Tool Steel Supplier

Most rolling element bearings are manufactured using rings and rolling elements fabricated from AISI 52100 degassed chrome bearing steel. While AISI 52100 chrome steel is exceptionally suited for many applications, there are other cases where special materials are required. Criteria for these scenarios may include: Greater Corrosion Resistance Higher Temperature Durability Lower Temperature Durability Grease Free Use Lighter Weight Applications common to these needs can be found in a variety of manufacturing processes and in the military and medical equipment. For such sensitive applications, it is important to ensure the right materials are used for the job. Bearings materials are classified as through-hardened materials (used largely for ball bearings) and case-hardened materials (used largely for roller bearings). Critical applications require vacuum-processed steels. Regardless of material type, a commonly accepted minimum hardness for bearing components is 58 ...

Output for the first nine months of the year climbed 6.1% to a record 699.42 million tons. China's steelmakers pushed production rates to record levels last month, underscoring a broadly bullish picture for mills in the world’s biggest market as prices rally again. Output of crude steel rose 7.5% on year to 80.85 million metric tons, according to the statistics bureau Friday. That means a daily rate of 2.695 million tons, beating the previous all-time high of 2.673 million tons posted in June. Output for the first nine months of the year climbed 6.1% to a record 699.42 million tons. China’s mills have boosted output to benefit from an unusually long period of high prices and healthier profits that shows few signs of ending. The price of rebar used in construction rallied this week to the highest this year, while iron ore prices have surged to a March high, ahead of winter production curbs to fight pollution that are likely to continue to support the nation’s steel markets....

Metal shafts used in high-speed applications require a large amount of precision. If the shafts have rough finishes or lack concentricity and straightness, premature wearing of either the shaft or bearing being used can occur. In order to achieve the high level of precision required, steel shaft manufacturers often use a process called turned, ground and polished. This process involves – as the name implies – three important steps that converts a coarse, roughly dimensioned metal rod to a shaft with a straight and smooth finish. Turned: First, oversized steel rods are placed into a lathe chuck and tightened, and a cutting tool is placed in the tool holder on the lathe. The lathe is then started and the rod begins to spin. Once the steel rod reaches the desired speed, the cutting tool is fed into the rod which begins the process. The turning continues until the steel rod is brought down to the desired size. Multiple passes may have to be made with the cutting tool depending on h...

The plastic injection moulding process produces large numbers of parts of high quality with great accuracy, very quickly. Plastic material in the form of granules is melted until soft enough to be injected under pressure to fill a mould. The result is that the shape is exactly copied. Once the plastic moulding has cooled sufficiently to harden the injection mould opens releasing the part. The whole injection moulding process then repeats. CLOSE MOULD CLAMPING – the moving and fixed platens of the injection moulding machine hold the mould tool together under pressure. INJECT MOLTEN PLASTIC INJECTION – the molten plastic that has been melted from pellet form in the barrel of the moulding machine is injected under pressure into the mould. HOLD MOULD CLOSED DWELLING – after the molten plastic has been injected into the mould, the pressure is applied to ensure all cavities are filled. COOLING – the plastic parts are then allowed to solidify in the mould. OPEN MOULD &...

Alloy steel can be used in a wide variety of applications because there are so many different combinations of alloying elements that achieve different properties. With such a wide variety of alloying elements and combinations, choosing an alloy steel grade can be difficult. This article will explain some considerations when choosing an alloy steel for your next project. 7 things you should consider when choosing an alloy steel grade include: Does it need to have good formability? Does it need to be welded? Does it need to be machined? Does it need to have corrosion resistance? Does it need to be heat treated? What strengths are required? What are the typical applications? Does the alloy steel need to have good formability? Some elements, such as chromium and boron, increase the steel’s hardenability. Since most alloy steels are able to be hardened, forming is typically done in the annealed state of the material. Alloy steels that are annealed and have lower amou...

