Mold materials technology research and development face revolution

As China's Mold Making industry, the quantity of mold material, quality, variety and performance, it raised even higher requirements, mold materials market has been rapid development. According to the International Mould & Metal & Plastic Mold Industry Suppliers Association, the Permanent Secretary Luo Baihui introduced a wide range of mold materials, from the general carbon steel, alloy steel, carbon tool steel, alloy tool steel, high-speed tool steel, stainless steel, maraging steel to carbide, refractory alloy, high temperature alloys, non-ferrous metals can be used, which is part of the main alloy tool steel mold steel. At present, China alloy tool steel production has been highest in the world, alloy tool steel which is about 10 million tons. China's mold industry consumes mold material -40 total of 300,000 tons, alloy tool steel of 13 million -15 million tons.
International Mould & Metal Plastic Steel Industry Suppliers Association Professional Committee of expert consultants Li Chao said that the current high-quality domestic steel mold is relatively small, a considerable part of the demanding needs of the mold steel after vacuum refining and remelting to ensure the high steel purity, high density, high tropism, and tool steel through electroslag remelting small share. Die steel market is about 80% black round bar, the user should get the material after forging their own restructuring to change the material use is low, the production cycle is long, can not meet the needs of the modern mold manufacturing.
Conventional steel alternatives
Shenzhen Special Steel Co., Ltd. Wei casting research and development of new, high-efficiency TS4 mold copper alloy hardness up to HRC38-45 degree, no heat, Mold Making processing easy, low coefficient of friction, and wear-resistant alloy elements added to make already resistant to further improve the wear resistance of copper alloys, particularly suitable for the needs of tensile modulus. In the mold manufacturing costs, materials costs often account for only about 20% of the cost of the mold, but the die mold industry competition is the efficient use of competition, rather than low-cost Injection Molding material to win, so the higher the long-life die in the selection of mold materials often need to strive for excellence. For example, the use of carbide grade 5-6 non-uniform degree tensile modulus Cr12MoV steel manufacturing, life is often less than 10,000; and the use of copper alloy mold material manufacturing TS4 tensile modulus, the service life of up to 70,000 or more . This is because TS4 copper alloy mold material thermal conductivity, and can work to ensure uniform temperature distribution in the mold, so mold will not be because of local heat cracks, do not make stretch marks the product off the surface of cold welding and wrinkling both shorten the time to mold and improve die life, and improve production efficiency and product quality. Now TS4 copper alloy mold material has been successfully applied to stainless steel sheet tensile modulus, aluminum die casting, Plastic Injection Mold, copper alloy die casting gravity casting and low pressure, glass making molds, mold will soon replace the traditional steel and cast iron, called a revolution in the field of mold material. 
Metal materials laser surface hardening techniques can be used to strengthen the metal surface, to solve the overall strengthening and other surface hardening means insurmountable contradictions; also be used for surface modification of metallic materials, access to low-grade materials, high-performance surface. Laser surface hardening techniques lead to mold material alternative technologies to reduce manufacturing costs to open up new ways to die.
1, the cold Mold Making material alternatives
Cold mold with the required material strength, toughness, abrasion resistance, fatigue resistance and bite performance. Cold mold used in the carbon-carbon steel, low alloy steel or cast iron, fortified by the laser phase-change process instead of the traditional high-grade materials, there is a wide range of technology space. Although widely used in high cold-working die steel has a unique wear-resistant carbide alloy effect, but the Laser Transformation Hardening its dispersion strengthening, distortion enhancement, processing and heat treatment without decarburization and oxidation process has no such strong working level, can make up for high-alloy steel with wear-resistant carbide alloy effect. Thus flexible laser hardening process advantage in the field of alternative technologies available materials more widely used.
Plastic mold manufacturer temperature below 350 ℃ in the cold mold with the same material alternatives space.
2, hot die material alternatives
In addition to hot die material requires strength, toughness, abrasion resistance, fatigue resistance and bite performance outside on the red hardness and tempering resistance properties have special requirements. Thus with low material Laser Transformation Hardening substitute for high-alloy steel has the high-temperature performance. Die re-manufacturing technology and laser cladding can make carbon steel, low alloy steel or cast iron with a high-temperature performance. Plastic mold temperature above 400 ℃, the same can be hot die material alternatives.
3, cast iron mold
Cast iron molds to strengthen potential depends on the matrix organization is pearlite. If there are too many organizations, the matrix of ferrite, will reduce the material hardened, the mold material for the replacement of cast iron to improve the potential for enhanced target. National criteria, ductile iron QT600 be selected more than CGI election RT380 need more than gray cast iron HT200 or more grades to be selected. The current market there are a lot HT150 mold, such transformation used to strengthen the mold ineffective.
4, gear and re-mold manufacturing technology
In gear or mold damage or defective parts using laser cladding alloy cladding material specific to the substrate metal to form a good metallurgical bonding, this repair process not only for the gear or the morphology of the mold repair, and improve the repair parts of the performance, is an enhanced repair. This has been used to present the gear and die repair gear as laser cladding or re-mold manufacturing technology.