Plastic Mold Steel

Types of Plastic Mold Steels

Choosing steel for making plastic molds is important because it will affect the quality and longevity of the mold. Here's a quick overview of the types of steel commonly used to make plastic molds.

1. Iron SUPERPLAST300 Group This is a low-alloy plastic mold making steel, pre-hardened at a hardness of about 28-32HRc, which is widely used because of its good formability and excellent polishing. It is suitable for molds that do not have special requirements, such as polystyrene, ABS, and polypropylene. Leong Jin has this group of steels as SUPERPLAST300, DIN1.2311, and SUPERPLAST400. SP400 is a high-hardness type of steel commonly known as High Hard, which has a hardness of about 38-40HRc or 350-390HBw.
2. DIN 1.2344 is a hot work tooling steel known for its excellent toughness and high strength at high temperatures. This makes it suitable for making plastic molds that require high polished mold cavities and higher abrasion resistance than the DIN 1.2311 group.
3. Stainless Steel SUS420, DIN1.2083, DIN1.2316 this is a high-carbon stainless steel. It is usually used to make high-quality inserts, and can be pre-hardened to DIN 1.2316 grade, which is pre-hardened. It has a hardness of about 28-32HRc. This group of steels is suitable for PVC injection molding or mold applications with high corrosion.
4. DIN1.2379 Steel It is cold-hardened tool-making steel then it will have good toughness and stability during hardening. It is used for molds that require very high abrasion resistance and high production volumes.
5. DIN1.2510 Steel another type of cold tool making steel that is hardened with oil. The machine is easy to machine and has good wear resistance. It is generally used for small to medium-sized molds.

Each type of steel has its own properties that make it suitable for different forming conditions and specifications. The choice of steel will depend on factors such as the expected production volume, the plastic material to be formed, and the desired surface of the molded part.