Conventional Tool Steel Heat Treating Cycle

This is the heat treating process typically used to harden conventional tool steel grades such as A-2, D-2, S-7, H-13 and O-1.

There are four critical steps to creating an optimum tool. These steps are:

1. Proper Tool Design

2. Proper Tool Steel Selection

3. Proper Fabrication

4. Proper Heat Treatment

If any one of these steps is sacrificed in your tooling, the longevity of your tools will suffer. If any one of these steps is sacrificed, your tools don't suffer just 25%. They FAIL.

Many times, the importance of proper heat treating is overlooked, however most failures result from improper heat treatment. Conventional tool steels and PM tool steels follow different heat treating cycles, mainly because of the difference in the austenizing, or hardening temperature. For this reason, we will present two different tool steel heat treating cycle diagrams.

For the complete heat treating procedure, including tempering charts, tips and tool steel data sheets, see our "Tool Steel Simplified" book.

You can find all of the answers to your tool steel questions in our comprehensive book "Tool Steel Simplified". This concise book includes tool steel properties, alloying elements, uses, careers, data sheets, heat treating and so much more. It is written is an easy-to-understand format for designers, engineers, buyers, students, production planners and anyone that is interested in learning more about tool steel.

You have questions and you want answers. The answers to your tool steel questions are found in “Tool Steel Simplified”.

You will receive 226 pages of valuable tool steel information providing you with the resources necessary to produce high-quality tooling for your application.

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