8% Chrome Material

Cold work tool steels with approximately 8% chromium content are commonly referred to as 8% chromium steels. These steels are specifically designed for cold work applications where high wear resistance, good toughness, and dimensional stability are required. One of the most well-known 8% chromium steels is AISI D2 (also known as DIN 1.2379 or JIS SKD11). Here's a description of AISI D2, which falls into this category:

• Composition: AISI D2 typically contains around 1.4-1.6% chromium, 11-13% carbon, 0.5-1.2% molybdenum, and small amounts of vanadium and other elements. This composition provides D2 with high hardness, excellent wear resistance, and good dimensional stability.
• Hardness: D2 can achieve high levels of hardness, typically ranging from 58 to 62 HRC (Rockwell hardness scale) after heat treatment. This high hardness contributes to its exceptional wear resistance, making it suitable for cutting, forming, and shaping applications.

• Wear Resistance: AISI D2 offers outstanding wear resistance, particularly in applications involving cutting, shearing, and forming of abrasive materials such as wood, plastics, and non-ferrous metals. It retains its cutting edge well, prolonging tool life in demanding cold work environments.
• Toughness: While D2 possesses good toughness, it may not be as high as some other tool steels. However, it still offers sufficient toughness to resist chipping and fracturing during use, especially when properly heat treated.
• Cold Work Applications: AISI D2 is widely used in cold work applications such as blanking dies, forming dies, punches, knives, and cutting tools. Its combination of hardness and wear resistance makes it suitable for a wide range of tooling requirements.
• Heat Treatment: D2 is typically hardened through quenching and tempering processes. The steel is heated to austenitizing temperatures (around 980-1010°C or 1800-1850°F), followed by quenching in oil or air to achieve full hardness. Subsequent tempering is then carried out to improve toughness and reduce internal stresses.
• Machinability: AISI D2 exhibits fair machinability in the annealed condition. However, its high hardness after heat treatment can make machining challenging. Pre-hardened or tempered D2 may be easier to machine for certain applications.
• Dimensional Stability: D2 demonstrates good dimensional stability during heat treatment, minimizing distortion and warping. This property is beneficial for producing precision components with tight tolerances.

In summary, AISI D2 and similar 8% chromium cold work tool steels are valued for their excellent wear resistance, hardness, and dimensional stability, making them suitable for a wide range of cold work tooling applications, especially in industries such as metal stamping, die cutting, and precision machining.