General Components for Mechanical Engineering

The newly developed, patent pending, BÖHLER E185 AMPO is an AM powder, fulfilling the highest demands from various industries, ranging from motorsport to engineering components and any kind of prototype applications. This low alloyed steel with easy printability and the possibility for surface treatments (e.g. case hardening or nitriding) was developed especially for the demands of the 3D printing industry. The material shows an excellent combination of strength and toughness.

BÖHLER K100 is a 12% ledeburitic chromium steel and corresponds to material number 1.2080 (X210Cr12). This commonly used tool steel is highly resistant to abrasive wear. Compared to modern cold work tool steels, BÖHLER K100 has the advantage of simple heat treatment with lower hardening temperatures and single tempering. However, this characteristic tempering behaviour limits the use of advanced coatings.

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 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 K360 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. The alloy composition with higher molybdenum and vanadium content makes BÖHLER K360 ISODUR even more wear resistant than BÖHLER K340 ISODUR. Compared to tool steels like 1.2379 (D2), this combination of better toughness and wear resistance offers significant advantages for punching and cutting tools.

BÖHLER K390 MICROCLEAN is a high-alloyed, high-performance cold work tool steel manufactured using powder metallurgy. This material has the highest alloy content in the group of cold work tool steels with high vanadium content. The high alloy content gives this material outstanding wear resistance. At the same time, the powder metallurgical manufacturing process creates a uniform matrix with finely distributed primary carbides. Among other things, this leads to good material toughness. BÖHLER K390 MICROCLEAN is a problem solver for applications requiring extremely high wear resistance and compressive strength.

BÖHLER K490 MICROCLEAN is a high-performance cold work tool steel with a balanced property profile, manufactured using powder metallurgy. This powder metallurgical tool steel offers an outstanding combination of high wear resistance, compressive strength, toughness and very good machinability. Thanks to the resulting flexibility, BÖHLER K490 MICROCLEAN is used in virtually all cold work applications, and in many cases this material is the first choice for newly developed tools. The commonly used hardening temperatures of BÖHLER K490 MICROCLEAN also enable shared heat treatment with popular cold work tool steels (1.2379, D2), making it very economical in terms of heat treatment.

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 K605 is approximately equivalent to the material 1.2721 (~50NiCr13). The alloy concept of this tool steel is similar to the one of 1.2767. With its high nickel content, this material offers a very good combination of through hardenability and toughness. The higher carbon content compared to material 1.2721 results in a better hardening response and consequently higher compressive strength. The material is used in applications such as forming, bending and embossing tools.

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.

BÖHLER K888 MATRIX – This MATRIX steel offers an excellent combination of high toughness and high compressive strength. MATRIX materials have high toughness, which is a critical factor in many applications. However, the hardness achievable with commonly used MATRIX steels often limits the potential applications. BÖHLER K888 MATRIX breaks through this barrier and offers the best of both worlds of matrix steels and high alloy tool steels. BÖHLER K888 MATRIX is a unique problem solver in situations where high compressive strength and toughness are required. Its advantageous tempering behavior with a pronounced secondary hardness maximum also enables the use of advanced coatings.

BÖHLER K890 MICROCLEAN is a high-performance cold work tool steel manufactured using powder metallurgy. It features good toughness, very high compressive strength and excellent fatigue strength. This favorable combination of properties can avoid chipping damages to tools. BÖHLER K890 MICROCLEAN is not only used in cold work applications, but also in mold making.

BÖHLER M200 is a prehardened, non-corrosion-resistant chromium-manganese-molybdenum alloyed plastic mould steel with very good machinability and uniform strength over the entire cross-section of medium-sized dimensions.

BÖHLER M238 is a prehardened, non-corrosion-resistant plastic mould steel with good machinability. The addition of Ni guarantees uniform strength across the entire cross-section, even with large dimensions (up to 600 mm).

BÖHLER M238HH corresponds to BÖHLER M238 in High-Hard product variant. A variation in the heat treatment enables significantly higher wear resistance and edge-stability for improved tool life.

BÖHLER M303 is a corrosion-resistant, martensitic chromium steel with very good toughness, corrosion resistance, good wear resistance and improved machinability and polishability. Compared to 1.2316, BÖHLER M303 has better homogeneity and is approved for food and beverage contact.

BÖHLER M303 ISOPLAST corresponds to a remelted BÖHLER M303 . The variation in the production route enables greater toughness and polishability thanks to higher purity and improved homogeneity. Also available as product variant BÖHLER M303HH ISOPLAST (high-hard variant).

BÖHLER M310 ISOPLAST is a corrosion-resistant, martensitic chromium steel which, through electroslag remelting and optimization of the chemical composition, has a good homogeneity and a balanced hardness-toughness-corrosion resistance ratio.

BÖHLER M315 is a prehardened, corrosion-resistant martensitic plastic mold steel. Due to its chemical composition, BÖHLER M315 has improved machinability compared to 1.2085 and is approved for food contact.

