{"id":4757,"date":"2019-11-20T13:08:42","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T11:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fractory.com\/?p=4757"},"modified":"2024-08-26T17:06:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T14:06:52","slug":"tool-steel-grades-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fractory.com\/tool-steel-grades-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Tool Steel Grades, Applications and Production Methods"},"content":{"rendered":"
Tool steels are yet another classification or type of metal<\/a> you can find on the market.<\/p>\n It is easy to derive from the name that tool steels are part of the steel group. This is the most common group of metals used in engineering today.<\/p>\n Tool steels, along with stainless steels, are a sub-group of alloy steels. Both of them contain alloying elements that give them the necessary properties for certain applications. And we are about to find out what these properties are respective to the tool steel grade.<\/p>\n As mentioned before, manufacturing industries use different types of steel for various purposes. Either as part of the manufacturing process or as part of the final product.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Judging by the name, you may have an idea of the main purpose of a tool steel. Whether you are manufacturing hand tools or machine tools, like dies or drill bits, tool steel is the perfect choice. Some of the main properties that make this alloy steel<\/a> the best option for tool manufacturing include:<\/p>\n Other uses for tool steels that should be highlighted are modifying and repairing machine tools and dies, something which could be very relevant for some metal manufacturing industries. Also, the production of injection moulds<\/a> finds this type of steel very useful thanks to its resistance to abrasion.<\/p>\n Tool steels come in different grades. Each grade has more specific properties depending on how it is treated. For example, some grades receive extra chemical properties from components like vanadium. Vanadium increases the resistance to corrosive wear<\/a> of the tool steel.<\/p>\n Others include a smaller amount of manganese to reduce the possibility of cracks during quenching.<\/p>\n Now, if you are asking how is this possible, keep reading and you\u2019ll find out.<\/p>\n There are different processes that can be used to produce tool steels, but all of them have something in common. The production of tool steel has to be carried out in environments with controlled conditions to ensure high quality.<\/p>\n Regarding the contents, tool steels usually have in the range of 0.5% to 1.5% of carbon. Other components, such as tungsten, vanadium, chromium and molybdenum, are added in different proportions to achieve more specific properties.<\/p>\n Some of the most used processes in tool steel production include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This process is also known as primary melting. It is based on the melting of metal chips which are obtained from milling processes and suppliers. Basically, EAF melting uses leftovers of different metal processing methods.<\/p>\n Electric arc furnace melting is widely used because the production costs are low. Still, some extra treatment may be needed to achieve the highest possible quality and properties. An example of this is annealing to prevent cracking<\/a>.<\/p>\n The process consists of two steps:<\/p>\n It is necessary to avoid the contamination of the melt during the process. That is why controlled conditions are so important.<\/p>\n What Is a Tool Steel?<\/h2>\n
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How Are Tool Steels Made?<\/h2>\n
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Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) Melting<\/h3>\n
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