Hot work tool steels

Hot work tools operate at elevated temperatures and form different products in, for example, aluminium, steel, or other metals.

The most common application areas for hot work are die-casting, extrusion, and forging. The high working temperatures put very high demands on the tool steel. The properties' profile of material used for hot work should include an excellent hot strength as well as very good ductility and toughness.

Other important tool steel properties are a high resistance against thermal cyclic stresses and a good hot wear resistance. The properties profile should be even in all directions in the tool steel to get the best performance. Our business practice is to offer tooling solutions to the hot work industry with the goal of increasing productivity and optimising tool life.

  • Good strength at high temperatures
  • High ductility and toughness

Our business practice is to offer tooling solutions to the hot work industry with the goal of increasing productivity and optimising tool life.

As a result of voestAlpine’s (Bohler-Uddeholm) experience in both the production and research of hot work die steels, they have been able to consistently improve material quality with regard to toughness, temper resistance, homogeneity, and degree of purity.

These improvements provide;

  • Resistance to heat checking
  • Erosion resistance
  • Increased hot strength
  • And ultimately, longer tool life
Product Overview Availability Datasheet
Bohler W302 Isodisc H13 / 1.2344

Suitable for heavy duty hot work tools and dies: mainly for light alloy die casting applications. Hot extrusion tools, hot shear blades. Can also be used for plastic moulding dies and Engineering components/Parts requiring good toughness and torsional characteristics (after appropriate heat treatment processing).

NZ Stock

Supplied in the annealed condition.

Rounds

ø10mm - ø508mm

Flats / Blocks 

25mm - 305 mm thick

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Uddeholm Orvar 2M H13 / 1.2344

Uddeholm Orvar 2 M is a chromium molybdenum-vanadium-alloyed steel which is characterised by:
• good resistance to abrasion at both low and high temperatures
• high level of toughness and ductility
• uniform and high level of machinability and polishability
• good high-temperature strength and resistance to thermal fatigue
• excellent through-hardening properties
• very limited distortion during hardening

Delivery condition: Soft annealed to approx. 185 HB

NZ Stock

Rounds

10mm - 460mm diameter

Flats / Blocks

25mm - 305 mm thick

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Bohler W302 Isobloc H13 ESR / 1.2344 ESR

The steel is produced by a special melting and refining technique (ESR) in order to give mechanical properties with maximum uniformity and extra toughness. Suitable for heavy, hot work tools and dies: mainly for light alloy diecasting applications. Hot extrusion tools, hot shear blades. Can also be used for plastic moulding dies. Engineering components/parts requiring good toughness and torsional characteristics. 

Overseas Stock 

Rounds

10mm - 550mm

Flats / Blocks

28mm - 407 mm thick

 

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Uddeholm Orvar Supreme H13 ESR / 1.2344 ESR

Premium Cr-Mo-V alloyed hot work steel with good resistance to thermal fatigue. This steel is produced by a special melting and refining technique and meets the requirements of NADCA #207-2008.

Overseas Stock

Rounds

10mm - 550 mm diameter

Flats/Blocks

28mm - 407 mm thick

 

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Uddeholm Vidar 1 ESR ~H11 ESR / 1.2343 ESR

Used for plastic moulding, specially large moulds requiring high toughness and polishability, and general hot work applications (shear blades, forging dies, hot gripper dies, extrusion tooling). Containing less vanadium than the widely used H13 grade tool steel giving a higher toughness, with some reduction in wear and temper resistance. Possessing good resistance to heat checking (thermal fatigue) and thermal shock. 

NZ Stock

Flats

10mm - 230mm thick 

Overseas Stock

Blocks

254mm - 600mm thick

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Uddeholm QRO 90 Supreme

QRO 90 Supreme will normally out-performs standard hot work tool steels due to its more balanced alloy element content and its manufacturing techniques with achieve extremely high purity. This gives QRO90 mechanical properties unique among hot work tool steels. The combination of high temperature strength, temper resistance and thermal conductivity allow QRO90 to outperform other hot work tool steels that require resistance to heat checking and erosion with a high degree of toughness. Used in die casting and extrusion of nonferrous metals. Forging and extrusion of steel. Used instead of H13 for dies with complicated or thin wall profiles, with difficult to extrude alloys and on long extrusion runs to avoid multiple die changes. 

NZ Stock

Welding Consumables

TIG Wire rods

1.0mm; 1.6mm

 

Overseas Stock

Rounds

6mm - 407mm

Flats / Blocks

54mm - 203 mm Thick

 

 

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Bohler W360

Used for Dies and Punches in Hot work applications (typically above 200ºC). Can also be used for tooling in high speed presses, extrusion tooling, core pins and inserts in die casting dies and plastic moulding dies. By using a more balanced range of alloy elements this steel has been developed to combine the advantages of high hardness, and wear resistance, of a high speed steel with the good toughness of a hot work tool steel. Designed to be used at up to 57 HRc.  

Overseas Stock

Rounds

13.5mm - 483mm

Blocks

202mm - 303mm thick

Additive Manufacturing Powder for 3D Metal Printing

 

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Uddeholm Unimax None

Unimax is a high hardness electroslag remelted tool steel which provides great wear resistance even over extended time at elevated temperatures. This product is suitable for coating and nitriding. Unimax performs very well in precision forging, hot stamping and moulding of reinforced plastics.

NZ Stock

Flats

254 x 54 mm thick

Overseas Stock

Rounds

14mm - 620mm

Flats/Blocks

57 x 28mm - 596 x 346mm

TIG Wire

Diameter 1.6mm

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Bohler W720 VMR ASTM Marage 300 / 1.2709

Tool steel that has proved highly satisfactory for hot and cold work and long-time service up to approx . 450°C (842°F) in various fields of application. Tools for hydrostatic presses, cold extrusion tools, cold heading and embossing tools, molds for the plastics industry, die casting tools for aluminium and zinc alloys, hot pressing tools, cold pilger mandrels.

Overseas Stock

Rounds

14.5mm - 182mm diameter

Square

250mm x 250mm

Additive Manufacturing Powder for 3D metal printing

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