What is the most important and decisive factor when choosing die steel?

Forming Methods - Choose from two basic material types.

A) Hot working tool steels, which can withstand relatively high temperatures during die casting, forging and extrusion.

B) Cold working tool steels, which are used for blanking and shearing, cold forming, cold extrusion, cold forging and powder pressure forming.

Plastics - Some plastics, such as PVC plastics, produce corrosive by-products.Corrosion can also be caused by condensation, corrosive gases, acids, cooling/heating, water, or storage conditions due to extended  in these cases, die steels made of stainless steel are recommended.

Die Dimensions - Prehardened steel is often used for large die sizes.Monolithic hardened steels are often used in small molds.

Mold usage times - long-term use (>;The mould shall be made of high hardness steel, 48 to 65HRC.Medium and long time use (100000 to 1000000 times)

The molds shall be made of pre-hardened steel with a hardness of 30-45HRC.Short Term Use (<;The mould of 100000 times shall be made of mild steel with a hardness of 160-250HB.

Surface roughness - Many plastic mold manufacturers are interested in good surface roughness.When sulfur is added to improve metal cutting performance, surface quality is reduced.Steels with high sulfur content also become more brittle.