Choosing the optimum steel grade at the design stage

Related Vendors

HASCO Hasenclever GmbH + Co KG

Meusburger Georg GmbH & Co. KG

AMPCO METAL Deutschland GbmH

Uddeholms AB

Stainless mould steels recommended to avoid re-polishing

If a mould is likely to be exposed to corrosion, a stainless steel is strongly recommended. The increased initial cost of this steel is often less than the cost involved in a single re-polishing or re-plating operation of a mould made of a non-corrosion-resistant steel. Plastic moulds and dies can be affected by corrosion in several ways:

• Plastic materials can produce corrosive byproducts, e.g., PVC,

• corrosion leads to reduced cooling efficiency when water channels become corroded or completely blocked,

• condensation caused by prolonged production stoppages, humid operating or storage conditions often leads to corrosion.

In conclusion, the performance of the mould steel has a decisive influence on the reliability of the tool. Mould cavity and insert materials are therefore selected according to the types of plastics to be moulded, length of production run, moulding process used and the nature of the product.

The performance of the mould steel depends on wear resistance, compressive strength, corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity and toughness. Uddeholm has concentrated its mould steel program on a few steel grades, each suited to specific applications. This assures not only ready availability but also gives the mould maker and the moulder an opportunity to become more readily familiar with the characteristics of each steel (e.g., machinability, heat treatment response etc.) and performance.

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