. Benefits good dimensional stability at heat treatment and in service even microstructure and small grain size good hardenability Uddeholm Tyrax is also available for Additive Manufacturing, powder for processing Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Laser Metal Deposition (LMD).

AISI S7 is a shock-resistant tool steel known for its exceptional toughness, high impact resistance, and superior machinability. With its excellent combination of strength and wear resistance, S7 is ideal for mould-making and tooling applications requiring durability under extreme conditions. The steel is very clean and has a homogeneous microstructure. These features are achieved through strict processing control and a maximum sulfur content of 0.005%. Best Coatings Our DLC and PVD ultrafine coatings ensure enhanced part release and minimize demolding issues, perfectly supporting tooling that requires toughness and durability under high impact and wear conditions. Explore our coating guide to select the ideal solution for your tooling needs.

Duramold-2™ was designed by Vista Metals Corp. to offer mold builders a superior aluminum plate product for applications where increased hardness and strength are required to meet their production expectations.  State of the art technology combines this unique aluminum-copper alloy with unparalleled size capabilities to offer aluminum plate for plastic mold applications ranging from small to extremely large.  Duramold-2™ has outstanding machinability and responds very well in today’s high speed cutting environments. Duramold-2™ is the best choice when higher mold operating temperatures are part of the equation.

MoldMAX HH (high-hard) is a high-strength beryllium copper mold alloy, made by Materion Brush Performance Alloys, for plastics molding applications. This alloy has a hardness and strength comparable with standard tool steels but its thermal conductivity is at four to six times higher. MoldMAX HH is used for injection mold cores and cavities and blow mold pinch-offs.  Its high hardness provides durability in applications where other high conductivity copper alloys fail.  The alloy also resists galling against other mold alloys, including itself.

Materion’s MoldMAX LH (Low Hard) alloy is a premium copper mold alloy that provides hardness and strength comparable with standard AISI P-20 tool steel and a thermal conductivity five-times higher. MoldMAX LH alloy is used for injection mold cores and cavities where moderate hardness and high toughness and conductivity are required.

Materion’s MoldMAX V (MMV) alloy is a high conductivity, moderately high strength, copper nickel silicon chromium alloy.

Materion’s MoldMAX XL Alloy is a high strength copper mold alloy with good thermal conductivity. The alloy contains no beryllium and is available in sections as large as 12″ thick. The alloy’s hardness is comparable with AISI P-20 tool steel, but its thermal conductivity is two to three times higher. MoldMAX XL Alloy typically machines faster than tool steels, and with appropriate machine tools, metal removal rates several times higher can be obtained.