AISI D2 tool steel 3

[Dek]

We have had good results from using the D2 material instead of EN39B tool steels in that corrosion resistance is higher we are now though having a problem with D2 in its toughness to cracking can anyone suggest a similar material to D2 but stronger overall ??

 

[MechEng13]

If your wear resistance requirements are overly high, you could easily go with A2 tool steel. It has excelletn toughness and good wear. It is one of the better all around tool steels and has relatively good machinability characteristics.



Alan M. Etzkorn
Product Engineer
Nixon Tool Co.

http://www.nixontool.com

 

[mnielsen]

Dek,

I have used Crucible Specialty Metals for many years. They are typically very good for technical assistance as well. Depending on your application, Powdered Metals can be very useful. For example CPM M4 or CPM 3v have excellent compressive strength characteristics compared to D2.

http://www.crumetals.com

 

[TVP]

Carpenter is another high-quality provider of tool steels. Grades like A2 (No. 484 Air-Hard) and A6 (VEGA Air-Tough) would be an improvement over D2. Use the following link for more information:

http://www.cartech.com

 

[unclesyd]

We use thousands of D-2 components from pumps to dies. Come back with your heat treat procedure. Essentially all our problems have been traced to improper heat treatment.

We have D2 parts/coponents that have been in service for over 30 years that operate at 600°F and are priodically cycled to 1000°F. We have had very little problems with it cracking. The wear we experienced was in extrusion dies with extremely high kaolin and TiO2 loaded polymer. We also have a number dies made for injection molding machines that have been in service for years.

 

[BobUXL]

D2 is a difficult material to manufacture and from the processing standpoint, is prone to cracking. Handling after heating is critical. However, with the advent of powder metallurgy, many mills are utilizing powder processing in the manufacture if bar stock. The advantages is better homogeneity, smaller and more evenly distributed carbides leading to a tougher product. You may want to look at the Crucible website, thay may make a powder D2.

 

[richardbuss]

Hi Dek,

Id agree with unclesyd. Many of the toughness problems I have seen with D2 are from improper heat treatment. Make sure your D2 is tempered 3 to 4 times before trying another steel. Before you try a Vanadis 4 or other type of powder steel try one of the 8% Chrome steels. These offer the same wear resistant properties as D2 but the toughness is much higher. Many of the can be secondary hardened too. They are also a lot cheaper than M4. Machinings easier too.

Regards
Richard

 

[unclesyd]

"richardbuss" brought up a good point, secondary hardening curve with D2 steel. All our D2 was tempered at this point. If you look at the tempering curves of quite a few tool steel there is a secondary hardening portion of the curve. We always found it best to use these materials tempered at the secondary hardening portion of the tempering curve. It had to be very compelling reason not to use the secondary hardening point.

I don't have the paper anymore but there was an excellent study by Bethlehem Steel that presented the benefits of using the secondary hardening point on the tempering curve.

One point not mentioned about D2 is it is one of the most stable of the tool steel after the proper heat treatment. The dimensional changes during heat treatment is minimal.

 

[ethant]

What type of application do you have for using D2? Based on the application there are many different choices you could make. D2 can have problems during heat treat especially with small sections as well as difficulty in machining. If you prefer D2 for your application then you might want to look at the heat treat and I would also recommend using a "triple temper" after the HT process.

 

[Milkboy]

ALZ H13 has been used by my company as an alternative to D2.

It was also Triple Tempered according to the drawing

-
Milkboy

 

[Frederick]

Make sure your heat treat is good, then give it a real cryogenic treatment after the first temper. That means slow cool down to -300 F and hold for at least 8 hours, followed by a slow rise to room temp. Follow with two tempers, and you should see a dramatic improvement.