Cold rolling reduces metal strip thickness at room temperature for high accuracy and strength. Sendzimir mills use cluster rolls for hard materials like stainless steel. The process produces precision strip for automotive, electronics, appliances, and industrial applications.
Cold rolling is a deformation process in which metal strip, typically steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or copper alloys, is reduced in thickness at room temperature to achieve high dimensional accuracy, improved surface finish, and enhanced mechanical properties through work hardening. The process uses multi‑stand rolling mills with precisely aligned work rolls that apply compressive forces as the strip passes through. Sendzimir (Z‑Mill) rolling, a specialized form of cold rolling, uses small‑diameter work rolls supported by multiple backup rolls arranged in a cluster configuration. This design enables extremely high rolling pressures, making it ideal for hard materials such as stainless steel or high‑strength alloys while maintaining tight tolerances and excellent flatness. Tooling includes hardened, advanced Cold Work Tool Steels and HSS or carbide‑coated work rolls, backup rolls, bearings, lubrication systems, and strip guidance controls. Applications include precision strip for automotive components, stainless steel sheet, electronic connector materials, appliance panels, and high‑strength industrial laminates.
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.
Read MoreBÖHLER 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.
Read MoreBÖHLER 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.
Read MoreUddeholm 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.
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