Plastic MoldingApplications

Plastic Injection MoldingComprehensive Product RangeBöhler-Uddeholm mold steel grades have been developed specifically to meet the demanding requirements of the plastics molding industry. Our comprehensive mold and holder steel program offers grades specifically designed to resist corrosion and wear, while maintaining a high-level of polishability and ductility. The use of Böhler-Uddeholm mold steel for your core, cavity and component needs ensures that you are using the very best material for consistent and reliable performance.

Mold Steel Thermal Conductivity The cycle time of a mold is dependent, in part, on the ability of the tooling material to transfer heat from the resin to the cooling media. The thermal conductivity of highly alloyed mold steels will be reduced to some degree. However, investigations indicate that it is in fact the plastic resin that dominates the heat transfer, due to its extremely low thermal conductivity relative to the mold steel.

Good corrosion resistance is also of importance when the goal is a uniform production rate. The use of a stainless mold steel has the additional benefit of maintaining clear and open cooling channels. This provides for consistent heat transfer from the mold steel to the cooling media. The use of Uddeholm Stavax ESR, Uddeholm Mirrax ESR, Uddeholm Mirrax 40, Uddeholm Corrax, Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean and Uddeholm RoyAlloy will all offer this advantage. A relative comparison of the thermal conductivity characteristics of our mold steel program is shown in the figure above.

Thermal Conductivity of Selected Plastic Mold Steel at 200ºC/390ºF

Ther

mal

Con

duct

ivity

(W/m

ºC)

0246

20222426

1618

1412108

4244

40383634323028

1518

20 2020 21 21.323.3 23.5 24 24 25

27 2829.5 30 30 31 32.3 32.6

35.3

41

145

160

165

160

155

150

145

140

135

Ther

mal

Con

duct

ivity

(W/m

ºC)

Stainless Steels Prehardened Stainless Steels Prehardened Non Stainless Steels Non Stainless Steels Copper Alloys

** at 250˚CUdde

holm

Elm

ax® S

uper

Clea

nUd

deho

lm C

orra

x®

Udde

holm

Sta

vax®

ESR

Udde

holm

Mirr

ax®

40

Udde

holm

Mirr

ax®

ESR

Udde

holm

Slei

pner

®BO

HLER

K29

4 M

ICRO

CLEA

N®

BOHL

ER S

693

MIC

ROCL

EAN

®

Bohl

er-U

ddeh

olm

M2

Udde

holm

Ram

ax®

Udde

holm

Cald

ie®

Udde

holm

Orv

ar S

uper

ior®

Bohl

er-U

ddeh

olm

A2

Udde

holm

Roy

Allo

y™

Bohl

er-U

ddeh

olm

Pre

miu

m P

20

Udde

holm

Com

pax

Supr

eme

/

Bohl

er-U

ddeh

olm

S7

Mol

d Q

uality

Udde

holm

Van

adis

® 4 E

xtra

Sup

erCl

ean

Udde

holm

Diev

ar®

BOHL

ER W

360

ISO

BLO

C®

BOHL

ER W

400

VMR

®

BOHL

ER M

268

VMR

®

Bude

rus

Thru

hard

Sup

rem

e®

HH**

Udde

holm

Coo

lmou

ld® H

HBe

Cu A

lloy

172

LH

Bohl

er-U

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olm

D2

Udde

holm

Van

adis

® 8 S

uper

Clea

n

20 23.3

GRADE DESCRIPTION WORKING HARDNESS (HRC)

Uddeholm Stavax® ESR 420 modified stainless steel 46-52

Uddeholm Mirrax® ESR 400 series stainless for medium to large molds 46-51

Uddeholm Mirrax® 40 400 series stainless delivered in the prehardened condition 40

Uddeholm Corrax® Precipitation hardening stainless with outstanding corrosion resistance 46-50

Uddeholm Elmax® SuperClean PM stainless steel with an excellent combination of corrosion and wear resistance 56-60

Uddeholm RoyAlloy™ Prehardened, free-machining stainless holder material 31-36 (290-330 BHN)

Uddeholm Coolmould® HH Prehardened, alloy 172 beryllium copper for high thermal conductivity 40

BeCu Alloy 172 LH Prehardened, alloy 172 beryllium copper for high thermal conductivity 30

Stainless Mold Steels

Stainless Mold SteelsOften plastic resins will produce corrosive by-products that degrade the mold steel surface. Operation or storage of mold components, under humid conditions, may also promote corrosive attack. Therefore, Böhler-Uddeholm has developed a series of stainless mold steels that have become an industry standard. Our Uddeholm Stavax ESR is considered the benchmark for customers interested in a modified, type 420 stainless mold steel. For larger, more complex molds, Böhler-Uddeholm offers the Uddeholm Mirrax ESR with superior corrosion resistance and improved ductility. A prehardened version, referred to as Uddeholm Mirrax 40 is also available. For those unique applications that require a combination of corrosion resistance and extreme wearability, we offer the highly-alloyed, powder metallurgical Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean. Uddeholm RoyAlloy, a prehardened, free-machining stainless grade for the holder block portion of the tool, completes our program.