BÖHLER M333 ISOPLAST is a corrosion-resistant, martensitic plastic mold steel with excellent polishability and toughness for products with highest surface requirements. BÖHLER M333 ISOPLAST is also approved for food and beverage contact.

BÖHLER N700 AMPO (17-4 PH) is a precipitation hardening nickel martensitic steel. Thanks to its alloying system, this material has excellent corrosion resistance. Can be printed very easily without additional heating of the platform or chamber and, after solution annealing and aging, hardens up to approx. 40 HRC.

BÖHLER W300 ISOBLOC is a 5% chromium steel and corresponds to material number 1.2343 (X37CrMoV5-1). Produced via the electroslag remelting process (ESR), this tool steel has very high hot toughness as well as good hot hardness and very good resistance against heat-checkings. The combination of these properties makes it a top performer in high- and low-pressure die casting as well as in closed-die and open-die forging. In addition, this material has very good polishability and is therefore also often used as a molding material for plastic injection molds.

BÖHLER W300 ISODISC is a 5% chromium steel and corresponds to material number 1.2343 (X37CrMoV5-1). This common tool steel has good hot toughness as well as a high hot hardness and a high resistance against heat-checkings. The combination of these properties makes it a standard choice in extrusion, forging and low-pressure die casting. This material is also available as W300 ISOBLOC which is a remelted grade with improved cleanliness, homogeneity and toughness.

BÖHLER W302 ISOBLOC is a 5% chromium steel and corresponds to material number 1.2344 (X40CrMoV5-1). Produced via the electroslag remelting process (ESR), this tool steel has very high hot toughness as well as very high hot hardness and a very good resistance against heat-checkings. The combination of these properties makes it a top performer in closed- and open-die forging as well as in high- and low-pressure die casting. In addition, this material has very good polishability and is therefore also often used as a molding material for plastic injection molds.

BÖHLER W302 ISODISC is a 5% chromium steel and corresponds to material number 1.2344 (X40CrMoV5-1). This common tool steel has good hot toughness as well as a high hot hardness and a high resistance against heat-checkings. The combination of these properties makes it a standard choice in extrusion, forging and low-pressure die casting. This material is also available as W302 ISOBLOC which is a remelted grade with improved cleanliness, homogeneity and toughness.

BÖHLER W303 ISODISC is a 5% chromium steel and corresponds to material number 1.2367 (X38CrMoV5-3). This tool steel has good hot toughness as well as a very high hot hardness and resistance against heat-checkings. Compared to an X37CrMoV5-1 (material number 1.2343), the steel has an increased molybdenum content, which significantly increases its thermal resistance and thus makes it the ideal material in die closed-die forging, open-die forging and extrusion.

BÖHLER W350 ISOBLOC is a material produced by the electroslag remelting process (ESR) which is particularly suitable for use in large casting and forging molds. Although the steel can be classified as a 5% chromium steel, the chemical composition has been chosen to provide the best possible through-hardenability without any loss of toughness or resistance against heat-checkings. These properties make the steel the perfect choice to produce very large die casting molds, for example for mega- or giga-casting.

BÖHLER W400 VMR is a vacuum remelted material specially developed for tools with complex structures. The steel can be assigned to the 5% chromium steels and has a very high purity due to the special manufacturing technology. Because of its high degree of purity, the excellent homogeneity and the special alloying concept, BÖHLER W400 VMR is one of the hot work tool steels with the highest reachable toughness values. Therefore, this material is a problem solver in many areas when standard grades are no longer sufficient. In addition, Böhler W400 VMR has outstanding polishability. For this reason, the steel is also popular as a molding material for plastic injection molds.

BÖHLER W403 VMR is a vacuum remelted material which was developed as a problem solver for tools for where a standard solution is no longer sufficient. The steel can be assigned to the 5% chromium steels and has a very high purity due to the special manufacturing technology. In addition, the increased molybdenum content leads to improved thermal resistance as well as wear resistance, which makes BÖHLER W403 VMR an all-rounder that is often used for highly stressed dies in the die casting sector. In addition, Böhler W403 VMR has outstanding polishability. For this reason, the steel is also popular as a molding material for plastic injection molds.

BÖHLER W460 VMR is a double vacuum arc remelted (VAR) material that has been specially adapted for use in the motorsport sector. The steel purity achieved by this special manufacturing technology, combined with the high strength, ensures that a very high fatigue strength can be guaranteed. The high purity also results in very good polishability, which makes the steel a good choice as a tool material for minting coins.

BÖHLER W720 VMR is not a classic hot work tool steel, but an ultra-high strength maraging steel. Compared to quenched and tempered steels, the material generates its high strength not through a hardened and tempered martensitic structure with a high carbon content and secondary hardening carbides, but through the precipitation of intermetallic phases from a tough nickel martensitic matrix. BÖHLER W720 VMR corresponds to material number 1.6358 (X2NiCoMoTi18-9-5) and has proven to be ideally suited for many tool steel applications in cold and hot work (e.g., for extrusion stems) up to 450 °C.