Plastic mould steels are an integral part of our daily life. Car parts, mobile phones, glasses, computer cases, etc. are all produced in these moulds. However, the materials required to make these moulds often require unique and demanding properties. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right steel grade for the specific mould.

Plastic Mould Steels

The continuously growing activity in the field of technic plastics has created the necessity to develop new low-cost, high-performance plastic mould steels. In fact, when large plastic components have to be produced, plastic mould steel, as obtained from pre-hardening (quenching and tempering) of large ingots, exhibits low fracture toughness and highly inhomogeneous microstructures (constantly changing from surface to core).

These steels have wear resistance up to 540°C. Hot work tool steels are referred to as group H steels and contain carbon and chromium, with vanadium, molybdenum and tungsten as other alloying elements.

What are the Characteristics of Plastic Mould Steels?

Pre-hardened plastic mould steels are widely used in the manufacture of moulds for plastics due to their four main properties and characteristics:

• Abrasion resistance
• Corrosion Resistance
• Mirror Gloss
• Surface Machinability