What is Cold Work Tool Steel? & What is Hot Work Tool Steel? Cold Work Tool Steel Cold work tool steel basically is high carbon steel, the alloy content contains tungsten, manganese, chromium and molybdenum relatively low alloy steel. These alloys added to improve hardenability, allowing less distortion than the W series of quenching oil. These are relatively cheap steel, high carbon content they will produce sufficient wear resistance, used for short-term operation. It is used for all types of blanking and forming dies, gauges, fixtures, etc. In ASTM Steel standard Cold Work Tool Steel main include the “W” (Water Hardening), “O”(Oil Hardening), “A” (Medium Alloy Air Hardening), “D” (High Carbon, High Chromium) Tool Steel Series. Typical Steel Grade like: W1, W2, W5 tool Steel; O1, O2, O6, O7 Oil Steel; A2, A4, A6,A7,A8, A9,A10, A11 Cold work Steel; D2,D3, D4,D5,D7 Steel; etc. Hot Work Tool Steel Hot working tool steel to make iron and nonferrous metals as well as hot for...

While metal is generally hard and tough, it is still able to be cut by several different processes. Understanding what the processes are and which option is best suited for specific metal types and projects is important when determining how to cut metal. Here are some common ways to cut metal. Thermal Cutting Processes There are several different thermal cutting processes that can be used to cut metal. These processes use an energy source to heat specific portions of the metal and cause it to become liquid. At that point, the molten metal is blown away from the rest of the solid metal, creating a cut. Thermal cutting is preferred over other processes in certain applications because of the speed in which the metal can be cut. Flame cutting is one example of a thermal cutting process. For example, oxy-fuel flame cutting uses the combination of oxygen and a fuel such as acetylene or propylene to create a flame that melts the metal. The flow of the oxy-fuel gas mixture is also use...

AISI 4140 steel grade is a versatile steel grade. 4140 material is widely used in a lots of industrial fields. It is a chromium-molybdenum alloy steel. The chromium content provides good hardness penetration, and the molybdenum content ensures uniform hardness and high strength. ASTM 4140 chrome-molybdenum steel can be oil hardened to a relatively high level of hardness. The desirable properties of the AISI steel 4140 include superior toughness, good ductility and good wear resistance in the quenched and tempered condition. Here we list 15 common applications for 4140 steels material: 1.Shaft 2. Crankshaft 3.Bolt 4.Machinery Parts 5. Gear 6. Milling Spindle 7. Nut 8. Slide 9. Steel Collet 10.Steel Conveyor and Roll 11. Steel Coupling 12. Drill Collar 13. Steel Ejector 14. Steel Piston Rod 15. Steel Stub Except for the above 15 applications for steel g...

Many industries place strict requirements on the acceptable level of surface defects and imperfections that may appear on a plastic molded part. Such conditions often apply to critical components for the medical and pharmaceutical industries as well as for the manufacturers of lenses and other optical devices. However, for aesthetic reasons, many other consumer goods have similar restrictions. After all, any defect that appears on the surface of the mold steel is likely to be replicated onto the molded part. Problems associated with the texturing or polishability of a mold cavity can often be traced back to the mold steelmaking process. The material properties that have shown the greatest influence on obtaining a good surface finish are the microcleanliness level, the severity of chemical segregation and the appearance of primary carbides. The mold steel's chemical composition along with the manufacturing techniques used during its production, will determine its ability to p...

What is Injection Molding: Injection Molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts in large volume. It is most typically used in mass-production processes where the same part is being created thousands or even millions of times in succession. Why Use Injection Molding: The principal advantage of injection molding is the ability to scale production en masse. Once the initial costs have been paid the price per unit during injection molded manufacturing is extremely low. The price also tends to drop drastically as more parts are produced. Other advantages include the following: Injection Molding produces low scrap rates relative to traditional manufacturing processes like CNC machining which cut away substantial percentages of an original plastic block or sheet. This however can be a negative relative to additive manufacturing processes like 3D printing that have even lower scrap rates. Note: waste plastic from injection molding manufacturing typically comes consistent...

There are no shortcuts in producing good tooling. Lack of attention in any of the following areas can result in poor tool quality, poor part quality, low yield or worse – tool failure: Tooling design Material selection Tooling manufacturing process Heat treating and finishing Today, we are going to talk about tooling design. Careful consideration should always be given to the design, material and fabrication of tooling – let’s face it, finished parts are only as good as the tooling used to create them. There are several variables such as heat, pressure and speed that can contribute to excessive tool wear or tool failure. Managing these variables, sourcing the right tool steel and applying good tool design sensibility will help you avoid downtime and extend tool life.  Here are some common problems and solutions to consider when designing and fabricating tooling: At Otai Special Steel we work closely with customers to help them select the right tool steel for the...