Understanding Shock-Resisting Tool Steels for Manufacturing Punches and Dies
April 8, 2020Tool steels are carbon and alloys steels that have distinct characteristics such as hardness, wear resistance, toughness, and resistance to softening at high temperatures. These steels are comprised of carbide-forming elements such as chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, and nickel in different combinations. They are primarily treated with heat to improve hardness, making them usable for stamping, forming, shearing metals, and forming of plastics.
Introduction of Shock-Resisting Tool Steels
One of the strongest class of tool steels is shock-resisting tool steels. In general, shock-resisting tool steels are highly capable of resisting breakage by shock. They are also designed to have high impact resistance, great strength, and excellent hardness.
Shock-resisting tool steel maximises silicon since this specific element can provide tempering resistance and enhance toughness. Aside from this element, shock-resisting tool steels also use molybdenum, tungsten, chromium, manganese, and small amounts of carbon. The first three elements are typically added to give increased hardness and tempering resistance.
Different Types of Shock-Resisting Tool Steels
Based on the AISI classification system, the shock-resisting stool steels are classified as group S steel. The hardenability of these steels may vary from shallow hardening to deep hardening and can be controlled by adjusting the material composition of the steel. Higher austenitizing temperatures, however, are needed to acquire the preferred hardness.
Shock-resisting tool steels include the S1, S2, S5, S6, and S7 type steels. Type S1, S5, and S6 steels are oil quenched, while type S2 steels are water quenched. Larger sections of type S7 steels are oil quenched, while the other sections are air-cooled.
Applications of Shock-Resisting Tool Steels
Shock-resisting tool steels manifest properties that make them great for a wide variety of industrial applications. They have high strength, toughness, and hardness thanks to their incorporated elements. They can also resist wear and shock loading, making them functional under extreme circumstances.
Some applications of this type of steel include chisels, rivet sets, screwdrivers, shear blades, dies for forging and punches, knockout pins, driver bits, springs, and many more. Punches and dies specifically utilise the use of shock-resisting tool steels since they are regularly used in cutting or shaping material through a press. Since they go through the constant amount of high pressure and shock, it is deemed necessary that the material used for punches and dies have adequate shock loading resistance and high strength.
Punches and dies that are made from shock-resisting tool steels can bring you great results thanks to their material properties and characteristics. To have your punches and dies out of shock-resisting tool steels, just contact us at Gunna Engineering. We have over 25 years of experience in manufacturing punches, dies, and blades for a huge variety of industries.
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