D2 Tool Steel Machining: Taming the Wear-Resistant Die Steel
D2 is the cold-work tool steel you reach for when a part has to resist abrasion: blanking dies, forming tools, shear blades, roll punches and wear plates. Its high carbon and roughly 12% chromium build a matrix full of hard carbides that give D2 outstanding wear resistance — and make it one of the more […]
H13 Tool Steel Machining: A Practical Guide for Dies and Hot-Work Tooling
H13 is the workhorse hot-work tool steel behind die-casting dies, forging tools, extrusion mandrels and plastic molds. It is also one of the more demanding steels to cut. Its vanadium-rich carbides wear tools fast, it work-hardens if you let the cutter rub, and it conducts heat poorly so the cutting zone runs hot. The good […]
440C Stainless Steel Machining: Hardness, Tooling, and Tight Tolerances
440C is the go-to martensitic stainless when a part must be both hard and corrosion-resistant: bearings, cutters, valve seats, and surgical tools all lean on it. But that hardness is exactly what makes 440C stainless steel machining unforgiving. Get the tooling and sequence wrong and you will fight work hardening, poor surface finish, and rapid […]
Tool Steel Machining: Grades, Challenges, and Best Practices
Tool steels – D2, A2, H13, M2 – are the hardest, most abrasive materials a machine shop sees, and they punish weak setups. Tool steel machining demands rigid machines, the right grades of carbide, and a clear plan for heat treatment. This guide explains the common grades, the machining challenges, and how to get tight […]
