MODULE 5

MEE 306
METALLURGY TOOL STEELS

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TOOL STEELS

• Tool steels are a family carbon and alloy steels having • Tool steels are generally heat-treated to improve
distinct characteristics such as hardness, wear the hardness and used for stamping, forming,
resistance, toughness, and resistance to softening at shearing and cutting metals and forming of
elevated temperatures. plastics.

• Tool steels comprise carbide-forming elements such • They are classified according to their
as chromium, vanadium, molybdenum and tungsten in composition and properties into various
different combinations. categories.

• They also contain cobalt or nickel which improves

their high-temperature performance.

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• Tool steels are steels which are manufactured
under carefully controlled conditions with carbon
content between 0.7% and 1.5% and low
manganese content to reduce the possibility of
cracking during water quenching.
• Proper heat treating of these steels
important for adequate performance.
Hot work steels are subdivided into:
• Chromium hot work steels
• Tungsten hot work steels
• Molybdenum hot work steels
High-speed tool steels are divided into:
• Molybdenum high speed steel
• Tungsten high speed steel
• Intermediate high-speed steels
Classifications of tool steel
Tools steels fall into three basic categories:
• Cold work tool steels
• Hot work tool steels
• High-speed tool steels
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Cold-work steels are further subdivided into:
• Air-hardening cold-work steels
• Medium-alloy cold-work steels
• High-carbon, high-chromium cold-work steels
• Oil-hardening cold-work steels
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Other types of tool steels include:
• Water-hardening tool steels
• Shock-resistant tool steels
• Low-carbon tool steels
Low-alloy special purpose tool steels.
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 Applications tool steel
Properties of tool steel
The major applications of tool steels are in the
The primary properties of tool steels are listed below: following processes:
• Toughness • Forming, stamping, cutting and shearing of plastics
• Wear resistance and metals
• Hardness • Extrusion of plastic sections e.g vinyl window frames
• Heat resistance and pipes
• Stamping of computer parts from metal sheets
Slitting of steel coils into strips
• Dies for compacting of powder metal into forms such
as gears.

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