Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is Tool Steel?
Answer:
Tool steel is a class of carbon and alloy steels commonly used to make tools. Tool steels offer high hardness, resistance to wear, high toughness and resistance to softening at elevated temperatures generally attained with a higher content of carbon and other alloying elements.
Question: What is Air Hardening Tool Steel?
Answer:
Air hardening tool steel contains carbon and other alloying elements designed to fully harden during the cooling process, either in air or controlled air temperature reduction.
Question: What is Oil Hardening Tool Steel?
Answer:
Oil hardening tool steel contains carbon and other alloying elements that can be hardened at a relatively low heat and then quenched (cooled) in oil. (Oil should be warm and moving to draw heat away from the part to avoid cracking and case hardening. Do not leave the material in oil until it is cold; remove parts from quenching oil while still warm, and then transfer them to a tempering furnace. Cracks may result if the strains created during quenching are not relieved by tempering.)
Question: What is a Die?
Answer:
A die is a tool, usually containing a cavity, used to shape to solid, molten or powdered metals. Dies are used in stamping, blanking and forming.
Question: What is a Mold?
Answer:
A mold is a form made of metal or other material containing a cavity into which metal, plastic, rubber or other material is introduce to make a definite shape.
Question: What is Machining?
Answer:
Machining describes a method of shaping metal and other materials using cutting tools in conjunction with various machine tools.
Question: What is Tool Steel in the Annealed Condition?
Answer:
Tool steels are normally supplied in the annealed or soft condition so the material can be easily machined prior to heat treating.
Question: What is Heat Treating?
Answer:
Heat treating is the process of heating and cooling a piece of steel under carefully controlled conditions to obtain a desired hardness and strength, utilizing the various elements (chemistry) of steel.
Question: What is Pre-Hardened Steel?
Answer:
Some tool steels, mold steels and alloy steels are offered in the pre-hardened condition. These materials can be machined and polished but are supplied at the designated working hardness of the material, and can be heat treated or nitride processed to obtain a higher hardness if required.
Question: What is Porosity?
Answer:
Fine holes or inclusions contained within a piece of metal.