DU

CT

ILIT

Y

WEAR RESISTANCE

Corrosion Resistant, Stainless Mold Steels

The size of the sphere corresponds

to the relative corrosion resistance

MIRRAX 40 MIRRAX ESR

STAVAX ESRCORRAX

ROYALLOY

ELMAX

GRADE GTAW/TIG DIAMETER (mm) ELECTRODE / SMAW DIAMETER (mm)Uddeholm Impax® 1.0, 1.6 2.5, 3.2, 4.0

Uddeholm Caldie® 1.0, 1.6 2.5, 3.2

Uddeholm Stavax® * 1.0, 1.6 ––

Uddeholm Mirrax® 1.0, 1.6 ––

Uddeholm Corrax® 1.0, 1.6 ––

BeCu Alloy 172 1.6, 2.4, 3.2 ––

Filler Metal for Welding Plastic Mold Materials

*Available as 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 mm diameter for laser and microwelding.

Mold Steel Polishability & Texturing Characteristics To ensure that a high-quality surface finish is achievable, it is recommended to use a mold steel that has been electro-slag remelted (ESR) or vacuum arc remelted (VMR). These additional refining processes take place during the steel-making operation at our production mills. These processes remove detrimental micro-inclusions and provide for a very homogeneous microstructure. This will help reach the required surface finish and provide for uniform, consistent texturing. Please refer to our charts for our ESR and VMR-quality mold steels.

GRADE DESCRIPTION WORKING HARDNESS (HRC)P1-FM™ Holder Stable, improved machinability holder steel 269-302 Brinell

BOHLER-UDDEHOLM PREMIUM P20 MODIFIED General purpose, prehardened mold steel 285-340 Brinell

BUDERUS EDELSTAHL THRUHARD SUPREME® HIGH HARD Prehardened mold steel with improved wear resistance and very high thermal conductivity

310-355 Brinell

Uddeholm Orvar® Superior Premium H13, excellent toughness and polishability 44-52

Uddeholm Dievar® Increased toughness (greater than H13) 44-52

BOHLER W400 VMR® Optimal toughness level and polishability 44-52

Uddeholm Compax Supreme / BOHLER-UDDEHOLM S7 MOLD QUALITY

Moderate toughness and wear resistance 52-56

BOHLER W360 ISOBLOC® Higher toughness level than S7 along with better wear characteristics

52-58

Uddeholm Caldie ® Very good toughness level and increased wearability 54-61

Uddeholm Sleipner® 8% Chromium tool steel with good toughness and moderate wear resistance

58-64

Uddeholm Vanadis® 4 Extra SuperClean PM - 4% Vanadium, excellent toughness. Excels in mixed wear applications

58-64

Uddeholm Vanadis® 8 SuperClean PM - 8% Vanadium, excellent toughness, extremely high wear resistance, abrasive and adhesive

58-64

BOHLER K294 MICROCLEAN® PM – 10% Vanadium, extreme abrasive wear applications 58-64

Non-Stainless Mold Steels

Non-Stainless Mold SteelsFor applications where corrosion resistance is not a factor, Böhler-Uddeholm offers a series of extremely tough, crack-resistant mold steels capable of achieving a lens-quality surface finish. Uddeholm Orvar Superior, along with increasingly tougher grades such as Uddeholm Dievar and BOHLER W400 VMR, provide the mold builder with numerous options within the 44 to 52 HRC hardness range. The BOHLER W360 ISOBLOC and Uddeholm Caldie are capable of reaching higher hardness levels and therefore, offer improved resistance to indentation and wear. Both of these grades are ESR-quality and are often used as an upgrade from the more conventional H13 or S7 alloys. When extreme wear resistance is required, the powder metallurgical grades Uddeholm Vanadis 4 Extra SuperClean, Uddeholm Vanadis 8 SuperClean and BOHLER K294 MICROCLEAN.

Uddeholm Dievar®

Uddeholm Orvar® Superior (PREMIUM H13)

Uddeholm Compax Supreme / BOHLER-UDDEHOLM S7 (MOLD QUALITY)

Uddeholm Caldie®

Uddeholm Vanadis® 4 Extra SuperClean

BOHLER S693/S692 MICROCLEAN®

BOHLER K294 MICROCLEAN® (PM A11)

AISI 01

AISI A2

AISI D2

Conventional Steels

ESR/P-ESR/VMR Steels

PM – Cold Work Tool Steels

PM – High Speed Steels

Duc

tility

Abrasive Wear Resistance

AISI M2

BOHLER W360 ISOBLOC®

BOHLER W400 VMR®

Uddeholm Sleipner®

Uddeholm Vanadis® 8 SuperClean

Bohler-Uddeholm Corporation2505 Millennium Drive, Elgin, IL 60124

info@bucorp.com www.bucorp.com (800) 638-2520

This information is based on our present state of knowledge and is intended to provide general notes on our products and their uses. It should not therefore be construed as a warranty of specific properties of the products described or a warranty for fitness for a particular purpose. Rev. June 19, 2017 BU-B005

PLASTIC MOLDING APPLICATIONS

MATERIALIZING VISIONS © 2016, Bohler-Uddeholm Corporation