Tool Steel

Tool Steel

Tool steel is hard, abrasion resistant steel that has the ability to hold a cutting edge and has resistance to deformation at high temperatures. It is usually used within the manufacturing industries to produce hand tools, power tools, stamping dies, axes, pickaxes and injection molding, and is often used to build equipment that machines and cuts other types of metal. It is used in metal drawing, blanking, stamping, slitting, forming and embossing operations because it is always harder than the metal that is being processed. In order to gain the desired hardness for metal processing, tool steel often contains iron and alloys of chromium.

Tool steel is produced in annealed condition, which means it is heated and formed into a desired shape and post-processed, which hardens the steel. There are many manors of producing tool steel, including air hardening, where the steel becomes fully hardened when cooled with air, oil hardening, where the steel is dipped in oil for hardening purposes, and water hardening, where steel is dipped into hot water and cools upon drying. There are 3 general classes of steel, which refer to their applications and temperature resistance. The first is called cold work steel, which is used in environments with lower operating temperatures. Hot work steel is exactly the same as cold work, but is used in operations when the metal becomes red-hot and pliable. Finally, high speed steel is able to maintain its properties in operating areas of more than 1000 degrees F.