Pressbrake Tooling Question

[Jmk7R]

Hi everybody,

We're looking to purchase new custom designed pressbrake tooling for bending 20gauge 316.

We've gone to a local machine shop as we need the parts rather quickly and have a good relationship with them.
We've been quoted for the tooling using the following materials, in order of cheapest to costliest (CAD $)

44W - $9k
QT100 - $11k
4330 V - $16k


My question is does anyone have experience or knowledge using these materials in tooling environment? As mentioned it's thin gauge stainless so will not be used for anything overly heavy duty. I am not sure if it's the material hardness which is the key factor I'm interested in, 4330V being by far the hardest. Heat Treatment after machining is not likely possible due to warping the material, as the profile is 4ft long but only 6" wide. I would of course like to use the cheapest option however my concern is premature wear and/or damage.

Thanks, James

 

[BEMPE16524]

 

[EdStainless]

I would go with the QT100 also.
If down the road you wear it out then you can decide which makes more sense, replace in kind or upgrade.
Just remember, any of these will leave Fe embedded in the surface of the SS which can lead to rust stains and pitting.
You will need to passivate (acid clean) to remove this Fe.