Mold Making Materials
Mould making requires several different materials such as mould steel, special alloys and additional components. Successful mould quality comes mainly from choosing suitable materials. Directly affecting the injection moulding procedure, great mould materials contribute to making superior plastic pieces that keep their accurate and reliable shape over time.
Types and Applications
Overview of Mold Making Materials
Our clients can find developing their goods much easier with basic knowledge of mold-making supplies.
Knowing these details supports consumers to decide on what to buy by looking at performance, price and quality. Also, this stage makes manufacturing costs more clear, allows problems in the supply chain to be anticipated and sets appropriate standards for what the product will do and what it won’t.
| Material Type | Common Grades | Characteristics | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stainless Steel
|
420
|
Corrosion-resistant, hardenable
|
Medical or food-grade molds
|
|
|
6061 |
Good combination of strength, weldability
|
Non-critical parts, mold bases
|
|
Carbon Steel
|
1018 |
Good machinability, low cost
|
Prototype molds
|
|
Zinc Alloys
|
ZA-12
|
Good strength, lower cost than aluminum
|
Die casting molds
|
|
Pre-Hardened Steel
|
4140 |
Good toughness, high fatigue strength
|
Gear, automotive molds
|
|
Chromium Steel
|
52100
|
High hardness, wear resistance
|
High-precision bearings, molds
|
|
|
17-4PH
|
High strength, good corrosion resistance
|
Aerospace, automotive molds
|
|
Aluminum |
7075
|
High strength, lightweight
|
Prototype, low-volume molds
|
|
Beryllium Copper
|
Alloy 25
|
High thermal conductivity, strength
|
Cooling inserts, hot runner systems
|
|
|
Cooling inserts, hot runner systems
|
High toughness, high strength
|
Large molds requiring toughness
|
|
|
D2 |
High wear resistance
|
Stamping molds
|
|
|
1045
|
Higher strength, medium carbon steel
|
Low-volume production molds
|
|
|
H13
|
Hot work steel, high toughness
|
High-volume injection molds
|
|
Tool Steel
|
P20 |
Pre-hardened, good polishability
|
General-purpose molds
|
|
|
S7
|
Shock-resistant
|
Molds requiring high impact resistance
|